How to Fly With Children

There's nothing worse than children misbehaving on an airplane, especially if they are your own. They'll never be perfect angels, but there are ways to occupy their time and reduce irritability on a long flight. By doing so will make the flight more bearable to you, as well as for the other people on the plane.

Instructions

1. In advance of the travel day, tell your children what to expect. Talk to them about security, customs (if you are going out of the country), what you plan to take on the plane and what will be checked, as well as the experience they'll have while taking off and landing. The more aware they are of what will happen will pay you dividends in good behavior later.

2. Reinforce the principles of safety to your children. For instance, children should not talk with strangers or run off for any reason in the airport. Furthermore, children over 4 years old should know their names and addresses, as well as your name. Younger children should wear clothing bearing tags with their names on them to facilitate finding them.

3. If you have young children, schedule you flight at the time they normally sleep. For many travelers with young children, a late night flight is often the answer.

4. Give yourself and your children plenty of time to make the flight. There's nothing worse than rushing to make a flight, and doing so will cause both you and your children to be uptight on the airplane.

5. For flights over 4 hours, consider choosing one with a stop when traveling with children. The walk through an airport will do wonders for their attitudes.

6. Take your children's car seats on-board. Most airlines approve of it. Not only is it safer for them, it will provide them with something that's familiar.

7. Make sure your children are well-fed during the flight. Since airlines have cut back so drastically, you would do well to bring along some favorite foods that can be placed in plastic bags.

8. Prepare for emergencies. Bring an earache medication and gum for take offs, changes of clothing and plenty of diapers if your children are young.

9. Bring a familiar item like a blanket or a favorite toy. This will make your children more comfortable and they will be more than likely to take a nap. Avoid anything that will make a noise or a mess, like a game with many pieces.