Air Travel With Kids
Tips For a Terrific Trip
Taking flight with your kids can make or break a family vacation. While we can’t create more space on the airplane or shorten the security lines, we can supply you with information to help save your sanity.
Whenever possible, fly non-stop even if it means paying a little more for the ticket. Mimi Comfort, president of Cruise Holidays travel agency in the Northland, says direct flights are very helpful for families. When flying non-stop isn’t available, Comfort advises parents to book flights with layovers a few hours long. “If you have to get through a big airport like Atlanta or Chicago, give yourself a minimum of two hours, because then you’re not trying to run through the airport with your kids. There’s nothing worse,” she says.
Buying a seat for a young child is something experienced travelers also recommend for their child under the age of two. Liberty mom Melanie Lively says, “Nothing is safer than their own seatbelts. And having their own seat gives them more space.”
Before you book your flight, analyze your child’s sleeping habits. Does she nap easily in strange environments? Some parents prefer to book a flight during their child’s naptime so he can sleep for the duration of the flight. But others say it’s too stressful trying to get tots to sleep on an airplane, so they aim for a time of day their child is pleasant and alert.
Olathe mom Kathryn Holmes says her 5-year-old son, Luke, wrote a story including pictures of what the inside of the plane looked like and explained what the flight attendant would be doing. Holmes says, “Basically we just wanted him to know what to expect.”
On the day of your flight, arrive early. Experts recommend at least two hours, but with young children you may want to allow more time, especially during heavier travel times of the year. Talk to your children about what to expect when they go through security and have them wear shoes they can put on by themselves. Don’t have a child who is just learning to tie his shoes wear lace-ups. This will help get them and their personal items through the x-ray machine more easily—something especially appreciated by travelers waiting behind your family. According to the Transportation Security Administration’s website, www.TSA.gov, security workers will “not ask you to do anything that will separate you from your child or children.”
While you’re on TSA’s website, brush up on the rules about carrying on a liquid. The website states that “medications, baby formula and food, and breast milk are allowed in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be in a zip-top bag.” You will need to declare these items for inspection at the checkpoint. Olathe mother of two Jennifer Robinson says she declared a sealed juice box for her young children. She says ‘water or juice for a toddler is very helpful when they’re not old enough to be patient and wait for the in-flight service.
Finally, business traveler and Northland father of three John Claybrook says make friends with the flight attendants. “Sit at the back of the plane to be closer to them and the restroom,” he says. “They’ll take good care of you.” With some planning, great family memories can be made while in flight.
Heather Claybrook is a Northland mother of three young children, all of whom have enjoyed flying on a plane.
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