by Janine M.
Read Plane Travel Tips (Part 1)
Pre-Boarding
Some airlines include families in their pre-board, and some don’t. That said, I generally act like a jerk and pre-board anyway (just try and stop me!… oh you can… okay, I’ll wait, then…). I think they held me back one time and never since. But try regardless- since overhead space is getting to be a premium and having “your” overhead space is really handy when traveling with kids. You want to get on that plane and grab it as quickly as you can! Pre-boarding is also nice so you have extra space to throw your kids in the row next to you while you install car seats or what not.
Entertainment
In my opinion, anything goes for the actual flight portion of the plane.
Hours of screen time?! Sure!
Snack, snacks and more snacks!? Lets go!
Infants: For very young infants (less than 6 mo), the airplane is baby utopia. Hours and hours of cuddles from mom and dad, complete parental access without distractions all while being soothed by the hum of the plane—from baby’s perspective, it’s all pretty awesome. Try to feed or give a pacifier during ascents/descents to help with their ears.
Screen-time a Go. We fly!
I like to baby wear on the plane, since it keeps my hands free and secures baby when they’re sleeping. My favorite carrier on a plane is the K’tan since it doesn’t go around the waist. Once their larger, though, I switch to the Ergo or something like it, since that’s what I’ll want to carry when we get to our destination. I’ve also used an Ombhuimo, since it doesn’t have a waist band, but it can be tricky to switch from front to back carry when you’re on your own.
Older Infants/Toddlers: After the magic period of early infancy, we hit the most difficult span of plane travel. Once kids can move, but before screen time entertains them, they get pretty annoyed at staying in the seat. Traveling in a car seat can be helpful since they are used to it (that is, if they travel well in the car). We’ve gotten through these periods by giving lots of snacks, having lots of toys to pull out and books to read. Expect to feel like a clown for the next X hours…
If you can get seats in the bulkhead, try, as there is generally some space to let them be out of their seat but still contained. Once they are strong walkers, you can also just walk up and down the aisle (forever…).
Toddler/preschooler: My kids get unconditional, unrestricted access to the iPad/Kindle Fire/smartphone. Netflix and Amazon Prime allow you to download shows, and they take up way less memory than iTunes files. We load them up with their favorite downloadable shows before the trip. Always have some redundancy though… Still download a couple iTunes movies (or whatever), just in case Netflix fails. I also try and download whatever app is needed for the airlines entertainment system so we can use that too. Make sure your devices are all charged and that everything downloaded before you leave. Sometimes downloads fail, but make sure you delete the failed files beforehand, since seeing a show your kid can’t actually watch tends to incite tantrums. Pro tip: When accessing Netflix, iTunes or Prime offline, go into settings and turn off your wifi. The apps are dumb and try to look for a wifi signal first, causing them to hang when opening offline, which is frustrating. Turning wifi off tends to fix this. If you have bluetooth headphones (its great to be cordless), make sure you do bring the cord so you can connect to the planes entertainment, but also to keep the headphones working if the battery runs out.
Dealing with People
In my experience, 99% of the people I’ve encountered have all been very sweet, kind, helpful and encouraging while traveling. Most people get it and will tolerate a lot. That said, I also try to dress my kids as cute as possible, since cuteness really is our biggest weapon against meanies.
The only universal thing where even the sweetest people get frustrated is when the kids are kicking the seat… and I don’t blame them, it really is annoying having been on the receiving end. Telling your kids to stop, however, tends to go a long way into appeasing them. I still don’t have a great way to prevent this. Maybe your kids will be different and actually listen to you???
First Solo Trip with the Girls!
What happens when you do get a jerk.* My advice… ignore them. There’s nothing in life that entitles someone to a child-free existence. Kids on planes are universal these days, and IMO, it’s up to the other passengers to prepare for screaming kids. It’s not your problem they have a meeting they need to get ready for. Children have every right to be on the plane as much as an adult (as illustrated by the fact the price of the seat is exactly the same!). So if someone is rude, try and stay calm during the flight, and then make fun of them ruthlessly to everyone who’ll listen once you’ve landed.
Also, those cute bags some people make to hand out to nearby passengers… screw those. We have enough to deal with just getting on and off the plane than to also have to hand out goodie bags for adults… Just saying…
*I obviously have some strong feelings here. This is my opinion and does not reflect the opinion of SMBC. 🙂
Asleep on the plane – Inflatable pillows for the win!
Parting Tips
If all @!#% does break lose, and the whole trip is one giant tantrum, use your labor mantras and remember— These are only 4 (5,7,15) hours out of your life, and once they are done, they are done. You will never have to live those 4 (5,7,15) hours again. Also, the 4 (5,7,15) hours you just spent to get to your destination is probably worth the experiences and memories you’ll make while traveling. If it’s for family or for a vacation, you’ll remember the good times not the actual travel itself. So it’s likely worth it in the end, even if the process is painful. (.. just like labor…)
Happy Travels!