Nothing is worse than realizing that the screaming child on the plane is your own! The restrictive space and criticizing eyes of other passengers puts parents at an extreme disadvantage. Most children realize that you will most likely not discipline them in public. So how can you avoid this challenge and set yourself up for a Stress Free trip?
Airplane Tips:
- Pack an activity bag. My secret ingredient was Crayola modeling magic. Bring a few different colors but only give your child one color at a time. Whenever they grow tired of the color surprise them with another color. Bring a few sculpting tools like plastic fork, spoon, q-tips. Don’t be surprised if the adult passengers want to join in on the fun. (Even young children enjoy watching the parent work the clay.)
- Allow more time than usual for traveling. A rushed child is often a screaming child.
- Pack healthy snacks and drinks. Most airlines no longer offer meals or anything more than peanuts and pretzels. A hungry or thirsty child is usually a crying child.
- A laptop with a movie and headphones is a great way to keep kids entertained on a plane.
- Bring along relaxation tracks or classical music. The best scenario is a sleeping child until you land!
- Most children cry during takeoff and landing. Try to plan bottle time for takeoff and landing. The sucking action helps babies clear their ears.
- A pacifier can work wonders on clearing ears. If need be get a bit of sugar on it to encourage sucking during takeoff and landing. Older children will benefit from a lollipop or gum. (Note: I am not normally a sugar fan but desperate plane ride moments call for this trick).
- Children can be taught simple relaxation techniques ahead of time. Children that know how to focus on their breath as they breathe in and out can employ this technique on the plane. Even the youngest will settle down from just feeling the parent breathe this way. (link to Relaxation Breathing for Santa)
- Get your child used to the word “no”. Trying it on an airplane for the first time will only get you screams and resistance. Remember, setting clear boundaries and rules helps children feel safe and calm.
- Let children have their own carry on. Let them be in charge of it and what is packed. It keeps them involved and gives them a sense of independence.
- Let your child pack something special that makes them feel secure. Guiding your child to mother or father their doll or stuffed animal can eliminate fear and ease anxiety. Let them explain to their travel buddy exactly what they will be doing during the trip. This empowers the children and eases their own anxiety of not knowing what to expect.
- Many children are attached to their strollers or blankets. I have seen children scream when they check the stroller or leave it at the entrance to the plane. Practice this scenario at home so that you can eliminate the screaming on the plane. My own daughter once thought that the security screening machine was a monster and it was eating her blanket and stroller. Live and learn.
- Many children cry over the seat belt being put on. This can be practiced ahead of time by playing airplane at home prior to your trip.
- Try to make sure your child has a good night sleep prior to the trip. A well rested child is a happy child.
Know that you are not alone. Most parents feel helpless in the contained situation of an airplane. Even implementing time out is difficult on a plane. For children that need encouragement, a reward system for the flight can work wonders. You know your child best. Plan ahead so that you can have a stress free trip!
Bon Voyage!
Lori Lite is the creator of Stress Free Kids – www.stressfreekids.com – a line of books, CDs and curriculums designed to help children manage anxiety, stress and anger while promoting self-esteem and peaceful sleep. Three of her eight books are – Angry Octopus, Affirmation Weaver and Sea Otter Cove. Her Indigo Dreams CD series, including Indigo Teen Dreams are available at Borders bookstores, nationwide. Her books are also used by Psychologists, Teachers, Therapists and Doctors around the country to deal with child anxiety and stress issues, as well as a Children’s Wellness and Stress Awareness Curriculum for educators and parents.
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What a wonderful collection of great bedtime stories! You will be placed among the top authors, along with Dr. Seuss, in no time. God bless you for caring so much. As a therapist I encounter the same issues you have addressed. My work led me to write a series of kids books to help families deal with anger, fear, loneliness, boredom, etc. If you’re curious, you can preview them on facebook by searching for “Mr. Topaz.” I use these books in my practice extensively. Because my practice is growing, I have so little time to devote to the promotion of my books. I am self-published and the books are printed on demand. I’ve only sold about 600 over the past 4 years. I welcome any advice you can give that will help me reach out to the world as you have done. Congratulations on your success! I will certainly check out your books when I get to Borders next.
Now that my kids are older and pretty seasoned travelers things go much more smoothly. They are content with electronics now but I learned alot when they were younger about keeping them entertained on flights. After years of practice, I’ve done much of what you suggest and the biggest key is preparation!
Here are a few of my tips:
1. Pack one complete change of clothes in their carry-on in case they spill anything on themselves in the plane. Most kids are REALLY crabby if they have to sit in a wet shirt or pants! Bring a sippy cup (or now for my older kids we use the tall thermos with the flip lids). We fill with water at the airport for something to drink at takeoff and then I have the flight attendant pour them juice or water right into it during beverage service. This eliminates a potential spill hazard of an open airline beverage glass! I do it for myself too. My drink is colder longer and if I don’t finish it I can save it for later.
2. I like cheap easy ideas for keeping them entertained:
- bring 1 or 2 cheap spiral lined paper notebooks – kids can draw pictures of the plane, your destination etc, you can quiz them and ask them to spell or write numbers. We also love MadLibs and use the notebooks to write our answers so we can reuse the MadLib books. Kids can also use the notebook for journaling anything they want to remember about the trip, write info down on new friends they make.
- when my kids were toddlers they LOVED playing with blue painters tape on the plane. They’d work to rip off a piece, put it in or on their notebook pages, place the tape on the paper to make a picture of something, make tape loops and stick them to themselves, the tray, the back of the seat in front of them, make it into jewelry – it comes off really easily and you can just wad it up and toss it out when you land.
- stickers of any kind are also cheap and can be stuck to the pages of the notebook. I’d have them stick one or two on a page and tell them to draw a scene for the stickers to live in. So if they put down a mouth sticker and a dog sticker they’d add in a face around the mouth and make it into a person walking the dog or something. It was so fun to see their minds work to get creative.
I also have a packing list saved on my computer. I add or delete items as necessary but the basics are always listed so I don’t have to try so hard to remember things I’ll need every time. I just update and print it off and then I have a checklist to pack and more importantly to repack on our way home and not inadvertently forget something. Maybe overkill for some people but we love it.
Traveling is such a great way to let kids see the world. As parents we can do our best to prepare with stuff to entertain and let them know what comes next and what to anticipate. But, there will always be a meltdown or problem we don’t expect. Be gracious to yourself, your kids and your seat companions and this too shall pass!
The initiative taken for the concern is very serious and need an attention of every one. This is the concern which exists in the society and needs to be eliminated from the society as soon as possible.
Teenage Cancer