To avoid making your flight with a child too stressful, you should organize everything well in advance. With good preparation, you can minimize the stress factor for you, your child, and all other passengers on your flight. I've put together a list of 5 must-haves that no flight should be without:
1. Nasal spray or nasal drops
Children often have trouble equalizing the pressure in their ears during takeoff and landing. This often causes them to experience severe pain and cry bitterly. To spare your child this experience (and you the stress), you should give them nasal drops/spray 30 minutes before takeoff and landing. The spray clears the passage between the nose and ears, allowing pressure to equalize more easily. When Levi was a baby, until about 1 year old, I always used sea salt nasal drops. Later, I used sea salt nasal spray or, when he had a cold, a decongestant nasal spray from the pharmacy.
2. Neck pillow
You should have this travel essential with you as soon as your child travels in their own seat. Falling asleep is much easier with a neck pillow, as the head doesn't constantly slip off, preventing the child from falling asleep. Even while sleeping, the head stays in a good position and doesn't bend. There are many cute neck pillows designed specifically for children that can be easily attached to your luggage while traveling.
3. Snacks, snacks, snacks
First things first: there are no limits on the amount of liquids and food babies and toddlers are allowed to take on the plane. This means you can take anything you want with you, from water bottles to thermoses, jars to squeezable snacks! A little tip: To avoid stress and chaos at security, pack all your liquids together in one place. When our babies were babies, squeezable snacks and rice cakes/crisps always worked well for us. When Levi was older, we added fruit and vegetables. Apples, berries, tangerines, cucumbers, and carrots are great. No bananas. That usually ends up with a mess in your bag. As a bonus, we also have snacks on flights that aren't available otherwise or are only available rarely, such as gummy bears, pretzel sticks, or lollipops.
4. Books and films
On airplanes, we have a "no rules" policy when it comes to media use. We take an iPad (don't forget the protective case!) with plenty of downloaded TV shows and games. You should especially make sure you have good headphones, ideally noise-canceling and wireless. For takeoff and landing, when the iPad can't be turned on, we always bring Levi's favorites, as well as a few new Pixie books. They're nice and small and don't take up much space. Even personal cell phone videos and photos can provide a few minutes of entertainment.
5. Jet Kids Bed Box
This 3-in-1 tool is truly a true innovation that makes flying with children much more relaxing. The JetKids BedBox is a rollable carry-on suitcase that offers plenty of storage space for toys and snacks. At the airport, your child can sit on it and doesn't have to walk (or be carried) - and that's the really ingenious thing about the BedBox. On the plane, the suitcase can be placed in the footwell and serves as a seat extension, giving your child a lying area of around 90 cm. Together with the mattress and the side protectors, it becomes a cozy bed, ensuring a much more relaxing flight for you and your child. Not all airlines allow the BedBox, so please check with the airline directly in advance. In an emergency, you can of course simply put the BedBox in the carry-on compartment. *Advertising, as the brand is mentioned, but purchased myself.
