Flying with children is a completely new challenge for parents. It can be scary and somewhat daunting at times. You are unsure how your children will feel on the plane. It’s a new experience, there are many people around and you are confined to your seats.
Flying need not be an emotional rollercoaster ride for the parents and the children. There is no need to arrive to your holiday destination feeling frazzled.
Preparing for the flight with your children goes a long way.
For your children’s first flight, try a local destination. It’s not as long and you can earn your flying experience with kids. For the school holidays and the long weekends, choose to fly to your local destination because it’s quicker, safer and more convenient than driving with your little ones.
This is exactly what my husband and I decided to do. We wanted a quick weekend getaway to the coast. The thought of driving over 6 hours with a toddler was scary enough and pretty much a waste of precious weekend time. With our flights booked, we headed to OR Tambo International Airport for our trip.
For this trip, my little one was only 15 months old therefore a stroller was a necessity for our trip. I checked the airlines regulations regarding prams and strollers.
With all flying trips, it’s best to be prepared as much as possible. See below for Travelstart’s tip:
In addition to this and the packed backpack for Adriana, I ensured that she had two bottles of milk that she could drink during takeoff and landing. The flight out of Jozi was an early morning flight therefore Adriana was dressed in a long sleeve onesie to make sure she was warm throughout the flight. Add a little blanket for the flight.
Watch what other parents had to say about flying with children.
In essence it was a good flight to and from Durban. Adriana didn’t cry or complain once on the flight. She was actually easy to deal with as we were well prepared. She fell asleep on both flights so Adriana’s first flying experience was an overall success. The only issue on hand was my nerves throughout the flights.
Hopefully our next trip will be an overseas trip or our long overdue diving trip. Perhaps for my upcoming 30th birthday we’ll combine the two and try diving in Zanzibar. A not so subtle hint to the husband!
Parents, don’t forget to share your tips about flying with children below.
Leave a Reply