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Tips for entertaining toddlers and young children in the airport.
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Airports can be far more interesting to young children than they are to the rest of us.
If you dread spending extra time in the airport awaiting your flight with your toddler, or surviving a lengthy layover with your preschooler, fear not. Airports can be far more interesting to a child than they are to the rest of us.
In fact, when my brother-in-law once panicked, unsure of how to keep his three- and four-year-old kids entertained on a rainy afternoon, he asked them where they would like to go, “To the movies? To the mall?” To his surprise, they both exclaimed, “To the airport!” And off they went.
Here’s a sampling of some of the fun to be had with tots inside the terminal.
- Ride the escalators.
- Ride the elevators.
- Play “I see a blue coat, I see a black coat,” or some version of “I spy with my little eye.”
- Count backpacks from your seats, or venture out on a “backpack safari.”
- Have a picnic at a vacated gate.
- Watch the airplanes taxi and take off.
- Watch the airplanes descend and applaud the smoothest landings.
- Fill water bottles for your flight at a water fountain after you clear security.
- Befriend airline personnel awaiting your flight with questions like, “How many times have YOU flown on an airplane?” and “Have you ever seen Santa Claus up there?”
- Get some quality physical activity in like practicing yoga, doing calisthenics, or dancing the Hokey Pokey at a vacated gate—that’s what it’s all about! If you’re traveling with a baby, put down a blanket and let her roll, rock, or crawl, practicing all her latest moves.
Several airports also offer play areas for children, though you may need to visit another terminal to take advantage of it. You can check online to see if an airport has a designated play area for children either in the Cheaptickets.com Kids Airport Diversion Guide (linked to from this page) or by going to the U.S. Airports Guide at Orbitz.
Adapted from “10 Ways to Entertain Your Tot in the Terminal” in Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children. © 2007 Shelly Rivoli. All rights reserved.
For more tips on flying with babies and young children: Check out Shelly's book Travels with Baby, which covers everything from choosing the best airline, flight, and seats for your family to clearing security with small children and a small mountain of gear. www.travelswithbaby.com
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