Five Tips for Surviving the Airport with Children
Are you trying to squeeze in one more summer vacation? Are you already planning for a quick fall break or winter holidays with family?
Planning your trip is stressful enough, but your trip to the airport doesn’t have to be! Imagine waking up the morning of your trip, knowing everything is ready to go, organized, your older children know what to expect, and the check in process doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out, cancel the vacation, and go back home. Sounds great, right?
When it comes to vacation, small steps will create a more peaceful journey. We already try to plan around naps and feeding schedules, but what you do before you leave the house can be just as important as what you do once you get to the airport. Preparing yourself to move efficiently through each stage not only makes your travel day easier, but hides potential disruptors or stressful situations from your child. Less stress and less disruption will help you keep naps close to schedule and help you manage the 80/20 rule of sleep patterns while traveling.
Even though the best plans are often unpredictable, here are five of our best tips to help you survive your next trip to the airport! Don’t worry, you can also get in-flight tips, here!
1. Do as much as you can before you leave.
Living in the digital age is loaded with benefits. Before you leave your house you can check in online, select your seats, see the layout of the plane, and know how much online storage you’ll have for your carry-ons. Go ahead and print your boarding passes, check-in your luggage online, and take advantage of either curbside drop off or the luggage drop off station once you arrive. The more time you can cut out of standing in line, the less pressure you’ll put on your child (and yourself).
Additionally you can check out the airport to map out the best parking lots and how to reach them, where the closest walkways are from the parking lot to your gate, and even paths inside the airport! You can find child-friendly areas in the airport like reading stations, quiet spaces, nursing rooms, or play places. If you’re traveling to a place you haven’t been before, make note of pharmacies for emergencies and which bathrooms near your gate have changing stations.
When using a sling isn’t an option and you have to take your stroller, before you leave the house, check all of the pockets and crevices to make sure nothing is tucked inside that might get flagged in security. This is also the perfect time to make sure you have any adapters or accessories you might not use every day but come in handy for travel.
Finally, airport wifi doesn’t always work - and isn’t always free or user friendly. Download your child’s favorite show to your iPad or mobile device. You can also download child friendly games that don’t require a wifi connection.
2. Down size your carry on.
When you get to the security line, taking out electronics, liquids, and meeting all the regulations can be exhausting and take a lot of time. Not to mention the weight of a carry-on can be exhausting to roll through an airport when chasing after little ones. Only carry the essentials, and that includes electronics and soothing items for in-air naptime. Bring travel friendly, lightweight, and collapsible items like bowls and cups for spontaneous feeding.
To help you get through the security line, pack your carry on in order of what needs to come out at the x-ray machine. You can also put your electronics and bagged liquids inside of another lightweight shoulder bag, like a reusable grocery bag. Keep this on the outside of your carry-on until you’re through the line and then simply pop it in to cut down on time spent unzipping and digging around.
3. Arrive with plenty of time.
This seems like a no-brainer, right? Even the best laid plans do not go as expected. To help you arrive early, gather all of your important documents the night before and place them into a printed folder. Don’t forget, you might need your baby’s birth certificate.
Stack all of your suitcases by the door and put the folder of travel documents in either a carry on or handbag. If you know your child is hard to wake up, slow moving, or cranky in the morning, give yourself extra time to wake up and mentally prepare before you wake them. Having that cup of coffee, a peaceful breakfast, or just some time alone will help you stay calm in chaos. Let the babies be cranky, not you! Remember, if you know where play areas are, extra time can feel fun for the kids.
One of our other tips is to park on the top level of the parking garage where there are fewer cars. Most of the time you won’t be looking for open spots, won’t have to worry about squeezing out of your doors, or accidentally hitting another car. Put your parking ticket in your sun visor, and start the walk into the terminal! You will have a few more steps, so that extra time will definitely come in handy.
4. Talk to your kids beforehand and give tasks to the ones who are old enough to help.
Once your child is talking and asking questions about the world around them, use this to your advantage. Talk to them about the airport and show them pictures or videos, let them see a plane flying, and turn the experience into a game. Can they spot a pink suitcase? What does a pilot do? Who gets to look at the pictures the x-ray takes? Helping your child understand what they are going to experience removes some of the surprises and fear of new, overwhelming and busy environments.If your child is old enough to help, assign them tasks that coordinate with their personality. Do you have a strong child? Let them pull a suitcase or ask them to carry a bag. Do you have a child who is a problem solver? Show them the airport map and ask them to follow arrows you’ve drawn leading you to the play area. Does one of your children show a knack for childcare? Let them know they’ll need to be a helper with the younger ones (sometimes this is an absolute must!).
When your children have an idea of what your expectations are, and they also feel included in the responsibilities of the day, you’ll go from a mad dash to a calm commute (hopefully!).
5. Pack surprises.
We do want to keep our carry on light, but it never hurts to pack a surprise. Did your older kids keep up with their assigned tasks? Give them a special treat at the gate. This could be their favorite sweet or a small activity book. Are your younger children cranky from too much activity and an overwhelming environment? A new stuffed animal or toy might distract them.
You can also use surprises to go along with your airport game. Who can spot five pilots first? They get a sticker or to pull a small prize out of a (very light) bag. We don’t want to add too much weight and definitely do not want the surprises to be anything that will get you stopped in airport security.
Most importantly, don’t forget to ask for help when you need it! Don’t be afraid to ask the airport staff for assistance with directions, where to buy something you need in an emergency, or even to help when you’re simply overwhelmed.
When things go wrong, don’t forget to laugh and look for the humor in the challenges. What feels stressful now will make a great story in the future, and an excellent learning experience.
For more travel tips, check out these previous blogs:
These travel tips will help your family trip run smoother
Five ways to enjoy special occasions without skipping sleep
This mom took a thirteen hour flight with her nine month old baby - here’s how she did it