I have a blog post on all of my very-much-learned-through-trial-and-error tips on making flights with children as drama-free as possible but there is one particularly challenging part of flying with little kids that most people forget – and I used to as well…
Parents pack the toys, the spare clothing, the nappies and medications etc and prepare for “life on board” but they often forget one of the most tricky parts of flying with little ones…..
It’s that moment where the plane has landed and you’ve survived the flight ( woop woop!) and you may have even managed to all get off the plane in one piece with all of your bags etc.. but then..what about that dreaded, dreaded, DREADED line at immigration ! ( and, let’s be real, in a pandemic world those lines for tests, certs and flashing apps etc there are more lines now than ever.)
So even though the flight part is over – this WAITING SECTION is a whole new hurdle of it’s own… and this time the tricky part of the flight is .. everyone is already so tired, cranky, smelly.. maybe hungry… just over it all and want to get going on a trip home or to a hotel for a shower and a powernap on solid ground.
Also this part can also be prolonged at any point and, as parents, we just don’t know if we need to survive minutes or hours!
I know that prepping for this shows just how over the top I am – but .. TRUST ME… when I have this stuff I always have other parents say to me “I wish I’d thought of that!” and sometimes I’m sharing some of our supplies with others who have little people experiencing severe meltdowns.
So what “tools” do I recommend packing like the true nerdy ( living-in-fear-of-horror) Mum that I am?
I recommend packing a small bag of treasures in a ziplock bag – separate from all of the other airplane entertainment toys for the kids.
Things to remember when choosing these items for this special “waiting bag”:
-the toys or entertaining items need to be small enough to keep as a surprise for this time
-the toys can’t be noisy ( other people around you will also be grumpy, stinky and tired too, remember?)
-the toys can’t require a table ( as much as it seem like the perfect time to play a quiet game of UNO… there is nowhere to rest the cards on so it’s just not going to work)
-the toys shouldn’t be “floorplay” style toys like matchbox cars etc because .. airport floors?… ew.
-the toys can’t rely on wifi as many airports deliberately don’t offer wifi options and some airports don’t allow devices at all – although on our last trip into Japan I found I had one pre-downloaded episode of Bubble Guppies on my phone and my kids huddled around with my phone almost on silent while we wobbled up and down roped off aisles)
-the toys can’t have small pieces that can fall off and get lost ( no small lego kits) or roll away (no bouncy balls)
-the snacks can’t be messy or smelly ( actually, if you stopped to ask I’m sure the staff at immigration will tell you there is no eating allowed only water so they also need to be a bit discreet)
– the snacks can’t be fruit or veg on international flights ( and some interstate flights – depending on where you are from) depending on the rules of the destination you’ve just flown in to.
So what should I have in my emergency stash pack?
*This isn’t an item suggestions but, instead, a hot tip…. if you have a little toy that you know everyone will fight over… please please please to be sure to pack one per child… preferably the same colour and everything. EXACTLY the same. **
As I suggest in my flying with kids tips blogpost, this is where keeping toys from party bags for these occasions is so clever….. and here you’ll see why….
Pack entertainment items like :
* little fidget spinners
*puzzle games that come on a keychain such as a mini-rubic’s cube
*small bouncy balls which come on a (short) string
*small stick on tattoos with a little bag of travel wipes so you can wet the other side so kids can decorate their hands and arms etc
*little party favour “pinball” games like this
*slapband wristbands
*for children 4 and older.. these cheap puzzle games are also good
And for snacks?
*It’s random but I’ve had success with a cheap advent chocolate calendar chopped up into windows of 4-6 and then kids can open the chocolate windows ( on their own – don’t help them – it keeps them busy!!) and eat the chocolates one by one OR you can pick sections of the line where they can open another window – “when we reach the end of that corner, let’s open window number 3!” I also think advent calendars are great as the chocolates are usually different shapes and that can buy you a few minutes of chat about that shape etc too.
*Candy necklaces or bracelets ! I swear these are made for moments like this. For slightly older kids you can challenge them to eat one colour at a time etc too.
*a small pack of crackers or biscuits you can hand out one by one ( to avoid mess and unwanted attention) I also want to suggest sultanas/raisins but it depends on the rules of where you are and if they are ok with you bringing in dried fruit….I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.
What else?
*make sure you have water from the plane
*wet wipes ( for hands and faces, not just for sanitizing surfaces)
*a small plastic bag for rubbish
I hope that you’ve found this to be helpful. If you like tips like this I have also shared some tips about dealing with jetlag and how to keep your hotel rooms safe for kids and keep them happy in their temporary home for longer.
Safe ( and drama-free) travels!
