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Jan & Quill's avatar

A very apt post for me - we just returned from Crete to UK (4 hrs flight) with a 4 and almost 2 year old. I totally resonate with your comment about some being harder, other easier, with seemingly no reason. Our children weren't nervous about flying - my eldest did a lot of flights from a young age - but I still always talk him through every step, for example "now it's going to get very loud", "now we're coming down so your ears might feel funny" etc. That seems to help him. For us, it's often the car drive on the other side that's more challenging than the flight itself!

We bring a lot of activities for the plane and transfers - magnet tiles, colouring, iPad with a few episodes pre-downloaded, some snacks that take a long time to eat, some great books. Then hope for some nice neighbours and cabin crew! Our outbound flight was great - the one yesterday was pretty awful! We got told off by the staff for the children being too much in the aisle - the shame. All the best, Jan x

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Sri Juneja's avatar

That must have been a lovely holiday! I agree; I've found that really talking through the steps and making sure kids know exactly what to expect goes a long way in mitigating the truly horrible stuff. I'm upset on your behalf by the staff on your return flight. It's hard enough as it is and I'm surprised the staff wouldn't be more understanding. Thank you for the tips!

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Jan & Quill's avatar

Thanks, yes I was so shocked by the staff. We went on a long haul flight when our eldest was 18 months and they couldn’t have been more helpful, so it was a surprising reaction for me! I don’t think it’s common x

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Victoria Christensen's avatar

Some great suggestions! They might even work to prep adults for flying.

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Sri Juneja's avatar

They definitely helped me rediscover my excitement for flying!

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