1.
Plan ahead: Ask yourself what supplies you will need to
have on hand to take care of any normal or special needs
for the child. Remember, it is the airline's responsibility
to carry passengers to their destination, but it is the
responsibility of the parent or responsible adult to take
care of any children.
2.
Use a child restraint system for children under 40 pounds
(18.1 kilos): The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
strongly recommends that children weighing less than 40
pounds be put into a child restraint system appropriate
for their weight. Children under the age of two may be
carried on the lap of an adult, but the lap child should
have some kind of restraint system. For small children,
consider the following recommendations:
-
Find a way to conveniently carry any appropriate child
restraint systems through airports and into and out
of aircraft.
-
If
the child is over the age of two, and less than 40 pounds,
follow the FAA
recommendations for child restraint systems.
-
If
the child is under two, consider buying a separate seat
for the child and use an appropriate restraint system
for the seat.
-
If
the child is under two and will be traveling on the
lap of an adult, consider using an in-flight child restraint.
Also, bring along an appropriate child restraint system
just in case the seat next to you happens to be unoccupied.
3.
Prepare for possible emergencies: Make sure you are aware
of emergency equipment or procedures that would apply
to your child:
-
Listen to the preflight emergency briefing
-
Ask
a flight attendant if that particular aircraft has emergency
equipment, such as life preservers, designed for small
children
-
If
your child has a medical condition that may become an
issue during the flight, make a flight attendant, counter
agent, or gate agent aware of that possibility before
the flight
4. Take all essential items for the children in carry on
luggage: Take food, diapers, medicine, and other items
to last through flight delays and lost luggage. Carrying
the child's essentials with you is important if your child
is on a special diet or medication.
5. Keep your children under control at all times: YOU and
not the flight attendant is responsible for supervising
your child. An unsupervised or unrestrained child could
quickly wander away into dangerous areas such as galleys,
especially if the responsible adult falls asleep. During
a very long flight from Australia to the U.S., I observed
a parent traveling alone with a child fall asleep and
then saw their toddler wander down the aisle. You should
also be careful when walking about the aircraft with your
child so that they don't reach for cups of hot coffee,
silverware, and other hazards.
6. Seat your child away from an aisle: Children enjoy reaching
out and exploring, but if they are on the aisle, they
could get hurt if a person or serving cart in the aisle
bumps their arms. Ideally, two responsible adults should
sit on either side of the child. Also, one can seat the
child on a row with a window on one side and a responsible
adult on the other.
7. If emergency oxygen masks deploy, put your mask on first:
This may seem cruel, but there is a practical reason for
it. If the brain is starved of oxygen (hypoxia), one can
get confused or pass out and be unable to help themselves
or their child. By putting on their mask first, the parent
or responsible adult will reduce their chance of falling
victim to hypoxia.
8. Keep
your child belted or in a child restraint system at all
times: This is for the same reasons given in the Top
10 Air Traveler Safety Tips page. Turbulence
can happen at any time, so keep your child belted in. If the child wants to get up and move
around, let them do so only if the seat belt sign is off.
9. Bring along safe toys: Try to avoid bringing along toys
that are sharp, heavy, or that break easily. If the child
has an electronic game, only allow them to use it during
the cruise portion of flight. Electronic games may interfere
with an aircraft's navigational system during other phases
of the flight.
10. Take precautions for childrentraveling alone:
-
Escort
the child onto the aircraft and check the area around
the seat for hazards such as heavy items in the overhead
storage bins.
-
Inform the chief flight attendant that the child is
traveling alone
-
Ensure
that the person meeting the child at the destination
will have proper identification
-
Make
it clear to the child that they should report any problems
to a flight attendant. This could range from feeling
sick to having a suspicious character seated next to
them
-
If
the child has to change planes, make arrangements for
the child to be escorted between gates. This usually
costs extra and is required for small children and recommended
for older children, especially those old enough to do
it on their own but not mature enough to deal with potential
problems or temptations at a busy airport
-
Check
out the Top
10 Tips for Children Traveling Alone
Source: www.airsafe.com