Travelling with children can be hectic and stressful, however it doesn’t have to be. Recently on a flight to Johannesburg I experienced an extraordinary lady who was attempting the 11 hour flight on her own with three little ones as her husband was meeting them there. She was calm, organised and full of tricks. So here are some of her tricks with a few added tips from me.

1:
When booking your flights, or deciding which airline you want to fly with, check the flight regulations. By this I mean in terms of luggage, are you allowed to take extra bags, how far through can the pushchair go, can you pre-book seats together and is there an additional cost? What age group do your children fit into and will they be given a seat on the plane or are you going to have them on your lap?

2:
Be prepared, this is so important, so my advice is to bring snacks and as many as you can fit, as well as something more substantial. This will of course depend on the duration of your flight, but keeping their tummies full will help you keep them quiet, sit still and also sleep.

3:
Don’t forget wet wipes, whether your child is two or five they can still make a mess and you will be grateful for less sticky fingers.

4:
Bring distractions for your children with you whether it is a book/ipad/toys, pack some things to entertain your child, ideally ones they can do sitting down in their seat and ones that do not make too much noise.

5:
If you are worried, explain to the passengers sitting near you that for example it is your first flight with your little one. This will help them to be more sympathetic if your child (and it will happen to us all) is the one screaming on a night flight because they can’t get comfortable or you can’t get them to sleep. Along this line another great ‘job’ if you have a three to five year old or similar is to get your child to offer a sweetie to the people sitting near you early on in the flight, it will earn some brownie points for later.

6:
Pack a change of clothes for them and for you as well, just incase. You never know where a spillage can come from and you do not want to be caught off guard.

7:
If you are travelling on your own with one or more children, think of the type of bag you are taking, for example one that will fit under a pram, or a rucksack that you can wear that will leave your arms free, toddlers/children can wear one as well, fill it with their toys or games.

8:
Bring a child’s surprise plane bag, the first time I saw this was on the flight to Johannesburg, and it is an excellent idea. Firstly it works from a three year old to a ten year old. They will carry the bag, which is great to fill with their snacks or spare change of clothes. It is an exciting way for your children to start the holiday. It can be a small party bag with inexpensive goodies/presents in, for example a colouring book and crayons, that will keep them entertained throughout the flight.

9:
Arrive in plenty of time, pre-book your seats, if you can’t find what you want checking in online arrive early and ask for seats together.

10:
Pre-order anything you need for example food, milk or any medicine you might need whilst away, you can call ahead to the Boots in the departures area and pre-order this. On this note it is also a good idea to take a little medical bag with some calpol and necessities in so that you are prepared.

After receiving some really helpful feedback from our clients who have tried and tested some of our tips, we have been given an extra couple of bonus tips which we would love to share with you…

Firstly: take a small puzzle, it is quiet and compact, not messy and can be reused numerous times especially if on a long-haul flight. 

Secondly: if space is an issue when packing, take one pen or pencil and a little packet of post it notes, these can be drawn on, used double sided and also stuck around the seats in front and will create another game, whether they draw numbers and count, draw pictures or learn new words, it will fill hours of your flight time. 

Hopefully these extra bits will come in handy for your next flight with your little ones.