The Best Tips for Airports and Planes with Kids
Two kids looking out over the international terminal at Brisbane International Airport, ready for the first big family holiday abroad.
On our recent trip to New Zealand I think I discovered the best tip ever for surviving airports and planes with kids. Here it is:
1. Let them be kids and ignore everyone’s opinions.
Simple but life-changing.
I realised the parents having the best times at airports were the ones who weren’t bothered by their kids being loud, walking around, playing or generally just being kids. It’s the ones who want their kids to be quiet and still and perfect who struggled and got angry, upset and disappointed. At times I was both types.
All that said, I understand needing some strategies, so -
here are some more practical tips for flying with kids:
2. Expect the worst. Plan for your kids to be tired, grumpy, bored and naughty. Have a plan of what you could do, and how you could react. It may never happen, of course, but if you’re already prepared for it you’ll feel better in the moment.
3. Take fun things, depending on the kids’ ages it may be a new colouring book or toy, or a tablet loaded with movies.
Kids having fun on the travelator at the airport on our international family trip.
4. Food fills boring times. The kids will want snacks and it will be easier if you have them. Airports are expensive so it’ll feel better if you’ve brought some of your own. It’ll help avoid lining up and waiting more too. Or if the airline runs out of food (yes, it happens regularly - on my flight they said, “sorry, we weren’t expecting everyone to order meals”), you’ll have a backup.
5. Having said that, we made the airport and plane an experience in themselves. The fun of having an airport breakfast and lunch were part of the journey. The thrill of watching planes out the window, reading our tickets to find our boarding gate, and lining up were part of the adventure.
6. Have some lollies for the kids to suck on or crunchy crackers to munch on when the plane is taking off and landing. It helps with their ear pressure.
7. Take headphones for the kids, it’ll help with giving them some quiet in the chaos of the airport or the noisy plane if they need it. Sensitive kids especially can benefit from this, blocking out everything that’s going on.
8. Avoid lines. For us, that meant going to the airport early, checking in straight away so we didn’t have to line up and getting through security. When lining up is avoidable, we actually waited until last, letting the kids run around until the line was almost gone and then joining in.
9. Get there early. Honestly, this will really backfire if your plane is likely to be delayed, but otherwise it reduces the stress and anxiety the parents might be feeling through each step of the airport. Less stress = more calm parents = happier kids.
10. Go to the toilet at the airport. Airport bathrooms are much nicer than plane toilets and you’ll have more room and less waiting.
11. Let them play and move around. Let them have fun on the escalators, let them climb under the airport chairs, let them walk up and down the plane aisle. You will never see these people again, and it’s really not that annoying. Just think, every kid before you has done these things and worse. Kids will be kids and they are allowed to be kids. There has never been a sign at an airport saying “no kids allowed here” and there is no sign on the plane saying “kids must be quiet and still”. It’s just public transport - your kids are the public and they have a right to be there just like anyone else.
12. I had one hard rule which was not to annoy the people in front or behind us on the plane. No kicking the chair. Reducing the ‘don’t do this’ and ‘don’t do that’ makes it easier for the kids to remember the rules and for the parents not to spend the whole time being cranky.
13. Play bingo or I Spy. Travel games are fun and fill time. You can practise this while you’re waiting at home, for example waiting at the doctor’s surgery – play little quiet games like I Spy instead of just getting the phone or tablet out. Grow your child’s capacity to wait (and your capacity too – can you stay off your phone while you’re bored and waiting?).
14. If you have time, practise travelling together. We regularly do long drives with the kids during school holidays, so we are all used to that feeling of sitting still, being a little bit bored, and watching out the windows. We rarely have tablets during these drives. Instead, we chat, or we listen to audiobooks and music. Sometimes when there is no signal, we just sit in silence. Often, the kids argue about stupid things (“she’s looking out my window! STOP IT! It’s MY window!”), and this is exactly the point – you get used to it. This is the best preparation work. Get used to the experience.
You know what? It’s pretty rare to get in trouble at an airport for a kid having fun. Don’t you think? There are only a few times when they need to absolutely behave (e.g. security check, boarding the plane), the rest is allowed to be fun. I’m not saying let your kids run wild, but if they do, keep your cool and relax. It’s not the end of the world. It’s really not that big a deal. You won’t see these people again.
Babies on planes and kids at airports - it’s time to change the cultural messaging and let families have fun when flying.
We have this cultural messaging which says babies are only ‘good on planes’ if they are quiet and I just totally disagree. Right back at the beginning of my parenting journey I realised there’s no such thing as a good or bad baby. Babies are babies. I remember reading an article once about how a mother with a baby gave gifts to the other passengers on the flight to try to make them tolerant of her baby crying. WHAT THE HECK. As if there wasn’t enough to do to get ready without all that as well! If you go on a public bus, you don’t get to complain about the other passengers (unless they’re doing something illegal or inappropriate, right?). Flights aren’t a special case. Babies cry. We don’t have to apologise for that!
Kids having fun on a plane on our recent family holiday abroad.
Anyway, all that to say, most adults on flights have earphones or headphones. They have online entertainment. They can block out the noise. They can drink wine. Don’t worry about them. Let them manage their own expectations and experience - that’s not your job, they’re adults for crying out loud.
Finally, one of the last best tips I have, is to:
15. Let them be wiggly and active when they need to, or to cry if they’re unhappy, because of the benefits. That’s right, the benefits. Families with crying babies are often quickly escorted to the front of the lines when everyone else is waiting in queue. Bored kids are often given colouring packs and extra snacks on flights (I was a bit jealous when the kids opposite got snacks on my flight to Melbourne). Everyone wants your kids to be happy and the other passengers to be satisfied, so they are going to look after you. And if they don’t, well that’s on them.
So try it, next time you’re going flying or perhaps for your first ever international trip. Set your expectations and choose the mood and attitude you’re going to have ahead of time. Let your kids be kids, and enjoy the fun.
Related Articles to Read Next:
Your Turn
If you’ve travelled on a plane with kids, what did you find helpful for making it more enjoyable for your family?
Any questions?
Let me know in the comments below!