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

MrsFrTedCrilly I agree, a child friendly crew helps so much .
Emirates and Eithad have nailed this but Qatar, not at all.

I have asked my dc what they like - we are going long haul in 6 wks. Ds2 is planning on taking some craft kits and eating lots of snacks. Ds1 is planning on taking some extra special snacks that he doesn't normally get. Both will watch a lot of seat back tvs.

Definitely a tablet with favourite programmes downloaded. I tend to go to Poundland or similar in the lead-up and buy cheap but exotic toys that are a novelty, but not a disaster if they are lost under seats etc. Loads of snacks: fruit, cheese crackers etc - for some reason they’re more appetising if decanted into little pots

We flew Qatar longhaul in April with our 18 month old son. I cannot fault the exceptional service we received from all the crew on each leg of the journey. They played with him and brought him special treats, the toy packet and water and juice whenever they went past. I would go as far as to say it was the best airline for flying with kids compared to all the others we'ved used. Other tips that helped is using the in flight entertainment, walking around during daytime flights as much as possible, playing on the playground and running around in Doha airport so my son slept for most of the way on the second leg.

My basics are keeping things as calm as possible in the airport by allowing plenty of time. Everyone go to the toilet before boarding plane incase of delayed take off. Pay to get on early if it helps the DC stay calm. Take sippy sports top type drink bottles of water for take off and landing earpopping and general hydration. Take a few familiar foods for the DC - theres nothing like a tired unsettled DC for becoming fussy about foods they'd normally eat. A hangry child makes for an unpleasant journey. We pack cards, tech that we fully load and charge, a small box of playmobile (DS2 made DD a fab click motion animation of her playmobile last holidays), a small drawing pad and a few colours. I also take an easy access pull on change of clothes for each DC. Leggins and t-shirt for youngest and just t shirts for older two. It's not unusual for spills or worse sickness durring a whole days travel including getting to airport, in airport, plane, travel on to destination.

DH and I divide the children up between us. I get DS1 who is Autistic and can get quite distressed at the airport particularly through security. DH gets DS2 a fab and enthusiastic traveller and DD also additional needs, but tends to fall asleep for duration of flight as soon as the engines go on. The DC all know where they will be sitting, whom is aisle, middle, window, who they are next to etc.

My final comment to keeping the DC happy is to look after yourself. Make sure you're fed, hydrated etc. If you're feeling good and calm what ever the DC throw at you is more manageable.

My top tips are to get some of these magic non messy colouring books, this kept my daughter busy for ages. We normally ration my sons time with his comforter but on a recent flight we just let him have it and he even slept. It can be ages/expensive for food so we took a massive bag of crisps and home made sandwiches and chocolate. Usual rules have to go out the window to keep kids quiet and happy.

We live on the west coast of the US so at a minimum do a transatlantic trip every year and have done since DC were 3yo and 3months old (now 9&6)

We restrict screen time the week before then let them go on iPads/inflight entertainment until after the meal, then attempt a vague bedtime routine (teeth, pj’s, blanket and pillows)

Take lots of their favourite snacks, lots of water and let them choose sweets for take off and landing and amagazine when going through a british airport

How my parents did it with us without technology I don’t know!!

I go to the pound shop and but lots of little toys. I wrap each one up and the kids who are age 2 and 4, get one new toy when they start to get restless.

Regular walks up and down the plane.

As much screen time as they want.

Snacks that they can eat themselves.

Playing games like I spy.

Other small activities like colouring in, mini kits of Lego or play doh.

A friendly airline crew make the biggest difference as the kids love to meet new people.

We have travelled a lot with 4 DC from when they were newborns to my now eldest who is in early teens.
Baby stage- ideally bassinet access for long hall, or arm rests which raise between seats, to hold them comfortably when sleeping. Ability to warm bottles/ baby food. Fold down change table in a clean toilet.
Toddler/ young children- age appropriate cartoons, stickers/ colouring with triangular crayons or pencils that don't roll off the drop down table, nothing with wheels (same reason), cuddly toy, loads of snacks, water and juice and child friendly 'easy' i.e. finger food. Remember to provide for special diets and allergies.
Older children/ tweens/ teens. Individual entertainment centre with music, games & films limited by age rating. Low sugar/ sugar free juices/ fizzy drinks and plenty of high protein snacks and fruit to fill them up! Maybe a fun fact file about the destination with some phrases or fun words to try in local language- online would be easy to do. A selection of online popular teen fiction- mine can read pretty weighty novels in a few hours!

McDonald's sell their happy meal toys at the counter for 99p a go. Buy the latest range available. Surprise DD with them when on plane. Unwrapping and assembling and then playing with them all keeps her entertained for ages. Also snacks. Lots of snacks.

Plenty of snacks and drinks, a blanket and familiar cuddly toy so they can sleep, a few toys and games and an ipad with headphones for if they need quiet entertainment.

Get them used to using headphones before the flight! A busy aircraft is not the place to introduce them for the first time!
Chocolate buttons are your friend, even if they hardly ever have sweets. Just get white chocolate ones!
Take a change of clothing for them, but also one for you too. You don’t want to sit for hours in a t shirt covered in wee/sick/food!

Snacks and screen time on the tablet for long flights. My only other tip is to take a change of clothes for you as an adult. When flying with our then 14mo long haul she was fine for most of the flight and then the air pressure change on landing was too much and she vomited all over me as we landed. Of course i had spare clothes for her but none for me. These days i have some clothes in my hand luggage!!

We didn’t fly with our kids until the youngest was 8 or so. They enjoyed the inflight films and we usually booked meals on longer flights just to break up the flight. Our kids always took books, hand held game systems or just listened to music to amuse themselves.

I pick up bits and pieces from places like The Works (e.g. activity books, new colouring pencils, a book, a comic etc) and bring them out in turn at various points during the flight. The newness of them holds interest for longer.

Recent evening flight with 10year old and 6 year old

• fully charged DVD players and selection of dvds with headphones
• books to read
• neck pillow
• favourite teddy
• jacket to use as a blanket
• sweets for take off and landing
• ear plugs (to stop ears popping)
• eye masks (so they can try and sleep)
• drinks
• recently fed or food for the flight
• colouring/ activity book (we didn't need it this flight but always good to have options)

Puzzle books, small new toy to play with, tablet with downloaded films, books to read, food to munch, magazine, eye spy, music, snap

When we have the front seats with extra leg-room, once the seatbelt sign is off we put a small blanket down on the floor for the baby/toddler to sit and play on. For both younger and older children we wrap up some new toys they have never seen before and let them unwrap them during the flight. We also bring lots of extra snacks! Breastfeeding has also been lifesaver when flying with our babies. Our DC handle long haul flights really well and I think it's down to our preparation!

Plenty of distractions, and the tablet computer, and earphones with multiple episodes of Paw Patrol. We love it when the air hosts make an effort to speak to them, and give them a colouring book and crayons, and a drink for the journey, which I offer when the plane is climbing and air pressure changing to avoid ear problems. I pack a selection of nibbles, again as another distraction.

I was going to suggest chloroform and a rag

What we’ve found good was giving them a small rucksack with a load of little toys/colouring books/games/treats in. I buy bits and bobs from the pound shops to fill their bags so it doesn’t cost the earth but it’s great for keeping them entertained pulling a surprise out the bag.

We've never done long haul, but on short haul flights the chance to choose a magazine at the airport provides much excitement. Only problem is the inevitable plastic tat which can then get lost on the plane causing drama.

Child has their own carry-on bag, which must contain their cuddly. Either in their bag or yours, have a smaller, opaque, closeable bag full of one-at-time toys, activities, snacks. Depending on your child, these may be old favourites or new, chosen by the child or surprised. But only ever one item out at a time - never loads of stuff at one time.

Any tubs used should be screw- or clip-top. Clumsy fingers pulling hard at a lid....wheee! Lego/beads/cheerios go flying across the aisle.

Colouring books are a must. Packs of cards. They need to be interacted with and not left to their own devices, which inevitably leeds to fights.

Last to be used is the electronic child minder. But it tends to work.

We have only been on shortish ( 2.5 hours) flights with ours- we have been pretty successful so far with a combination of paper and pens, Nintendo DS and sticker books. I admit it could get trickier for longer flights. Then headphones and a film on the iPad might work.

Inflight films are the go-to activity for my kids. Plus child friendly apps on my tablet.

I put together little travel packs last time we flew long haul containing eye masks, headphones, lollipops, a new book, a magazine, wet wipes, snacks, a sticker book and a collapsible water bottle. They went down really well and kept them entertained for ages!

Make sure you request the children's meal before your flight in the hope that they might actually eat something!