Airplane travel with young children can be both exciting and challenging. Generally, children love airplanes. On the other hand there is the cabin pressure on their little ears, the need to sit down for long periods and the close quarters. How do you make sure the beginning and end of your next vacation is as fun as the vacation itself? Here are some tips.

Be prepared for take off and landing. These times can be the hardest part of any airplane trip. Children’s ears are very sensitive to the cabin pressure changes and they do not know how to equalize the pressure. For babies, have a bottle ready at these times. Drinking will clear your baby’s ears. For children that are a bit older, have some gum or juice handy.
Get the bulk head seats. Here you will not stress out for the entire flight constantly worrying about your children kicking the back of the seat in front of you. For babies under 1 year old, the bulk head seat on long haul flights often comes with a bassinet attachment so your baby can lie down and you can relax. Be sure to ask your airline about this when you book your ticket.
Bring a variety of activities. Think through the length of the flight. Do you have enough to keep the kids entertained for the duration?
Try a red eye. For flights that are longer than 6 hours, an overnight flight might be just the ticket. On longer late night flights, you might find that children will sleep for a good portion of the flight.
Prepare. If your children have not been on airplanes often or even ever, be sure to talk with them in advance so they know what to expect and what is expected of them. This will get them excited about the trip and also help them know what do to do.

Jack Horner
http://www.wikifamilyfun.com/