Travelling with kids and babies!

by Kien

Travelling with baby is tough. Travelling on plane with them can be… suicidal, especially if the baby or kid is not yours! (So do not sit at the first row with the leg room if you want a restful flight! because that’s where babies will most likely be!) 

Here are some tips to keep these little friends happy:

Talk to them - Get a conversation going especially if your kids know how to talk already. They love to hear more about you and your life! Of course, listen to what they have to say as well!

Know what your kids like! If your kids are kinetically-inclined, playing and folding the boarding pass can be fun too!

Let us plan the trip – We love responsibilities! If your kid is about 4 years old and above, pass him the guidebook and let him have a say on what to do, with your help of course. You can give suggestions to guide him along. (eg. animals, parks, playground, etc.)

Share your music – Well, I love music! Music can soothe them to sleep. You can even sing together with them, softly, that is!

Bring Toys and Books – Bring their favourite travel-size toys, and even a new toys to surprise them, which will keep them occupied for minutes, if not hours. Some other items that don’t take up much weight or space includes crayons, paper, stickers .

Sounds from a cookie pack can be like rattle to babies too!

Bring their favourite snacks and water – Yes, babies and kids get hungry and thirsty too! If you do not like airplane food, we can’t stand them too! Usually the security are kind enough to allow water for us to be brought onboard so fill ‘em up!

Have lots of different food and fruits to keep us happy and full!

Bring Medicine – I remember that I always get car sick when I was a kid. I am not sure about this, but has anyone administered anti air-sick drugs before flying to children before? (Whatever you do, seek with doctor’s approval of course! Other items like panadol, handy plus (band aids), etc are life savers!

Videos – I know some parents hates letting their kids glue to the LCD screen. But in case of emergency when the seat belt sign is on, this is a lifesaver! Do have some our favourite videos on your handphone and iPad just in case (when there's no wifi!).

Bedtimes – There are 2 sides to this though: You can plan the flight time according to their bedtimes. But there are still plenty of distractions that will throw our naptime off. (eg. Planes switch on their lights to serve dinner even if it’s like 11pm.)  Other babies will cry that wakes them up. The person next to you may watch TV and distracts the young one. Every kid is different so in this case, parents have to use their discretion to suit the habits of little fellows. 

Be prepared! – Bring lots of wet wipes, tissues and diapers, trash bags and extra clothes, within easy reach, rather than in the overhead compartment or your boot!

Dress comfortably but warmly – Planes tends to be quite cold especially at night so dress warmly and comfortably, yet easy to undo clothes. You don’t really need to care about being pretty on planes!

Air Pressure on the ears- Everyone hates that! One way to combat that is to drink water / milk while the plane is ascending or descending. I also found this device call Ear Planes in Sydney Airport that can be used to prevent this. This is available in adults and kids’ sizes and I quote the person selling it,”This is a very very good!”

Pack Smart – That’s a lot of things to pack right? Mummy likes to bring everything just in case, Daddy likes to bring the minimum. My stand? Pack smart! We don’t mind reading the book over and over again (BUT NOT CONTINUOUSLY!)  or playing the same game repeatedly. You can also use objects around you as toys! We love imagining things, this is so much better than the usual tech toy!