Norwegian cabin crew and pilots reveal their top tips to stress-free family travel

How to keep the little ones happy at 30,000 feet

With the main school summer holidays just around the corner, families are preparing to jet off into the sunshine for a well-deserved break. Parents can often worry about the ‘joys’ of flying with their young children so Norwegian’s cabin crew and pilots, who have a lot of experience of travelling with little ones, have shared their top tips to a stress-free journey – happy flying!

• Liliana Chantre, Senior Cabin Crew: “Bring noise cancelling headphones for new-born babies and toddlers – it helps them to feel calm and relaxed as well as helping with the pressure change”
• Robert Kennedy, Cabin Crew: “Pack lots of time consuming snacks for them to eat which will keep them occupied for as long as possible! I always bring dry alphabet cereal or cheerios”
• Joost Smits, Pilot: “Write a contact phone number on their arm in case they wander off”
• Meriel Taylor, Ground Instructor: “Invest in an inflatable booster seat that meets Norwegian’s regulations for child safety restraint systems – you can use it on the aircraft and in a hire car at your destinations. It looks no different when blown up to the real thing, apart from the fact you can deflate it and pop it in your handbag... fantastic!”
• Lee Allen, Cabin Crew: “I always pack lavender balm. Just put a touch on the kid’s temple to keep them calm. On a night flight, the soothing smell helps induced sleep”
• Andrew Huddleston, Relief Captain: “Take a compact backpack as hand luggage that enables you to store it under the seat in front – then you don't need to keep getting out of your seat to retrieve your items”
• Anders Halvgaard, First Officer: “I always give my kids something to suck or chew on during take-off and landing. The distraction, as well as the chewing, can help prevent any problems with pain due to pressure changes. For small babies, a bottle helps a lot”
• Christine Bergles, Chief Ground Instructor: “Don’t forget to bring some over the ear headphones – perfect for kid’s watching a movie or playing games on their tablet and it means they won’t pull them out or block their ears”
• Sira Llorente, Senior Cabin Crew: “When travelling with my daughter I always pack her favourite things especially food, including a few treats and her favourite toys to make sure she is entertained the whole flight”

Norwegian carries more than 5 million UK passengers each year from 5 UK airports, to over 50 global destinations. The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average age of 3.6 years, and more than 200 new aircraft on order. Earlier this summer it was announced that Norwegian has been awarded the ‘World's best low-cost long-haul airline’for three consecutive years at the SkyTrax World Airline Awards.

More information on travelling with children visit www.norwegian.com/uk/travel-info/travelling-with-children