Make your Toddlers air travel a fun ride

Flying with your toddler can be a wonderful experience or a miserable adventure, the choice is yours. A little bit of intelligent planning before your travel can gift your child a happy ride and everyone else as well.

1. Choose a non peak travel schedule if possible, as your child will be stress free in less crowd and so will you.
2. Try to take flight according to child's eating and sleeping schedule. It's a good idea to keep their schedule as normal as possible when flying.
3. If your child is used to of some comfort item like special blanket or any toy. Try to carry them along with you.
4. Pack your bag with lots of snacks and drinks for your baby. You never know flight can get delayed too.
5. Carry lots of activities that you baby love to play with. May be a video game or a music player. Children get bored very soon while sitting so you must have some interesting things to entertain them.
6. Before travelling do speak to your child. Try and explain them about the airport rules. Teach them how to behave during the security check and baggage screening. I know they are too small to understand all these technicalities but children learn very fast.

Must have items in your carry on luggage:

• Travel-size baby wipes.
• Premium diapers (less likely to leak and more absorbent, won't have to change as often).
• One set of extra clothing for the toddler.
• Ready-mix formula and bottles if needed.
• One extra shirt for you (things can get quite messy or spill quickly on an airplane).
• Children's Paracetamol.

At the Airport Reach airport early as everything takes more time when travelling with kids. Teach your child the safety rules like where to stand if you become separated.

1. It may be beneficial to actually board the plane last so your toddler isn't sitting strapped in a car seat for a half-hour before take off.
2. You must be worried about your toddler's ears popping due to altitude changes and air pressure. A simple way to help this process is to have your toddler sip a drink or enjoy a lollipop during take off and landing. Frequent swallowing is what helps ears pop and stay clear.
3. Seat your child by the window. Most kids find the view fascinating. It's also safer than sitting on the aisle, where little arms and legs could get bumped.
4. All passengers don't enjoy the company of children so try to keep your child entertained.
5. If your child becomes a screaming demon - and that can happen - be as calm as you can and hopefully it will soon pass. Or deliberately choose seats in the back of the plane, where engine noise can muffle piping voices.

Safety: The Federal Aviation Administration strongly recommends that smaller children be seated in Child Restraint Systems ("CRS"), but check with the airline you are travelling with to see there requuirements. For babies less than 20 lbs., use a rear-facing car seat and for children 20 - 40 lbs., use a forward-facing car seat or booster. Lastly for kids weighing more than 40 lbs., use the airplane seat belt Air travel is much safer than automobile travel. All you need to do is an intelligent travel planning, be calm and patient and be a friend to your toddler while flying. Simply make your child's ride a rocking one. Have a great trip!

(Sources: todaysparent.com, onestepahead.com, parentingcanada.com)