Going on a holiday is exciting. Flying there with kids is not. As soon as we booked our flights from Sydney to London, thoughts about how to deal with the 24+ hours in transit with three children (aged 5, 3 and 5 months) was constantly at the back of my mind.
Well, we’re back now… and I’m delighted to report that the flights weren’t nearly as bad as I expected. This is because I set my expectations low… very low… so I was pretty relieved when things went much smoother than anticipated. I had also given a lot of thought to all the things that we might need on the flight, to ensure the kids were fed, entertained and clothed. I wasn’t so concerned about forgetting items in the main suitcases, as I knew I could buy whatever I forgot in London. It was the packing of the cabin baggage that put me into mild panic-mode.
So for any North Shore Mums travelling on a long-haul flight soon… here are my tips about what to pack for the flight.
Carry baby in a carrier
You’ll need both hands to carry bags, children and to handover passports and documentation… so a baby carrier is an absolute essential if you have a little one! They’re also really handy if your baby won’t settle on the plane, your arms hurt from holding them for so long and you want them to go to sleep.
Take a cabin roller case packed with all the essentials
- Clothes: For each child, I packed them two changes of clothes (knickers, leggings, short and long sleeve top) in a large zip-lock bag. This meant that it was easy to just grab a bag for the relevant child should an emergency change of clothes be required!
- Nappies: I also packed about 12 nappies in here too. I knew I would probably only need 5-6 nappies over 24 hours, but I was advised by a friend to pack double in case of unexpected delays. Luckily I only used half the nappies, but it was reassuring to know they were there if needed.
- Baby wipes: Pack a big pack of baby wipes! Useful for soooooo many things.
- Food: Bottles, formula, squeezie pouches of food, snacks. Obviously this varies according to the age of your child – but again, it’s a good idea to pack more than you think you’ll need. Most airlines do kids meals, but you can’t guarantee that they’ll like what’s served up.
- Toiletries: Face wipes, moisturiser, hand cream, paw paw cream, mini hairbrush toothpaste and toothbrushes. Remember everything needs to be under 100ml. I had everything pre-packed in zip-lock bags (as you’ll need to have them in these when they get scanned) and in a separate toiletry bag.
If I’m honest, only a fraction of the stuff inside the cabin roller was used. For most of the flight it just stayed in the overhead cabins. But it’s better to overpack and be prepared for extended delays than to be caught short.
Give older kids their own backpack filled with activities & snacks
In addition to the cabin roller, I gave my two daughters (aged 3 and 5 years) their own backpack packed with activities, snacks and water.
- Activities: Sticker books, colouring in, activity pages, pencil case with textas and pencils.
- Snacks: Sliced apple, sliced carrot, muesli bars, rice crackers, dried fruit.
- Bottle of water
- Jumper: Handy to have in the main backpack, as it can get cool on the planes quite quickly.
- Tablet: It may sound extravagant, but you really need a tablet or iPad for each child. With two girls who love to squabble, having an iPad that they had to share would have been insufferable. You don’t need the latest iPad – a cheap android or even a second hand one will do. You may even have a friend who might lend you one for a few weeks. I also made sure we had exactly the same apps on each, so they didn’t fight over who got what. At home we are pretty tight on screen time rules – but in the air, it was a case of ‘whatever you need to do to get through the flight’!
- Earphones: The whole plane doesn’t want to hear the Peppa Pig game your child is playing, so a pair of padded earphones is a must (kids don’t tend to like the ear bud types). Stores like K-Mart, Target and JB Hi-Fi are good for these.
Other stuff to pack for baby
Fly Babee: If you’ve scored a basinet for your baby, you want to ensure they actually sleep in it, right? I was the envy of all the other mums with this ingenious new product called the Fly Babee. It’s a blockout cover that clips over the bassinet, and provides the babies with their own little dark cocoon. It was an absolute godsend. It’s hard enough to get your baby to sleep, but when you do manage to transfer them successfully from arms to the basinet, you don’t want them being woken up by bright lights or other passengers gawking at them. They fold up really small and weigh next to nothing. Fly Babees retail for $99.95, and are worth every cent. Plus, you’ll end up using them everyday as a pram cover too (so no more pegs and muslins) – mine fits onto my Mountain Buggy and Strider Plus.
Dummies: If your baby takes a dummy, don’t forget to pack several of these in different easy-to-reach locations. These are particularly useful at take off and landing, as babies ears can hurt with the change in cabin pressure – and the sucking helps ease the pain (and muffles a cry)!
And what about for me? A bottle of water and some mints. I knew there would be no time for reading magazines or books, so didn’t even bother packing them. The in-flight entertainment was enough, and I’m pleased to say I even managed to watch a couple of disjointed movies over 24 hours!
Good luck to any other families doing a big trip these holidays. It will all be worth it when you get there!
Do you have any other must-pack essentials for the cabin baggage? Or any other useful tips for flying with kids?
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