Flying with children from Schiphol: from front door to gate

Everything takes longer with children. Getting out of the car, coats on, one more trip to the toilet, unfolding the pushchair. What takes ten minutes on your own can easily take twice as long with a family.

So use the usual rule of thumb for Schiphol, 2 hours for Europe and 3 hours for intercontinental, and add at least half an hour with children. In holiday weeks, make it three quarters of an hour.

Plan the evening before as well. Suitcases packed, clothes for the travel day laid out, documents in one bag. With children, the morning you leave is no time to start packing.

In an ordinary car, children shorter than 1.35 metres must sit in an approved child seat. That rule doesn't apply in a taxi, where children can travel without a seat as long as they sit in the back. For babies and toddlers a seat is a lot safer, though, and lugging your own seat to the airport is awkward, especially if you don't need it at your destination.

With SchipholRide you choose a Maxi-Cosi (0 to 13 months) or a toddler seat (9 months to 4 years) at the vehicle step of the booking form. It costs €15 once per booking, even if you request more than one seat. The driver brings the seat and helps you fit it. Bringing your own seat is free.

If you're travelling with two or more children plus suitcases, a spacious Van is often more comfortable than a sedan. All the practical details are on our page about travelling with children, and for larger families there's group transport to Schiphol.

The best packing trick for families: one small backpack per child, with a drink, a snack, something to keep them busy and a spare set of clothes. That way you don't have to keep digging through the big suitcase on the way.

Also think about the things that travel outside the suitcase: the pushchair, your own car seat for use at your destination if you need one, and a changing bag you can grab quickly.

What you can bring and how that works in the taxi is explained on luggage and extras. Pushchairs and prams simply go in the boot.

Security has a useful exception: baby food and milk for your child are allowed, even above the normal liquids limit. Just tell the security officer and it will be checked separately.

With many airlines the pushchair can go with you to the gate, where it's taken at boarding and travels in the hold. Check with your own airline beforehand how they handle this, as the rules differ from airline to airline.

Once you're through security, the pressure is off. Schiphol has baby-changing rooms and play areas spread across the piers. Plan your waiting time around the gate and let the children move about before they have to sit still for hours.

Some airlines let families with young children board first. Just ask at the gate: it gives you time to stow your bags and get everyone buckled in before the queue behind you catches up.

During take-off and landing, think about your child's ears. A drink, a dummy or something to chew on helps to equalise the pressure. So plan the bottle or drink around take-off, not before it.

Save the best entertainment for the flight. Children who have already seen everything at the gate get bored twice as quickly on the plane. A new book or game that only comes out on board works wonders.

Put these points on your list for departure day and you'll have everything at a glance.

• Evening before: suitcases packed, documents together, clothes laid out.
• Transport booked with a child seat: Maxi-Cosi or toddler seat ticked at the vehicle step.
• Each child has their own backpack with a drink, a snack, entertainment and spare clothes.
• Baby food kept separate and easy to reach for the security check.
• An extra half hour to three quarters of an hour on top of your usual Schiphol planning.
• A toilet stop just before you leave, even if nobody says they need to go.