A frequent flyer mom has revealed the best and worst ages to take young kids on planes.
Paige Wester, 32, is originally from Michigan but moved to the UK in the autumn of 2021, settling in the city of Newcastle with her husband and their two-and-a-half-year-old son Rory.
In the years since Rory’s birth, Wester estimates she has flown “maybe 15 times or so” with their young son.
“With being from the U.S. all my family are based over there so we’re fortunate enough to visit them a couple of times a year,” Wester told Newsweek. “Additionally, we get to travel in Europe quite a bit too so the flights quickly rack up.”
It’s proven to be an invaluable experience. The topic of young kids on planes is a divisive one among Americans today. In 2023, a Newsweek poll of 1,500 U.S. adults found 59 percent of respondents agree that a child-free zone on planes and trains would be a positive thing.
Some parents on flights agonize over the idea of their young child causing midair disruption. Wester has developed something of a thick skin to that kind of criticism.
Asked what her number one piece of advice for anyone traveling with a young child is, her response is simple: “Don’t stress about what other people think.”
“Chances are, you’ll never see the people on your flight again so if things go sideways, it’s not the end of the world,” she said. “Be considerate, of course, but worrying too much only makes it harder on you.”
Wester does have some wisdom to share when it comes to flying with young kids. In a video posted to her TikTok, @p_west_ she shared what, from her experience, were the best and worst ages to fly with her son.
The video saw her rank 7-months-old as the easiest age of child to fly with, based on her own experience. “I think, generally, the younger they are the better,” she said. “Infants really only cry when they are hungry or tired so it’s pretty easy to figure out what the issue is and of course they don’t want to move around as much as a 2 year old!”
On the flip side, however, Wester seemed to warn about traveling with a two-year-old, which she ranked as the hardest age from her own flight experience.
“2 is so hard because they are so unpredictable and you can’t really reason with them when they are that age,” she said. “It’s hard to keep them confined to a small space when they don’t quite understand why they’re packed onto a plane. Also toddlers can have a tantrum at any moment for no reason and there isn’t much you can do to stop it happening!”
Ultimately though, Wester believes it’s important for parents to be kind to themselves when traveling on a plane with a young child.
“Parents worry too much about what other people think,” she said. “Your kids are out of their normal routine, of course they might act out, get cranky, or feel overstimulated. That’s normal. Don’t stress if it happens. As long as you’re doing your best and being considerate, like not letting your child repeatedly kick the seat in front of them, it’s okay.”
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