A mama with ideas...

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net



1. Photograph your child on your digital camera or smartphone as you are leaving the house to go to the airport. This is a brilliant tip that could save valuable time in the horrible circumstances that you get separated from your child en route. Airports are busy, crowded places and you will have a lot of things (and little people) to keep track of. As much as we'd all love to have eyes in the backs of our heads, there are occasionally those heartstopping moments when you & your child lose each other in a crowd. Having a (very) recent photo of your child in the clothes they are actually wearing would be immensely helpful to airport staff and people helping to track down your missing child! It is worth talking through what to do in that sort of situation with older children... tell them who to seek out, where to go, etc... I've also made good use of Travel ID wristbands too. Just for peace of mind it's worth it!





2. Make sure you verify all your special requirements at check-in BEFORE going through to airside. For example, if you have requested children's meals or bassinets, it's a good idea to double check these have been noted. If you are planning to gate check any items (like your pushchair/stroller) make sure that it, or the bag you plan to pack it in, is also given a label to go in the hold.





3. Look for a 'family' lane in the airport security. In larger airports, there are often lanes dedicated to families travelling with small children. This means shorter queuing time for impatient toddlers which is a boon, but also staff used to dealing with families and all their paraphernalia. If you are using the Gogo Babyz Travelmate with your car seat, you may need to remove this from your car seat before putting it through the xray machine, however, some airports do have the odd machine wide enough. As mentioned previously, you may need to justify travelling with some liquids/foodstuffs for your baby or young toddler. See my previous section for more advice about what you can and cannot put in your carry on hand baggage.





4. Ask about priority boarding. Some airlines allow families with children to board the plane first (although this may involve an additional cost with some airlines). This can be very useful if you are using your child's car seat on the flight, as this will give you time to sort out the car seat and get your child settled (with a snack or activity) before all the other passengers start crowding on.





5.Remember my tip about packing an in-flight-bag-within-a-bag (explained in part 2 of this series). Once you have boarded and taken your seats, remove this bag and make sure you have all your essentials for the flight in that bag... snacks & drinks, kids' headphones, any electronic devices you plan to use, a few activities/books, enough diapers for the flight plus a pack of wipes. Put this bag on the floor under the seat in front or in the seat back pocket if possible. Other items like changes of clothes etc... you can leave in your main hand luggage bag and stow this safely out of the way.

6. If you have to install your child's car seat (or restraint system) on the plane, remember to recline the seat. You will find it much easier to thread the airplane seatbelt through the back of your car seat this way and you can return the seat to upright in time for take off. If you are travelling with another adult, it can sometimes be easier to board seperately. Send one adult onto the plane with the car seat and allow them 5 minutes to get it sorted out before the other adult boards with the child.


See more in this series of posts:

• Section 1: Planning Ahead
• Section 2: Packing
• Section 4: On Board - Eating, Using the Bathrooms & Ideas for Managing Behaviour (coming soon)

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net



1.  Choose the right bag for the job. Let's face it... you are going to have your hands full if you are flying with a child.  Make life easier for yourself by choosing a bag for your carry on hand luggage that allows you to use both hands!  You also want to streamline the process rather than carrying your usual diaper/changing bag AND your handbag!  For this purpose, a backpack is perfect.  Choose a roomy one with lots of pockets, and a top handle is ideal.  You can even get backpacks that double as a baby/toddler carrier such as the Kelty Junction Child Carrier, which may be worth considering if you are going to be checking your stroller in the hold (or won't be able to pick it up until baggage reclaim).


2.  Have separate bags for older children.  Once your child is 2 years or older, they will have their own seat on the plane and consequently, their own baggage allowance and you can make good use of this.  A Trunki is a fabulous invention for children between the ages of 3 and 5 and can get you past that awkward phase where you don't really want to take a stroller for your 4 year old, but in order to get to the boarding gate you need to go faster than the snail's pace most small kids make!  We used a Trunki for the Big One on several holidays and used it to carry his items for the flight... snacks, toys, books etc...  It also doubled as a toy in itself, both in the airport and while on holiday.  However, things to note with these.  You have to be confident that your little one will be able to hang on, especially when going around corners!!  Also, we have chosen not to get another one to use with our twins... I think that managing more than one child at a time on these things could be tricky as there is the inevitable temptation to race!!



Alternatively, a small manageable sized backpack can be useful, especially at limiting the amount of stuff your older child may want to bring (especially if they are told that they must carry it)!

3.  Compartmentalise your bag.  Make good use of ziplock or plastic shopping bags so you can group things together in your backpack.  You will need to do this with your toiletries/liquids anyway for passing through security checks.  However, you can use larger versions of these handy bags for other things.  For example, if you bag up a change of kids' clothes in a ziplock bag it is easy to grab in the case of an emergency spill or accident, rather than having to rummage around your bag tracking down socks, underpants etc...  It also protects things like clothes from leakages in your bag.  You can make more room in your backpack by squeezing the excess air out of the ziplock bag before closing, and compressing with elastic bags.

4.  Pack an empty cloth grocery bag in your bag for use on the plane.  The seat back pockets are never big enough to store everything you need for the flight and it's a pain in the neck to keep having to reach up into the overhead storage.  So a handy tip is to have a small bag you can put essentials in under your chair.  A great example of this is this foldable grocery bag.

Once you have boarded the plane and settled the kids into their seats, pull out the items you know you will definitely need on the flight... e.g. 3-4 diapers, wipes, sippy cup, pacifier, snacks, kids' headphones etc... and put in the cloth bag.  You can then stow the rest of your hand luggage above your head and hopefully you won't need to get up & down too many times!

5.  Bring sippy cups/sports bottles for the kids (including big kids)... but make sure they are empty.  Cups with lids are definitely the way forward when you are travelling with kids and I would recommend packing an empty cup/sports bottle even for an older child to use on the flight to prevent unnecessary spills.  A little turbulence plus an open cup spells disaster!  There is a limit on bringing liquids through security so bring your child's usual drinks cup/bottle through empty and purchase water/juice once you are through security.

6.  Baby milk needs some planning too.  If you have a younger baby/toddler that requires formula or pumped breastmilk, there are exceptions allowed at security for "reasonable amounts" of "medically necessary" liquids.  You may be expected to taste the contents of a bottle to prove to security its contents are not dangerous, in which case, you may prefer to tip some on your hand and lick it rather than contaminate the sterile bottle in your mouth.  Rather than bringing formula made up it is easier to bring powdered formula in pre-measured amounts ready to mix with sterile water as necessary.  I used this method for carrying formula even when not flying as you don't need to have an insulated coolbag then!



If it's going to be a long flight requiring a lot of bottles, you may want to use one of the brands of bottle that have disposable bottle liners, so you can reuse the same bottle without needing to wash the entire thing.  Alternatively, you could even use a pack of disposable bottles.  It's worth considering especially if you use the bigger 8oz bottles as these will be very tricky to fit in the sink in the bathrooms (plus the bathrooms in planes are always a bit icky in my opinion)!



Another thing to consider is getting your milk to the right temperature.  If I can offer any tips from my experience of parenting, it's try to get your baby accustomed to drinking their milk at room temperature (I learned this lesson the hard way with my first child!).  Cabin crew are not obliged to help you warm bottles, but may help out if you ask nicely.  Planes don't have microwaves, and the best you can hope for is for some hot water in a dish or even an air sickness bag (make sure it's definitely water tight first).  There are portable bottle warmers available, but most utilise gels that may or may not pass through security checks.  Check in advance.

7.  Prepare for accidents & spillages.  Fingers crossed you won't need them, but pack a change of clothes for everyone, including the adults (even if it's just a t-shirt and shorts).  Save space in your hand luggage by packing in ziplocks as described above.  A small pack of wet wipes is also essential, even if your child is older and potty trained.  You may even like to pack a travel sized pack of disinfecting surface wipes.  A few plastic grocery bags or a pack of diaper sacks is essential too... if you/your child does end up needing a change of clothes, you will want a bag to put the dirty ones in!

8.  Food suitable for your baby/child can be hard to come by, so make sure you have some appropriate meals and/or snacks with you.  When booking your flights you may be given the opportunity to book a child meal for the flight.  Some airlines do this well and provide a selection of kiddie friendly foods & drinks - some airlines even have a policy to feed the kids first, making parents' lives much easier.  However, provision on other airlines can be hit or miss.  Consequently, you may wish to pack your own snacks/meals.  For babies, cans or jars of ready made baby food are probably the easiest to transport.  They are also the easiest to warm up.  As mentioned with regard to baby milk, there are no microwaves on planes.  Some have convection ovens, but plastic food pots will melt in these.  Some don't even have an oven, just a special plug-in food cart that warms the food inside.  You may have to resort to using hot water in a dish.  This can pose particular problems when catering for older babies/toddlers.  Remember, if your almost 2 year old child is travelling on your lap, they won't get a meal of their own, so you will either have to share your own or bring something suitable and most baby food jars aren't suitable for this age group.  A finger food cold dinner might be easier in these circumstances, e.g. sandwiches, crudites, etc...  If your baby will tolerate their food cold, you can buy convenient purees in easy to transport pouches, such as these fab Ella's Kitchen ones.  These are even good for older toddlers who can suck them through the straw by themselves as a healthy smoothie!

For snacks, avoid all peanut products, even if no-one in your family has an allergy.  In the pressurised cabins, even the smallest whiff of a peanut can cause people with allergies problems, so it is best to play it safe.  Go for dry, easily consumed, low-mess snacks if possible.  Raisins, granola bars, graham crackers, etc... are all safe bets.
On a final note, travelling is not the best time to try new foods, so go for foods that have been well accepted by your baby/child and that are popular with them!

9.  Pacifiers/comforters can be essential for an unsettled child, but bring backups if possible.  We lost the Chubby Cheeks One's beloved Taggie on our recent holiday to Lanzarote and suffered a bit of grief for our trouble.  If your baby/tot has a favourite toy or pacifier that will ease their journey, don't forget to bring it.  However, it's worth taking steps to stop it getting waylaid.  You can buy clips to secure them to clothing.  Another tip is to add a tag to your child's comfort toy with details on how to return it to you if it should get found by someone.  If your child has only just become attached to an object, a good idea is to buy several of them (this is a good idea anyway... switch them regularly and your child will never know).  You can then keep a backup in the hold luggage just in case.



10.  Bring some technology to help!  Some airlines/routes provide seat back TV screens which can provide a useful distraction for little ones.  However, the headphones provided for free are adult sized and frustrating for little ones to use.  Invest in child-sized headphones so your child can enjoy some cartoons as a distraction!


If there aren't seat back screens, little people can find it hard to see the screens that are high up in the cabin.  Also, some budget, low-cost airlines don't provide any TV/Audio entertainment.  If you have an iPad, iPod or other handheld device that plays movies, it is worth downloading a few of your child's favourites from iTunes or elsewhere.  Portable DVD players are also useful for this purpose... just remember you may need a headphone splitter for more than one child to watch at the same time.  Older children with handheld game consoles can be kept quietly occupied for ages, just make sure they use the headphones or they'll upset their fellow passengers!

 


11.  A few toys/activities to keep your child occupied will be invaluable.  Especially if they are new to your child!  However, remove all packaging before packing it, as it can be a pain to unwrap toys with lots of packaging... some even need scissors (which you're obviously not allowed in your carry on luggage.  It can be fun to wrap them like a present, as the unwrapping becomes a fun activity in itself, but you may be better leaving one end open so that airport security don't spoil your suprise!
Other tips:

• Don't pack games where there are lots of small pieces, especially where those pieces are essential to the playing of the game, e.g. a jigsaw!
• Don't pack toys that are noisy and/or battery/remote controlled.  Firstly, you may run into trouble with security, but you will also annoy your fellow passengers and quickly become persona non grata!
• Colouring in books and a few crayons are good, as are the water 'painting' books, e.g. Crayola Color Wonder.
• Sticker activity books are an easy favourite that can occupy little hands and minds for a while.

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See more in this series of posts:

• Section 1: Planning Ahead
• Section 3: Embarking
• Section 4: On Board - Eating, Using the Bathrooms & Ideas for Managing Behaviour (coming soon)

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net






1.  Make sure your child has all the documentation they need to travel. Sounds obvious, but sometimes easy to forget. Many countries now require that children of all ages have their own passports rather than travelling on their parents. Also, remember children's passports need renewing at smaller intervals than adults, plus many countries require that the passport will be valid for a further 3-6 months before allowing travel. If you are travelling solo without your child's other parent, there may be circumstances requiring you to have a legally valid permission letter. Check all these details prior to travel, allowing enough time to remedy any issues!





2.  Booking your flights takes some thought, especially when it comes to selecting seats. If available, "Bulkhead" seats can work for some families. They face a wall rather than seats in front (so your little one can't annoy the person in front by kicking). They often have a little bit of space in the foot-wells where toddlers can sit to play. Some airlines even have 'bassinets' or 'reclining chairs' that can be attached to a fold down table in front of these seats. Ask about these on booking and confirm availability on check-in. These are only available for infants under the age of 2, and can't be used when the seat belt light is on. In my experience they are small and a bit cramped, especially if you have a bigger baby. Check for weight limits too. A downside of the bulkhead seats is that you are often required to stow all your hand luggage in the overhead compartments, rather than putting it under the seat in front. Some airlines won't allow you to reserve the bulkhead seats ahead of time (with the intention of reserving them for families). In these circumstances, book the next best seats you can and then ask for them at check-in.


Photo borrowed from www.daddytypes,com





3.  A trick you can try if you are flying solo with one child is to book the window and aisle seat in a row of three. Most people will not chose to be seated in the middle seat when booking in. Then, if the seat in between is unoccupied, you can then lift the armrests and spread out, allowing your child to lay down(ish). If the flight is full, and someone ends up booked in the middle seat, politely offer them the aisle seat instead ... they won't refuse!

4.  When we travel as a family of 5 it can be quite awkward selecting seats. However, we have made good use of the last row of the plane... often just a row of two seats! We can occupy the last two rows (3 + 2) without bothering anyone else. It also means you are close to the toilets and the galley area in case you need to get up with your child.

5.  Using your car seat on the plane is the safest way for your child to travel. Watch the video below if you need any convincing. In fact, the evidence is so overwhelming that the F.A.A. in the USA has a policy giving every child under the age of 18 the right to use one (this is great for families with children with handicaps or developmental issues). The caveat in that is that it must be an approved car seat... the manufacturer will state if it is airline approved. For travelling in other countries and you will need to check in advance with the airline (not the National aviation authority) as there is not necessarily any requirement for them to allow you to use a car seat at all. They may have restrictions on rear facing seats and for children 3 and above. An alternative to using a car seat is the CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System).










6.  If you choose to use your car seat, investigate options that will mean you don't need a stroller... the Gogo Babyz Travelmate is fabulous (I've reviewed this product before), but I know people who have used and love the Sit'n'Stroll. Britax have also got a travel seat cart similar to the Travelmate.





 


If you chose not to (or can't) use your car seat on the flight, but still need to take it you might want to consider the Sunshine Kids Radian RXT, which folds flat for easy transportation. Alternatively, you can buy sturdy bags that protect the car seat in the hold.




7.  Decide in advance what you plan to do with pushchairs & strollers. If you plan to use your car seat, I would invest in the Travelmate (or similar) and check your stroller with your luggage at check in. However, if not, for babies and young toddlers my advice is to use a sling and still check the stroller in the hold! Next best is the Quicksmart stroller ... amazingly this stroller folds up into a backpack that can be stowed in the overhead locker!







Other than that, most airlines will allow you to use your stroller up to the boarding gate, where it will be taken off you and put in the hold. At check in, they will attach the labels ready for it to go in the hold, but then you keep it until the gate. Usually, a stroller doesn't count towards your luggage allowance but do check with your airline in advance. You can buy bags to protect your stroller from damage in the hold, but if not, I would simply advise removing things that could fall off (like cup holders) and wrapping things like the foam handle with bubble wrap as these are easily ripped. You will also need to fold up and secure the pushchair yourself or you will be very unpopular with the airline staff!! Depending on where you are flying, the stroller will be waiting for you at the planes exit or you may have to wait until baggage reclaim to get it (another reason to use a sling or car seat adaptor).




See more in this series of posts.

• Section 2: Packing your Carry-on Hand Luggage
• Section 3: Embarking
• Section 4: On Board - Eating, Using the Bathrooms & Ideas for Managing Behaviour (Coming soon)

I just thought I ought to leave a quick message to explain the forthcoming blogging absence... Mama Max (et al) are off on their jolly holidays! My little brother is getting married in Lanzarote (one of Spain's Canary Islands off the Northwest coast of Africa) so we are making the epic trek to join them in celebrating their Big Day. I'm really excited to be having a 'proper' vacation for once, with a villa and pool, and nearby beach... it's just the 10 hour flight to London this evening that is stressing me out slightly! The boys have been a little hyper so far today, and I'm still finishing the packing and cleaning... aaarrgh! I'm going to try to squeeze in a trip to the park this afternoon to try to burn off some excess energy!

The last time we travelled, we used the Gogo Babyz Kidz Travelmate for our twins and it was amazingly helpful... see my review for more information on how we got on! This time we have a new travel aid in the form of the amazing Bubblebum for the Big One! Such a great idea... an inflatable booster car seat!







Pros

• It's small and compact - at only 13" wide, it fits in between my two larger car seats no problem at all (it has even allowed us to book a 'normal' sized saloon hire car in London as we'll be able to fit all three kids in the back seat!).  Once we return from our holiday it will be perfect to stow in the car for last minute playdates etc...
• It deflates and folds up into a drawstring bag very easily and can be stowed in a hand luggage bag (it measured approximately 14" x 6" x 4" when folded).
• It's quick to inflate only requiring a few puffs, and has a clever valve to close off.
• It's very comfortable and stable - it has a memory foam pad that my son said was comfier than his normal booster.
• It meets American safety regulations for children between 4 and 11 years old (weighing 40-100lb and up to 57" tall).
• At $40 it's not that cheap... HOWEVER, we will save that and more by not having to hire a booster with our hire car!!

This summer, we went on an extended 'holiday' to the UK. We are expats living in Texas and we had not been back to Blighty for over a year, so we were keen to make the most of our trip back. Apart from the need for fitting in around the Big One's school dates, the biggest reason we hadn't been back sooner was that we couldn't face the prospect of a 10 hour flight whilst outnumbered. An occupational hazard of being a parent of 3+ kids! The last flight we had taken with the boys was the one that flew us to our new home in Texas, and the twins were only 17 months old at the time. Consequently, they didn't get a seat of their own and had to sit on our laps. We wussed out on that flight, and paid for my Mum to fly with us so we at least had a 1:1 ratio!


This time around, the Shouty One and the Chubby Cheeks One were approaching their 3rd birthdays and had to have their own seats. We also had a huge amount of luggage, a double stroller and 3 car seats to manhandle through the airport. Plus, we had to consider that cars in the UK are of more moderate proportions than the tanks we have got used to here in Texas. We needed to streamline the process dramatically!


The FAA strongly recommends that toddlers weighing up to 40lbs use a car seat for air travel. I guess this is for safety considerations, but in my view it was preferable anyway. A wriggly, uncomfortable toddler secured in an adult seat with just a lap belt OR seated in a secure, comfortable, familiar car seat with 5-point harness and head supports to help prop them up while sleeping. A no-brainer in my opinion. The only difficulty I could foresee was getting the 3 children, hand luggage AND two bulky car seats through the airport terminal from check out to the boarding gate between the two of us adults! Not an appealing prospect. 


 

Luckily, by chance I stumbled across the Gogo Babyz Travelmate while researching children's travel accessories. Essentially, it's an attachment that converts your car seat into a stroller. Simple? Or too good to be true? Him Indoors was a little skeptical, especially considering the $90 RRP. However, we were both won over by this amazing product.






Firstly, I ought to point out that the company that manufactures this item has very detailed video instructions available online. It made assembly and use an absolute breeze... well done Gogo Babyz!





Attaching the Travelmate to the car seat
This was far easier than anticipated, even in the rush of the passenger drop-off lane. Our car seats are attached by the Latch system (ISOFIX) and so quickly unclipped from the car. It was then just a matter of turning the seats over and placing the Travelmate against the back of the seat. Then you pass a rubber strap through the car seat belt opening. A very simple ratcheting connection on the other side, allows the strap to be tightened quickly and securely. Bingo. Done! The video clip below shows how simple the process is. We have the Radian XTSL car seats very similar to the one shown.