Introducing Debbie Dubrow:
Debbie writes the superb DeliciousBaby.com. We’re very pleased she has agreed to share some of her hard earned travel wisdom with Family Hack.
With the holidays fast approaching, it seems like almost everyone I talk with is stressed about bringing their kids on a plane ride, and trying to figure out how to encourage them to be on their best behavior. As with everything else, a little advance preparation and having a few tricks up your sleeve won’t guarantee perfect behavior, but it sure helps!
Here are my top 10…,make that 11 tips for enabling young children to behave well on a plane.
1. Information is King
Good behavior starts by helping your child understand exactly what is going to happen. Without building things up too much, you can begin to talk about the trip a few days before you leave (even for kids as young as one year old). Talk about where you’ll be going (e.g. grandma’s house) and how you’ll be getting there (on a plane). On the day of the flight, lay out exactly what is going to happen. For example: first we’ll take a taxi to the airport, then we’ll go through security, and then we’ll get on the plane and fly to grandma’s . Even very young toddlers understand more than you think, and even if they don’t understand the details, they’ll understand that there is a plan and that everything is ok.
2. Set Expectations
At each stage of the trip (especially through security) point out what is happening, and explain to your child what you expect of them. “Look, there’s the conveyor belt, we get to put our shoes, sippy, and lovey on the conveyor belt and then we will get them on the other side.” Knowing what is expected of them (before they’re in trouble) will help keep your child from getting stressed out and loosing it. Books can help de-mystify travel too, one of our favorites for travel is Planes Board Book
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