您需要知道的一切

在带着我的孩子从香港（我们住的地方）飞往洛杉矶长途飞行之前的几周里，我的睡眠不佳。当时我的女儿只有2个月大，这是她旅行的最长距离。最重要的是，由于最后一刻的预订，我们还不得不在东京转机。整个过程大约需要24小时挨家挨户，而且我的婴儿患有严重的反流。

最后，我们俩都过得很好，之后我们经常完成相同的旅程。除了为服务于我们的侨民社区（他们也经常与孩子们进行长途飞行）的睡眠专家的建议外，我经过了一点点的尝试和错误，最终找到了对我们有用的方法。信不信由你，经过些许准备，与孩子和婴儿一起飞行实际上对每个人来说都是乐趣和舒适。

尽管在带着婴儿进行第一次长途飞行之前，我还是非常紧张，我发现阅读所有其他父母有用的建议对我很有帮助。我在这里分享我的经验，希望我可以帮助其他人更轻松地进行首个航班和随后的航班。

注意：我们主要运营亚洲航空公司（如国泰航空）的长途航班，在舒适性方面通常比美国国内航空公司好得多，而且对儿童更友好。另外，请记住，以下建议主要针对与年幼的孩子和婴儿一起飞行的父母。据我了解，青少年和青少年可以使用他们的数字设备，尽管他们可以从下面的时差建议中受益，甚至可以享受我们推荐的一些游戏。

我和孩子一起从海外长途飞行中学到了什么

在继续讲解技巧之前，我想说明一下，尽管我喜欢带着女儿旅行，但我们的航班并不总是那么完美。无论您带着孩子和婴儿飞行时有多准备，随机事情都会发生，或者您会发现自己的飞行不理想。当时很糟糕，但是，正如前面提到的，这是一次了解孩子的旅行者类型的机会。

长途飞行不会是完美的画面。

我乘坐过的最糟糕的飞机是我女儿大约5个月大时从洛杉矶到香港的午夜直航之一。如果您飞往亚洲，可能已经知道这是安排直飞航班的常见时间，因为它将使您在清晨到达目的地，让商务旅客享受一整天的工作。从理论上讲，它旨在通过强迫您从美国夜间开始入睡，并在亚洲早晨起床时唤醒您，帮助您消除时差反应。

在国际旅行中，孩子们可能会变得过劳和困惑。

问题是我的日常依赖婴儿不习惯深夜活动。她在去机场的途中在汽车上睡了一点，但是一旦汽车停下来就醒了。我以为她最终会在飞机上昏昏欲睡，大部分时间都在睡觉。她没有这么做，变得非常劳累和困惑，以至于她几乎全程尖叫到香港（商务舱）。

我调教她设法让她入睡，但是它没有任何作用，也没有我能想到的其他娱乐方式。我有一个自己的座位，有足够的空间，她有摇篮，她从未真正使用过（以后会在飞机摇篮上使用）。尽管我的一些朋友发誓说，与孩子们一起进行深夜长途飞行会更轻松，因为他们的孩子睡觉了，所以我从来没有取消过深夜航班。

期待意外。

直到她快12岁了，我们再也没有进行过午夜的长途航班飞往亚洲，再也没有遇到过这样的问题。而且，我们正在谈论每年多次跨太平洋旅行。

我对您的建议是期待意外的事情发生。向他们学习。

计划与孩子一起进行长途飞行

如果可能的话，安排您的飞行计划，使婴儿或幼儿保持与他们在家一样的每日时间表。这样一来，他们就有机会入睡了，您也将得到休息。

例如，我们的第一次长途飞行恰好是在我女儿平时小睡时才把我们带到东京的飞机上。我比必要的时间早得多到达机场，这样我就可以放松，换尿布并在登机之前给她喂食。我不希望她饿着，以防我们在起飞前或起飞后不久就被困在停机坪上，这时由于航空公司的限制我无法拿起行李。听起来很轻松，但是您可以轻松地陷入旅行的压力中，并意识到必需品已遥不可及。

寻找适合长途飞行的儿童的最佳飞机座位

选择座位之前，最好先检查一下飞机上的座位配置 西特古鲁。这是一个很棒的网站，您可以在这里查看航空公司和飞机的座位配置。

大多数家庭带小孩旅行时都要求使用隔板座位。这是有道理的，因为如果您有一个活跃的孩子。他们前面没有座位可撞入或丢下玩具。摇篮通常也位于隔板中。请与您的航空公司核对以确认摇篮的位置，因为摇篮并非位于每个隔壁排中，因此通过SeatGuru会指出它们的位置。

经济舱隔板的座位没有行李寄存，因此请记住，起飞和降落时，所有座位都需要进入高架舱。

选择具有最佳视线和进阶权限的座位。

我发现，如果头等舱或商务舱的座位采用1-2-1编排（一个靠窗座位，两个过道座位，一个靠窗座位），则孩子们最好坐在第一排（或隔壁）靠窗座位上。如果只有一位父母在旅行，则他或她应直接坐在孩子靠窗座位对面的过道座位上。尽管这不是一个完美的选择，但它在您小旅客的吊舱中的视线最佳。如果有两个父母在旅行，请坐在两个靠窗的座位上（一个在另一个后面），然后第二个成年人坐在孩子座位旁边的过道座位上。

这种座位安排违反直觉，因为您会认为小旅行者后面的靠窗座位会更好。并非如此，因为隔板使您很难站起来直视孩子的“吊舱”。另外，如果您需要帮助您的孩子做些事情，其他乘客会更麻烦地从窗子座位上站起来，然后掉头进入孩子的吊舱。有了过道座位，您可以进进出出，没有人会真正注意到。

在商务舱或头等舱中，您可能还认为两个中央过道座椅可能会更好，因为它们彼此紧邻。在许多航空公司的这些座位之间，都设有分隔板，因此您需要在整个机舱内走来走去，进入另一个过道才能到达您的孩子及其财物。必须与航空公司核实以确认哪个座椅为您的孩子提供了最大的通行空间，但也请记住，许多航空公司的服务台也可能都不知道答案，因此可能需要进行一些挖掘。

防止孩子长途飞行时落飞机

因为我的宝宝是例行依赖的，而不是一个好的睡眠者，所以我们去了一家睡眠诊所。香港到处都是美国人，英国人，澳大利亚人和其他外国人，他们通常与孩子们一起长途飞行，需要解决孩子们时差的问题。诊所给了我们一些时差的建议，我将在这里分享。

让您的孩子在新时区保持相同的日常工作。

安排航班时间以使孩子们在运输途中保持日常工作的重要原因之一与时差有关。无论时间如何变化，您都应始终保持婴儿或幼儿每天的日常活动，直到到达目的地。到达后，请按照您所在区域的时间执行他们的常规行程，以使您的小旅行者进入新时区。这似乎很残酷，但是请相信我，它可以正常工作。

我很幸运，因为我的飞行时间通常使我更容易做到这一点。如果我们要在下午1点左右到达我在拉霍亚的房子，那我将把女儿放下小睡2小时，因为她下午1点左右打n了。在香港。记住，她很累，所以让她午睡并不困难。不过，两小时后叫醒她是一场噩梦，因为她的小身体认为那是夜间（就像在香港一样），她会哭泣和抱怨，就像你不相信的那样。相信我，第一天的痛苦值得这样做。

另一方面，让孩子保持清醒也很困难。我有时会进行疯狂的歌舞（有时是字面意思），以保持她的清醒状态，以便她在平时的夜晚入睡。作为父母，这令人筋疲力尽，但是，如果您有一个时差反应持续一个星期或更长时间的孩子，那就更令人筋疲力尽了。

如果您的孩子在半夜醒来，请保持镇静，直到您的孩子准备入睡。

如果您做了所有这些，那么您的小旅客很可能仍会在第一夜的深夜醒来。我的女儿会以某种方式意识到她在一张陌生的床上，不知道她在哪里。她醒来后，我会进去，抱着她并安慰她，当她向床上倾斜时，我会把她放进去，然后她会重新入睡。

有时候，我必须在第一个晚上做几次。随着年龄的增长，她想在黑暗中走动，以提醒自己在哪里。睡眠诊所说，如果她在第一天深夜醒着，我应该继续冷静地玩耍或做她喜欢的事情，直到她想重新入睡。

我可以从经验中说，他们最终将想重新入睡-除非此时20分钟感觉就像20年。保持房间尽可能黑暗。使您的声音和动作保持镇定和困倦。我知道说起来容易做起来难。

第二天，早晨起床，像平常一样做例行活动。如果您的小旅客入睡时间比平常更长，尽管他们可能整夜都醒着，那就把他们叫醒。如果您的小旅行者在第二天晚上醒来，那么您就不要进入房间。让他们自己整理一下。我知道这听起来很刺耳，但您要用自己的判断。

到第二天，我的女儿通常恢复了正常。直到今天，她都没有时差反应。我坚信，刻意的航班安排与它有很大关系，还有她不习惯在飞机上睡不好并且需要在着陆后赶上睡眠的习惯。

与孩子一起长途旅行时随身携带的物品

早在我女儿还年轻的时候，我通常会带两个大手提袋。钱很多，但是即使我带着婴儿和没有丈夫的飞行，我也总是能应付自如。我想拥有很多玩具，数字娱乐设备，蜡笔，纸张以及她可能需要时需要准备的其他物品。

在随身携带的书包中放置玩具的空间。

为了使所有物品都适合装在手提袋中，我使用了加仑大小的Ziploc袋来包装尿布，衣服等。然后，我挤出所有多余的空气，以使衣服和尿布尽可能紧凑。这也有助于整理您的所有物品，使物品不会随身携带。尿布装在一个Ziploc袋中，衣服装在另一个，等等。如果您的小旅行者溅出了橙汁或其他东西而需要换衣服，那么这些袋子也可以兼作垃圾袋和脏衣服架。

这是我带来的其他东西。

携带飞机座椅的抗菌清洁用品。

当我们到达飞机座椅时，我要做的第一件事（甚至是现在）是使用抗菌湿巾擦拭我和我女儿在我们区域可能碰到的所有东西。我认为这里的关键词是抗菌。布隆纳博士（Bronner's）制作有机薰衣草洗手液喷雾，我有时与薄纸或餐巾一起使用，或者“湿的人”（Wet Ones）有旅行抗菌湿巾（也有单打）。后者更容易。

有一次我忘记在飞机上碰到一堆东西之前就没有这样做，我的女儿因一次可怕的流感而倒下，差点把我们送进了医院。可能是巧合，但毫不奇怪。如果速度很快，最多最多需要一两分钟。

包装适合儿童的机上小吃。

当她很小的时候，通常使我女儿安静和快乐的方法是塞满她的零食，同时在起飞后为零湍流祈祷，以便我能尽快释放她做任何事情。最终，她对起飞前后发生的一切都产生了兴趣，因此与一包金鱼一起可以使她忙碌起来。

打包一顿小吃-即使您发誓也不会让它们大量吃。如果他们想吃它，而且不会生病，请考虑允许它。从洛杉矶国际机场到东京，我们经过10个小时的飞行，一次穿越了三管Gerber Puffs。她没有哭过一次。对于一个婴儿来说这是很多的泡芙，但这是值得的。

理想情况下，使孩子感到满意的食物是理想的。我制作了她喜欢的营养浓密的煎饼，然后将它们作为零食带到船上。

为孩子们提供机上娱乐。

iPad或其他有趣的电子设备将是与孩子一起长途飞行的最好的朋友。这把我引到了另一点。您可能会不同意，但个人认为您必须尽一切努力使您和您的同行乘客共同渡过这一漫长的国际航班。如果您不让您的孩子在家看电视，那么现在就不是加强这一规则的时候了。

如果它可以让您的小旅行者坐在座位上，请允许所有相关人员使用。早在那天，当她对观看节目产生浓厚兴趣时，我们便开始将便携式DVD播放器和各种DVD随身带上。我还购买了额外的外接电池，因此DVD播放器永远不会耗尽电量。在大多数企业甚至现在的某些经济舱中，每个座椅都提供一个电插头和USB插头。但是，最近我去了几次航班，但它们不起作用。而且，并非所有飞机都提供插头，或者插头可能是直流电源插座（例如汽车中的点烟器电源适配器）。或者，您可能认为您的飞机有电，然后他们在最后一分钟将飞机切换到没有电。我也去过那里

提示：如果您依靠Macbook娱乐，请注意，大方形插头（我的是87瓦）在波音737等飞机上的插头不能很好地插入（至少这是我在美国航空上的经验）。它们很重，因此会掉出插座。我买了一个较小的60瓦插头，这可以节省时间。

带来自己的娱乐活动挽救了我的性命，因为我们知道她已经喜欢我在船上带来的节目。我曾经以为一家航空公司的迪斯尼频道就足够了，但她以前从未看过这些节目，只是没有引起她的注意。学过的知识。

如果您是公务旅行或头等舱，则电视可能对小孩子来说太遥远。另外，请记住，设备电池的使用时间永远不会长于广告中规定的时间。我的外接电池应使用8个小时，通常会在5个小时后耗尽。采取措施使设备保持充电状态。

购买儿童耳机。

航空公司提供的耳机通常对于儿童来说太大或笨重。此外，儿童耳机会限制音量，以保护幼小的耳朵，同时提供高品质的声音，有助于淹没飞机引擎的轰鸣声。

多年来，我们尝试了大多数品牌（我们发现它们经常旅行时确实会折断，踩踏或丢失）。这些是我们的最爱：

不要忘记崩溃的礼物。

我可以给您的带小孩旅行的最佳技巧是：在他们不知道的飞机上，拿大约5-6个非常轻便，便宜的礼物。当我的女儿开始大惊小怪时，我会带一个出来给她打开。之所以行之有效，是因为打开礼物的过程会重新设置她的心情。这些礼物实际上就是一个巨大的重置按钮。

这些礼物通常是诸如新贴纸，弹出书，小玩具之类的东西。您甚至可以将它们包装在多层包装纸中，以拖出打开过程。孩子们喜欢礼物，对不对？有一次，当她还不到1岁时，我什至还包了一些她已经拥有的玩具，由于她很高兴拥有这些玩具，所以它产生了相同的效果。由于大量的人试图入睡，我非常主动地停止长途飞行时立即哭泣。

所有年龄段的人在长途飞行中都容易感到烦躁，因此希望您的小旅客在某个时候表达他或她的“我们还在那里”或“我很累”的感觉。多么令人惊讶的是，即使当您与大孩子一起飞行时，一件小礼物能如何迅速平息这些感觉。

棒棒糖也是冷静的孩子。

如果您的孩子足够大，可以享用棒棒糖，那么这些棒棒糖就可以缓解镇静作用，因为它们很美味，可以让孩子们忙个不停，因为他们可能需要一段时间才能吃东西。不要事先告诉他们这些东西潜伏在你的包里。令人惊讶。

带上大量尿布和尿布更换垫。

我包装的尿布超出了我的需要，因为我担心自己被困在停机坪上的那些航班中持续了几个小时，尿布用完了。这是我认识的人发生的。有一次，我应该在飞机上得到免费的尿布包，然后他们就用光了。飞机尿布套件也可能不适合您的宝宝大小（因此会漏气）。我还担心我的女儿吃的东西坐得不好，或者捡起一些小虫子，使她在飞机上换尿布后要换尿布。我想做好准备。

当父母在座位上换尿布时，乘客不喜欢它。如果在您附近的飞机浴室中看不到可更换的桌子，请询问空姐在哪里。 Skip Hop Pronto便携式尿垫大到足以覆盖飞机浴室的尿布台，并且易于清洁。

也要带上尿布处理袋，这样您就可以更卫生，更礼貌地将用过的尿布扔进浴室的垃圾桶中。尿布处理袋可以在内部散发出香味，以掩盖我在飞机上推荐的气味。如有需要，您甚至可以使用塑料购物袋，但不要将脏的尿布不装袋就塞进浴室垃圾桶。

提示：带上多余的尿布，并要特别小心地密封打开的包装。再循环的空气很快将它们干燥。

不要忘记为你们俩换衣服。

我总是为自己打包衣服，为女儿打包几件衣服。我需要换衣服，因为我有一个婴儿胃酸倒流。现在她已经十二岁了，因为发生事故，我们俩仍然打包衣服。

有一次，当我将她抱在Maya Wrap吊索中时，她在着陆时呕吐，因此我的手臂可以相对自由。吊索抓住了所有的呕吐物，但是我只好坐在那里直到飞机到达登机口。幸运的是它是牛奶，没有臭味，也没人看见。另外，在另一个场合，我认为她吃了一些有趣的东西，并把我整个扔了。然后有一段时间，她在我身上洒了一杯橙汁，当我伸手帮助她做些事情时，我在自己身上倒了一杯酒。

我通常不会穿黑色或深色，而看起来像一个完整的流浪汉那样生存。黑色掩盖了各种各样的罪过。当我旅行时，手提箱里的几乎所有东西都是黑色的，因为我也知道它会匹配的。

我也曾经犯过穿抽绳裤的错误。在杂耍婴儿或学步时尝试在飞机浴室里系好裤子不是一个好主意。我做不到，所以我在试图回到座位上时举起了他们。搭配有弹性的腰部裤子，如果您和孩子一起在浴室里，您可以用一只手轻松地上下拉扯。

儿童长途飞行的其他有用物品。

尿布霜：如果您是与一个坐着的婴儿或学步儿童一起旅行的尿布，我建议您在感觉舒适的情况下使用尽可能多的尿布。由于长期坐飞机，我的女儿在长途飞机飞行后出现了一些严重的尿布疹。

盐水鼻喷雾剂：回收的空气在飞机上困扰着我女儿的鼻子（也是我的鼻子），所以我买了儿童盐水鼻喷雾剂在飞机上使用。实际上，她并不介意，而是在鼻子感到干燥时要求它。

创可贴：即使飞机上有急救包，也不总是容易获得绷带。我自带座椅，因为座椅上可能有锐利的碎片。我还要带一个指甲锉，因为在一次飞行中，她有一个指甲，并划伤了自己。太可悲了。

以下是所有与儿童打包在一起的清单。

至少比必要时间早了一个小时到达机场，这使我得以相对安全地通过安检，更换女儿的尿布并在登机前喂饱她。您的孩子会感觉到您是否有压力，所以不要让自己仓促行事。

考虑一下您的孩子什么时候应该吃饭。

如果您正在护理，那么在登机之前让孩子吃饭就不会有什么问题了。在一个理想的世界中，您的宝宝将足够饥饿，可以在起飞和降落期间进行护理。这将有助于防止由于机舱压力的变化而使耳朵受到困扰。良好的护理遮盖物是无价的，它将使您的其他乘客更加舒适。我使用的是Bebe Au Lait的产品，但您可能需要考虑 多用途盖 可以覆盖汽车座椅和婴儿车。

当我的女儿开始吃固体食物时，我在登机前尽可能地喂饱了她。原因有两个。第一，我们可能会卡在停机坪上或大门口。第二，由于起飞后的湍流，安全带标志可能会比平常保持更长的时间。如今，婴儿食品袋有助于消除一些父母对玻璃杯，罐子，勺子和婴儿的玩弄，相信我，在安全带标志贴上，袋中存放和托起桌子时，这很麻烦。

准备通过安全检查。

对于来自美国或美国境内的旅行，您可以阅读TSA的 带孩子旅行节 欲获得更多信息。他们将通过婴幼儿安全措施，让您摄取合理数量的配方奶，母乳和果汁，超过100毫升。您必须在检查过程开始时通知官员，他们可能会对其进行测试，这更是早日到达机场的原因。

让您的孩子做好准备，使其宝贵的安全毯或毛绒玩具必须通过X射线机。我见过很多孩子因为不愿与所携带的物品分离而融化。好消息是12岁及以下的孩子可能会穿上鞋子，帽子和轻便的外套。

需要将儿童从婴儿推车中移出，必须通过筛查。婴儿（可以用吊索带）和小孩可能被父母带到X光机上。

在美国以外，安全规则会有所不同。不管是命中还是未命中。我有一些朋友，只要向安全人员展示这些纯净水就可以与配方奶混合。这也取决于您往返的地点。一些机场提供您可以注意的家庭安全线。

当您在轻便地处理婴儿车，装备和孩子时，您要做的最后一件事就是保持安全。打包好您的随身携带物品，以便可以安全地快速取出需要卸下的任何物品。

小费： 12岁及以下的儿童可以使用TSA PreCheck线 如果父母在登机证上注明了TSA PreCheck。即使父母是成员，Global Entry特权也不会扩展到孩子，但是父母可以申请其孩子拥有Global Entry特权（我建议）。

利用机场休息室。

我发现机场休息室使带孩子的飞行更加轻松。休息室通常会提供更干净的浴室，舒适的椅子，WiFi，小吃，饮料等，以及入场费，其中通常包含某些信用卡，顶级航空公司的机票以及在公务舱或头等舱飞往海外时免费提供。

美国航空海军上将俱乐部的一日通行证价格为每位成人$ 59。圣地亚哥的航空休息室提供成人一日通行证，每人35美元。大多数机场都有一些付费休息室。

如果您无法正常使用航空公司休息室，则可以考虑使用年度优先通行证。他们在全球范围内拥有1200多个休息室，并根据您的旅行频率分配会员级别。

带孩子的长途航班的机上餐

一些航空公司允许父母提前要求儿童餐。一个国家的一个婴儿或孩子吃的东西可能不是您的小旅客吃的东西。飞机餐经常反映出这一点，这是带来大量小吃的另一个原因。

您可以在飞机上吃些什么儿童零食？

我的女儿已经吃过一些奇怪的飞机儿童餐。让我烦恼的是一顿晚餐，包括土豆沙拉，提拉米苏，一点点水果，奥利奥（Oreos），巧克力，小熊软糖，巧克力牛奶以及其他类似的东西。当时她只有1岁。

我笑着把饭送回去（嗯，不是真的-我吃了奥利奥人），然后给她点了些面条。如果您是商务旅行或头等舱，则可以根据自己的喜好要求用餐，但是有时甚至连空姐都必须坐下并且服务停止。 Still, have plenty of snacks within reach.

How to carry baby food on a plane.

You probably should bring your own baby food. Even though some airlines provide this (in my experience), it’s not the time for baby to try new food flavors if they don’t happen to stock something baby is used to. Imagine an allergic reaction at 35,000 feet in the air. I remember asking specifically what kinds of jarred food one airline stocked and was not able to get a clear answer. It’s nice that they offer it, and my daughter did eat airline provided jarred food that she was already familiar with.

Tips for warming kid’s bottles or food on planes.

Do test the temperature if you’re having the crew warm bottles or food, as flight attendants are busy or may not have babies at home. I’ve had a few scalding-hot bottles delivered, but never let it upset me as flight attendants are doing their best. Just check the temperature before you begin feeding.

Tips for using sippy cups on planes.

If you can, remember to very slightly unscrew the tops before take-off and landing. The change in cabin air pressure can sometimes cause the liquid to start squirting up everywhere. This happened with my daughter’s Nuby straw cups. If I didn’t unscrew the top and the straw was flipped down for storage, when I flipped the straw back up, juice would squirt everywhere with force. If I happened to be holding the cup, I’d slightly squeeze the straw open to relieve the pressure as we’re ascending or descending.

Sleep Solutions for Getting Babies and Young Kids to Sleep on a Plane

I always wanted my child to be able to fall asleep during long flights. It took a lot of trial and error but I dedicated a lot of time figuring out sleep solutions using the best gear and hacks to get kids to sleep on flights.

Airplane bassinets are available on some longer flights.

If your baby needs a bassinet, you’ll be seated in the bulkhead. The bassinet, unfortunately, can take up quite a bit of space, even in business class. The flight attendant assembles it to ensure that it’s done correctly, usually after the plane is in the air, and will remove it before landing.

Check with the airline regarding the length of the bassinet and remember that these are usually the exterior dimensions. My daughter was a very long baby and grew out of the airplane bassinet quite quickly, even though she was far away from the weight requirement. I found the bassinets on Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific to be quite lovely, and my daughter was even given silk bedding once.

If you don’t need an airplane bassinet, you might want to think about whether you want the bulkhead since you have to put your bag and larger toys in the overhead compartment during take-off and landing. There’s no seat in front of you to shove bags under. I think the bulkhead still worth it for space, but I know the lack of baggage storage bothers some people.

What to do when kids grow out of the airplane bassinet.

Because my daughter grew out of the bassinet so quickly, we were stuck in a weird situation. She couldn’t sit upright in her seat at 6 months old but had to have her own seat because I didn’t want her in my lap during an entire international transpacific flight and my husband usually did not fly with us. Kids can ride in your lap up until 2 years of age, usually, but it’s honestly not ideal. She flew as a lap child on a 2-hour flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok, and I thought we were going to die.

Japan Airlines will install a Britax convertible car seat in their airplane seats, should you need it, and Cathay Pacific will, as well. It must be requested well in advance, is subject to availability, and once it’s installed, the car seat is there for the rest of the long haul flight whether it works for you or not. I made that mistake once. That car seat served as expensive toy storage because my daughter wasn’t used to it, didn’t like it, and therefore rode on my lap the entire flight.

While some airlines will allow you to strap in your car seat, other airlines also will not allow you to strap in a rear-facing infant car seat. Always check with your airline to see what they can provide and what you’re allowed to bring. As another example, Cathay Pacific offers a baby seat belt that attaches to the adult for use during takeoff and landing. My daughter HATED it, but we managed.

Consider the CARES airplane harnesses for kids.

Later on, I bought the Kids Fly Safe Cares Child Airplane Restraint System (CARES). It’s very, very easy to use and weighs about 1lb. I applaud your parenting skills if you have a kid that will sit in it for 10+ hours straight (or even a few hours). I was lucky to get my daughter in it for takeoff and landing. Anyway, long-haul flights usually have more unwritten, relaxed “keep your kid in the seat” requirements than domestic flights do. It’s not required that you have CARES, but it provides peace of mind and safety in the event of an emergency or severe turbulence.

One thing I found was that if the seat was either upright or fully reclined, and my daughter fell asleep wearing the CARES, she could slide down off the seat as a result of the plane’s vibrations. There is no between-the-legs strap to stabilize her like there is in strollers or car seats. We stopped using CARES when she grew out of it, but it’s still a good product. Note that there are many generic versions of this restraint on the market, so be sure to buy the FAA-approved version by Kids Fly Safe.

How to Get Your Child to Sleep on the Long Plane Ride

This is a hotly debated topic that you’ll need to discuss with your pediatrician to figure out what is best for your child. When my baby was about 9 months old, I asked our pediatrician if it would be okay to give her Children’s Benadryl on our next long-haul flight. The doctor said it was totally fine and gave me dosing instructions based on weight. You MUST check with your doctor before administering it. Children’s Benadryl can also have the REVERSE effect where children instead become hyperactive. So, with your physician’s permission, consider testing the prescribed dosage first to see how your child reacts to it.

I gave her the Children’s Benadryl when we boarded the plane, and it knocked her out for a very pleasant 4 hours. That’s a long, long time for my daughter because she does not sleep very well on airplanes, like her mother. On the next long-haul flight we took, she gagged and spat it out. The flavor is gross. I could never get her to retake it. To be honest, it didn’t matter because we had learned how to cope in other ways.

Use a familiar object and establish it as a sleep cue.

The sleep clinic we went to suggested we use a familiar object as a “sleep cue” so that every time she saw it, she knew that come hell or high water, she’d be going to sleep. Her sleep cue was a soft little duck blanket, and this technique worked on the plane.

We’d bust it out in flight, and she’d immediately start sucking her fingers to try to put herself to sleep. She never could sleep for long stretches on planes, though, and as she got older, she started taking the duck blanket everywhere, which was both good and bad.

Medicine to relieve ear pressure to help babies fall asleep.

Some people swear up and down that Infant Tylenol causes drowsiness. It doesn’t — just ask your doctor. What may be happening is that the Infant Tylenol may relieve some ear pressure, making it easier for the baby to sleep. Ear pain is a common issue for flying with kids, and it’s exacerbated if the child is experiencing any congestion during the flight.

I was told by my midwife and doctor that if my daughter started to pull on her ears or become extraordinarily fussy during takeoff and landing, to give her age-appropriate Tylenol immediately. You’ll need to have this okayed by your physician. Parents with kids who are prone to ear pain tell me that they proactively administer an age-appropriate Tylenol 30 minutes prior to takeoff and landing. It’s one of the things that I keep stuffed in a seat pocket for easy access.

If babies or toddlers still use a pacifier, give it to them on takeoff and landing or provide them with something to eat. This will help with the ear pressure, as does nursing. Some parents use a finger or anything that the child will suck on. Ear pain is most common upon descent.

Consider inflatable travel pillows for sleep in economy class.

Inflatable footrest pillows bridge the gap between the child’s seat and the seat in front of them, which better enables kids to sleep on the plane. Parents swear by them, but you’ll need to check with your airline to make sure these inflatable pillows are permitted.

Popular brands include:

• wapwap (inflate using the air vent above the seat)
• Koala Kloud (inflate by mouth in 90 seconds)

These footrests can also be used in cars to prevent kids’ legs from fatiguing after a long time spent in a car seat.

Airport Gear to Make Flying With Kids a Breeze

Take care of strollers and consider a baby carrier.

I carried my daughter in a sling when I was breastfeeding, graduated to an Ergo carrier, and then eventually transported her in a small stroller that I checked at the gate. When she was in the sling or carrier, I sometimes used the stroller to push our carry-on luggage.

I never had problems with checking my stroller at the gate. Make sure your stroller is well-marked with your information. Take off all hooks, cup holders, and anything else that can get juggled loose. Some airlines will cover strollers in plastic and some won’t. Your stroller will get tossed around. Another drawback of gate-checking a stroller is waiting for it when you land, versus getting off the plane and heading straight to baggage claim or your connecting flight.

If you happen to have a large stroller that rides in that a big transport case, be aware that it might be considered over-sized baggage (measure it to find out). I never had to pay any extra money, however, but check with your airline before flying, so there are no surprises. At LAX, oversized stroller bags had to be picked up at a special side area that’s not the regular baggage carousel.

A sling kept my daughter confined during takeoff and landing while leaving my arms free. We traveled without her car seat during the baby years, mostly because we were flying long-haul and she would not tolerate sitting in a car seat. The sling was my savior.

An Ergo carrier with the infant insert may be equally handy if you can sit upright comfortably in your seat with a baby inside (practice at home). I can tell you from experience that it’s difficult to adjust an Ergo carrier while seated on the plane since the buckle is in the back. However, since this carrier grows with children, I used it until my daughter hit the 40-lb weight limit at approximately 4 years old. I used the Ergo to carry her exhausted little body on my back after long-haul flights.

Older kids might want to consider the Stokke JetKids BedBox. It’s a carry-on suitcase that kids can pull (it has swivel wheels), sit on, and convert to extend the airplane seat so that they can sleep. It carries a little mattress and bumpers to guard against armrests. It didn’t have a bed feature, but our ride-on suitcase was a Trunki。 I highly recommend ride-on suitcases as they give kids a place to sit while waiting in line to check-in and at the gate.

Airplane Toys for Kids

These are toys that other readers and we have had luck with. The idea is that these toys keep kids entertained with minimal risk of losing pieces between seats and on the floor of the plane.

I have a list of best travel games for kids but it also helps to tap into your own creativity, such as arming yourself with a list of knock-knock jokes.

• Wikki Stix: These fun little sticks of yarn covered with non-toxic wax (the same wax in lipstick) twist and bend into fun shapes kids create and stick onto smooth surfaces. They are reusable, inspire creativity, and are a ton of fun. We took small packets on the plane, but they also have travel kits.
• Triangle crayons and pencil grips: The upshot of triangle crayons is that they do not roll so are easier to contain if kids want to color. Even though pencils have ridges, triangle pencil and pen grips help keep the pencil from rolling. This helps kids who would like to write on the airplane. We use them when my daughter wants to do homework inflight. (Mad Libs are super fun travel games for kids old enough to appreciate the humor.)
• Crayola Color Wonder: You can also try Crayola Color Wonder products that don’t make a mess because the color only appears on the special Color Wonder paper, which is perfect for the airplane.
• Boogie Board LCD writing tablet: The Boogie Board LCD tablet was a great distraction. We’d play tic-tac-toe, hangman, and other games or draw with its stylus. With the press of a button, the screen erases, saving paper. Choose between the Scribble and Play Color LCD or the Boogie Board Jot.
• Magnetic games: For games that you can’t scribble on the Boogie Board, turn to magnetic games like checkers or even chess.
• Suction cup high chair toys: Fishing toys off of the airplane floor and from dirty crevices is not ideal. Avoid this with suction cup toys that (hopefully) will stick to the tray table. In our experience, they stick most of the time as it depends on the tray.
• Pacifier and toy clips: Attach sippy cups, bottles, pacifiers, precious stuffed animals, and other loose toys to your child with pacifier clips or toy clips.

A Comprehensive Packing List for Flying Long Haul With Kids

Every parent’s packing list for flying with kids and babies will probably be a little different, but here’s the packing list I used when my daughter was younger. Having these items did make a huge difference in how she and I handled long flights.

For parents：

• Change of comfortable dark-colored clothes (remember, no drawstring pants)
• Toothbrush (the Colgate Wisp disposable mint brush is also convenient) and toiletries
• Cleansing wipes (easier than washing your face in the bathroom)
• Socks
• BandAids
• Moisturizer and lip balm
• Saline nasal spray
• Eye re-wetting drops
• Extra contact lenses and solution (contact lenses dry up or get irritated in recirculated air)
• Gum (helps with ear pressure and breath)
• Antibacterial wipes, spray, or gel
• Nail file
• External battery for phones and devices
• Pen for filling out customs forms
• Ergo carrier or sling

Most of these items plus a few of my daughter’s things fit conveniently into a small makeup bag that I kept within reach at all times.

For children or babies：

• 3-5 changes of clothing for longer international flights
• Three pairs of socks
• Comfortable shoes (remember that their feet can swell on longer flights, so make sure shoes have a little give in them)
• Digital entertainment like an iPad or DVD player
• Whatever small, lightweight toys and games they are into
• Surprise gifts and lollipops to calm fuss
• Wipes for changes and to clean up messes (it never hurts to have extra)
• Lots of diapers
• Diaper disposal sacks (do not forget!)
• Diaper cream
• Changing pad (like the Skip Hop Pronto)
• Something for possible ear pain relief be it medication, pacifier or similar
• Clips to keep toys, pacifiers, sippy cups from falling on the ground
• Snacks (bring a ton)
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Moisturizer to combat dry spots from cabin air (I carried a nourishing stick)
• Kids headphones (may want to also look into airplane adaptors so that the kids can use them on inflight entertainment if possible though not all planes have the same plugs – ask your airline)

The most important thing you can remember as a parent flying with kids or a baby is that you will survive. Seriously. I know how stressful it can be in the days leading up to those first few flights.

I have no problem hopping on a plane to go anywhere in the world with my daughter, who is an excellent flier. I also have written several other posts related to flying with kids