Five ways to survive long haul flights with young children
1. Entertainment
Having ammunition to distract your child is one of the most important survival tips for anyone flying with children. It’s great to have in-flight entertainment, but sadly you can’t rely on it for a 24-hour flight. Children’s attention spans are notoriously short – an 18 month old has on average an attention span of 2-3 minutes and a 3-4 year-old can usually handle about 10 minutes. So how will you fill the next 11 hours and 50 minutes of the flight after your child has discarded a colouring book? Pack sticker books, colouring books, card games if your child is older enough, small packable toys like finger puppets or small dolls they can cuddle and look after on the journey. Don’t worry about the bad parent awards, if your kids have Nintendo’s or any hand held electronic games, bring them along!
2. Headphones and children’s heads
Unfortunately whilst most airlines provide free headphones for passengers during long-haul flights they rarely fit children’s heads. Bringing your own could be an option but some aeroplanes have a 2-prong headphone fitting, so it may be worth contacting the airline to see if you can use your own. If your child is able to listen to the in-flight entertainment properly they are more likely to sit and watch it for longer, which will benefit everyone especially you.
3. Keeping hydrated
The air inside an airline cabin has a humidity level of 10 to 20 percent, whereas at home you are used to 30 to 65 percent. For this reason it is very important to keep you and your children well hydrated during the flight since the cabin will feel very dry. If you can bring bottled water with you, do so (although be aware of any restrictions in taking liquids through customs). The airlines are usually good at giving out water during the flight so take it even if you don’t feel thirsty. Make sure your children are drinking as much as you and give them lots before they sleep. If you worry about frequent trips to the loo – good! It’ll do you and your kids’ legs, feet and circulation a favour. Putting your child in a nighttime nappy if they are sleeping, even if they are toilet trained, can be helpful while they sleep on the plane.
4. Eating lightly
One of the ways our bodies tell the time is through food, so when you travel to a different time zone with your kids, food can help and hinder you. It’s tempting to eat all of the aeroplane meals out of sheer boredom but experts suggest you eat lightly at each meal and treat it like the meal you would be eating when you arrive at your destination. If, for example, your children’s dinner arrives on the plane and it is breakfast time at your destination, encourage your children to eat lightly and to eat as much fruit and veg as possible. Plane food is usually stodgy so if you can bring fruit as snacks for the kids during the flight it will help their tummies to adjust to the new time zone once they arrive. Mums and dads- avoid caffeine and alcohol as these dehydrate you further.
5. Swim on arrival
Having a swim with the kids when you arrive at your destination may be easier said than done, especially if you are arriving back in the UK, but swimming can help for two reasons. Firstly it helps to wake you up and refreshes you all after your long flight. Plus it can also help to keep you awake for longer on the day you arrive (as you'll need to stay up until at least 9pm on the day you arrive to help your body adjust). Secondly, water helps to rehydrate the skin by putting moisture back into the pores; something all your bodies will be in need of after your long flight. So, grab your swimming costumes and sun lotion and enjoy the water!
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Mothercare
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