The Seat Extending Kits for Flights with Kids
BedBox type devices have become increasingly popular with families travelling with young kids. It's a kit that extends the length of your child's seat so they have more room to lay down and stretch out.
Alternatives on the market include an inflatable cushion that fills in the space (fly tot) and a hammock to lift their legs up (Fly LegsUp for Kids). While the concept seems genius, more and more airlines are banning the devices on their flights due to safety concerns (hard to get the life jacket out during an emergency).
So what can us travelling moms do to make sure our kids sleep as much as possible on a flight? One easy and cheap option is to lay your carryon luggage on the floor in front of your child thus extending the length of your child's seat using cushions and blankets to raise it up to the appropriate height and add additional cushioning. There is still the concern that you will not be able to get your lifejacket out in an emergency though.
The solution is, we need more airlines to offer SkyCouches for our kids.
Family Couches That Turn Your Seat Into a Bed for Kids
A couple years ago, a fantastic concept hit the market and Air New Zealand started offering Skycouches that have leg rests that lift up to extend your seat. A perfect solution for families with young kids and doesn't require the parents to lug around bulky contraptions.
These specially designed 3 in a row airlines seats allow up to a family of 3 to stretch out and sleep horizontally in economy.
Currently China Airlines and New Zealand Air offer what they call 'Family Couch' or ' Skycouch' seats. Not all flights on China Airlines and Air New Zealand offer them and only select seats on the airplane offer the option.
The additional charge for the Family Couch is usually only a couple hundred dollars extra and includes an mattress and additional bedding making it a very affordable option for laying flat during a long haul without having to pay business of first class prices.
Best of all, your lifejacket is stored in the footrest making it easy to get in case of an emergency.
So on your next long haul flight, see if Air New Zealand or China Airlines flies to your destination and lets get more airlines to start using this fantastic innovation, especially if they're going to stop letting us take our devices on board to make our kids more comfortable.
Share with us, how you the ideal sleeping environment for your kids on long haul flights.
