This article is designed to help you cruise the skies in relative comfort and to keep your happy family vacation… 

....uh, happy. 

Believe it or not there is an art to making sure you and your family have the happiest, comfiest, flight you possibly can.

1. THE ART OF SEATING:  Seats can make or break your trip.
   

RULE # 1:  don’t let other people pick your seats for you. 

Why? They may or may not care about seating your family all together.  Crazy, but true.  Also, one travelling family’s idea of good seats is another one’s poison.  Even the most well-meaning airline personnel cannot read your mind.  So be proactive in selecting your seats.  I always start my trip planning at www.seatguru.com.   Once you’ve made your reservation – find out the make of the plane that you will be travelling on.  This amazing web site has the seat maps of the various aircraft and you can see which seats are the good ones and which seats are the devil.  If I ever meet the people responsible for this website, I will kiss their feet. 

1. THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE TRULY UGLY:
   

Travelling with kids can limit your choices.  For example, you will not be able to sit with a child in the spacious exit rows of the airplane.  The people sitting in exit rows need to be able to operate the door in case of emergency.  However, if you are travelling with another adult you may be able to place one of the adults in the exit row and seat the child and other adult in the row behind.  How you ‘flip’ for the ‘better’ seat is entirely up to you. 

Travelling with kids can also get you good stuff – like bulkhead seats.

1. BULKHEAD SEATS:  The bulkhead seats are located at the beginning of cabins.  Some bulkhead seats have more legroom.  Some less.  Since these seats are right behind a partition, no one will be reclining into your lap and there is no one in front of you to be annoyed.  The bulkhead is kind of like your own little kingdom. Although some might complain about the bulkheads that sport less legroom – I think the bulkhead is the bomb and second only to Business Class.  Let’s face it…you are more likely to be bending over to pick up a stray plastic elephant than kicking back with a nice book and a glass of Merlot.  If you are in a regular row and the seats in front of you are fully reclined, you will have to perform like a circus contortionist to retrieve the stray items without putting your back out. 
   

The bulkhead is usually reserved for people with kids – but not all airlines will let you reserve it in advance.  This is where travelling with an infant can be an advantage.  If you are travelling with your baby, request in on-board bassinet.  Most airlines have them.  You will be assigned the bulkhead since that is the location of the wall brackets that hold the bassinette.

You may decide the bulkhead is not for you.  Here are some things that may influence your decision:

a.Will you miss having a seat pocket in front of you that is easily reachable?  I prefer the unencumbered space to the seat pocket convenience.  Most bulkheads have a pocket located on the partitions – but it is out of reach when your seatbelt is on.

b.The tray tables are located in your armrest here.  Not a big problem - BUT make sure the child understands that they can hurt themselves if they play with it.  The pinch of one of those puppies dropping unexpectedly into the armrest slot will cause a wail heard ‘round the plane.  

c.Viewing the movie may be difficult. If the movie is really important to you and you are travelling on a plane that does not have individual seat entertainment you may have to miss out.  Hey…I’ll take comfort over a tired old airplane movie any day.  Also, if you’ve read my WHAT TO TAKE article you will come on board armed with a portable DVD player.

d.Some of the bulkhead seats are right next to the bathroom.  Check the seat map.  Some are near the Galley, which may be noisy.  Now, while both of these things may be annoying to a solo adult…as a travelling parent you may want to be near the bathroom for a just potty-trained toddler, changing diapers, etc.  And being near the Galley, means being near the flight attendants and being able to get stuff easily.  Your choice.

1. BAD SEATS:
   

Bad seats happen.  To mention a few:  Seats that don’t fully recline.  The middle of the middle of the middle unless your family is filling the entire section.  Seats under cold vents. Reduced legroom. Noisy ones. Ones that get lots of traffic from lavatories. Limited under seat space. Reduced seat width.  Again: be proactive in your choices. 

1. SEAT CONFIGURATIONS
   

For example:  we were lucky enough to travel business class on a 777.  A Two-Three-Two configuration and so we booked the three across and had our own little kingdom.  Another time we were faced with at Two-Two-Two and opted for an aisle, a window and the aisle across and we took turns sitting with Jacob who was (of course) seated at the window.  By the way…kids are always better at the window for three main reasons: 

        1. They can look out the window and play with the shade.

        2. They can lean their heads against the wall to sleep.

        3. They won’t get their flailing limbs clipped by the service cart and passengers passing by won’t

            get bruised.

1. DEALING WITH A TRULY UGLY SEATING SITUATION:
   

What happens if there is an ‘oops’ in your seating assignments?

Depend on the kindness of strangers and the flight attendants.  Know that almost NO ONE would rather sit next to your unattended kid instead of changing seats.  Keeping your cool is the key.

Sometimes the airlines make a last minute equipment change.  This is where being on your game when you check in (checking your boarding passes against what your original seat assignments were) comes in handy.  For tips peek at my WHAT TO TAKE article.

1. THE FRONT OF THE PLANE or Behind the Little Curtain
   

Business Class is the best.  First is great too…but a lot of First Class cabins have those individual pods which makes it difficult to monitor your

NOTE:  you really, REALLY need to be on top of your game and make sure the kid (s) don’t get out of control and bother other passengers.  Not that you should let them go wild in coach – but know that you will likely get the ‘stink-eye’ when you board.  I kill ‘em with kindness and I try to be on my game with Jacob.   I think that most kids are great when you are completely focused on them.  Focus on them a LOT when you first board and it will buy you a better flight in general.  Keep ‘em happy and you will be happy.

1. HOW TO KEEP ‘EM HAPPY
   

Now for the entertainment portion of our flight bag... 

(Some of this is already covered in my WHAT TO TAKE article.)

1. TOYS and other diversions:  I offer this advice from my good friend Emily who has twin girls and has

   

   flown to and from the UK many a time:  take wrapped toys.  Go to the 99-cent store, drugstore, etc. and buy small, pack-able, little surprise toys and wrap each one individually.  The key is wrapping them.  Kids love opening each one.  Each toy should buy you some time.  Note on the outside what each item is (use code for kids who can read) so that you don’t end up (for example) giving two cars in a row. It will buy you more time if there is that ‘wow’ factor.  It’s all about the element of surprise.  One time, I actually enlisted the aid of a flight attendant to ‘surprise’ my then 7 and 10 year olds with these wrapped surprises during the flight.  I also never travel without pipe cleaners and crayons and paper.  Do yourself a favor and NEVER pack markers or things like packs of cards that end up EVERYWHERE.  You can ‘replenish’ your stash while on the trip and surprise your kid (s) on the trip home.
   

1. For the truly WEE ONES:  Babies have very short attention spans.  Pack lots of little diversions and then use your imagination to find cool stuff on hand that the baby will love.  To this day one of my son’s fave flight toys is the travel brush/mirror thingy that we got in the amenity kit on a Lufthansa flight – he spends endless minutes opening an closing it, flipping the brush thing in and out, looking in the mirror and now that he is older he pretends that it is a cell phone.  Flipping the window shade open and shut, turning the light on and off, changing venue (walking down the aisle), drumming on the pillow, etc.  Also works for baby.  Other things on the baby hit parade are spoons, keys, hair scrunchies, stuffed animals, finger puppets, paper scrunching, etc.
   

1. DVDS:  Bring a portable DVD player and invest in an airplane adaptor for the battery. I swear by the Pocket Inverter which converts the 12 volt DC battery power from a vehicle or airplane into 115 volt household AC electricity. http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/179/p/1/pt/32/product.asp The portable DVD player is SOOO wonderful.  Bring DVDs that you can watch together and separately.  Remember to get a player that has output for two headsets and bring two headsets.  You will love having this on the trip in the hotel room, etc. for those ‘moments’ when you just need a minute of peace to pack, etc.
   

1. OTHER STUFF FOR YOUR IN FLIGHT COMFORT:
   

1.  Pack extra clothes for you AND your child.  No one wants to spend 10 hours aloft in icky clothes.  I don’t think I need to spell out exactly what terrible things might get on your pants or shirt.

2.Sustenance for both.  No one wants to be hungry and cranky and no one wants to be with someone who is hungry and cranky.  Some of our favorite-easy-to-port-snacks are:  dried cranberries and other dried fruits including fruit leather; almonds; turkey jerky and healthy homemade oatmeal cookies in a Tupperware.  You will be happier if you travel with Tupperware – you will use is the whole trip and they make great bath toys in a pinch. 

3.Cozy things for both.  I always travel with a pashmina or two to cuddle one or both of us in.  When my son was younger, I took a thin cozy blanket for him.  No one wants to be cold or uncomfortable.

4.Reading Material for BOTH.  You won’t be able to read War and Peace, but if your little darling (s) should snooze...well, a girl can dream.  Anyway...take a magazine or small light book to read for you.

5.  Meds for both:

For Moms and Dads: 

a. Aspirin (helps if you have a headache and I take it before a flight because it seems to help with swelling of ankles, etc.) 

b. Emergen-c (a powdered vitamin supplement that helps with jet-lag).

c. Eye drops and lip balm.  It’s dry up there.  Recent TSA rules may require you to get a prescription for the eye drops.

d. Any prescription meds, including antibiotics.  Have your doc prescribe some for you and your child to take with you ‘just in case’.

        

For kids:

a.Hyland Homeopathic vitamin C

b.Homeopathic chamomile

c.Homeopathic ear drops. Recent TSA rules may require you to get a prescription for the drops.

d.Triaminic or Benadryl.  Consult your pediatrician on this one.  I did.  He is fine with it.  I use Triaminic and it really helps my son with his sinuses and ears.  I forgot to use it on my return from the UK recently and he suffered. You may have to administer the dose prior to clearing security in light of new regulations or if you child is old enough you can buy chewables.

e.  Tylenol.  Liquid is not allowed on board.  Try Meltaways.

f.A thermometer.

6. A glue stick.  Don’t laugh.  I keep one in my purse.  In a pinch I have made art projects with my toddler by using seat back magazines, stir stix, empty sugar packs, etc.

7.  A carry-on of one’s own.  My son owns a ‘duck suitcase’.  It’s a little wheelie/backpack that looks like a duck.  He is IN LOVE with it.  So am I.  He packs it with toys and he wheels that puppy (or shall we say duckling) through the airport and onto the jetway, places it under the seat in front of him, sits down and buckles his seatbelt.  Just like mommy and daddy.  It is great for kids to have their ‘own stuff’ and it frees up space in your carry on.

8.   A balloon or two.  Sounds strange, but they are invaluable.  When

taking off and landing, have your kid blow the balloon up.  It solves ear issues.  Simple, but it works.  If you can, bring the balloons attached to the plastic tubes you get at party store that they use to blow the balloons up on the machines.  It makes it easier for kids to blow.  It really works.

9. Dop kit for both.  Toothbrush, etc.  I always make sure to bring shampoo that works for my son.  The one time I didn’t, I regretted it as he cried through every hair washing when the soap got in his eyes. New TSA regulations will require you to check it.  Substitute tooth powder for toothpaste so you can brush your teeth on board.

10. Zip locs. Lots of them in various sizes.  Many uses.  Put bits of leftover food in them.  Use as diaper bags, trash bags, toy bags, etc.  They don’t take up any rooms and you won’t be sorry you have them.

11.Diapers and Wipes:  You can always seem to stuff one more diaper in.

Do yourself a favor and do it.  Make sure to have MORE than you think you need for the time period you will be parted from your checked luggage. Take two packs of wipes.  There seems to be a wipe gremlin roaming airplanes hiding your pack of wipes from you just at the very moment you need them.  Put them in zip locs – the cabin pressure makes the moisture ooze out onto everything you own and if it oozes onto the diapers the moisture renders your precious dipes useless.

12.Babies: Breast, Bottle and thing-a-ma-bobs:  Babies are easier and

more difficult all at the same time – so it kind of evens out.  If the child is breast feeding…hallelujah.  It solves a multitude of problems.  You won’t have to worry about their ears or what food to bring.  Bottles will also help with ear equalization.  If your baby is older and on some solid food, of course bring what they would like to eat.  Flying is dehydrating, so liquids, liquids, liquids. (Which you cannot carry on with you). Also, I never traveled without homeopathic teething tablets and chamomile. 

1. PLANNING YOUR PLANE TIME:
   

A couple more plane planning tips:

1. EAT IN SHIFTS:  Younger kids might need help eating and may actually have to eat in your lap.  If you ask nicely, the flight attendant may allow you to eat in shifts so that one person can eat while the other feeds the kid (s).  If the flight attendant gives you a glower…then punt and put both meal trays perpendicular to the tray table.  It’s tight, but they fit.  Then just take turns eating.  The food may not be hot, but hey…it’s airplane food…so no biggy.
   

1. SEAT POCKET ORGANIZATION: Organize your life a little.  If you can figure out what you want from the carry-on in advance – do it.  I usually take a giant 2 gallon zip loc and fill it with all the little things I will need during the flight and pop it under the seat or in the seat pocket.  During the flight the items are organized and easily reachable. The Ziploc also serves you well in gathering bits before you deplane.  This way you don’t have to keep getting up and down during the flight to get stuff. 
   

1. IN CONCLUSION:
   

WHEW!  Seems like a lot, huh?  Actually – if you are prepared and you’ve got a good seat your flight will be an easier, more pleasant experience. 

You don’t want to find yourself sitting in a seat with reduced recline and legroom…wearing clothes covered with old milk and cereal…with a kid that has a diaper full of poo that you can’t change because you’ve run out of diapers. 

Consider the alternative and remember The Travelling Kid Motto:  Pack Your Patience and Be Prepared!