Share your tips for keeping your children happy on flights with Qatar Airways - £300 voucher to be won

[JustineBMumsnet]

Taking your children on a plane journey can lead to worries that they will be bored and miserable until you arrive. Qatar Airways have recently launched their new Oryx Kids Club programme, and want to hear your tips for keeping your children happy when you’re on a flight.

Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Ehab Amin, said: “Qatar Airways is delighted to announce the launch of Oryx Kids Club programme and loyalty programme for its youngest travellers, offering them the opportunity to enjoy exceptional benefits while travelling with Qatar Airways. As an airline that is committed to welcoming children and families on board, Qatar Airways is thrilled about this new opportunity to interact with our passengers, from the moment they arrive at the airport.”

Are you an expert in finding plane friendly toys? Maybe you have an ingenious and unique way of preventing boredom on long plane journeys? Do you use family friendly lounges? Perhaps you play I spy from the sky? Do you use films and games from in-flight entertainment systems or do you prefer to download favourites onto your own tablets to keep your children entertained?

Whatever you do to keep your children happy on flights, share this in the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight Terms and Conditions apply

New magazines at the airport help.. card games, stickers, I spy games... food helps!! Pack lots of snacks..

Definitely toys and activities that give them a focus. Colouring books are great as they keep them interested for a long period of time. If you are travelling on a flight that gives you an inseat screen, fantastic as there will be films and cartoons. If not load an iPad or kindle with their favourite films.

download shows or movies onto their ipads and make sure I have plenty of snacks

Ear plugs are a must for us and we played around with them in the weeks before the flight so they knew when they were to go in and come out and understood it was to stop them getting 'poorly' ears.
We pack some crayons, paper, and little action figures, animals etc all brilliant for playing make believe games during the flight.
little snacks bought before the flight are good too.

Plenty of snacks, the tablet loaded with lots of films and games. I also take colouring pencils and pads, wet wipes, reading books and if possible a day flight so they aren't cranky

Take cards, books and a portable dvd player!

pack a flight bag for each dc! we do a shop in poundland/B&M bargains and pick up cheap toys and colouring books. fill the bag with goodies including food and keep it a surprise. once they get bored of that then the tablets come out!

Dd is 4 and all it takes is her kindle fire. She is happy to watch films as she wouldn't normally be allowed it for that long. She manages a 4.5hr flight easily.

Since my partner could be arrested if she changes plane in Doha - for being trans - I don't think we will risk flying Qatar. al-bab.com/blog/2017/08/why-cross-dressing-problem-gulf.

Pack paper, pencils, a pack of cards and a good book for each child. I am happy for the DDs to watch in-flight movies if they wish, but otherwise we play card games or we do funny doodle games with the paper/pencils. I'll also take a tablet with lots of App games which allows for multiple players, so no-one gets left out.

I take lots of flat toys (small jigsaws, drawing, puzzles).

I sometimes take a thin sandwich box of Lego with a flat Lego plate glued to the lid. Lego is handy as you can also use it to make an iPhone stand for the predownloaded child friendly programmes.

It does get lost in the seats easily though so you have to be disciplined about keeping it in the box when loose.

So we use screens so they can watch downloaded films that they have previously chosen (I know, 😔, but it just works SO well) and when that gets boring food is next, then pens and paper.

We try not to do massively long flights as my son is quite travel sick, on all forms of transport unfortunately!! I find on planes the key is to get him to look at the window as often as possible, take plenty of colouring books and things for him to do, and pray they have decent in-flight entertainment!!

Play dough worked wonders for us with our two year old. We also wrapped up lots of little presents and would bring one out every now and then. Any toys they haven’t seen before are generally a winner

For me a real winner to make the flight go smoothly, and keep your DC from becoming agitated and bored is lots of little activities in a 'holiday' backpack. so I take a look in the £1 shops for little action figures, crayons and colouring books, sticker books, and beads to thread to make bracelets. Of course when the cabin crew come around with their own activity books that is always a treat, and makes them feel extra special. When all of the activities have been exhausted, out comes the tablet and headphones to watch some downloaded programmes.

Movies on the tablet, or the inflight options plus puzzle books & snacks

A fully charged tablet with films and games ready downloaded to keep them occupied.

Travel games, colouring books, movies, music and iPads.

All them to bring what they think will keep them amused. Also introduce them to the flight staff and encourage them to ask if they need anything.

Take a brand new colouring book and felt tips and if possible download some games or movies onto a kindle and get the children to share with an earphone each (that way they have to be cooperating and be quiet) :)

I downloaded a film (Alice in Wonderland) that our daughter (15 months at the time we flew) loved and she was quite happy watching that. Also having a walk about and look out the window kept her happy, along with timing it so that she was sleepy so got a bit of a snooze.

A new book usually works pretty well. We also try to tire them out so they sleep on the way :)

I am not a huge fan of allowing the children to spend unlimited time on their tablets but that rule goes out of the window on a plane. They can spend as long as they like playing games and watching movies which I have downloaded for them as it is by far the easiest way of keeping them entertained and less inclined for complaining. I also make sure that I have plenty of snacks for them so that they are constantly fed and watered.

Just back from a 9h each way honeymoon and the lifesaver for us was having an old ipad loaded with CBeebies programmes! Less about the audio (though we did pack a pair of soft bluetooth headphones just in case) and more for her to watch the screen!

We also found that mess free snacks like sultanas and corn rings were a great way to distract her ;)