by Neil Dixon

Created on: November 16, 2008   Last Updated: January 02, 2009

Flying with small children can be very demanding, to say the least; even the most experienced of parents will at some point in their journey, feel the stress of flying with a toddler. Small children are very easily bored and once boredom kicks in, bad behaviour and tantrums will usually transform your cherub into a little monster. A single parent has no one to pass the child off to when things get really tough. They are stuck in a small passenger hold for the duration and cannot just get off the plane when their child becomes unbearable.

Most passengers will have a tale of a flight they once endured, when a child that sat near to them began to wreak havoc. Spare a thought for the poor parent of that child, who not only had to endure the same behaviour as you did, except they got a real close up, and furthermore they had to deal with the embarrassment of being the parent of the child from hell that the whole plane wishes would shut up.

Here are a few simple steps that single parents can take that will make their flight a little easier to deal with.

Try to book a flight time that is near to your child's bedtime. Take the child to the airport in their pyjamas underneath their coat, as this will make them feel that their normal bedtime routine hasn't been broken. Do not let the child sleep in the airport whilst waiting to board the plane, because they will inevitably wake up the very minute you climb the steps of the aircraft; they will now be re-energised by the power nap they just sneaked in. Bad news for any ideas you had of the child sleeping for most of the flight.

Arm yourself properly before leaving home and setting out for the airport. The secret here is not to take too much. It will be hard enough to carry your child and hand luggage around with you, so do not overload yourself with your child's favourite giant teddy bear.

Very young children will need to be fed at regular intervals and you need to make contingency for this. Ensure you have made up enough bottles for the flight and add a few more just in case you get delayed. Also take a supply of teething granules and Calpol sachets if your infant is at the age that these problems can occur.

Take a few of your child's favourite bedtime toys with you to help them feel safe and relaxed whilst in flight, nothing too large that you will have to struggle to carry around; a small teddy bear, blanket or rattle will be easily stored in your hand luggage and available when the need arises. Consider taking a small musical

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