A mum has revealed how to find the secret, free airport playgrounds most parents don’t know about.
Traveling with little ones can be real tiring, but thanks to the hidden areas, moms and dads can enjoy some peaceful moments while keeping their children safe and occupied.
Zara Bartoszewicz, mother of someone who works as a social media executive for a vacation provider Florida Oceanshared her tips for managing long trips with young children.
As part of her advice, she explained that many airports offer places for little travelers to hang out and have fun during the long wait at the gate.
Zara said: “Most major international airports should have a children’s play area between the gates or near a seating area, as well as toy stores for them to enjoy.
“For example, Heathrow Airport has a ‘stay and play’ area for children in each terminal, open from 6am to 9pm every day.”
Heathrow isn’t alone either, with small playgrounds dotted around many of the major airports.
In the UK alone there are special areas for children in Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, among others.
Newcastle Airport has excellent facilities for older children, with games and tablets available, whilst at Leeds there is a large play area on the first floor of the terminal.
Some major international destinations also offer great options for the return journey.
Lyon Airport offers playgrounds and toy scooters, as well as comfortable benches for parents.
And Copenhagen even offers free strollers to transport little ones around the place, avoiding long and difficult walks.
Likewise, Zurich and Amsterdam airports cater for even the youngest passengers, with baby rooms for a pre-flight nap.
Don’t put them down too early, though, adds Zara, as a fun and engaging game at the airport can also make the flight itself much easier.
She explained: “Letting kids play before boarding their flight can be a really helpful way to tire them out enough so they’re ready to nap.”
List of airports with child-friendly facilities
UK:
- Heathrow – ‘stay and play’ area in all terminals, family lounge in T3
- Gatwick – Large leisure area in the South Terminal and ‘kids zone’ in the North Terminal
- Manchester – Kids TV Zone in T1, children’s area and adventure games in T2
- Birmingham – Interactive Sky Zone for children aged 13 and under at Gate 55
- Luton – children’s play area near gates 1-6 by Pret A Manger
- Edinburgh – soft play at gates 2 and 21
- Glasgow – Soft play for ages 2-6 at Gate 27, puzzle and Lego tables elsewhere
- East Midlands – Unsupervised soft play for under 8s in first floor food court
- Leeds – Unsupervised soft play on the first floor
- Newcastle – Tablet and games area in the terminal building
Outside the UK:
- Copenhagen – Free buggies and mezzanine play area
- Lyon – Exclusive lanes for families in the security and recreation area in the middle of the terminal
- Barcelona – Exclusive family routes in safety
- Zurich and Amsterdam – play areas and baby rooms
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
