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A UK Pregnancy, Parenting and Lifestyle Blog
June 1, 2015

Flying With A Toddler


Roughly six months ago, I did a little post on flying with a baby and now the time has come to enlighten you all with my experience of flying with a very mobile one year old. On my own. On two flights. Past bedtime. Honestly, what was I thinking?!


Never the less, here’s a cheeky little video on the whole, delightful experience:



To be honest, I am very lucky and Isla is, generally, a very good baby. She listens when she’s been told not to do something. She’s easily distracted with toys and food. And she’s also very sociable so likes attention from other people.

Of course all these things can work against my favour too sometimes. She often finds it funny to be told not to do something and then tries to do something worse instead for an even bigger laugh. She’s also easily distracted by other people’s things and food. And she often wants attention so much from other people she sits and stares or points and shouts at them!


It all depends on her mood which type of Isla we get coming out to play these days but one thing is for sure, she is definitely not the same relatively relaxed, quiet little baby she was six months ago!


We were flying on FlyBe on the way up to Scotland and if anyone has been on a domestic FlyBe flight, you’ll know how ridiculously space challenged those flights are. They are much smaller than your usual British Airways and Easyjet aircrafts. They also don’t let parents board first or provide any sort of assistance to parents flying on their flights. Shame on you FlyBe!

On the first flight we were sat next to lovely man (THANK GOD) who helped distract Isla and was very chatty. It really helped the whole flight go past much quicker and kept Isla entertained for the whole hour.

The next flight was a little different. We had two seats to ourselves, which was great but Isla got FAR too excited about the whole thing and wanted to throw herself from one seat to another! Then we progressed onto wanting to explore under all the seats and generally let the whole plane we were there by shouting BA BA BA at the top of our voices for a while. It wasn’t like she was crying and annoying people or anything but I was a bit like ‘oh gawwd, people are probably thinking make her be quiet’. The problem is a 13 month old doesn’t really know what ‘shhh’ means! She wanted to get up and about the whole flight and it took every ounce of energy, patience and quick thinking to keep her from becoming a nuisance.

So after my experience here are some tips I hope may help some of you in the future.

Top tips:
  • Try to arrive in plenty time – there is simply nothing worse than rushing with a toddler in tow. Rushing = stress and stress and toddlers do not mix
  • Be prepared for security – it still baffles me how people rock up to security without even thinking of taking off their jackets or getting their laptops/liquids out in preparation. Make sure the baby milk is out too. Also, be prepared for baby to get searched. Isla has been on ten flights and has been searched on eight of them. Even as a six week old!
  • Bring snacks – I’d say mainly things that will take a toddler ages to get out of a packet and eat. The more time, the better. Raisins, bags of mini bread sticks and are all winners!
  • Bring distractions – new toys, books, window stickers, colouring in books, iPads, whatever works for you child. Anything they might see as fresh and new will be much more interesting and hold their attention for longer
  • Make sure you have everything you need to hand for the flight – cover your back and pack everything you might need into an easy access hand luggage bag that you can keep with you
  • Use a carrier instead of a pushchair if you can – it just makes life easier getting round the airport and on the plane. Of course, if your baba is too big for a carrier then don’t hurt yourself. Get one of the cheap strollers that pop up and down and you don’t mind getting damaged on a plane
  • Ask to move seats if there are more suitable ones available for you – for example, seats by themselves, seats nearer the front, aisle seats, window seats, whatever is best for you
  • If it’s a night time flight get them ready for bed – get those jammis on. Who knows, they might even be more inclined to sleep. HA!
  • And above all, pray you are next to people who like kids…

Thank goodness it was just one flight on the way back. And Easyjet I may add!

What are your top tips for flying with kids?
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4 comments so far.

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Kisses and cuddles with my faves 💖💫 Kisses and cuddles with my faves 💖💫
‘Each of us as citizens, has a role to play in c ‘Each of us as citizens, has a role to play in creating a better world for our children.’ - Nelson Mandela ❤️
It’s not enough though, is it? We’ve always h It’s not enough though, is it?

We’ve always had diverse toys in our house (not enough, but I’m working on it ❤️), but when questioned ‘why do you buy your kids Black dolls?’, I’ve faltered and answered incorrectly. I would respond saying ‘because that’s the doll Isla liked the best. What does it matter? We’re all human’, rather than questioning why that person is questioning it in the first place.

In a massive learning curve this week, where I am actively trying to become an anti-racist ally, not just anti-racist/non racist in general, I have found so many shortcomings in my effort to educate my kids and in my own attitudes towards race. But this isn’t about me. So here are some resources I’d like to share on top of the ones shared in my stories.

Some books to read:
Me and White Supremacy - Layla F. Saad.
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge.
How to argue with a racist - Adam Rutherford.
Brit(ish) - Afua Hirsch.
White Fragility - Robin Diangelo.
I Am Not Your Baby Mother - Candice Brathwaite.
So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo.

Diverse kids books:
Anti Racist Baby - X. Kendi.
Riley Can Be Anything -Davina Hamilton.
Look Up - Nathan Bryon.
Mae Among The Stars - Roda Ahmed.
The Mega Magic Hair Swap - Rochelle Humes.
Let’s Talk About Race - Julius Lester.
Welcome To Our World - Moira Butterfield and Harriet Lynas.
This Book Is Antiracist - Tiffany Jewell.
The Extraordinary Gardener - Sam Boughton.
Let The Children March - Monica Clark-Robinson.
Ruby’s Worry - Tom Percival.
A Kids Book About Racism - Jelani Memory.

Some things to watch:
When They See Us.
13th.
Who Killed Malcom X.
Time: The Kalief Browder Story.
Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap.
Dear White People.
I am Not Your Negro.

My to do list:
- Sign more petitions.
- Donate to more causes.
- Listen to podcasts and share.
- Encourage changes in the school curriculum so that my children, and their classmates, get a better, much more rounded and diverse education.
- Call things out.
- Have honest/open conversations.
- Share content.
- To keep educating myself, whilst never expecting others to do it for me.

It’s just a starting point.

Thanks for listening x
Black Lives Matter. I can never pretend to unders Black Lives Matter.

I can never pretend to understand, but I will always stand.

I’ve been on a huge learning curve this week and have, shamefully, come to the realisation, which I should have a long time ago, that it’s not enough to just not be racist. We must also be actively anti-racist and do everything in our power to ensure our children are too.

Today is a day to stop, listen, support, educate ourselves, donate, sign petitions, take action in any way we can, big and small, to make sure that everyone knows we stand with our fellow humans, family and friends. But we can’t just do this today. We must do it each and every day going forward ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻
And breathe! First day without both my babies for And breathe! First day without both my babies for the first time in 10 weeks today and it couldn’t have gone better. Both had wonderful days and were full of stories when they got home. I said over on stories last night, which got an incredible response so thank you to everyone who reached out, that I am completely comfortable with my choice to send the kids back to school and nursery but would never, ever judge anyone who felt different. We are all in different boats in this storm we’ve found ourselves in and what works for my family, might not work for yours. I have deliberately stayed out of the ‘are you sending your kids back or not?’ debate as it started to feel like another toxic discussion, in the media and on social media, that was resulting in yet another parenting divide.
I could have had the kids in this whole time, under key worker provision, but tried my best to hang on till the phased reopenings that I hoped would happen when they did. They were what I was aiming towards. Don’t get me wrong, I have LOVED having the kids at home together for such a sustained period, we have made lots of memories and learnt so much more about each other, but mixed in with the nature of my job and the fact that @thisdadalife is deployed and so I’m on my own with minimal support, I couldn’t have gone on much longer.
When I got in from dropping them off today, and as I went upstairs to work at my desk, I literally collapsed on the stairs and almost cried in relief. Relief that we made it through, as dramatic as that sounds. I don’t think I realised the toll it was taking mentally as I was constantly running on adrenaline.
I am so happy to get a bit more balance back and to, most importantly, feel like a better mum again. Not a snappy trying to juggle it all 24/7 with no break mum.
If you sent your kids back today, whether you wanted to or not, I’m with you and support you.
If you have kept them home in your bubble for longer, I’m with you and support you.
If you’re still unsure what to do and are undecided, I am with you and support you.
Nobody knows the full extent of someone else’s circumstances and we have to stop and realise that before we judge anyone else ❤️
Ibiza vibes in Puerto Gardeno today 😂☀️😅 Ibiza vibes in Puerto Gardeno today 😂☀️😅
This is the first year in YEARS that I have felt ok wearing a bikini. And I feel like it’s more down to how strong I feel, rather than how I look. Whatever it is, I hope it continues ❤️
On another note, how tanned does the @filterbymollymae fake tan make you look! 🙌🏻
(Both bikini and cover up are from last year).
#losingmyboobstho #youwinsomeyoulosesomehaha
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