5 tips for a long haul flight with a toddler

A lot of people think we are crazy for doing such long flights, with such a young child, let alone flying at all, we all know the pain of a toddler meltdown...when you genuinely wonder if they are trying to send you over the edge, you are in full rage sweat and you are willing somebody to comment on the situation....painfully enough...yes this does happen on long flights, there is no magic answer, I'm not going to lie and say it's a breeze and that's why we do it so often, because its not!

BUT...small children do this EVERYWHERE...you could be in asda, getting your weekly shop, or on a jam packed commercial 12 hour flight...the hardly bearable tantrums are all the same! It just depends how much you want this holiday...Life is stressful with kids full stop...so why restrict yourself? You've ultimately got to want it, and if you do...you can, and will do it! What is 12 hours of your life?

I can however offer a few pointers in the right direction to a positive experience, here are my top 5!

#1 Roam!

Kids have excessive and ridiculous amounts of energy, they are born explorers...older kids may sit and watch a few films, eat have a nap and a few trips to the loo....an under 5 year old...will get very fidgety..take them for a walk....say hi to other passengers and kids, do a few loops, hey it saves you from getting deep vein thrombosis and wears a bit of energy from your kid...everyone's a winner!

#2 stop caring what everybody thinks!

You can waste a lot of time worrying about what other people think, while on a busy flight, or in any given situation....a lot of the issue about travelling with kids is them having a severe melt down, which is very stressful...the main reason you experience this stress is fear of what others think of you 'why isn't she doing anything'...'why is that kid screaming'....'why isn't that child being controlled' - obviously you don't want to inconvenience anybody, but there is only so much you can do, if you zone yourself out from any comments, staring, or fear of either, and deal with the situation in hand, the way you would at home, with no inhibitions, you will sleep better. The other week, at the vets we were sure our little lad was swearing (if turned out he was saying FEATHERING fool, from PJ masks) Dad was completely red faced and stressed...I realised there really was nothing I could do or say, he was repeating it continuously and if I paid any attention it's a positive in his mind, so I chose to ignore it...nobody said anything or judged me, and I reasoned in my mind that people are thinking either he isn't swearing, or that he is and that's ok, hey pick up EVERYTHING, it doesn't make this lady a bad parent....or that they knew I wasn't paying attention for a reason...It turned out he wasn't actually swearing, but the moral of the story is...don't stress, you are not a bad parent, you are not doing it wrong, you are doing it your way, not everybody else's. I trailed off a little here, but not caring what others think goes a long way and takes a lot of stress out of flying!

#3 SNACKS SNACKS SNACKS

This may seem obvious, but this bus you a few hours, a variety of healthy snacks to keep it interesting can provide a nice change of scene...I usually take dried fruits, rice cakes, organic puffs, maybe a croissant, sometimes i'll pack in a funky lunch box, he likes to carry little bags around, so he spends a while putting crap in and out of it....fantastic!

#4 Plan nap times or bed times around the flight

I flew to spain on a really early flight recently, so Cass had been awake since 3am! Bearing in mind he is a late riser, not your usual 5am kinda kid.....this killed him! There wasn't much I could've done about this bar booking a later flight and paying through the nose. But with a long haul you know it will be nap...or bedtime sooner or later and they will have to sleep at some point! Kids need their sleep....I promise it WILL happen, unless you are like my poor sister whose son DOES NOT SLEEP! You will more than likely get at least a few peaceful hours. it's a great idea to keep kids awake at the airport and even wake them up a hour or two early (if they are still napping in the day) to be sur they are going to be knackered on the flight! Try to adjust to the new timezone in the week leading up to the flight too, taking or adding an hour every day (if possible) this will prove very helpful!

#5 New toys

If you are able, pick up a few interesting toys from the pound shop or even a charity shop..the entertainer always has very reasonably priced little toys...i'm not talking a new barbie or buzz lightyear, I mean a £2.40 paw patrol watch from the entertainer, a drawing set, a new play doh, a mini tea set....very small toys that you can grab a few of for under a tenner, that will fit in your hand luggage or handbag with ease....the reason I say new toys is because they have a novelty effect for a while, this also buys you time! Don't let your child see or choose these toys, these should be a complete surprise...ta-dah..happy children!