Take-off, the flight, landing and baggage collection

(17 Sep 2008)

Small babies are more sensitive to air pressure and as the plane climbs and descends may be likely to cry. Swallowing can have a calming effect and so you should feed young children a bottle during takeoff and landing and give older children sucking sweets to help with this.

Toddlers and older children will enjoy the novelty of being in the air but this soon wears off and you still need to start thinking about entertainment. If you're on a flight with in-house entertainment the children can check out the in-flight movies and music using the plug-in headphones. It is also a good idea to introduce yourself to your neighbours as you may need some help from them later on or at least it is a good idea to be on good times with them.

Once the fasten seatbelt signs have been switched on the children can move around but you should make sure that they are not disturbing anyone. Toddlers in particular do not take kindly to confinement and like to roam the aisles and you are likely to spend a lot of your time walking up and down as they make friends along the way. Do not expect toddlers to be absorbed with just one toy for the duration of the flight so bring lots of books, snacks and toys of different types to amuse them. For some help look at our packing lists and keeping them entertained lists.

Give your children regular drinks to ward off dehydration and lots of healthy snacks to keep them busy and occupied. If the flight includes meals ask the cabin staff to serve the children first so you can help them to eat. Some airlines have a policy of serving children first. For younger children it is better to transfer drinks to non-spill cups and do remember that is hard from them too to work in a confined space .When you book your ticket should ask whether the airline has special children's meals which can sometimes include a surprise toy or activity. Remember also to ask for any giveaway activity packs which airlines may carry.

Cabin temperature tends to fluctuate so you may need to take layers off your baby and younger children. When putting children to sleep on long haul flights try to keep them buckled in even if the seatbelt signs have been switched authors you may have to wake them if there is turbulence.

Take children to the toilet well before the seatbelt signs come on for the final descent and prepare any drinks for the descent to cope with air pressure up.

Once you land allow other passengers to get off first and do not stand up until the plane is ready to disembark. Children could get hit by other people's luggage and it is easy to check under a seat and in seat pockets to make sure nothing is left behind if you have more time and do not feel under pressure.

Once you have disembarked it might be an idea to let the children let off a bit of steam and run around a little before you obtain your luggage to stretch little legs. If your buggy is not delivered at the gate you will need to check whether not it is to be delivered with the suitcases or in the oversized luggage area and find out where this is. Splitting up if you are travelling as two parents with one say reclaiming luggage and the other changing baby, bringing older children to the toilet or starting the car rental process may be a good idea as long as you can keep in touch with eachother.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday. 

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