Flying with children made easy – or slightly easier!

AAP says it’s every travellers’ nightmare – having to fly with children…….from the crying baby to the hyper-active 2-year-old  but there are ways to make air travel with children easier.You’re in the air. You’ve checked out the movie guide.

You’ve started reading your new novel. You’ve mentally and physically prepared yourself for the 12-hour flight. Then you hear it. A child’s cry that doesn’t stop.

As much as we love these gorgeous, cute little beings, one crying infant can push a plane-full of passengers to reach for their parachutes.

As a mother of two youngsters, I can assure fellow parents and passengers, there’s nothing fun about travelling with children.

The only age that is remotely easy is from birth to about six-months when they can’t move, can be strapped to you, fit nicely in the bassinets, and can be thrown a boob or bottle at any point.

The nightmare age is from one to two years, when children don’t understand they have to sit still, be quiet and be well behaved for a long period of time. (My recommendation is to put-off all overseas travel during this period.)

What doesn’t change though, no matter what age the child, is the amount of preparation and hand luggage needed for a single flight.

Apart from the basic foods and bottles, just to start there’s the change of clothing, (because they are sure to vomit), the nappies, the blanket, the child’s favourite snuggly toy, spare dummies, books and activities for older children.

Another suggestion for a long-haul flight is to book a flight that departs late afternoon. I find my children fall to sleep more easily as it’s their natural sleep pattern.

(Many people suggest dosing the babies with Phenergan to calm them but that’s really up to you and it can sometimes have the opposite effect.)

In many cases, crying is because children get overtired. They want to sleep but can’t.

Something that works for me is to hold my child very tight and snug against me. It may seem harsh, but within minutes, they often resist and fall asleep.

And remember to use the air crew, if you need them, that’s why they’re there. Don’t be afraid to press that button. I always do.

I ask the flight attendants to heat bottles, and baby food. I ask them to hold my baby while I go to the toilet. One time, they even carried my baby for a while around the plane so I could get half an hour’s sleep.

The official word from Qantas is that their crew will do everything possible to assist families travelling with babies and small children.

A spokesperson says the airline will offer support to both parents and children, for example preparing food or heating and washing bottles or dummies on request. Special child, toddler and baby meals are available on its flights.

All Qantas aircraft carry a limited quantity, for emergency use, of top brand baby food, milk, baby bottles and brushes, cereals and rusks.

And a limited supply of nappies and baby wipes are available onboard Qantas services, in case of emergency.

Air Canada Australia and NZ’s general manager, Jeannie Foster says: “As a parent who has travelled with babies, I can appreciate the predicament of parents travelling with a baby whose crying may be disturbing other passengers on the plane.

“Patience and understanding are what is needed and at Air Canada, our flight attendants do their utmost to assist parents make their babies as comfortable as possible.”

Most airlines offer similar service and support. But you have to make sure they follow through. Some have air nannies whose specific job is to help look after children. Check when booking. Also make sure you book a bassinet for your baby way in advance of your trip.

If you are prepared and ready for a sleepless flight yourself, you’ll survive.

The worst that can happen is you’ll be asked to get off the plane, as happened earlier this year in the United States.

A child who would not stop crying and her parents were kicked off an AirTran Airways flight from Florida to their Worcester, Massachusetts home because she would not stop crying and put on her seat belt before the take-off.

The story caused a storm of media, with opinions flying from both parents and passengers.

Some tips to make flying with children easier:

1. If you have a toddler it might be best to leave boarding as late as possible. The goal is to keep the kids OFF the plane as long as possible.

2. Organise items by parent: One parent takes necessities (wipes, nappies, snacks) and the other carries the toys and books. That way you won’t be digging through your bags trying to remember where everything is. Skip the book for yourself. Who are you kidding?!

Change your baby at the airport as their facilities are a lot more roomy than on a plane.

3. If your child is screaming, and the only thing that makes it stop is to walk around the plane, do it! Asking a two-year-old to sit still for nine hours is child abuse.

4. If your child is screaming, and has been travelling all day, and you are tired, they probably are too. Don’t try to keep them up. Let them sleep on you if they need to. Sometimes just making a pseudo-bed for them out of airline blankets and tiny paper-covered pillows isn’t enough. Your kid wants to snuggle with you, so let them.

5. If you child uses a dummy, sew or pin it onto a cotton wrap, as it’s much easier to find and won’t get lost. (Have you ever tried to find a dummy on the floor on a night flight?)

6. Do not, under any circumstance, feed your child sugar of any form during the flight. I would even recommend staying away from juice. Two year olds have enough energy, don’t give them something that will keep them up when they want to sleep.

7. If you aren’t a single parent, and you are lucky enough to be travelling with your other half, take turns with the kid/s. Try and do child duty in shifts, so at least each parent gets a chance to get a few moments of sleep.

There’s nothing worse than seeing a mother do all the work and the father sitting back and listening to his MP3 player or watching movies.

8. If you have a stop-over, let your toddler or child run around and stretch their legs — yourself included.

Clean and freshen-up your child and yourself in the airport bathroom, you’ll all feel a little more human.

9. Although it may be tempting, don’t drink the cute little bottles of wine. Drinking alcohol only makes you sleepy, and you will need all the energy you can get.

A Report by The Mole from AAP