Allow lots of time

On the day of travel allow yourself more time than you need to do everything.  As a parent you’ll know that getting children out of the house with any speed or sense of urgency is nigh on impossible so don’t bother trying, it just makes everything else stressful if you’re short on time.  They’re bound to be excited which for my daughters means they are even more difficult to herd in the right direction so allow extra time to get to and through the airport.

Keep everyone fed and watered

Ensure you have some snacks…there’s nothing worse than a hungry child…ok, maybe a tired one runs a close second!  You probably want to make sure not all the snacks are sugary unless you’re prepared to deal with sugar meltdown later but a bit of sugar never hurt anyone did it?

Washington Square, NYC

Let everyone have their own handluggage

I’ve found it useful to give the kids a little backpack of their own with a toy of their choice and whatever other small items they want (no toy guns or knives though or your little one will be saying goodbye to their possessions at Security).  Carrying their own bag makes them feel important and included.  Bear in mind that they might get bored of carrying said bag so ensure it’s small enough to fit in one of yours if they do!  We use the little backpacks from Cath Kidston like these which are an ideal size.  They’re really useful for day trips on holiday too!

http://www.cathkidston.co.uk/searchadv.aspx?SearchTerm=mini+backpack

Airport entertainment

As well as having some entertainment with you (books, stickers etc), most UK airports have a children’s play area which can be worth seeking out if you have some time to kill before your flight.  Although I usually find that herding children through security and making sure they have all used the toilet before the flight takes up any remaining time we have.