Being confined with your tots at 30 000 feet is the least desirable way to kick off a holiday. But with a little prep (and no sedatives required), you can fly with kids and arrive with your sense of humour intact and avoid the eye-rolling of fellow passengers. Mom-of-two Lori Cohen has learnt how to fly with children the hard way…
Also see: 10 photos of unbelievably shameless airline passengers
All that stood between my in-laws meeting their grandson was a two-hour flight in a big green airplane. Nappies? Check. Formula? Check. I was impressing myself by just how much of a Supermom I was turning out to be. But I was clearly still deep in baby fog and I got to the airport to discover I’d missed the flight. We bought new tickets. On take-off the plane hit a bird and did an emergency landing. Six hours later this rookie mom had run out of nappies and could be found sobbing in a booth in Spur. The next time I attempted flying (same child, a year on), he treated fellow passengers to his superior vomiting skills and we did the walk of shame down the runway with him semi-naked and me sobbing. The lesson? You can never fly with enough nappies or changes of clothes. Here’s what else you need to know to navigate the turbulence of travelling with babies.
1. Before You Fly
Be a night owl. It’s preferable to book a night flight that’ll fit in with your kids’ sleep patterns. (What sleep patterns?) Nonetheless, do it.
One or two seats? If they’re under two, you can buy a heavily discounted infant fare for the baby-on-the-lap option (ask any mother, this is a mixed blessing). If they’re over six months, you can book a child fare and they’ll have their own seat. You can use your own car seat, but check it has the approved airline specs. If you’re travelling with twins or experienced some sort of terrifying contraception failure and have two infants, you’ll need to travel with two adults if you want them to sit on your laps.
Confirm seats in advance. This can be done between three days and two weeks ahead of your flight, airline dependent. Request a bassinet (free, but in short supply), and you’ll be given a carrycot that attaches to it. Alas, you’ll have to hold your baby for take-off or landing. Still, it could all go pear shaped. Case in point: the flight to France where a friend was seated three rows from her two-year-old and the other who was told she had to be at the airport at 5am to confirm her bassinet.
What to pack. Your kids will have the same baggage allowance as you, and you’re allowed an additional car seat and pram. Security can get sticky about food in your hand luggage, so check the security policy of the airport before you pack. The liquids, aerosols and gels policy exempts formula and milk, but ACSA warns security may ask you to taste it in their presence. Yum. Wipes, nappies, multiple changes of clothes, dummies, sterilised bottles – the regular checklist. And an iPad. Even a three-month-old will become putty in your hands when presented with one.
Potential curveballs. If your child has a contagious illness, they won’t be allowed to fly without a medical certificate. Covering up measles with concealer won’t work either. Babies must also be over a week old to be allowed to fly. Pack a comprehensive medical kit. If your child’s going to get hit with croup, it will happen the day you aren’t prepared for it.
2. Getting On, Getting Off
Getting around. Let’s get prams out of the way. Airlines will allow you to take small, folding prams as far as the doors, and return them to you as you exit the plane. Rather check your pram through and use a pouch or sling (visit africanbabycarrier.co.za). Most airports offer the use of prams for free while you’re in transit. I’d also recommend you leave the Bugaboo at home (baggage carriers will not treat your designer pram in a way you deem fitting) and buy cheap pushchairs you can throw away at the end of the holiday (sorry, Earth). Prams heavier than 5kg need to be checked in.
Checking in and through. Airlines such as Lufthansa provide family counters for checking in, and some airports have dedicated family lanes at security. At the departure gate you may be invited to board first. This gives you the perfect view of passengers eyeballing you – yup, they’re all hoping they’re not seated near you. Flight attendants will help you to your seats and stow your hand luggage.
Don’t be shy to ask for special assistance. Most airlines offer this at no extra charge. Airline staff will meet you at check-in and help you through security to boarding. They’ll also be there on the other side to help you. Try not to hug them with joy. If you need help at South African airports and didn’t book it beforehand, ask for help at the ACSA info counter and iHelp agents will be made available. They’ll also be able to put you in touch with the clinic if you have a medical emergency.
3. Up In The Air
Dummies, bottles and breasts. Insert the appropriate device into your baby’s mouth at take-off and landing to help ease ear pain. Sucking sweets or cotton wool in the ears work for bigger kids. The crew will happily warm up bottles or food, and they have a stash of spare nappies if you’re caught short. The level of assistance you’ll get depends on the airline. Lufthansa once upgraded a friend to business class when her baby vomited on her seat. I, on the other hand, was told by a crew member that she ‘doesn’t touch other people’s children’s willies’ when I asked her to accompany my son to the toilet.
Entertainment. A window seat provides plenty of distraction for toddlers. Make a trip to the Crazy Store and wrap loads of cheap toys, which can be opened as rewards while you’re flying.
Some airports make flying with children easy. Well, easier anyway.
Time flies when you’re having fun, right? You won’t need to stress about your layover at these airports.
Heathrow, London
Terminal 3’s Family Lounge has play areas for ages 0-2 and 3-9. There’s also a children’s quiet room if it’s all getting a little much for little Bella. Bonus? You can buy ready-to-drink formula milk in the airport shops after security or email Boots to pre-order your brand of choice.
Schipol, Amsterdam
The Babycare Lounge on Holland Boulevard is a haven of calm, with private cabins where you can bathe, feed and put your babe down for a nap in a cot lined with fresh linen.
Changi, Singapore
With a children’s playground, butterfly garden, art classes and a swimming pool, your toddler may never want to leave. They’ve thought of everything in the babycare rooms including hot-water dispensers for bottles.
O’Hare International, Chicago
In the Kids On The Fly exhibit, your hyper offspring can explore a plane, control tower and helicopter model. Dads can also do their share of the work thanks to the family-friendly unisex bathrooms.
Some tips on flying with kids from our fans
New toys are the best to keep them entertained.
– TRACEY NEL GERRARD
Crayons always fall under the seat. I found a great alternative to that is the Etch A Sketch board (the one with the pencil attached). Make it fun and build up the excitement in advance. If you are excited they will be too.
– MARLENE PEREIRA
Take pjs along – don’t stop your routine just because you are on a plane. When selecting toys, take something big or a cheap toy you can replace if it is lost.
– MICHELLE STEINICKE
Travel with an iPad filled with videos and games to keep them occupied. A packet of Nik Naks also helped.
– @CHANABOUCHER
Take chocolates to hand out to passengers sitting near you, at start and end of flight. Instant forgiveness!
– @MICHECHELLE
Beware the new regulations on flying with children
The Department of Home Affairs has announced plans to implement strict new procedures for parents travelling with kids. The controversial new regulations were set to come into force on 1 October 2014, but have since been delayed until at least 1 June 2015. The proposed regulations will require adults travelling with minors to provide the following paperwork:
- An unabridged birth certificate. This document contains the details and ID numbers of both parents. The department has been issuing these automatically since March 2013 year, but if your child was born prior to this you’ll need to schedule a trip to Home Affairs (sigh). It’ll only cost you R75 a child, but Flight Centre warns that their clients are experiencing delays of three to six months in getting these processed.
- Not your kid? Immigration officials will require you to present a copy of an unabridged birth certificate; an affidavit from the parents giving consent to travel; copies of the parents’ ID documents or passports and contact details of both.
This article first appeared in Getaway’s October 2014 edition. Check out the full contents, browse back-issues or subscribe to Getaway’s print or digital editions here.
