5 tips for enjoying long flights with children

[AD] Flying can be a tiresome hassle at the best of times: bumbling through security, constantly checking your pocket for your passport and enduring that much-dreaded turbulence is enough to make us groggy and irritable once we’re off the plane. If you add disruptive and badly-behaved children to that list, the journey goes from tiring to terrible. 

 

Luckily, we’ve provided a list of tips to make sure your kids are entertained and happy throughout the journey – giving the opportunity to relax and enjoy the contents of the food and drinks trolley. 

 

1. Bring some spare clothes

We’ve seen the situation hundreds of times before, yet somehow we just can’t seem to prevent it. Our child is wandering around, enjoying a carton of orange juice or a couple of sweets, then suddenly their clothes are covered in the food they were just eating. While a messy T-shirt may be inevitable, only having one to wear isn’t, so packing an extra outfit can work miracles for your stress levels. 

 

2. Arm yourself with plenty of snacks

Although we’re well aware that the sweet sight of the drinks trolley cruising down the aisle can be the highlight of the flight, the options can often be a little too pricey and sometimes fairly limited. To avoid having to stump up a fortune, prepare a hearty selection of snacks to keep your child satisfied. 

 

They may demand a cake or their favourite chocolate bar, but imagine how that array of sugar is going to affect their energy levels. Instead, there are various healthy snacks that are just as delicious and much more nourishing. Cottage cheese, for example, is a great choice – it may not immediately spring to mind as an option, but its high levels of calcium and vitamin B12 make it incredibly nutritious. 

3. Keep them entertained

If you’re just embarking on a short journey lasting only an hour or two, you shouldn’t have to worry too much about keeping your child’s mind busy. However, if you’re heading somewhere more exotic, it usually takes at least four hours to arrive – plenty of time for boredom and tantrums. 

 

Thankfully, many airlines incorporate in-flight entertainmentso your child will be able to watch their favourite TV shows as you soar through the skies. 

 

4. Have medicine to hand

It’s often our worst nightmare, but something we have to prepare for. Your child getting ill is never an easy thing to experience, let alone when trapped on an airplane. There may not be much you can do to prevent it, but you can make their upset stomach or hot fever more tolerable with some Calpol at the ready. It may also be worthwhile bringing some ear drops for when the inevitable ear-popping begins. 

 

5. Enjoy the wonder of flying

The fact that we even have the opportunity to travel several hundred miles in just a few hours is truly mind-boggling, so you might as well enjoy it. With various companies offering cheap deals for luxurious holidays we almost have no excuse to forget our fears and begin our next adventure. Shop around using comparison websites to find the best deal, and you’ll soon be on your way.