Flying with kids isn’t easy. There are a few things that one can do to make it a bit more manageable when flying with little ones.
We always bring along various forms of entertainment to (hopefully) keep the kids busy. Some obvious items are tablets like an iPad or Kindle, stickers, small toys and special snacks.
For us, the most annoying part of a flight (with kids) can be meal time.
The tight space in economy seats alone make for an uncomfortable arrangement. Tray tables are equally as tight so you can expect something to fall or spill at some point.
Kim and I feel that one super- important way to make dining during a flight more manageable, is by always ordering kids meals for Lucas and Theo.
Ordering kids meals needs to be done in advance. I wouldn’t ever expect for there to randomly be a an extra onboard.
So why order your children a kids meal? I’d say that there are few key reasons why.
The first one is the obvious one… Odds are pretty high that your children will be more likely to eat the food from a kids meal than from the regular options. On a recent flight on Air France my boys were served chicken nuggets with a cheese sauce and potatoes. There were also a bunch of snacks on the tray including an applesauce pouch and chocolate.
Many airlines make kids meals fun. On that same flight the kids meals came with utensils which became airplanes thanks to the paper wings provided. (Check out the photo of Theo above.) We’ve also seen the meals delivered in fun kid approved lunch boxes that my kids love saving.
The last and most important reason to order a kids meal for your children is that the food will be served before the regular meals are. This gives parents time to help their kids eat and (hopefully) finish before their meals are served.
With the kids are already fed, there’s a good chance that you can sit back and enjoy your meal!
Sinosoul- It’s an option at times when booking your flight but we usually call the airline a couple of weeks before a flight.
danny- Enjoy!
Excellent point – will be sure to do this when we go to Europe with 4 yo twins next year.
I ALWAYS forget to do this, and kids always end up tossing the nasty adult meals. I always forget to do this cause I never know when I ought to start ordering the childs meal. Do you call the airline directly? Do you do it when you’re checking in (obviously too late). I have observed trans-oceanic flights, especially European and Asian, seem to readily have kid’s meals onhand, but not all the time as well.
Thanks.