Tips for travelling with kids please

[catchyjem]

We will soon be taking a 12 hour flight with 3 children, aged 7 and 4 (twins). How do we survive this? The 7 year old has only been on a 1 hour flight before and the twins never at all. The last time I went anywhere long haul was 10 years ago pre kids! We are thinking of getting them headphones to use on board with an adapter? I don't want them fighting over the iPad so will probably have to keep it away and just use the in flight entertainment whatever it is. Other than that I'm thinking a new sticker book each, some colouring? Any other ideas from experienced travellers?

Okay here we go...

1. Food, lots of it. Keep them quiet with lots of bananas, drinks, sweets, crisps, keep it coming.
2. Try 10 colouring books, 5 sticker books, where's wally books, think big.
3. If you can run to three cheap second hand tablets, do it. I pre load Netflix downloads and a pair of noise cancelling headphones. I lodge a ball of wool on top of my child's head and balance the headphones on top otherwise they slip down her ears.
4. More food. A full mouth can't bicker.
5. Lots of layers of clothing so they're not too cold/hot/sticky/smudgy or any one of the many adjectives used by the little people to describe their state.
6. Slippers. Soft feet won't annoy the person in front when they're accidentally kicked as much as with shoes on.
7. Expect delays and be prepared. With snacks.
8. Neck pillows so if they fall asleep, they don't keep waking themselves up by jerking their necks. Also bring toys they sleep with so as there's no 'I can't sleep without bunny' scenarios.
9. I throw a bit of money at the start and end of the journey. I tend to use valet parking and then get a person to drive us at the other end.

Hope that helps x

Great advice from Ginswinger!

I always sit myself inbetween the children, this reduces squabbles though you do get the I want the window seat one.

The airline has always provided headphones, inflight entertainment and food / drinks so I have never got extra though sweets they can suck on during landing may help with pressure and extra food may help.

I always book seats so we are seated together. Go for a close carpark if you can afford it.

Mine always have their tablets and it would be very difficult without those, inflight entertainment can be variable.

My DS always likes a blanket but always appears with 2 teddies and manages to get the air hostess to give him one. Can get very cold so jumpers etc are good. Generally things to keep them entertained, you can buy things on board or at the shop pre boarding like puzzle books. They can wriggle around and be a pain for others when they are young, so if you have a wriggler the slippers would help. Girl was fine, boy would wriggle with us. Its best to cater for entertaining them for the duration just incase the entertainment is rubbish. Generally get one each of things to stop arguments.

Great tips thanks, loads for me to think about!

Mini 'presents' to open each hour. Stocking filler/party bag kind of toys so they play with for a short while and then before they get bored get a new one to open. They then get excited to open their new toy which might only be a toy car or a yoyo etc.

DD was happy with the inflight entertainment and only stopped to eat on the flight out (day flight).

I had books and sticker books with me but they weren't used at all.

Second the comfortable onion look. Instead of slippers I would try to get thick socks, at that age they may be able to curl in the seat anyway and that's more comfortable.

Snacks is a must and also get bottles of water after security. Yes airlines do feed/water you but I found it quite limited and drinks were less frequent. We did muffins the day before and they kept nicely in a tupper ware box and replaced the lunch meal. i would also get some fruit to avoid a sugar high.

Make sure you booked your children's meal. We didn't and while DD was ok with a normal one we double-checked with the return flight.

I also go with the rule" two long haul flights won't destroy my parenting, it will go back to normal rules back at home" and relax.

We had an issue as DD is vegetarian and apparently child vegetarian isn't an option. You can pre order adult vegetarian. Recently booked BA flights and default option appears to be adult for everyone so you have to pre select - 3 types of vegetarian alone.

We got more drinks than we knew what to do with and there is always the option to go to the back of the plane and ask for more if you need them and haven't got some. You sometimes can find out what the entertainment is online in advance which may give you an idea. Ours had seen lots of the films already and the music was dire for all ages and I'm not fussy with music at all. I hadn't heard of any of it neither had DD. I would guess it was cheap. Can be a bit random though some are better than others.

Who are you flying with? We've flown long haul with kids on Virgin and Cathay, great in-flight entertainment for kids on both, Cathay had USB ports on our latest flight so you could keep your own device charged up (as long as you remember a cable...)

AFAIK Virgin used to give out little backpacks for kids - a nice idea, but then you become overloaded if you've already got each kid carrying their own pack with their "essentials" crap

Extra set of clothes for the kids and adults - if they puke on you, it will be nice to have a fresh top to change into.

Dress your kids in really bright colours, so If they bolt in the airport after being cooped up for so long, you can easily spot them.
Snacks, snacks and snacks.

I worried about this when mine were similar ages for a 12-hour flight. Spent ages buying a selection of things to keep them entertained and comfortable.

All they did for the whole flight was watch the in-flight entertainment. The whole 12 hours. It was a night flight and they tried to sleep but couldn't get comfortable so they just watched films and TV the whole time then slept when we arrived.

So now I tend to forget the puzzle books and little treats etc. All mine need are headphones, their favourite soft toy, water bottles that they can drink out of easily, some food I know they will eat but won't make them sick / full of sugar, e.g. Mini cheddars, malt loaf, brioche. We eat a proper meal at the airport before we get on the plane, they put a pair of thick socks on so they can sit cross-legged in the seat, layers for hot/cold. Change of clothes in case of spillages or travel sickness. A book or two to read. Some pencils and paper to play hangman.

The books and pencil and paper are used at airport whilst waiting!

We do unlimited screens. Always been fine with the inflight stuff. Remember charger cables if you are using your tablet - they can be needed to be switched on at security, so if your kids are anything like mine, and run electronics to the bottom of the battery, be careful. And check the charger point on the seat back works before you reach flat battery..... Never been so relieved as they were making everyone switch on every electronic to be sent straight through a fast track lane because we had kids. (We have to transfer planes)
We've never bothered with food, I know it's often recommended. Empty sports top bottles can be useful to decant drinks into to prevent spills.
Bright clothes. Spare clothes.
Colouring works at the airport, but we haven't had much success on the plane -tables too small.
Don't ram hand luggage full. You WILL get a kids pack full of "essentials" you will need to find space for.
Chill. Its 24 hrs. Do what is needed to maintain the peace.

Suggest making sure each 4 year old is right next to an adult - til he was nearly 6 my youngest struggled with the selections on the in-flight entertainment.
We tend to have an adult on the aisle, so if you drop off, you know if soneone starts wandering. So either DH kid kid me across the middle, or dS1 at the window, then DS2, then me if flying solo.

Get to the airport early, and then have something to eat and find the play area before you board. Or just get them doing star jumps and butt kicks and high knees on the spot in an empty corner of the gate.

Yes we've done London to Australia many times and I'd forget the loads of wrapped present idea! Fiddly little stuff gets lost on the floor and take up too much room.
Reading book; colouring book/puzzle book (with those crayola twist able crayons - no lids to lose); headphones with headphone jack (much better than airlines ones); some snacks but they get fed up of eating; pre order their meals (kids ones usually come with loads of treats) and most definitely those neck pillows. Get the ones you can clip onto their back packs so they can carry through the airport.
Ours are happy with the inflight entertainment but tablets good too for a change.

Some new cheap presents are always good. Gin has said everything I was going to say!

Also don't forget a spare outfit change for everyone (adults included!) in your hand luggage, even shoes if possible (just sandals if space/weight is an issue). I vomited all over myself and my gran once when I was little and ended up wearing my brothers t shirt as a dress and he was topless! My poor gran just stank!

If there are two adults, send on on first to set up. Dont make the mistake of "early boarding" - just adds extra time on board. Take empty water bottles and fill on the plane. In Dubai we had water confiscated (twice) at the second security gate within departures (why??). And best tip: learn how to do this

Kindles. We got them for my twins fo driving's to France but flew 12 hours this year and they were absolutely fine - played with them, slept and are.

We did the same trip when they were three and it was hideous.

Snacks. Ipad full off kids apps. Aqua doodle/waterpen colouring books. Snacks. A blanket. Snacks. And the mantra 'this flight won't last forever'. I fly midhaul once every couple of months with 2 yo DS since he was weeks old. I've not ejected myself or him from the plane yet so I think I'm doing ok 😂😐

You can take empty bottles through security then fill them up on the other side.

We are doing this soon and have only done short haul with ours, so loving all the tips!

There is a great company called 'keep em quiet' it has these little bags with activities, toys, snacks. You choose based on age, gender, flight time. We got them for our last holiday and the kids loved them!

Also take spare clothes for you in your carry on. My dd was violently sick on a plane once all over me, was horrid. Luckily DH had a spare jumper but my jeans and pants were soaking wet of sick 🤢 and it happened early on.

Oh and finally sweets for them to suck on take off and landing to help with their ears. My mum used to do this for me as a child and it really helped!

Good luck