Questions regarding air travel with children.
 

I will soon be moving to Oahu, Hawaii. I have three children and have never flown with them before. If anyone could please provide me with any information regarding the best airline carrier to fly with, documentation / indentification needed for my children, restrictions or anything else that would be a need to know.

From where? What ages are the children?

From SEA and the ages are 5, 6, and 9.

If it were my I would go on one flight and then put the kids on the next as unaccompanied minors and let the airline work it out!

Lol, wonderful suggestion but I would feel terrible for the passangers on their flight.

My suggestion is the most simple, and that is to keep paying attention to what the kids are doing. I have kids, so have been there and done that. Anyway, our last trip to Hawaii was 5 years or so ago, and I still remember the couple with 3 kids that were just plain awful. I still remember the kids names because they kept screaming at each other. The parents sat in the row ahead of them with their earbuds in and reading a book. On our return flight, another passenger (who was on the first flight) commented that he hoped that family wasn't on board again. Granted, this family was the worst I have ever seen on a flight, but you get the idea. BTW, we were traveling with our own kids on that trip, so we are not old grumpy folks;)

What works for our kids is for them to have something that will keep their interest. Whether that be an electronic devise (with noise off or using earbuds), a book, a puzzle, or something like Madlibs.

We also fly out of either PDX or SEA, so are familiar with those flights. They are kind of long, so be sure the kids have at least 2 things to keep them occupied. Also be sure to bring snacks with you. As for drinks, you will need to get those after security at the airport. Don't rely on food/drink on the airplane.

The kids are young enough that they will not need any form of ID. Just their boarding passes.

Just stay engaged with the kids and enjoy it. If you are relaxed that will help the kids to relax. Just let them know to use inside voices, etc and you should be fine.

Are you the only travelling adult? The kids are old enough to manage their own carry-ons. Let them know that whatever entertainment, snacks, etc, need to fit in their own backpacks. I keep the stuff that my DD needs onboard in a backpack that fits under her seat, so we aren't constantly getting up and down to access the overhead bins.

Make sure electronics are fully charged before you go. Get them headphones and let them know that using them is not optional. Make sure they understand that those devices have to be turned off at take-off and landing, so they aren't surprised.

Check with the airline to see about kid-friendly meals. These are often served before the rest of the meals, which can be helpful. But have plenty of familiar snacks as well.

Carry some Tylenol or Motrin on board with you. I bring Benadryl for DD, too, but that's between you and their pediatrician. Just don't wait until flight time to try out the Benadryl, some kids get over-excited rather than sleepy when they take it. Kid-safe anti-nausea medication if there's any chance one of them gets motion sick. Chewing gum or some sort of chewy candy for take-off and landing to help their ears pop.

If there's a chance you'll be making the trip back and forth to the mainland once a year, sign them up now for a frequent flier account.

Relax and allow plenty of time at the airport when you leave. Have a great trip!

MMS I agree with you that must of been an awful flight. Thanks for letting me know about only needing a boarding pass for domestic flights I wasn't to sure if I needed to obtain passports for them for photo identification. Also, txgirlinbda you also had some wonderful suggestions good idea about having a backpack that fits under the seat I would hate to have to get up and down throughout the flight just to get something every 15 minutes, the kid-friendly meal selection would be very important for my picky eaters, also good suggestion about the anti-nausea medication and chewing gum I'm sure that will differently come in handy.

Hawaiian Airlines is kid-friendly when possible. On a recent return flight from Hawaii to Portland, the flight wan't full and the flight attendants changed seats for a few people to give the mom and dad and eighteen-month-old a row of three seats to make more room for them to spread out, even though they hadn't purchased a seat for the child.

Many years ago, when I was flying long distances frequently with small children, I usually shopped for small surprises and treats which I could then pull out at intervals during the flight to give them something new to concentrate on when they became bored.

My son was crazy about 'matchbox' cars so I always found one or two new ones he hadn't seen before. My daughter like the little 'strawberry shortcake' dolls, so I would search out a new one for her. Neither took up much space. Coloring books and new crayons were always sure to occupy them for periods of time. Suggest you consider what interests each child and purchase a few new things as surprises for the trip.

I also took a bag of all sorts of little snacks: string cheese, crackers, fruit wedges, carrot and celery sticks, small quarters of almond-butter-and-jam sandwiches, etc.

And before we left on each trip we practiced using our 'airplane voices' and sitting specially for on the airplane, etc. I always believed it was a big help if the children knew what to expect and how to behave, even the littlest ones. We also practiced 'airplane rest time'.

Good luck!

Bring food/snacks - if you add hungry to kids who are tired and restless, you have a problem. We always brought foods not generally parent-approved. Letting our kids have a can of soda on a plane at 8 AM one day was met with such amazement that they were quiet for quite a while.

Documentation - kids that age do not need ID - just a ticket.

Make sure they understand the importance of staying close to you in a crowded airport. Chasing 2 kids in opposite directions is not possible. Once on the plane, at least you cannot lose them. We always found destination airport was harder to keep track of just 2 kids - they wanted to move after being cooped up on the plane and the logistics of luggage, rental car, etc made it more difficult to organize everyone.

If you can find an airline that has seatback TVs they will enjoy playing with these for a while.

A good book available for younger kids is "Going on a Plane" - not sure who wrote it but it's published by Usborne and available on Amazon. It demystifies the procedure of going to the airport, passing security, etc. I recommend that, and I also use the idea of lots of small toys, an IPod loaded with talking books, etc. Plus don't expect to do much for yourself - spend as much time interacting with them as they need, especially the 5 yr old. That effectively manages their energies in a confined space. Don't forget to take food, and maybe a change of clothes on board the plane, particularly for the younger one.

Lavandula

Make sure they use the bathroom in the airport before the flight. It can be a long time before the seatbelt sign is turned off.

That's a great tip, Elainee! Never even thought of that when my kids were little - and there were occasions when it might have helped avoid a panic dash to the restroom.