A TRAVEL expert has revealed the mistakes parents make with small children when flying, that can actually put them at risk.
Travel experts Mark and Jocelyn Wolters have travelled around the world with their sons Caleb and Liam for the last 16 years.
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The husband and wife duo started travelling with Caleb when he was just six-weeks-old.
In the years since, Mark and Jocelyn have mastered the do’s and don’ts of travelling with children – including why holidaymakers shouldn’t assume flight attendants are babysitters.
Mark told the Sun Online Travel: “Flight attendants are not babysitters.
“Flight attendants have to focus on keeping the whole plane safe, and that means they cannot focus their time on one toddler.”
Mark explained that when parents think a flight attendant will look after a child is when air travel can get dangerous.
He said: “The galley, where the flight attendants work, is not a play area, it is a work space that has very heavy trollies that can roll out and hurt a small toddler.
“There can also be heating elements to prepare meals, so don’t let your little one hangout in the galley.”
The dad-of-two encourages families to let their kids walk up and down the plane, but only when it’s safe to do so.
He added: “Do not let them run up and down the aisle on their own, that’s dangerous because the carts can be very heavy, and turbulence can happen at any time.”
The travel expert implores parents to pay attention to their toddlers and not to expect other passengers or flight attendants to become care givers.
But Mark does recommend talking to your flight attendant when the moment is right, adding: “Be kind to them as they are the best at helping out when you need an extra hand.”
And Mark isn’t the only travel expert who believes flight attendants shouldn’t be babysitting children on the plane.
Caroline Skahn, who has worked as a flight attendant for five years, revealed that treating cabin crew as a babysitter is one of the most annoying things a passenger can do on a flight.
She said: “Each day I see so many parents get on a flight and immediately fall asleep or just not pay attention, leaving their children unattended. It’s not fair to the crew or other passengers.”
Mark also explained why parents shouldn’t give their children orange juice on a flight.
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