Air travel with Kids

by Lauren Jenkins (Good Night Client)

We are fast approaching the Christmas holidays and with that comes a lot of plane travel! For some parents, this may be the first time flying with young children and I know how daunting that can be. We moved to South Africa from the UK in 2023, with my then two-and-a-half-year-old.  Since then, we’ve added to our family and now also have an 8- month-old.  We travel a lot from Pretoria to Cape Town, as well as from here to the UK. Using all my experience so far with travelling with young children, I have prepared some of my top tips for plane travel with children, which I hope you will find helpful and make your journey a little easier!

• Firstly, think about the time of your flight. For long haul, always try and do direct overnight flights, as you will be flying over what is normal nighttime. For shorter flights, think about coinciding them with the timing of your little one’s normal nap time.
• If you are booking seats, think about where you will be sitting. For older children/toddlers, it doesn’t make a huge amount of sense to sit in the extra legroom seats, as they are right by the galley and toilets which can make it nosier and more disruptive. On the other hand, if you have a baby/infant who doesn’t have their own seat, you may want to book these seats so that you can get a bassinet. Also think about window seats versus aisle seats.  It may be better for your child to have the window seat, so that they aren’t disturbed by other passengers (or you!) having to get up.
• Some airlines allow blow up beds or hammocks which are particularly handy for children over the age of 2 that have their own seats, as it means they can put their feet up properly and get more comfortable. Do your research before buying one of these! Some airlines don’t allow them, so always check first.
• Next, think what to pack on the flight. It is always advisable to take a change of clothes for your child and for yourself, in case of spillages or any sickness. We always take PJs for our toddler and get her changed into those before we want her to go to sleep on the flight.
• For toddlers/older children, think about taking some foam earplugs and an eye mask. This has worked really well for our 3-year-old!
• Take some pain relief with you e.g. Calpol. Some children can suffer with their ears and this well help. For younger babies, sucking will help with their ears.  If they are in pain, offer them a breastfeed/bottle and/or a dummy if they have one.
• Take lots of your child’s favourite snacks – you can’t take enough! Also think about buying a few smaller toys and wrapping them up to kill some time on shorter flights. Stickers and colouring books always go down well too.
• On longer flights, most airlines have TVs. If you aren’t averse to screen time, this can work in your favour as it allows a bit of winding down time for your toddler before you want them to sleep. On that note, don’t be surprised if your toddler/child doesn’t fall straight to sleep on a long flight, even if they have skipped a nap and/or you’ve kept them awake in the hope they’ll crash! Sometimes the excitement and adrenaline overtake, so they may take some time to calm down before they are ready to have a sleep.
• One last top tip! If you have a blanket over your child and they are sleeping, make sure to have their seatbelt on and done up over the top of the blanket. If there is any turbulence or the seatbelt sign goes on for any reason and the cabin crew can’t see that their belt is done up, they will make you wake them to put a belt on! So, it is best practice to just always keep it on and visible.