Photo by Kidperez

You know the scene: someone boards the plane with toddler in tow, and reactions ripple down the aisles. Some passengers smile, some nod in sympathy at the parent, and some tense up and scowl, recalling the crying baby on their last flight.

Travel can be inspiring for children, but sometimes the actual travel part is more challenge than reward. Here are 20 tips for taking babies and young children on long flights.

Preparation

1. Book an overnight flight if you can. Your children will be worn out from the day’s activities, and hopefully sleepy.

2. Pick your seats strategically. Sitting at the back puts you close to the bathroom. But if your child is fidgety the bulkhead might be best. There, you don’t have to worry about your child kicking the back of someone’s seat.

3. Load kid-friendly movies or favorite TV shows on an iPhone or laptop. Be sure to charge all electronics before the flight.

4. The Frugal Traveler shares this advice: buy your child a new toy or book, just for the flight. Alternatively, you can wrap up an older toy. Seeing this toy in a different setting will be a novelty.

Photo by xersti

5. Paul Banas at GreatDad.com says to plan for the worst. Delays, cancellations, or hours of sitting on the tarmac will make everyone fidgety. Pack a lot more food, diapers and wipes than you think you’ll need.

6. For the sake of other passengers and yourself, pack non-noisy toys. An Etch-a-Sketch or coloring books are quiet, creative activities. If your child has electronic toys, be sure to check the volume settings.

7. Bring healthy snacks, especially if your child is a fussy eater. Foods that won’t melt or crumble are easiest; think trail mix or homemade sandwiches. Single Parent Travel suggests avoiding foods with caffeine or excess sugar.

8. Pack extra clothes for your child, since temperatures can vary on planes and in airports. Pack an extra shirt for yourself in case of baby spit-up or other mess.

9. Consider an inflatable potty seat to ease trips to the bathroom. On-the-Go Inflatables sells handy ones.

At the airport

10. Get to the airport early. After a car ride, lining up for check-in, then lining up again for security, kids will want to stretch their legs before sitting on a plane. You also might want to tire them out a bit with physical movement. Most airport websites will tell you whether a play area is offered. If not, find an open space where your kids can move around and play. As Travel Savvy Mom points out, this is also good advice for long layovers, as it burns up energy.

Photo by livingonimpulse

11. Children older than 3 or 4 should carry their own bags. Get a solid, comfortable rolling bag with shoulder straps so the bag can also be worn as a backpack. They can pack in it what they can carry.

12. Delicious Baby has great stroller advice: do your airport research to ease the transit. Most airlines will allow you to push your stroller all the way to the gate and check it there. Be sure to attach a tag to the stroller with your name, address, and contact information.

13. Before you go through the security point, explain the process to your child. It might be scary for a child to see his or her shoes or favorite toy disappear into an x-ray machine.

Valentine’s Day actually goes back to ancient Rome martyrdom, and over the years, some quirky traditions have popped up. In the spirit of keeping some of those old ideas alive, here are a few side-by-side with how we do it in 2010.

Love leaping

There’s an old tradition that designates the 29th of February (Leap Year) as the only time when women should propose to men. In the 19th century, stationery companies in the US and Britain began making Valentine’s Day cards with the same idea: if a man received the card from a woman on the Valentine’s Day of a leap year, it served as a marriage proposal and he would be entitled to consider the arrangement.

While maybe a little extreme, there’s no reason for ladies not to take the lead and do something special for their partner. You could stick to the classic tried ideas, like cooking him a meal…wearing only the apron. Head out for a night on the town, just the two of you. Or you could do something totally outlandish like pour a bucket of green goo over your partner’s head and then popping the big question. Surprise!

Dinner for two

“Sorry, that’s a no.” -Photo by aubergene

According to Smithsonian, a French woman used to let her admirer know if she was interested or not by whatever she served him on Valentine’s Day: an egg dish meant “no,” an apple meant “yes.” Much better than the pepper spray and whistle tactic I tend to use.

Nowadays, try serving up some aphrodisiac food choices, like oysters loaded with progesterone-controlling zinc that apparently prevents impotency. Then there’s all the phallic-like or anatomically-suggestive fruit and veggies, such as bananas, carrots, and apparently…onions?

If you’re celebrating alone, go out to a dinner alone. Treat yourself to something delicious without having to cringe over the loud chewing noises of your partner.

Love roulette

Smithsonian offers another example from ancient Rome, about women putting their names in a box to be randomly selected by men. What the men did afterward is vague, but apparently they “paid particular attention to the young women whose name they drew.” Another account mentions how an equal number of men and women would write their names on ballots, roll them up, and draw for different partners.

In our modern age, we like to call this “swinging.” Instead of using a cute ballot system, however, we’re more inclined to start poking people on Facebook.

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

On February 14, 1929, two famous criminal gangs of Chicago, Al Capone’s South Side Italian gang and George Moran’s North Side Irish Gang, were involved in one of the most famous gang war murders in history. Basically, Capone tricked Moran and his men into showing up at a warehouse to buy bootlegged whiskey. A team of Capone’s men entered disguised as policemen, and gunned down six of Moran’s men (not Moran himself) plus a gang friend.

So there’s no real comparison for a modern Valentine’s Day Massacre, unless you’re single and the pink and red adornments, heart-shaped universe and unbelievably tacky television commercials feel like a physical assault. My advice? Be like the Romanians and celebrate friendship, chase a love interest around a hill until you catch them, pin them down, and give them a kiss. New friendship.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Do you have any Valentine’s Day traditions? Found any alternative ways to celebrate, or special places to cozy up?