<p>With children, breaking up a very long journey can be easier than one enormous flight, and a good airport has more room to run around than a plane. It can also go wrong, with an overtired toddler at 2am or a tight connection. A plan made before you land usually makes the difference.</p>
Last reviewed: November 2026. Airport details come from Changi Airport, Schiphol, Copenhagen Airport, Helsinki Airport (Finavia) and Munich Airport. Passenger rights come from the EU’s Your Europe site, and visa information from GOV.UK. Facilities move and close, so check the airport’s website, and check your own terminal and transit area, before you travel.
A long layover sounds awful, but it isn’t always the worst way to get somewhere. With children, breaking up a very long journey can be easier than a single enormous flight, and a good airport offers more room to run around than a plane ever will. It can also go wrong: an overtired toddler at 2am, an airport without seats, or a connection that’s suddenly too tight. The difference is usually made by the plan you have before you land. This guide explains how to fill the hours, where to look for play areas, and what to check before booking.
Quick answer
- Find play areas before you fly. Check your airport’s website and the terminal you will be in, and whether it’s before or after security.
- Divide the time into blocks: move, eat, rest, play, and repeat. Don’t try to fill every hour with screens.
- Leave the airport only if there’s plenty of time, and check entry rules, visas and baggage first.
- Keep overnight essentials in hand luggage, including spare clothes and medicines.
- Book a single ticket where you can. Protection for a missed connection is much better on one reservation.
- A very long or overnight layover? Consider an airport hotel or lounge, depending on what your family can manage.
A time-block plan
This is how we would suggest filling a five-hour layover. Stretch or shorten it to fit, and put your child’s nap first.
| Time | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First 30 minutes | Toilets and nappies; check next gate and boarding time; fill bottles | Removes the first worry, and gives you time to check for gate changes |
| Next hour | Walk to and use a play area | Children have just been sitting down, so let them move first |
| Hour 2 | A proper meal, sitting down | Sets up the next stretch, and plane food is unpredictable |
| Hour 3 | Rest: stroller nap, quiet corner, book or film | Lets them recover from the excitement |
| Hour 4 | Second walk: watching planes, a small shop, more play | Tires them out before the next flight |
| Last hour | Toilet, nappy, snacks and bottles; go to the gate early | Family boarding can be early, and gates can be a long way off |
Step-by-step checklist by age
Babies
- ☐ Find a baby care room or parents’ room on the airport map
- ☐ Keep enough nappies, milk and baby food for the wait plus a delay. GOV.UK says enough for the journey is allowed in hand luggage
- ☐ Use a carrier or stroller for sleep, and follow safer-sleep advice as well as you can
- ☐ Pack a muslin and a change of clothes for you, too
Toddlers
- ☐ Plan on a play area first, then a meal
- ☐ Bring a stroller or carrier. Your toddler may refuse to walk at the far end of the terminal
- ☐ Take a few small new toys, kept back for hour three
- ☐ Keep a close watch on moving walkways, escalators and crowds
- ☐ Put your contact details on your child, for example on a wristband
Ages 4 to 8
- ☐ Give them a small airport mission, such as spotting airlines or finding a plane’s tail colours
- ☐ Let them help read departure boards
- ☐ Pack activity books. See activity books for ages 4 to 8
- ☐ Agree a meeting point if you get separated
Ages 9 and up
- ☐ Let them find the gate and calculate walking time
- ☐ Offer a budget for a snack or souvenir
- ☐ Bring downloaded films and chargers. See screen time on flights
- ☐ Teach them to look for the airport’s information desks and staff, should they need help
Play areas at some major airports
Some airports make a layover much easier. These are examples from airport websites at the time of writing. Check that they are open, and whether you can reach them from your gate.
- Singapore Changi: Changi says terminal play areas are free, including the 2 Bears Hideout playground in Terminal 2. Its transit listings include play areas in Terminals 1, 2 and 3, with age guidance, and the Slide and Chandelier at T4, with a minimum height of 1.1 m. Jewel’s attractions, such as Canopy Park, require admission tickets.
- Amsterdam Schiphol: a free Kids Playground on the first floor of Lounge 2 is open around the clock, where children can climb in and on a real plane. Schiphol also says that all lounges after security have play areas.
- Copenhagen: there’s a playground outside before security, an indoor control-tower-themed area with a slide near gates B, and more play areas near gates E. The airport says children must be supervised.
- Helsinki: play areas in the Schengen area near gates 16 and 20, a playground in the baggage claim area, and Maja Living Room at gate 52 in the non-Schengen area.
- Munich: a Kids Area in Terminal 1 with a slide, a bouldering wall and a race track. The airport also has fast-track security lanes for families with small children.
Play areas are often small and may be busy. Take a look at the airport’s map before you land, and note how far it is from your arrival and departure gates.
Should you leave the airport?
A long layover can be a free extra city. It’s tempting, but you need to add up the time honestly. As a rule of thumb, you’ll need time to get through immigration, travel into the city, return, clear security again and get to the gate. With small children, it all takes longer. There’s no official number, but we wouldn’t try it unless you have a comfortable margin of many hours. Our advice is to check these things first:
- Entry rules. Do all family members have the right to enter the country? Passports differ, and so do visa and electronic travel permission rules, even for short stays.
- Baggage. Is your bag checked through? Is there somewhere safe to leave your hand luggage?
- Transport. How long does it take to get to the city by train or taxi, and is it reliable? What will you do about child seats in a taxi? See travel car seats.
- Weather and energy. Is your child going to enjoy it, or will they be exhausted for the next flight?
- Airline check-in. Do you need to check in again? Do you have boarding passes?
Check before you book: connection risks
- Single ticket vs separate tickets. EU rules on compensation for missed connections apply to flights on a single reservation. On separate tickets, a missed connection is generally your problem.
- Visas in transit. Some travellers need a visa even to change planes. GOV.UK sets out the UK’s rules on airside transit, including a Direct Airside Transit Visa for some nationalities. Check every family member’s passport for each country on your route.
- Short connections. With children, the minimum connection time isn’t always enough, because of security checks and long walks. Allow more time.
- Security at the transfer airport. You may have to go through security again, so your liquids, bottles and baby food need to meet that airport’s rules. GOV.UK says to check your departure, connecting and return airports. Don’t buy liquids that won’t survive the next checkpoint.
If things go wrong
If you are covered by EU rules, the Your Europe site says that an airline must offer meals and refreshments in proportion to the wait, and hotel accommodation with transport if your new departure is at least the day after your original one. If you miss a connection and arrive at your final destination more than 3 hours late, you can claim compensation if the flights were on a single reservation, unless extraordinary circumstances applied. You aren’t entitled if you miss it due to delays at security checks, or if you didn’t make the boarding time at the transfer airport. Keep your receipts, because you may be able to claim reasonable out-of-pocket costs.
Rules are different in other parts of the world, and travel insurance can cover some of the gap. If a delay leaves you stranded with a child, go to the airline’s desk or transfer desk right away, and explain that you have small children. Keep all the essentials with you.
What to carry for a long layover
- ☐ Spare clothes for everyone, including you
- ☐ Nappies and wipes, for longer than you think you’ll need
- ☐ Snacks, and refillable water bottles (emptied for security)
- ☐ Medicines in their original packaging. See our first-aid kit guide
- ☐ Charged devices, cables and a power bank. The US Federal Aviation Administration says power banks must travel in the cabin
- ☐ A light blanket or a sleeping bag
- ☐ Printed or saved copies of your tickets, onward details and insurance
For more on the under-seat bag, read our kids’ under-seat bag packing list.
Common mistakes and real-world scenarios
- Going straight to the gate. Gates are usually boring and crowded. Save that for the last hour.
- Letting a child nap in the wrong place. Choose somewhere you can watch your bags, and take turns staying awake. Set alarms for your flight.
- Overloading on sugar. A shop full of sweets is hard to avoid. Have a plan for what is allowed.
- Missing the gate change. Check the boards, and the airline’s app, regularly.
- Handing out all your toys in the first hour. Keep something for hour three.
- Forgetting about the time zone. Meals and sleep should follow your child’s body clock, not the airport clock. See baby and toddler jet lag.
Final thoughts
<p>Find play areas before you fly, split the wait into blocks of moving, eating and resting, and keep essentials in hand luggage. Book a single ticket where you can, check transit visa rules for every passport, and only leave the airport with a comfortable margin. Go to the transfer desk right away if things go wrong.</p>
Frequently asked questions
How do you keep kids entertained on a long layover?
Use time blocks: a play area first, then a meal, then rest, then more activity. Save screens and new toys for the later hours.
Which airports have good play areas?
Changi, Schiphol, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Munich all list play areas on their websites. Check that they are in your terminal.
Can we leave the airport during a layover?
Only if all family members can enter the country and you have plenty of time. Check your bags, your visa rules and the transport times.
What happens if we miss our connection?
It depends on the rules and your ticket. Under EU rules, you can claim compensation in some cases when flights are on a single reservation. Go to the airline's transfer desk straight away.
Is a long layover better than a tight connection with kids?
Many families prefer a comfortable margin, because a missed connection with children is a far harder problem than a spare hour or two.
