I'm talking about children around 4-5 and of journies of 10+ hours.
I do this with my child because:
1) Children of that age normally have very little warning of the need to use the toilet (about 5 minutes) and there can be large queues for the loos on planes. if it is during take-off, landing, or turbulence then you're not allowed to use the toilet anyway.
2) Your child must be able to use a normal toilet as there is normally very little space for a potty in the toilets on planes.
3) If your child falls asleep then he will probably need a night-time nappy anyway.
4) It might seem strange but some children appear to un-train themselves on planes, maybe it is the effect of less air pressure on the bladder muscles, but they seem to lose bladder control.
I still have to put my 5 year old son in nappies on planes because of this even though he has been daytime trained since 2 and at night since 3, he hates the nappy (even though it's a pull-up) but he knows there is no other way. I would not put a child of 4 - 5 that is toilet trained in nappies. There are toilets on the flight and the best idea is to take your child to the toilet every 2 hours. Have spare pants in your hand luggage if you need them. I would not put my children in nappies on a long haul flight unless they fell asleep. You do know when your child is settling down to sleep and I usually put a nappy on them at this time. Going on a long haul flight is no different to going on any other long journey. If your child is dry during the day they should be able to use the toilets on the plane. This really depends on the child.
I'm a former Flight Attendant and now fly between Europe and California a couple of times a year, which are 11 1/2 and 10 1/2 hour journeys.
They're now 8, 6 & 3 so I've had the dilemma of what to do with a recently trained child three times now. My 3 year old can still have accidents but never when we were flying.
-First of all, there are diaper alternatives, like waterproof pants and extra-padded underware which leak but might give the child a few minutes to signal a problem and get him or her changed before everything gets wet.
-The diapers/pull-ups can be used as a threat, i.e. "If you have an accident, you'll have to wear the diaper for the rest of the flight..."
-Will your child go when prompted? Can your child understand that if there's a restroom available, then he or she needs to use it as there might not be another one/long time, etc.? I put one in a pull-up because she was willful and wouldn't go to the john when prompted.
-Does you child still have accidents? If not, it's probably not necessary.
-There is a bit of social pressure while travelling for the child to stay dry. They don't want to embarass themselves in public.
-Use the handicapped lavs onboard so that you have enough room. Since my kids are close in age, I would bring them all in at once to do what they need to. Now the two oldest actually get up and do the whole thing themselves.
-Use the public lavs after you get through security but before you get to the gate. This is the more secure area of the airport. Also, there are often no toilets near the boarding area.
Always bring at least two changes of clothes. If that's too bulky, put them in a plastic bag, roll it up and put a few rubber bands around the bulk to make it more compact. One of the changes also can be simply a pair of shorts and a T-shirt even in winter.
Always rinse the old clothes on a long haul flight. You can lay them across the top of the seats or ask if there's a closet in the back. Any clothes you rinse out during the flight will be dry in 2 hours because the air is very dry on aircraft.
In all my 13 years in the air, I had many, many flying families and never recall an accident in the air with a child that I was aware of. I also have not heard of this being a problem among my friends and most of the expats where I live also fly a lot with their own kids.
Like I said, airplane air is drying so everyone ends up a little dehydrated, which means less exiting the other way. Children get tired while flying so that's where the danger lies...
What I do insist upon are sippy cups. I don't want them spilling and for us, this is a bigger problem (I think my youngest has some sort of phsyic disorder where cups flip over if she comes in any sort of proximity to them).
For more information, I wrote an article on this subject from both my professional and personal experience including this issue. It's totally non-commercial and other parents have contributed over the years;
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
By all means, do what works for you but keep an open mind to alternatives. I wouldn't put my 4 year old daughter back in nappies for my convenience in order to have a peaceful long-haul flight. She has been potty trained since she was three years old and like it or not on long-haul flights I take her to the toilet every 2-2.5 hours. |
