Settling children on a long flight can feel like a lofty endeavor.
A flight attendant who shares his work experiences with followers online has provided several helpful hacks to help the parents of toddlers and young first-time flyers.
TikTok user @ichbinvin, or Kevin, first assured viewers that crying babies are a part of life.
“The first thing you need to do is just accept the fact that your baby might cry on the plane and it is what it is,” he declared. “I’ve said it before, the only thing more annoying than a screaming, crying kid on the plane, is somebody that won’t stop complaining about a screaming, crying kid on a plane.”
“I’ve heard it so many times, that I’m honestly tone deaf to crying babies and I feel like people who are on planes a lot probably feel the same way,” he added.
According to the TikToker, getting to the airport with “an abundance of time” is also key to avoiding pre-flight stress for your or your kiddos.
Parents should also make room to bring all of the devices and other comforts their kids are used to having at home. “I would bring snacks and maybe water,” Kevin added, “It might be bumpy, and if it’s bumpy the flight attendants won’t be able to do [beverage and snack] service.”
Landing can be a terrifying and uncomfortable moment for some kids. According to the seasoned traveler, feeding a child during landing is ideal as “swallowing will help their ears pop” and “a lot of kids scream and cry on a plane because their ears hurt.”
“As long as they’re not running up and down the aisles of a plane and smashing crackers into the carpet I really don’t think you’ll have a problem,” the airline worker concluded.
Several users also offered their own methods of controlling their offspring.
“I also say Benadryl,” recommended one viewer on TikTok. “A lot of people are against medicating kids but the Benadryl helps their ears too and the added benefit of them taking a nap.”
“We took red-eyes when our son was an infant just to time it with his sleep schedule. And we sat in the back by ourselves,” claimed another parent.
“We save lollipops for take-off and decent,” a third suggested. “You can get sugar-free ones if you’re concerned about the sugar.”