Long Flights With Small Kids.

[Richb2004v2]

This Friday I am traveling to the Uk for Christmas with my wife and two 18 month olds. I am dreading the 20 hour journey and wonder if anyone has any tips. One thing that concerns me is the pressurization during take off. Is there any way to have the kids equalize? We have a flight to Dubai, a 3 hour stop over and then on to the Uk. Any tips welcome.

Also feel free to move this topic.

Thanks.

[IanForbes]

Have you tried drugs?

It seems to work for the night beggers dragging their kids around to bars every evening.

Sorry that I can't be much more help... Good luck.

[richard_smith237]

Take off and Landing: Swallowing assists with equalization, perhaps a bottle or a dummy. Menthol aromas on a handkerchief can also assist with clearing the sinuses.

Drugging them: My sister has successfully used a sedating antihistamine which is also combined with a decongestant (Tylenol if I'm not mistaken) with her children (3 yrs old) however, I believe these medicines have now been band from use under such circumstances in the UK.

[Boo]

I have some experinece of this.

putting them in night clothese & having a favorite blankie/toy that they use for sleep time is a good "key" when wanting them to settle down for a nap on a flight. Have a ready supply of interchangable toys, swap them around every 30mins to an hour to keep the kids interested.

Drinking milk or water or sucking on a dummy on take off & landing helps with ear pressure.

Drugs, Ian might be joking but don't discount them Infant neurofen or thai similr product will help with any ear pain during take off & landing & also will make them just a little bit calmer. Not suggested to use all through the flight but if one of them kick offs then it helps them as well as you to be able to relax a bit & calm down.

if you are flying with emirates then on landing at Dubai they have buggies avaiable for use whilst in the airport, use them if only to carry the bags whilst the kids run around & burn off some excess energy.

The key to flying with a small kids though is you (and your wife) being vigilant & making their flight as fun & stress free as possible. Kids that age need to be engaged at all times so no dozing off, getting hammered on the free booze or being able to watch the inflight movie, well you could but then you would have 2 kids running riot & having meltdowns every half hour

It'll be fine, I've done it enough times now to not even think about it anymore but I remember the first time & how worrying it was.

[mrbojangles]

My daughter is 2 years and 3 months old. Up to now, she has flown on 10 long haul flights and she has been an absolute diamond. All we do is to try and keep her occupied and awake before the first flight and in between the connecting flight and she sleeps for the majority of the time whilst in the Air (in fact I'm jealous cos I hardly sleep at all) .

A bottle of milk seems to get her off to sleep and suckking on the nipple seems to help ease the pressurisation of the ears.

Good luck.

[roamer]

Wing seats ?

Seriously, a teaspoon of brandy in their milk is something that I know many folks have done with some success.

[GuestHouse]

Drugs, Ian might be joking but don't discount them Infant neurofen or thai similr product will help with any ear pain during take off & landing & also will make them just a little bit calmer. Not suggested to use all through the flight but if one of them kick offs then it helps them as well as you to be able to relax a bit & calm down.

You'd have to be crazy to administer any drug to a child on a flight unless there was a real medical need for it.

Firstly it is almost certain that the drug has not been tested at reduced air pressure - reduced Oxygen intake and secondly if there is a reaction to the drug you might be several hours before you can get medical care.

[Mossfinn]

To corroborate what others have said:

During take off and landing ensure the child is engaged in some form of sucking, sweats, bottle or other.

During the flight, if not asleep, keep them occupied, I had my boy walking up the aisle at stages to break up the flight, people were picking him up, taking photos and on one occasion a cam-corder came out, it brought smiles to a lot of peoples faces.

This does bring up the aspect of safety, however listen to the reports and if it is turbulence free, well it is your choice, the comfort of your children or the miniscule chance of the roof being taken off by a freak accident, or hurt in turbulence, but if you have safe hands and I am sure you have, the latter is also limited in likelihood.

Keep them comfortable, I have had few problems

Good luck

BTW, I would steer away from Brandy or other drugs, but that is purely my point of view

[Mossfinn]

Firstly it is almost certain that the drug has not been tested at reduced air pressure - reduced Oxygen intake and secondly if there is a reaction to the drug you might be several hours before you can get medical care.

Surely that would be noted in the info, because of the frequency of people flying with infants nowadays, or are you saying it is?

[Forethat]

For what it’s worth (with regards to your concern with the ears), crying has an equalizing effect, so if your children has problems and start crying, this will eventually help equalizing.

However, my best advice is to make sure both parents are happy. Nothing beats a happy mom and dad, whereas if they're miserable the kids tend to act exactly the same way. So for this reason: make sure YOU sleep well BEFORE the trip. Don’t spend the night before packing and then expect to get some sleep during the flight. So make sure you got every arrangement sorted in good time; slightest stress will get detected by the kids. You mentioned you have a transfer in Dubai, here's a fantastic advice I got from a friend when we began travelling with our newborn; always make sure you ASK if there's need to, avoid running around like a chicken trying to find something if you don’t know where it is (like we men have a tendency to do...).

You have received plenty of good advice in this thread, the milk bottle during departure and landing is essential. So stop worrying, the kids will be fine, especially if mom and dad are happy.

[samran]

any tips?

Fly first class, business class at a pinch.

Seriously, I've normally found our kids at that age pretty fine, especially if it is a night flight. They just sleep. It is when they get older, and bored more easily, that you have to work a lot harder during flights.

It is when you get to the other end and theirs and your body clocks are all screwed up. Then the fun really begins.

[phaethon]

One Word: checkedbaggage

[tim armstrong]

Like in diving, swallowing is the way to go to equalise. Bottles,drinking,sucking,eating all good, but say no to drugs, otherwise YOU will make it a habit. If they can lie down its a good idea as it keeps their necks straight for swallowing. Also a good cure for hiccups - tell them to look at the ceiling for a minute or two.

Try and negotiate bulkhead seats, ie. the ones without other seats in front,often nearer to toilets and catering. They will have more room and won't annoy the people sitting in front of you.

Books, snakes and ladders, puzzles, colouring in etc., but no dice or board games with little pieces to lose that they MUST find.

Invent a story to tell them, that they are characters in. eg.

'Once upon a time, along time ago there was a boy named (his name) and a girl (hers) who had wings. All they had to do was close their eyes and they could fly.....but where did they go ? - Now it's their turn to add bits. I used to do this with my 2 sons. They would often start well, but then get into air battles and shoot each other down, until Dad said that wasn't allowed. Its a great time killer, and good for their imaginations, - a concept that seems to be disappearing from kids' lives. Good luck.

[Richb2004v2]

Thanks for the advice. I contemplated some form of sedative, but I don't think that will be necessary. We will try to keep them awake until the flight and then keep them occupied if they wake. As mentioned, hopefully the bottle will help with the equalisation. Although we are only travelling economy the seats are bulkhead for both legs which should make it a little better.

[Forethat]

Like in diving, swallowing is the way to go to equalise.

Ehhh...I hate to hi-jack what think is a great topic, but that's not how you equalise. My advice would be you do your very best to stay away from swallowing when you scuba dive to prevent aerophagia during ascent.

[kurnell]

Sit near a gay guy if you can. When I took my 7 month old to Australia in 2007 we sat across the aisle from a gay chappy who declared my daughter "delightful". If she cried and anyone glared, he glared right back on our behalf. Made for a very easy flight!

[lannarebirth]

Drugs, Ian might be joking but don't discount them Infant neurofen or thai similr product will help with any ear pain during take off & landing & also will make them just a little bit calmer. Not suggested to use all through the flight but if one of them kick offs then it helps them as well as you to be able to relax a bit & calm down.

You'd have to be crazy to administer any drug to a child on a flight unless there was a real medical need for it.

Firstly it is almost certain that the drug has not been tested at reduced air pressure - reduced Oxygen intake and secondly if there is a reaction to the drug you might be several hours before you can get medical care.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but in some long ago similar topic didn't you post an e-book or something that perhaps you'd written yourself on this very thing? Sorry if I've got it wrong.

[richard_smith237]

IMO: This is an excellent thread that shows the parents care about their kids and also other passengers.

I've been on too many flights where parents of small children are too ignorant of their child's needs or simply don't consider other passengers when traveling with their kids - I'm sure these people are in the minority, however, they are the ones we remember.

Good luck on your flights I think there has been plenty of good common sense advice so far.

[Kwasaki]

One Word: checkedbaggage

+1

[ExpatJ]

We bought a small portable sony TV player (4x5 screen i think it is)- then gets lots of cartoon dvds- helps alot; plus sticker books.

also invest in business class if you can- and for the parents, down at least 2 glasses of the champagne they serve before taking off- that helps alot too.

[cdnvic]

Make sure their ears are clean and give them a hot liquid before boarding. This eliminates the pain when blocked passages and air pressure differences meet. Two small bottles of colic medicine and a mild painkiller like children's Advil should be in your carry-on (an will be at or below the 100ml allowed).

[cdnvic]

Oh, and sit behind the engines. Everyone will get used to the sound after a few minutes but the noise will drown out everything else that might wake them when they're sleeping.

[CheGuava]

At what age can you start feeding kids Xanax? (Say 0.25mg) You'd try it a week before first of course.

[StreetCowboy]

Make sure their ears are clean and give them a hot liquid before boarding. This eliminates the pain when blocked passages and air pressure differences meet. Two small bottles of colic medicine and a mild painkiller like children's Advil should be in your carry-on (an will be at or below the 100ml allowed).

You might want to check on constraints on pain killers etc. in Dubai - even just in the airport.

One reads horror stories from time to time... although my wife, who travels with a veritable pharmacopia, has never been stopped in numerous trips to and through Dubai.

I reckon so long as you are clean and polite and well-behaved, the staff there would be pretty sensible and conciliatory, in any case...

SC

[travelmann]

Ask for and they will give you at check in if you arrive early the bulkhead seats with cots for small kids, and ........................ dont sit near me ahhahahahah Thanks

Emirates I take it?

[transam]

One Word: checkedbaggage

+1

Best idea yet, l have an horrendous memory of out of order parents that did nothing to control a pain kid. They slept while the kid run a muck round the cabin.

Should have one of those beam me up scotty gadgets to eliminate kids from flights. ,

PS. keep kids out of business or first class, flyers pay a lot of money for the relaxed atmosphere to arrive fresh for their appointments.

[travelmann]

One Word: checkedbaggage

+1

Best idea yet, l have an horrendous memory of out of order parents that did nothing to control a pain kid. They slept while the kid run a muck round the cabin.

Should have one of those beam me up scotty gadgets to eliminate kids from flights. ,

PS. keep kids out of business or first class, flyers pay a lot of money for the relaxed atmosphere to arrive fresh for their appointments.

You get a better class of screaming brat in business class, I think all other passengers should be banned from flights Im on heres my list for any of u that fit the category.

1. the guy/gal who decides to stand the entire journey whilst leaning on your head rest in the aisle constantly waking you up

2 the screaming brats running round usually Indian when I fly who treat the plane like a playhouse ( I always wish for bad turbulence)

3 The same Indians who start getting their bags out of the overhead lockers the second the plane has touched down

4 The kickers or the ones who insist on changing channesl on touchscreen tvs with their fist like an elephants when there is also a handset

5 The person with the extremely loud voice ( theres always one) and they are incessant talkers

6 The people who aimlessly walk up and down the aisle only whe the trolley dolleys are trying to get their dinner wagons down

7 Poeple who pi** all over the toilet seat then leave the room like a bombs hit it and the door swinging open where they didnt close it fullly

8 the people who recline their seat right back as you try to eat your food on the tray

ahhhhhhhhhh i could go on but people these days are selfish <deleted>***rs

Even in Business which Ive been in many times the problems still arise money makes no difference. Business class main gripe is it aint worth it and the service isnt much better you just get a bit more room.

Edited December 15, 2010 by travelmann

[Forethat]

You get a better class of screaming brat in business class, I think all other passengers should be banned from flights Im on heres my list for any of u that fit the category.

1. the guy/gal who decides to stand the entire journey whilst leaning on your head rest in the aisle constantly waking you up

2 the screaming brats running round usually Indian when I fly who treat the plane like a playhouse ( I always wish for bad turbulence)

3 The same Indians who start getting their bags out of the overhead lockers the second the plane has touched down

4 The kickers or the ones who insist on changing channesl on touchscreen tvs with their fist like an elephants when there is also a handset

5 The person with the extremely loud voice ( theres always one) and they are incessant talkers

6 The people who aimlessly walk up and down the aisle only whe the trolley dolleys are trying to get their dinner wagons down

7 Poeple who pi** all over the toilet seat then leave the room like a bombs hit it and the door swinging open where they didnt close it fullly

8 the people who recline their seat right back as you try to eat your food on the tray

ahhhhhhhhhh i could go on but people these days are selfish <deleted>***rs

dam_n, you read my mind...add the following:

9. Your in an isle seat (nothing else will do), and the guy in the window seat the row behind you goes to the loo four times per hour and uses your headrest as leverage to jump over the people who sleeps in the middle- and isle seats...

10. The idiots who give their eight year old sons an annoying portable Sony playstation which thay play at max volume the entire ten hour trip....BING BING PING PONG BING PONG POUUUSHH PING PING PIOIIINGG BOINNNGGG....

[travelmann]

You get a better class of screaming brat in business class, I think all other passengers should be banned from flights Im on heres my list for any of u that fit the category.

1. the guy/gal who decides to stand the entire journey whilst leaning on your head rest in the aisle constantly waking you up

2 the screaming brats running round usually Indian when I fly who treat the plane like a playhouse ( I always wish for bad turbulence)

3 The same Indians who start getting their bags out of the overhead lockers the second the plane has touched down

4 The kickers or the ones who insist on changing channesl on touchscreen tvs with their fist like an elephants when there is also a handset

5 The person with the extremely loud voice ( theres always one) and they are incessant talkers

6 The people who aimlessly walk up and down the aisle only whe the trolley dolleys are trying to get their dinner wagons down

7 Poeple who pi** all over the toilet seat then leave the room like a bombs hit it and the door swinging open where they didnt close it fullly

8 the people who recline their seat right back as you try to eat your food on the tray

ahhhhhhhhhh i could go on but people these days are selfish <deleted>***rs

dam_n, you read my mind...add the following:

9. Your in an isle seat (nothing else will do), and the guy in the window seat the row behind you goes to the loo four times per hour and uses your headrest as leverage to jump over the people who sleeps in the middle- and isle seats...

10. The idiots who give their eight year old sons an annoying portable Sony playstation which thay play at max volume the entire ten hour trip....BING BING PING PONG BING PONG POUUUSHH PING PING PIOIIINGG BOINNNGGG....

....BING BING PING PONG BING PONG POUUUSHH PING PING PIOIIINGG BOINNNGGG.... THWACK end of story......oh look little Timmys eaten his playstation

BEST THING I have found now for all flights are noise cancelling headphones, cut out 90% of all background noise of people squawking and jet engine noise and you can actually here the movies or music 100%.

Best £20 off e bay I ever spent

Edited December 15, 2010 by travelmann

[Forethat]

BEST THING I have found now for all flights are noise cancelling headphones, cut out 90% of all background noise of people squawking and jet engine noise and you can actually here the movies or music 100%.

Best £20 off e bay I ever spent

hear hear!!!