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Flying
With A Small Child Don't overpack, but
try to anticipate needs. You don't want to be walking for what
feels like miles through a crowded airport with carry-ons that weigh a
ton, nor do you want to have to try to find space in the overhead bin
for a giant backpack. The more you travel, the better idea you'll
have about what should go in the carry on, what can go in the suitcase,
and what may as well stay home. Every time you plan a new trip,
think about what worked (and didn't work) last time. Bringing toys:
obviously we all know to bring toys. When Zach was 2, however, we
bought a bunch of cheap little toys that I thought might keep him
occupied; I figured there were enough that even if each one only held
his attention for a few minutes at a time, they'd last for a while.
Nope, he wasn't interested in most of them and they just ended up
taking up space in the carry-on. Both his birthday and Sinterklaas are
in the two weeks before we travel at Christmastime, so we look for good
quality toys that are more likely to keep him interested.That way he's
got some of his presents, plus the odd new toy. Novelty, I found, took
second place to a cool train. I'm also keeping tabs on what toys are
his *favorites*, and will be bringing them in the carry-on. It will,
obviously, be important to keep close tabs on them, but he'll be
happier. In that same vein,
bring comfort toys, but again keep very close tabs on them. We'll also
be bringing the travel blanket that he likes sitting under; this
blanket has the added travel benefit of having a water-resistant side,
very handy when travelling someplace with particularly damp weather. I've seen it advised
to wrap a few toys so that the child is
entertained by the unwrapping, as well as taking more time. It
sure
kept him entertained; so much so that he kept wanting to unwrap new
things. I can't say I'd recommend being thousands of feet up in
the
air with a small child who wants to unwrap presents, when there aren't
any left. Use your judgement. If your child can understand
that there
are a finite number of presents in the bag, great, but if there's any
doubt, I'd say skip the wrapping paper. We've found that dark
clothes work best for travelling, as we're then not concerned when he
wants to use a pen instead of a crayon, or when food spills. Also on
the topic of clothes, make sure you and the child have a change of
clothes. This becomes even more important if you miss a connecting
flight and have to stay overnight. (Happened to us, and Delta was not
at all cooperative about returning our suitcase with our extra clothes
in it. Speaking of which, if you have a very young child, make sure you
have more than one change of clothes.) Make sure you have
enough nappies/diapers (if your child still uses them) to last if you
have to stay overnight, plus disposal bags and wipes. Again, voice of
experience. Coloring pages can be
downloaded from the Internet and printed out. You can have a folder
full of pages of things that you know interest your child, for very
little cost. There are a variety of crayon types available that your
child might be interested in trying out. File folder games are also an
option, but it'd be good to use ones with very few pieces. Flash cards
can also be a good bet. Books that your child
is interested in, magazines for children with activities (such as
matching, finding, etc). However, in the case of magazines, try
not to bring too many; they get HEAVY, and kids are likely to be just
as happy with a smaller number. Small jigsaw puzzles
and jigsaw puzzle books can be great entertainment if you're brave
enough to get them out on an airplane. Books with reuseable
vinyl stickers (similar to window clings) are great. Most
novelty-type books can provide a lot of entertainment, especially if
it's something the child hasn't seen before. Make sure you have
enough snacks to last the trip. Airports are terrible places to find
food, especially if your child is as picky as mine! A water bottle is
good, but keep tabs on it. We managed to lose one immediately PRIOR to
departure on an 8-hour flight--and my then-18 month old didn't drink
out of a cup. I did manage to get water into him, by pouring water out
of my (screw-top, not sport-top) water bottle into the lid and having
him drink out of that, but it isn't an experience I'd care to repeat.
After that, I put a toothbrush case with straws into the changing bag
so that we wouldn't be stuck like that again. On the other hand,
we've found it's possible to seriously overpack snacks. Coming
home after Christmas 2003, Zach wasn't interested in anything that we
brought along. However, in this case, he was actually happy to
eat bits of the airline meal, and shared pizza with me in the airport
during our layover. If you're comforable
using a child harness, do so. My son really likes the freedom it allows
him, being able to move around without having to hold my hand, and I
like that he isn't going to be able to run off in a crowded airport. I
know some people make negative comments, but they're not the ones
responsible for your child's safety. I will suggest using a chest
harness rather than a wrist harness; wrist harnesses still keep the
child from being able to use both hands, and there's potential for
shoulder or arm injury if they fall. I've seen it advised to try to sit near
other children on the plane so that the kids can keep each other
occupied. This has worked for us on trains, but not on
airplanes. In part because there's much less space, it's harder
for children to play together unless they're seated next to each other,
generally not possible on a crowded flight. Older children may be
too noisy when the smaller ones are trying to sleep; fair enough,
flying is exciting for them, but it doesn't make it easier when you're
trying to get your tired little one to take a nap. And sad to
say, we've been on flights where there have been children that I just
don't want around my child. It's an idea that can work, but
I tend to take it with a grain of salt. I've actually had people tell me I should
just let Zach run around, because after all, where's he going to
go? Apart from having seen parents use this "technique" (see
above), and having been unimpressed, it's just irresponsible. It
makes the flight harder for the other passengers, and it's
dangerous. Don't do it. (Thankfully, most parents don't
need to hear that, but there are a few bad apples out there.) Flying with a small child is certainly
more tiring than flying alone (I haven't done it with an older child
yet, so can't comment). Most of what I've said is with long
flights in mind. For a shorter flight, not everything I've said
will apply. Remember to keep your patience and try to stay as
relaxed as possible. Remember, it'll all be over and you'll be on
the ground eventually.
