Tips for Air Travel with Small Children

 

 Air travel these days is not easy.  On my recent business trip, I noticed how crowded the airports are now, and it takes much longer to travel due to the increased airport security.  It is difficult enough for single travelers to navigate the airport, but to bring small children along with all the extra luggage small children require?  Not to mention dealing with the children, and all the fussiness, and whining.  Why would anyone do that?  Well, I’ve done it many times with my children ages 4 and 3, and it is not easy.  We just got back from a week in Hawaii with our children.  However, with the proper preparation, it is possible.  Here are some tips from my experiences.

Preparation:

When I was single, if I found a good travel deal, I would just throw some things in a duffel bag and head to the airport.  You can’t do that when traveling with children.  It takes a good deal of planning, and it begins with booking your ticket.

• Book non-stop flight whenever possible to avoid tight connecting flights and layovers.  Kids are not as flexible as adults, and you don’t want the stress of dragging several whining, crying kids across an airport to catch a plane.
• Try to travel midweek when the air travel and the airports are less busy.  Also, try to time your flights to when your children are more alert and in a good mood.  Perhaps with a long flight, time it so that they can take their regular naps during the flight.
• You can often check in online and choose your seats with many airline.  Not all seats on the plane are the same Try to pick  seats with a little extra room so that you can at least have the child stand or walk a bit in the aisle near the bathroom.  Use seatguru to select the best seats on the plane.
• Discuss and rehearse with your children what will be happening at the airport.  Before I first took my first solo flight with my 3 year old son Marcus, we practice the routine at home.  I had him pack his small backpack, and pretended we were going to the airport, practiced taking off his shoes at the security check point, and boarding the plane.  We did this many times before the actual trip, and I tried to keep it fun and exciting so he would like forward to it, and be prepared.
• Packing: It is inevitable that you will have a lot of luggage when traveling with small children, but do everything you can to minimize it.  For example renting car seats instead of bringing them, or rent cribs at the hotel instead of bringing your own.  You have to balance the cost of renting or buying versus lugging a lot more gear.  There is one service that I have used a few years ago called Baggagedirect which picks up your luggage the day before or the morning of your flight at home or at your hotel.  They check it in for you and give you your boarding pass, so all you have to do is go straight to the gate.  It costs around $70, and I thought it was well worth it, but not all airlines offer it.
• Prepare for accidents.  With small children, prepare for the worst, as it will usually happen.  Halfway into our flight to Kauai, my daughter Mia spilled her drink onto her seat.  It could have been a long rest of the flight with a wet, cranky child, but my wife handed Mia to me.  She then took a stack of napkins from her bag and dried off the seat.  She had a change of clothes ready and quickly changed Mia, and she went back to drawing.  It pays to be prepared.

At the Airport:

Here is where the adventure begins.  Allow a lot of time, much more than if you were traveling alone.  First, you have to get in line to check in your luggage.  If you don’t check in at the curb, get a cart for your luggage.  They cost $2-3 dollars at the airport.  Do not try to carry or pull your luggage.  Put it all on the cart.  Usually I push the cart, and my wife watches the kids.  First, you have to get in line to check in you bags, and get your boarding passes.  Have your travel documents and id ready.  Keep the kids in front of you as you move forward in line.  Engage them in conversation, and keep it fun, so they don’t get bored.  You should have rehearsed the routine, so they should be ready.  At the ticket counter, one parent should deal with the counter person, and loading the luggage on the the scale.  That is me, as my wife is tending to the kids.  Once, you have your boarding passes, it is on the next obstacle.

The Security Check Point:

Before heading to the gate, you need to go through the security check point.  This is the most nerve wrecking because it is so crowded, and people are impatient.  You should have allowed yourself plenty of time, so no need to rush.  We usually gather ourselves outside of the line to prepare ourselves for the security check point.  Check if anyone needs to use the restrooms.  There are often lots of people and long lines at the security check point, but it usually goes in waves, with periods of much shorter lines.  Since you have plenty of time, wait until there is a slower time to enter the line.  If possible, get in line at the same time as other families with small children.  They are more understanding than impatient business travelers.  Each parent should be assigned one child.  The parent should hold onto their own boarding pass as well as the pass of the child they are responsible for.  When it is time to put your item thru the x-ray, take the shoes off the children first.  You should wear crocs or flip flops that can be taken off easily.  After you put the child’s items on the conveyor belt, have the child stand aside and wait for you.  Than, I put my keys, cell phones, and change on the belt.  Next, I take out my laptop computer, and put that through the x-ray.  I than help my wife put the stroller and any other bags, and carry ons on the belt.  I make sure it goes through before, I have my kids walk thru the detector.  Take your time as there is no need to rush and panic.  Once, we are all through the metal detector, I take kids to the end, and have them sit while I gather all  our items.  Once, we have everything I help the kids with putting on their shoes, and back in the stroller.  Take a minute to make sure you have everything.  I always check for laptop, keys, and boarding passes, and count our bags to make sure we have everything.  Now, take a deep breath, its onto the gate.

At the Gate:

At this point, take a moment to relax.  The worst is over.  You should still have plenty of time before boarding. This is the time to find some seats at the gate, and take a breather.  This is the time to use the bathroom, and get some food and drinks before boarding.  Now would be a good time to take a walk and look at planes.  Or bring out books, or portable DVD players to keep the kids entertained.  Get a stroller tag from the agent.  When its time to board, take advantage of the early boarding for small children, and board early.  Before boarding the plane, fold up the stroller and leave it at the end of the ramp before getting on the plane.  It will be there when you get off the plane.

 

On the plane:

If the plane is not large enough to seat your entire family in a row, have a parent and child on one side of the plane, and the other two on the other.  One parent should be on the aisle to assist in going to the bathroom.  Now, we need to keep the kids entertained during the flight.  When our kids were young, under 1 year old, we gave them a little Benadryl to help them sleep during the flight.  Now, we still hope they sleep, but we also need to plan to keep them preoccupied during the flight.  The kids have bought their favorite books, and toys, as well as drawing pads.  This is the time to start playing with those things.  My kids like books, so in addition to their old books, I bring out new books that I bought for the trip.  They are excited about having new books, so that should keep their attention for awhile.  I also have movies on my laptop, but I usually use those as a last resort.  Most of the time they play, and eat, and fall asleep if we time it correctly.

Arrival:

Once we arrive, we take our time getting off the plane, and allow others to deplane first.  There is no need to rush, as it is slow going with the kids anyways.  Pick up the stroller once you get off the plane, and head to the baggage claim.  Stop for the restrooms if necessary.  As we wait for our luggage, I get another luggage cart to transport our gear.  Almost there, now its onto the car rental shuttle.

Car Rental Shuttle:

The car rental shuttle is also a very crowded area with lots of people and luggage trying to get on the shuttle.  It is quite a chore to fight the crowd with so much luggage to navigate and towing kids.  When I travel alone with my son to spring training, I leave my luggage on the curb, and get my son seated on the shuttle first.  Then, I go back and load the luggage on board, and sit down with my son.  On our last trip to Hawaii, we found a new, and more efficient way of dealing with the rental car shuttle.  Instead of trying to fight the crowd in getting all our stuff and our family onto the shuttle, we move all our luggage to the curb outside the baggage claim.  One parent than stays with the kids, and the luggage while the other parent gets on the shuttle and go gets the rental car.  Once, they have the rental car, they drive back to pick up our luggage and the rest of the family.  Its much easier thatn trying to get everything and everyone on and off the shuttle. 

There are the tips that we have used on our many travels.  Its not easy traveling with small children, but with each trip we pick up a few new tricks and easier ways to do things.  Hopefully, you can use it to make your travels with your children more enjoyable.   Why do we do it?   Sometimes, I think its like asking me “why do you keep banging your head against the wall”.  “Because it feels so good when I stop”.   However, even though the travel is quite a chore with kids, we have had good family vacations, and memories once we get to our destination.  My son really enjoys our annual father/son trip to spring training which we started when he was just 3.  It is getting easier, as our kids are now fairly experienced travelers.  They both have started air travel when they were both just months old.  Since than, they have been on many plane trips to Hawaii, Texas, Arizona, and Canada.  For the most part, they have been good, and they are learning how to interact with other people, and seeing new places.  So, it is possible to travel with kids, and have a good experience if you plan properly, and have the proper attitude.