Flying with small children

I have been traveling with my son, since he was born. When my son was 6 months old, we took off on a road trip to visit my best friend and her husband a few states away. Since then, he has made several road trips and has more skymiles than your average adult.

As I dropped my son and fiancee off at the airport today, I went down a long list of the dos and don'ts of traveling with small children. It always amazes me how some families travel with small children and how inconsiderate other people are. My thoughts on flying with children:

• Have your child pack a small book bag with toys and activities that they can do quietly in their seat. My son has a rolling book bag that he can tote around and fits under the seat in front of him. He is usually allowed to pick 5 quiet and low impact toys. These toys usually include his favorite stuffed animal, some matchbox cars and his crayons.
• Be considerate of other travelers. Teach your children that it is not polite to push and kick the seats in front of them.
• If you are traveling with a child in a car seat, and plan on carrying the car seat, check your baggage, except what is needed to care for the child and to entertain the child. My son has actually not used his car seat on any of the commercial flights we have been on. It has always been checked as baggage.
• If you travel frequently, invest in a portable DVD player. I bought an LG portable DVD player with a battery expected use time of 5 - 6 hours. This has been extremely helpful. Most flights we take domestically are not generally longer than 6 hours.
• Have your child travel in something comfortable and shoes that they can easily on and off of their feet.
• Make sure that they attempt to use the bathroom before getting on the plane. My son had an incident on the airplane last year where he accidentally pushed the flush button, while sitting on the toilet. The noise alone was enough to scar him, but when added to the suction he was terrified of the toilet after that experience. Airplane bathrooms are very small and are not designed for two people, even if one of them is very small.

As a frequent traveler, both professionally and personally, I have found that most of your average adults get bored and have difficulty on a long flight. Children's attention spans are much shorter. Be prepared to find creative ways to entertain your child.