Travelling with kids

Leyanne Baillie shares tips from her long-haul travels to keep kids entertained and parents happy.

Travelling with children can be challenging but with enough distractions and treats plus some forward planning, it can be child’s play taking your kids overseas.

I try to time flights around sleep times because the journey will pass much faster if your child snoozes for part of the trip ... and you might even be lucky enough to get some peace to read a book or watch a movie.

When flying long haul, a night flight works best with my children. They watch a movie, have something to eat, settle down for the night and most times have slept through until breakfast.

While long-haul flights might seem daunting, remember a large-bodied aircraft has much more space to move around in than a single-aisle plane. This is especially helpful if you have a baby who needs settling or a crawler or toddler who is eager to explore and not so keen to stay seated.

There will be plenty of entertainment to keep older kids occupied — a couple of meals, a few hours sleep and a movie or two and you are in Europe before you know it.

After having two children throw up on a flight from London to Singapore and no spare clothes, I always carry a change of outfit for each child (I also have a change for me in my hand luggage in case my suitcase goes missing).

Packing light is key so I carry a large zip-lock bag (where soiled clothes go afterwards) with knickers, T-shirt, leggings and a light cardigan in it. It also contains a face cloth and small towel in case a clean-up is required and, no matter how old your child is, a packet of baby wipes never goes wrong on a long journey.

BABIES

My oldest daughter had her first trip abroad when she was 11 months old and her little sister was only 10 weeks old when she took to the skies.

Flying with a baby can be easy — they are easily distracted — and if you fly before they can crawl, they are usually quite happy to sit on your lap for the duration of the journey. A milk feed on the way up and the way down will help with pressure in the ears and on take-off it might even send them to sleep for a few hours, which is a godsend on a flight.

Make up a photo album with pictures of family and friends. Babies and toddlers love to look at pictures of people they know and you can turn it into a game, asking them to find mummy, daddy and so on. I always buy some new things and keep them until after take-off — that way they will be more interesting and keep the child occupied for longer. A small activity toy and a couple of lift-the-flap books will pass quite a bit of time — younger kids love repetition so won’t tire of playing with them as quickly as older children.

TODDLERS

Wrap the new toys and books and tie them with ribbon or string — unwrapping the package will kill some time as well as provide some excitement for your child.

Stickers are the travelling parent's best friend — a blank notebook and some sticker sheets are great for toddlers. A photo album will still go down well.

Buy a couple of new versions of a favourite character book, whether it be Peppa Pig, Thomas the Tank Engine or the Wiggles. Pack a few mini packets of snacks such as raisins, Tiny Teddies and crackers — well-fed toddlers are happy travellers.

UNDER EIGHT YEARS

From two years old upwards, a Trunki is a must-have travel item. The hard-bodied wheeled suitcase with detachable strap makes light work of pulling the case as your child sits astride — perfect for tired little legs as your family makes its way around the airport.

The child can also sit on the case and move it by pushing their feet, so it can provide hours of fun as you wait in the departure lounge. It can be placed at the front of the plane seat and used as a leg rest so they can stretch out to go to sleep (place a folded soft blanket or pillow on top for extra comfort) — and you get your seat to yourself instead of your little darling stretching out in your space as they snuggle down for the night.

You can never have enough sticker books and activity books on a long journey (school-style, dot-to-dot, character, holiday compendiums). Try the Usborne range, including Sticker Dolly Dressing books (available from thebook depository.com).

I am quite strict about the amount of sugar my children consume while travelling — an enclosed space and a sugar rush are not a good combination. However, I do allow a lollipop on take-off and landing. This has the same effect on sore ears as a feed for a baby. It’s also a good incentive to sit in their seats while the seatbelt sign is lit.

EIGHT AND OVER

As children get older, the in-flight entertainment system is much more likely to keep them occupied, but if you expect them to sleep, discourage playing games until after their snooze.

If movies don’t appeal, try taking a selection of puzzle books (word search, logic puzzles, crosswords, and so on). A novel or two by a favourite author will pass quite a bit of time for those avid readers.

A week or so before you depart, make up and print out quiz sheets with a selection of questions on various subjects, such as maths (addition, multiplication tables), geography (capital cities), music (songs/artists), TV programs and current affairs. These sheets can be tailored to be age appropriate. Have one for the start of each leg of the journey.

Pack a small pencil case with a few pens and pencils — speaking from experience, too big and full a pencil case will mean you’ll be chasing textas up the aisle for most of your journey.

CAR JOURNEYS

As well as all of the above, make a “find a” quiz sheet, using things you may pass en route. For example, a bridge, speed sign, Ford car, horse or ocean. You can stretch it further by getting your kids to mark off how many of each they see, with a prize for the one who finds the most or all of it first. Put different items on each sheet and, when they have finished, they can swap.