Travel Tips: Long Haul Flights with Small Children, Babies

Entertaining Children, Kids on Long Haul Flights

Many people literally shiver at the prospect of travelling with their very young children or babies on long haul flights. Equally daunting is the prospect of child jetlag. For fellow airline passengers it can be quite an ordeal flying for 15 hours next to a fidgeting child or endlessly crying baby!

For some people the risk of a tantrum-laden long haul flight with children is just too much and they never get that far, shying away from the very idea of long haul flights. Many opt instead for an easier holiday within a manageable driving distance from home or just a short flight away. To help you start long haul flying as a family, we suggest some great travel tips for keeping your children happy even on the longest of flights and tips to help avoid the worse effects of child jetlag:-

Surviving Long Haul Flights with Children / Babies

Choosing Appropriate In-flight Toys

One thing we've learnt is that variety really helps ease in-flight boredom. Take a good selection of your children or babies favourite small toys, puzzles and lightweight books, avoiding toys or puzzles with small pieces as these will almost inevitably fall on the aircraft floor or down the side of your seat constantly. A plane may not be the best place to take your child's favourite jigsaw puzzles! Avoid heavy toys too, as many airline have strict limitations on the weight of carry-on baggage.

It's also good advice to avoid toys that make a noise as these can be intensely annoying for other passengers! A loud talking toy animal that has just one tiresome phrase might be nice at home, but not on board a long haul flight!

In-flight Children's Colouring and Sticker Books

If appropriate to your child's age, consider packing colouring books, with crayons and sticker books. Sometimes newly purchased sticker books and colouring books are a good idea as they will create a fresh challenge and the onset of boredom will be delayed that much longer. Your child will take time to explore the new stickers and no doubt you'll be covered in them before the end of the flight and so might the unfortunate business man opposite you, when he's not looking!

Child Friendly Airlines

Always check that your carrier provides TV entertainment for kids and that they have seat back TV on all long haul flights. Kids can't normally see the large screens at the front of the plane, so if seat back TV isn't provided then that can be a real problem! A portable DVD player with a spare set of batteries would be an option to consider in this case.

It can also make a whole lot of difference choosing an airline that offers an in-flight entertainment programme suiting kids of all ages.

Some airlines adopt this idea, but seem to have a programme that is more geared up just for kids of a certain age, whilst other airlines have a much more successful wide ranging, well thought out in flight kids entertainment programme, with different TV channels appealing to all ages of children.

We think Virgin Atlantic tend to offer one of the best children's entertainment programmes with themed TV channels and games. Most of Virgin's long-haul aircraft have seat-back TV and a complimentary games console. Until their recent aircraft re-fit, not all of British Airways planes had seat back TV and this lead to some very tiring long haul journeys for us and other families. Good kids in flight TV is without doubt, a real saviour of peace and tranquillity, when it comes to a long haul flying experience with kids. NVOD or Near Video On Demand is even better as it allows your kids to rewind their favourite programme or pause playback whenever they like. Singapore Airlines, to name one carrier, offer this in their Raffles Class seats.

Compare UK Airline Seat Pitch

Without doubt cramped conditions on board UK airlines affect kids just as much as adults. We help you choose the best UK airline by comparing seat pitch below.

Compare UK Airline Seat Pitch

Without doubt cramped conditions on board UK airlines affect kids just as much as adults. We help you choose the best UK airline by comparing seat pitch below.

Take-off and Landing Advice

Take off (and landing) can subject the ears of your young child or baby to significant pressure changes and make things very uncomfortable for them. Be sure to give your child something to suck on for take off or landing. Give them a sweet, a dummy (soother) or a drink of some kind depending on their age. If the child is old enough, tell him or her to yawn and swallow to equalise the pressure in their ears. This can be quite effective and reduce any discomfort.

In Flight Child/ Baby Refreshments

To avoid de-hydration, it's a very good idea to take plenty to drink for your children or baby on any flight, but particularly for long haul flights. Airlines often serve high sugar content drinks or drinks with added colours and preservatives, so if you normally give your child healthier drinks at home or organic fruit juices, consider taking a variety of them with you in leak-free containers on board, especially for a long transatlantic or international flight.

Taking lots of bottled water for your children (and for yourself too) is a good idea for long haul flights, as the cabin service on many Economy class flights can leave a lot to be desired, with the drinks service less frequent than you'd really like. Getting dehydrated on long flights is a real problem which can be largely avoided by proper pre-flight planning.

Adults should also avoid alcohol on long haul flights as this increases the risk of dehydration and makes you feel much worse by arrival time. Drinking plenty will help you stay hydrated in the dry cabin air that's present on board all aircraft.

For young babies, the cabin crew will always heat up bottles of milk when asked, but always check the temperature as we've found it can vary from volcano-heat to tepid depending on the level of competence of the cabin crew member concerned! We found that taking a half bottle of sterilised water helped when the cabin crew overheated a bottle. Rather than asking them to take it away and cool it down, we were able to just add some cool water to get it just right. Last but not least, don't forget to take your own powdered baby milk if needed!

In-flight Baby Snacks and Children's Meals

We've found that in-flight meals rarely turn up at your babies meal time, so taking some snack food items on long haul flights for your children is a sound idea. Examples being bread sticks, biscuits, sultanas or some crisps. Of course, the precise choice depends on the age of your child or children!

Don't forget to pack plenty of wet wipes and tissues as snack time can be very messy (see my little friend to the left!).

On our earlier trips to Barbados, whilst Sophie was still a baby, we even individually bubble-wrapped enough of her favourite Organic baby food to last her the whole holiday. We packed all of it in a separate check-in bag, so concerned were we that we wouldn't find baby food that she'd like!

In-flight Sleeping Arrangements - Child Bassinets

No doubt you'd like your children to have at least a short sleep on board a long haul flight, particularly if it's a red eye (overnight service). To help, always remember to pack your child or baby's favourite bed time cuddly toy and dummy (soother) as this really helps settle them into their new sleeping environment on board the plane. Some airlines provide bassinet cots (see right) for use in bulk head seat rows.

For babies and small infants who are too young to have their own seat on board a long haul flight, try to reserve a bulk head row seat with a Bassinet, by calling the airline in advance of your travel date to request one. Bassinet's allow you to move around the aircraft much easier, when your child is hopefully asleep!

In-Flight Children's Clothing

It's always a good idea to pack a change of clothes for your child or children in your carry-on bag on any long haul flight. For several reasons - for example, it could be hot or cold where you're travelling to, so that might necessitate a change, or there could be an in-flight misdemeanour that could result in the need to change garments!

Long Haul Flights - Controlling Your Child's Behaviour

It can be tiring for everyone, including fellow passengers to have kids running up and down corridors and for some children, sitting down for even a few minutes can be a real problem! We have been guilty ourselves in telling our daughter that she must remain seated on board the long haul flight, but when other children start running around, there can be immediate problems curtailing your child from doing the same. It is at times like this that the importance of packing the right toys, games and puzzles can save the day. In flight seat back children's TV with integral games consoles can also help prevent a very fatiguing flight for you and other passengers nearby!

Memorable Moments - Travel with Kids!

When long haul travelling with babies and young children the unexpected can always happen. Take for example when our daughter Sophie decided to shred the our USA travel map, reducing Boston to a sodden piece of waste paper!

It takes a miracle to be prepared for every travel eventuality, as children have a habit of re-shaping even the best planned vacations!

Top Travel Tips - Travelling with Children on Long Haul Flights

Take Your Children's Favourite TV Shows with you!

DVD recorders are now very cheap and many PC's are fitted with DVD re-writers, so why not take advantage of this technology by recording some DVD's to take with you on board a long haul flight to keep your children entertained, playing them on your own portable DVD player? Record a series of their favourite TV shows onto a DVD and enjoy several hours of peace and quiet on the plane, whilst you unwind and watch a movie yourself. Of course, these DVD's will help give you a break whilst on holiday too. However, before you do this, check all applicable copyright laws.

Portable DVD Players

Portable DVD Players are coming down in price and you may want to invest in one of them and plenty of children's DVD's for your long haul flight. Don't forget plenty of high capacity rechargeable batteries as these units can consume a lot of power.

Taking Small Presents For Your Kids. Reduce In-flight Boredom!

By far our greatest tip is to take a number of small value, but intriguing gifts all individually wrapped up before any long haul flights (without telling your children). When they start getting bored, you give one out and don't let on that you have more waiting for later! The excitement has to be seen to be believed and your children will settle down and play with the new toy, puzzle or game for a good hour. One in flight movie on, when things are getting tough again, give out another present and so on.

When we visited Australia via Singapore, we took about ten individually wrapped small presents for our daughter Sophie and she was kept entertained for the whole 15 hour flight. We've never had to unwrap any presents yet as it's usually pretty obvious what they are to airport security when they X-ray them!

After The Flight - Children's Jetlag!

Adrenalin can keep your child going for an unexpectedly long time. Our 3 year old daughter once managed to keep awake for 23 hours! Children are in fact very resilient to long haul travel and they'll cope very well, often better than us adults, but they still suffer from jetlag even as babies!

You'll soon realise that even a young baby suffers jetlag has quite a developed body clock! When arriving in a different time zone, try your best to stay up until nearly bed time wherever you have arrived. Going to sleep at 6pm local time can be a disaster (even if you only try a short nap) and you're better off trying to keep yourself awake by going out or socialising.

Try equally hard to put the kids to bed at roughly the time they would normally go to sleep at home. During daylight ours, stay outside as much as possible or in brightly lit indoor surroundings. Believe it or not, your body reacts to daylight and this is a key part of adjusting back your body's internal time clock onto a new time-zone. If you follow these steps, within a few days the effects of jetlag begin to disappear. We've noticed that jetlag in children is often less pronounced than in adults, in that they adjust quicker to a new time zone.

PMR446 Family Radios as Hotel Baby Monitors

Imagine having the freedom of a baby monitor that actually works over a distance of more than 150 metres! Well here's the solution: Forget the baby monitors you buy from baby stores which barely work around your house and consider buying a pair of PMR446 2-way radios instead which are special license-free Walkie Talkies. They work really well around virtually any hotel complex.

PMR446 Radios operate on a different frequency band and have a far greater operating range than normal baby monitors. You will, however, need PMR446 Radios which have what's known as a "VOX feature" to use them as baby monitors, so always ask for this before buying a pair of 2-way radios. VOX makes the Walkie Talkie (placed near your baby in the room) transmit automatically just when the baby cries, so you can hear your baby on the other Walkie Talkie you'll be carrying.

Buy PMR 446 Radios from Maplin Electronics

Check prices and purchase the Alan 456R PMR446 2-way radio online from Maplin Electronics.

PMR446 Radios are small, more lightweight than conventional baby monitors, and work incredibly well even through brick walls and require no annual license. Most have excellent battery life thanks to the fact that the radio only transmits when the baby cries.

The PMR446 Radio manufacturers (Motorola, Binatone, Alan to name a few UK brands) claim a range of up to 3 miles in open space, but for use as a baby monitor this is obviously quite inappropriate and could put your baby at risk.

Where these PMR446 radios score over conventional baby monitors is that they will work well around the whole of a relatively large hotel complex, allowing you to take a leisurely stroll or drink, whilst your baby sleeps, but still being able to hear everything that goes on in the room. You can even test whether you're in range of the baby's radio by transmitting from your unit. If the baby's PMR446 radio is in range, it will transmit back for a few seconds to you, confirming you're still in range! This gives added peace of mind as you can check quickly and conveniently that you're comfortably in range of the baby monitor in the hotel room.

PMR446 radios purchased in the UK can be used license-free in most CEPT European countries. For the USA, different UHF frequencies are used and the radios are known as "Family Radios" and are equally popular and easily available in the USA. Take a trip to Radio Shack, who are in most US shopping malls where you can buy a couple of Family Radios for less than $50. You may want to consider a hands-free headset for one of your PMR446 radios as the microphone in the headset can then be placed a little closer to your baby, with the main radio being hidden away out of reach.

Placing the baby's bed or cot near a non-opening window will allow the PMR446 radio to also be placed on a window ledge, giving better operating range.

Liability Disclaimer

Please note that you use PMR446 Radios as hotel baby monitors at your own risk. Being further from your child does pose some additional and possibly significant risks for your child and these should always be considered alongside the added convenience and freedom offered by Family Radios.

Travel With Your Kids - Useful Tips

For more fantastic tips on travelling and long-haul flying with kids we've found an excellent web site that covers just about everything you'll need to know for surviving long haul international flights with children. Visit our recommended site Travel With Your Kids.