Surviving Long Flights with Kids and Teens: Momaboard on Radical Parenting

Momaboard has been featured on popular parenting site Radical Parenting, offering travel advice for kids and teens. Check it out!

Travel can be daunting, even if it’s a short trip down to grandma’s.

Clothes, food, accessories, a multitude of gadgets, shoes and oh yeah, a $50 fine on overweight baggage. And an additional $10 if you didn’t pay it online before you were even fined.

With the recession and rising oil prices, airlines certainly don’t make it seem like they put the customer first. I mean, why else would you be allowed to travel with an infant, but not given any excess baggage allowance? Was it a non-parent who made that rule? Don’t they know that infants equate to more stuff than the rest of the family? And with further cost-cutting, who knows what else we will have to give up on flights – free water? Oh wait, too late.

But, there are some joys associated with traveling: vacations, adventures, family reunions, friend visits, and a sense of liberation as you ascend to the skies. Parents particularly get so caught up in the logistics that they forget how much children can learn through travel, by seeing the world through someone else’s eyes, in someone else’s language. But the distances can be tough so here are some tips to follow to survive long flights when you are traveling with your kids.

Read the rest here:

A note on airplane bassinets (and other notes)

If you're anything like me, you will take solace in the fact that schlepping  your little one around the world costs you nearly nothing extra until they hit the grand old age of two. However, here's some of the "fine print" I have learned wrt airplane travel with a sub two-year old:

1) Airline bassinets have different weight limits. Singapore Airlines is 14 or 16 kgs, Air China is 6 months and Quantas is 11kgs. Make sure to ask when you are booking your ticket. If a bassinet is unavailable or if your baby is too big, ask the airline to block one or two empty seats for you. However, make sure these seats are not in the front row, because there is more leg room available, the armrests don't go up which means that baby can't lie across the seats, which is the whole purpose of blocking off seats!! Or just upgrade to business class.

2) Singapore Airlines (and others, I am sure), will make you take the  baby out of the bassinet during turbulence which is really a pain the neck (literally) when you have spent an hour trying to put them to sleep, enduring the insensitive stares of non-parental passengers. Qantas doesn't do this. Again, ask. It's just easier to mentally prepare if baby's going to be sleeping on your face for most of the flight.

3) When some flights offer an infant meal, they mean a jar of banana porridge or something similarly inappropriate for a post-weaning baby. Ask for a CHILD meal instead or make something yourself.

4) Airlines will try to stick all the babies at the back of the plane. When your card says row 57, don't assume it's because that's all that's available - ask for something up front. Traveling parents have enough to deal with without being the last in the immigrations queue.

Other posts in the Airlines and Flying series:

For First-Timers: Overcoming Your Worst Fears of Flying with Your Kids


For Travelers in America: Preparing and Protecting Your Children from New TSA Security and Pat-Down Procedures

Flight Safety Tips from a Professional!

Airlines and Flying: Traveling Domestically? Carry Age Proof (for the baby)

10 Insider Tips for Travel with a Baby

10 Tips to Surviving a Long Flight with Your Infant - Alone!

Kudos to Qantas for Child-Friendly Skies!

Six Reasons NEVER to Fly Air China (even without a child)

Packing for China: My All-Inclusive List

Air China: Most Baby-UNfriendly airline!

Singapore, Singapore - The Love Affair that Began Once I Became a Parent

When I was young and single, I thought Singapore was one of the dullest places on the planet, but once I had a child, I have begun to think of it as heaven on earth, from a baby-friendliness perspective, of course. Here's why:

1) It's clean and safe. Everything about Singapore is neat and functional. It often has a reputation for being "sterile" but as we parents know, you can't be germ-free enough when you are traveling with kids! Besides, take a walk to one of Singapore's bustling hawker centers if you want a taste of the spicier side of things.

2) Getting around is easy. Cabs are easy to hail (except during rush hour) and all malls have very well-organized taxi stands. You can even call a cab if you are having trouble for a small fee (S$2.50-3.00). The underground subway (MRT) is also easy to navigate and well-maintained, with elevators leading down and up from the platforms.

3) Most baby brands are represented in Singapore, because of its location in Asia Pacific and its popularity with Europeans. You can buy baby food, diapers, bottles, and everything else you need at well-stocked pharmacies and supermarkets.

4) English is the primary language (although the accent can be a bit tricky to decipher).

5) Domestic help is very common and easily available which means that you can go to restaurants, malls, coffee shops and find children left in the care of their attendants, giving mum and dad some time off. Further, all domestic help is well-regulated by the Singapore government, reducing the risk of criminal activity.

6) A quarter of Singapore's population is expats, enabling the influx of varied influences into its food, culture and social dynamics.

The downsides: the weather is hot and humid all year around, and real estate is ridiculously expensive.

Overall, if you'd fancy a year or two away in another country but don't want to die of culture shock, Singapore's a great option. As a vacation spot, it also has the added advantage of being a portal to other hot holiday destinations in Asia such as Thailand and Malaysia.

Other posts in the Singapore series:

Singapore, Singapore - Forum, the Best Shopping Mall for Kids

Singapore, Singapore - One Degree 15 Marina Club in Sentosa

Singapore, Singapore - Forum, the Best Shopping Mall for Kids

In Singapore, one of the shopping capitals of the world, you are completely spoiled for choice when it comes to malls. However, it can also be a bit overwhelming. I can definitively say that the best mall to buy kids' stuff in Singapore is Forum, the Shopping Mall.

It's neither the nicest nor the biggest mall in Singapore, but that's what makes it so perfect. You can get around quickly, and can find your way to most stores easily. It also belies the designer factor of the stores housed here: DKNY Kids, Ralph Lauren Kids, Kids 21 Boutique. You will also find toy stores such as Toys "R"Us and the Early Learning Center (not yet in the States but a favorite in Asia and parts of Europe). If the kids need to burn off some energy, you can drop them to the little play area for a small fee, and watch them get nap-ready. As a special mention, check out Little Colette in the basement for beautiful nursery accessories and knick-knacks. As with all Singapore malls, parking is easily available and well-organized underground and taxi stands are well designated.


Other posts in the Singapore series:

Singapore, Singapore - The Love Affair that Began Once I Became a Parent

Singapore, Singapore - One Degree 15 Marina Club in Sentosa