Travelling with children When grandma and granddad move to live in another country getting the grandchildren to visit them can be a bit of a headache.  To make things  a little easier cots and high-chairs can be rented in Spain and mattress protector pads can be bought from a  local pharmacy.   The main obstacle is of course the journey itself....

You are expecting young children to behave well and sit still in an aeroplane for a minimum of 1½ hours, for this you will need your own personal arsenal of things to keep their little minds busy to ease the stress of the journey for both you and them.

Your arsenal, or travel pack, should first and foremost start with the comforts of home. Pack a stuffed animal, they make great travellers on family trips – they don't object to strange foods, can stay up late, no teeth to brush or face to wash, are wonderful company when a child goes to sleep, kids love them, and best of all – they travel free!  Just follow these simple guidelines:

• Pick a small toy, leave the giant bear at home
• Don’t take the most treasured toy just in case he gets expatriated
• Make sure he’s washable, at least until you know whether you child suffers from travel sickness
  

The next thing you need in your bag is activity books and crayons or coloured pencils.  Pack colouring books, dot to dots, mazes, letter and number books then when junior is in the need of a pick me up pull out a book and give him/her a crayon.  Steer clear of felt tips or markers, if you wouldn’t want it on the living room settee, then you don’t want it in the aeroplane. You can also get jigsaw books, when all the jigsaws are complete the book just closes keeping all the pieces safe.

Third, take a small selection of dolls or toy cars so the child can role play on his/her own. Avoid toys that make a noise or have small pieces that fall off and can get lost or worse  still stick to seats  and clothes so musical instruments, Lego and Play Doh are all out.  You think the seats are cramped sitting in them? Try burrowing down to the floor looking for a dropped Pokemon card.  You’re already on borrowed time with your fellow passengers even if they still have those catatonic false smiles in place.

Fourth, bring a story book, when they start to get restless or tired they will often settle down when they hear you reading to them.  They may even have a favourite book so that they can “read” along with you.

If your child is still being bottle fed try to time the feed to coincide with take off to protect them against pressure build up and having their ears go “pop”. Babies are more likely to cry at this point of the flight than any other.  You can also give them a dummy or chewy sweet, anything that is going to get them to swallow to release the pressure behind the ear drum.

Don’t forget that once the seat belt light goes on the hostesses will not allow you to take your child to the toilet so make sure you have made any necessary trips before descent.  It can completely disrupt your potty training if you have to tell him that “this time” it’s OK to do it in his pull-ups.

The most important thing you will need to take with you is your patience.  You are expecting your cherubs to behave for a long time.  What with the journey to the airport, the time to wait after check-in and then the flight itself – the kids are going to get bored and you are going to need to entertain them if you are to retain your sanity.  With your bag of tricks full you should have a great trip with even the fussiest of preschoolers.