Kindred Gifts' Blog

Babyology is Australia’s premier lifestyle website keeping hip parents and their bubs up to date with the world of baby-related design. From building a dream nursery to checking out the newest designer babywear, our readers rely on Babyology to keep them up to date and in touch. Many of our readers are enthusiastic and seasoned travellers and we’ve learned a thing of two over the years about how to travel with babies and young children so we’d love to share our top ten tips with Kindred Gifts!

1. Check the airline’s regulations regarding children and travel. Will your baby have a bassinet or will your child have a seat to himself? Worth checking for those long-haul flights!

2. Take photocopies of birth certificates and a change of clothing for both you and baby in case of an accident.

3. When it comes to booking your flights and if you are flying a long distance with another adult, consider booking seats apart from one another. This allows one adult to rest whilst the other entertains (or wrangles!) the children.

4. Allow plenty of time for check-in and when you are checking in, always ask if the flight is full. Some assistants will block out the seat next to you in a less full flight or offer you the option of seating you next to a vacant seat. This is particularly good if travelling with a toddler without their own seat. Some airlines also offer the loan of a stroller for getting to and from gates with a baby or active toddler.

5. Many people do not know that car seats can be used on planes for children. Be aware that only certain types of seats are suitable and that most airlines require a car seat to be pre-approved for use as a child seat at least twenty-four hours before departure (generally, approval of car seats cannot be obtained on departure at the airport).

6. For toddlers and young children, pack an activity kit including crayons, snacks, a small Etch-a-Sketch, stickers, a roll of sticky tape, cars and other small toys. Balloons are great for waiting at the airport! Also, air-conditioning on a plane is incredibly dehydrating – no need to make it uncomfortable for kids as well. A standard saline nose spray for kids, available at chemists, will do the trick.

7. Bottle feeding baby? The attendants heat bottles using hot water so it takes a god five minutes for them to complete. Try to time baby’s feeds outside of peak meal times.

8. If baby needs a nappy change, don’t do it on the seat. Aircraft toilets are fitted with change tables and you should feel free to ask a flight attendant to get the table set up for you. Keep in mind that there’s no such thing as packing too many wipes. Also handy is a wet face washer in a snap-lock bag.

9. The compact book Around the World in 80 Ways is packed with fun activities for little travellers. Most of the activities don’t require anything but imagination – we like the game ‘In-flight Magazine Treasure Hunt’ – devise a super-long list of items for the kids to hunt down in those glossy in-flight magazines and it can have them going for hours.

10. The old saying "expect the worst, get the best” is a good way to approach flights with children. We received this advice to parents from a flight attendant who has clocked up thousands of flights with crying babies and children – "You’ll never see these people again and they’ll get over it”. Don’t waste your energy getting upset by rude people.

Bon voyage!