LondonElite

Some pearls of wisdom in this article. Since flying with children is never discussed on FT, and is likely to be completely uncontentious, I thought I might post this here.

Some gems:

1. Families: board last
2. Bring entertainment
3. Be quiet! No, really. You, too, Mum.
4. Chair seatbacks are a danger zone
5. Stewardess is not a synonym for babysitter

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/fa...-children.html

emma69

I will agree with all but the first - if you are a two adult travelling party, one should get on during the pre-boarding to get all the stuff sorted - carry ons up and out of the way, or under and out of the way, toys, books, snacks, bottles, etc. extracted and stashed in seat pockets, etc. and the second adult can board with the kids later on. However, for a single parent, I would still think getting on early, getting everyone settled, doing the last minute nip to the loo, etc etc. is better than later. I've watched parents whose carry on has to be separated from them and placed rows back play musical chairs for the entire flight getting things down, putting things up etc. and children escaping while they do this (in the particular instance I recall, it was a bulkhead, so no space for under seat storage, and her bag was about 10 rows back, she was travelling with 3 children under 5 (which, as an aside, I think is risky, what would she have done in an emergency situation [answer pre determined by me, I would get the kid beside me out in an emergency])

You also avoid the issue of people potentially seat poaching if you are on and in first.

djk7

I also disagree with the first, for all of the reasons emma69 noted, and especially this one and the carry on issue.

Not sure why this thread is here instead of the travel with children forum either.

KoKoBuddy

5. Stewardess is not a synonym for babysitter

Stewardess? Uh oh!!
SJWs to decend on this thread in 5...4...3...

darthbimmer

The author describes a problem situation in her introduction but then fails to offer the obvious tip to parents that could have ameliorated the problem:
This, along with "Bring plenty of entertainment" were the top two tips my sister learned a few years ago when she flew frequently with her young daughter.

wrp96

Was on a flight this summer with a mom traveling alone with a lap child, plus 3 other children. She was absolutely prepared. The three oldest children were handed small plastic boxes with their names on it right as they boarded the plane. The boxes had snacks, books, toys, etc specifically for that child. Was very impressed with her. She knew she couldn't expect help from anyone else (although it was offered by many of us) so she had plans in place to make sure her children and everyone around them were able to enjoy the trip.

lighthand

Great mom!

Additional tip is to arrange for the kids to have an above normal active day prior to flight. I found this to be helpful, as my kids were so tired they started even before take off.

SkiAdcock

Just want to point out that we actually have a forum titled traveling w/ children,

Travel With Children

Cheers.

dchristiva

Exactly. Not a chance I'm boarding last if I'm flying with my kids. I'm more apt to board last if I'm flying solo, but I agree with emma69 that I don't like the risk of someone seat poaching or missing out on overhead space, so I tend to board with my designated group.

mlv416

That is a great idea!

I agree with most/all of that article, but think that emma's tip about one going on to store the stuff and then the other with the child is brilliant!

TheTakeOffRush

^ Genius idea. Especially if the contents are a surprise for the kids in question. Although getting snacks (juice boxes, etc) past TSA might require rejiggering the effort.

emma69

TSA are fine with non liquid snacks IMO - for drinks many airports have a water fountain after security, and you can take empty kid size bottles through with you.

You can also incorporate destination-specific activities (e.g. if they are going to Hawaii, you can have them read a book about volcanoes, a picture book of sea life, make your own wordsearch specific to the trip etc.) Older ones can be tasked with planning activities they might like to do, or finding how to get from the hotel to a restaurant using a map. Much as it pains me to say it, electronic items are an absolutely brilliant flight distraction, especially if the kid doesn't normally use them, and you can get apps along a certain theme depending on the child's age. Plus bookworms can load tons of books on to them, lightening the luggage!

the phoenix

agree on 2, maybe on 3; 4, eh.... 5 absolutely.

skiadcock is dead on. I read the forum here when I started having kids. Got many a great tip and NOW the FA's routinely compliment us on how great we fly.

We get the kids on board quick and let them explore the seat until its time to buckle in. Lots of activities to play, ipad comes out only as a last resort, hardly ever used.

LondonElite

I forgot to add the usual tongue-in-cheek ''

Since I never go there I didn't actually know we had that, but I've asked for it to be moved.

Ocn Vw 1K

Earlier today, I thought, and posted, that the article linked by the OP would more likely spur the type of contentious discussion (kids' behavior vs. adult traveler comfort) which would not be right for the Travel With Children forum. However, the discussion in the thread has been positive and helpful to those traveling with kids; and, therefore, I'll move this to the suggested forum with a redirect. Thanks, Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator.