39 Airline Travel Tips for Families

Earlier this week MSNBC had a feature called The air necessities: 39 tips that included advice for travelling the skies with kids.  The tips, 39 in all, were compiled by the readers at WeJustGotBack.com.  The entire list is a great resource for any families traveling this summer and certainly struck us as something we should share with you.

Some of our favorites from the list include:

Check in early to gets the best seats. If I think that my baby will sleep for most of the flight, I ask for bulkhead seats and reserve a portable bassinet. Bulkhead rows have extra legroom, but there are two big drawbacks. First, you have to store your diaper bag overhead. Second, since the tray pops out of the armrest, it’s hard to use it with a baby on your lap.

Have your child chew, drink, or suck something prior to and during take-offs and landings so pressure changes won’t hurt her ears. For older babies (12 months and up), child-size EarPlanes can work wonders.

My son just loves doing word search puzzles. Before we go on a family vacation, I make up customized word search puzzles for him to do in the car or on the plane, using words about our trip and destination. DiscoverySchool.com’s Puzzlemaker makes this simple and fast.

Be sure to read all 39 tips over on MSNBC‘s web site if you’re interested!