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Flying Rugrats
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Fly safely with your baby:
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Long Flights: Timing for Success when Flying with Kids
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Sometimes trip itineraries include a long
international flight of 8 hours or even up to 14 hours or more. These long
flights are especially difficult for infants and toddlers.
However,
there are strategies that you can employ when planning your trip that
may vastly improve your child’s ability to cope. One such strategy is
timing your departure. |
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When you are facing a long flight, find out
if there are flights available that enable you to board the long flight
an hour or so after your child’s normal bedtime. You may find that by
taking an evening flight your child is sleepy early in the flight and
falls asleep, remaining asleep for all or most of the flight.
If you use your other alternative, catching
a morning flight, you may create a bad situation: one in which
your child is fully rested when boarding the plane. That is a recipe
for a very long flight since you will have to entertain a child in a
small space with limited resources for many hours.
On those very long flights, do yourself a
favor and consider taking an evening flight. You may find it is much
easier on you and your child. Moreover, who knows? You may get some
rest on the plane too! If everyone gets rest then everyone can arrive
at the destination ready to have fun. If you are considering a
sedative for your child, remember to always consult your physician prior
to administering any medications.
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...back to Trip Planning
Do you know anyone who just had a baby or
who might benefit from tips about traveling by airplane with small
children? If so, help them prepare for their next family vacation
by sharing the Flying Rugrats web site with them. By doing so,
you will be providing them with lots of family
travel tips and advice that has been gathered from families who have
faced the same challenges before them.
Send your friends with newborn babies or small children an email to tell them about
Flying Rugrats!
Flying Rugrats
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The Parent-to-Parent Guide
to Traveling on Airplanes
with Infants and Toddlers
Are you a parent who
travels with kids?
Send us your tips and tricks!
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Quick Tips
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For long international flights,
set your departure for a time around your child's normal
bedtime.
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Do not board a long flight with
well-rested small children. You want them to be tired and
sleep.
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Consult your pediatrician if you are considering use of a
sedative for your child. |
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The FlyingRugrats.com
Flying Kids Mission
As parents, we are
responsible for molding our precious babies into well rounded
adults who have an appreciation for the variety of opportunities
that they have available to them as they grow and develop as
individuals. Exposing children to varying geographical
locations and cultures around the world is an important teaching
method that many parents have the option to use for developing
generations of culturally aware future leaders who have
childhood experiences that help them understand and personally
relate to global issues. It is the mission of Flying Rugrats to arm parents with information about flying
with children, toddlers or infants strategies in an effort to
dispel fear or apprehension about family travel so that families
may travel freely and better educate our future world citizens
through positive travel experiences.
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