 |
| Jet Lag |
|
|
|
|
Top
Flying with Kids |
 |
Long-haul
international travel is boring at the best
of times. Long hours sitting in a sealed
tin can, watching a movie where all the
best bits have been cut out, is few people's
idea of fun. |
|
|
Asking kids to sit still
and be quiet for nine hours is also asking
for trouble, unless you find ways to minimize
their boredom and lessen the disruption they
can cause to other passengers. |
|
|
The best way to keep kids
quiet is getting them to sleep. By selecting
a long haul flight that leaves late in the
evening, the kids will hopefully be so tired
they will fall asleep soon after departure.
This will also allow parents to sleep and
arrive at the destination less tired and frustrated
than if they had spent the last nine hours
trying to occupy a bored child. |
|
|
If an overnight flight
is not convenient or possible, try for an
early morning flight arriving in the evening
(destination time). By checking straight into
a hotel and getting the kids to bed, when
they are tired, will facilitate both them
and their parents being able to sleep through
the night and get over the worst of the jetlag.
If everyone does wake early, the family can
continue on to the ultimate destination and
not disturb too many other people. |
|
|
The kids are unlikely
to sleep through the whole of a flight, even
if it is overnight, so being prepared with
activities to occupy them is important. |
|
|
Encourage older kids to
pack their own backpack with favorite books,
magazines and coloring sets, making sure they
are small enough to fit on airline sized tables.
Books and coloring sets also have the advantage
to be quiet games. |
|
|
A Walkman can also be
a good idea as it reduces the chance of a
child being distracted from their books and
coloring by what is going on around them. |
|
|
Meals are not always served
at the times children want to eat, plus, the
dry air of aircraft dehydrates passengers
too. Packing sugar free snacks and drinks
(sugary foods increase dehydration) in the
child's bag allows them quick and easy access
when they decide they need some refreshment.
Try to pack foods that are not sticky or crumbly,
to minimize the potential for mess. |
|
|
Some airlines are much
more child friendly than others, though most
now serve children's meals. British Airways,
Swissair and Virgin Airways provide particularly
good packs of books, coloring sets and other
activities for children and British Airways
now has its own lounge area at Heathrow with
children's toys and videos available for its
passengers. |
|
|
Children under the age
of two do not require a seat, but it can be
worth buying a child ticket (rather than an
infant ticket) for them, as having a seat
for them to sit and sleep on during the flight
makes the flight much more comfortable for
the parents. A child ticket also comes with
a luggage allowance, which can be cheaper
than paying for excess baggage. |
|
|
Some airlines will provide
a booster seat (like a car safety seat) for
young children, which is strapped to the standard
seat. These seats are comfortable for the
child, restrain them more securely and lift
them up to the level of the parent, which
makes feeding them and playing with them less
problematic. |
|
|
With children to watch
and hold on to and toys, discarded clothes
and half-finished drinks to keep track of,
traveling parents never seem to have enough
hands to carry everything. To reduce the number
of items that need to hand carried, use a
small backpack for carry-on luggage and leave
enough space in it to take toys, airline gift
boxes and other items that will be collected
during the flight. |
|
|
Flight delays are common
enough to warrant parents carrying extra formula,
food, diapers, wet wipes and other consumables
for babies, as trying to find them during
an unscheduled twenty-four hour stopover is
guaranteed to cause frustration and stress. |
|
|
Finally, take a collapsible pushchair for
the trip, even for children who do not usually
use one. Most airlines allow one baby-carrier
per child that can be given to the cabin
crew at the aircraft door. Airports often
have long corridors, long queues and long
waits, which are tiring for short legs.
It is much easier for parents if the child
is sitting in a pushchair and not asking
to be carried. The easier the trip is made
for the kids, the easier it becomes for
the parents.
Top |
|
|
|
|  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
