Surviving Longhaul Flights With Children

Based on our experience and that of our facebook community of parents who have been through the joys of longhaul flights with children here are some tips you might find useful when planning your journey.

Where to sit

It’s worth trying to get bulkhead seats (any of the seats that come where the plane is divided into different classes or sections). There will be no seat in front of you giving you more freedom to get up and move around without disturbing other passengers.

For very young children this is also the ideal space to have a bassinet.  Make sure you book one before you fly – even if your child doesn’t sleep in one they may get some rest.

Time to fly

We recommend trying to time flights with your child’s sleep/nap time so that they are more likely to sleep.  However, some of our facebook community disagreed with this:

Avoid night time flights – you would think they would be easier but they are not!  Following a routine was tricky when the plane didn’t leave until well after bedtime.  We felt the need to keep them quiet as everyone else was sleeping. On the 13 hour flight on the way home during the day there was no pressure to keep them silent, they played nicely and quietly and then slept when they wanted to – everyone was much happier

Favourite strategies for coping with night time flights include:

1. have an obvious bedtime.  Switch off TVs & DS’s
2. change into pyjamas and snuggle up with favourite blankets & toys.
3. consider using a short term sedative (not everyone’s choice but it is an option)

Take off and landing

Remember a drink to help relieve the pressures in the ears during take-off and landing.

Walk about

You might find a child safety harness or reins useful for aisle walking. It will help you keep your toddler upright as they toddle along.

Entertainment

Helen says:

I wrap a small present up and every hour my son is able to unwrap and play with it. Has helped in the past as well as the DS, DVDs and audio tapes! We’ve found great success in wooden build kits too – they come flat packed which is great but then we have a wooden dinosaur/plane to carry at the other end!

On long flights you will need to be prepared with plenty of ideas like this to entertain the kids.  Browse our free travel activities for inspiration and remember when all else fails you can’t go wrong with a few apps for kids

And finally…

Adjust your expectations – don’t anticipate you & your child sleeping peacefully for the whole flight and then whatever rest / sleep you do experience will be a bonus.

Have you seen…

Our 10 helpful tips on flying with children?

Essential tips for flying with kids

Just how family friendly are UK airports?

What’s your experience of longhaul flights with kids?  Do you have a tip to share?