Child behaviour expert’s 5 hacks for flying with rowdy kids from 1p supermarket buy to worst mistake parent’s make
A CHILD behaviour expert has five tips to keep your kids calm while flying this summer – and one hack costs next-to-nothing.
Elizabeth O’Shea, a parenting expert, revealed her advice for making travelling with young kids as easy as possible.
Travelling with a child is notoriously hard but there are some things parents are doing to make it even more difficult.
Elizabeth believes the worst thing a parent can do is dress their children uncomfortably.
This is especially important for a long flight or overnight one, as changing them can be a bit of a pallava.
Here are the five top tips to prepare you for your next flight:
LAVENDER OIL
For young kids, take-off can be a really tricky time with nerves at an all time high and not helped by the altitude change and ears popping.
Elizabeth therefore recommends to have calming lavender oil at hand.
By putting some on your neck or your child’s, the scent will fill the nostrils and can help calm them either in your arms or in their own seat.
Lavender oil is currently being sold in Savers for £1.49 – but a drop of it practically costs nothing.
5-MINUTE CHAT
For a lot of children, the concept of an airport and flying can be really daunting.
Elizabeth therefore recommends to get those emotions out beforehand.
She has previously advised parents how to do this – with a great success rate.
She recommended setting up a fake airport or plane before flying – making all the signs and teaching your child how they will sit with a seat belt on.
The expert said: “Children need to picture what is going to happen, so show them what a plane looks like, what you do in an airport and just talk them through the stages.”
Elizabeth advised parents to ask them questions like “can you remember what to do when the seatbelt sign lights up” and “can you remember what different things we’re going to do when we get to the airport?”
BACK OF THE PLANE
A good way to deal with emotions may be to take them to the back of the plane to let out some steam.
Elizabeth advised how some useful things to do is running on the spot or another kind of energy-burner to shake out the emotions “without taking up much room.”
COMFORTABLE CLOTHES
It is bound to set a bad tone for the whole flight if the child is uncomfortable in what they’re wearing.
This is especially important for a long flight or an overnight.
Changing children mid-flight can also prove difficult, so Elizabeth believes that ensuring the kids are initially in comfy clothes is a must.
MAKE A PLAN
Lack of routine can be a main factor that affects a child’s mood negatively.
Elizabeth therefore recommends to talk to them about the holiday you’re on your way to, so they know there’s something to look forward to.
It’s also great for them to understand what to expect when abroad.
A lot of kids struggle when breaking from routine so having some kind of plan, or timetable in place so they understand what they’re doing is the best thing to do.
An Amazon Chatterbox survey revealed that almost a third of Brits have avoided flying somewhere with kids because they’re too anxious.
But Elizabeth makes it clear that parents just need to prep in advance to make the journey as smooth as possible.
The survey polled 75,000 workers in the UK.