Every parent’s nightmare 😱 what are your best tips for travelling with small children, to avoid something like that happening?
I am late to the party, but an item I haven’t seen is: prepare the kid.
We have flown a bunch of times with our kids. The days before departure, there are “drills”: lengthy explanations of what will happen, getting the kid curious, answering their questions, reading stories of kids traveling. It means that, once we get there, the bulk of the experience is not fully unexpected, so the kid doesn’t freak out.
We never had massive tantrums while traveling, only standard hungry/tired cries we usually managed in a couple of minutes, with any bribe that would work.
Very good point!
Assuming they are bigger than a lap child, bring the car/booster seat. It’s a comfort item, sized for them, and allowed on the plane. Also, they can’t wiggle out of a 5pt harness.
Alternatively/also add: a tablet, phone, video or game to distract them if they are just scared. A few hours of video for the flight will not corrupt them.
This situation started long before the flight.
Not necessarily. My child did something like this once. She was totally fine until it was time to strap her in. Then she completely freaked out and I had to hold her in with the seatbelt on while she screamed like she was being stabbed. It was a great experience.
