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Flying with Toddlers

by Jeanne Muchnick

Tips to make air travel with children safe and pleasant

Flying with kids takes a certain amount of forethought. You not only need to be aware of applicable customs rules and appropriate federal regulations regarding child safety seats, but you also need to plan with common sense.

Think of everything that's made past flights less than pleasurable for you and your child and how to overcome these situations in the future. Traveling with a preschooler means thinking creatively. With forethought, patience, a sense of humor and lots of planning, you can enjoy your airplane ride with your toddler. To make sure that the rest of the passengers feel similarly, be sure your child follows the same good-behavior rules on board that you encourage at home. Particular pet peeves of fellow travelers include seat-kicking and shouting.

Here are several tactics you can use to ensure that both you and your preschooler have a successful, comfortable flight:

BRING SEVERAL TYPES OF TOYS ON BOARD
Ask your child to pick a special stuffed animal or character figure and a few favorite toys. Joanne Tulkoff of Columbia, Maryland, buys toys for one dollar and wraps them like birthday presents to keep her three-year-old daughter occupied. "I plan about a toy an hour and then overbuy so that we're sure to have enough," says Tulkoff. Pack a Walkman and child-friendly tapes, and let your child listen to new songs and stories as well as some old favorites.

Other toddler picks: stickers and sticker books, crayons, small-wheeled cars and trucks and blank paper and rubber stamps.

Sealed with a Kiss, a Maryland-based company, specializes in custom-made grab bags for kids three and older. You describe the kids and they make up the bag (starting at $30, plus shipping). Call 800-888-SWAK or 301-468-2604.

CONSIDER "LABELING" YOUR TODDLER WITH AN ID BRACELET
Some airlines advise this just in case your child gets lost in airport crowds. Include your child's name, your name, your destination and your home address and phone number.

For more tips on flying with kids, click on the following links: Plane Advice about Kids, Plane Sense Checklist, Flying and Child Safety Seats, Plane Trips with Babies, and Flying with School-Age Children.

Jeanne Muchnick is the former editor of BABY MAGAZINE.

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.

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Flying with Toddlers

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