Navigating London’s Heathrow Airport is easy when you plan and take the necessary precautions for your journey. Follow this guide to get the best tips if you are travelling with children and their many appendages, from pushchairs to multiple bags.
Travelling to and from Heathrow
If you’re driving to Heathrow, be sure to arrange your parking. Booking your parking at London Heathrow through a site like SkyParkSecure will make your life easier, as you can compare rates and perks.
Booking ahead of time is usually the best way to save, and adding Meet & Greet parking is recommended. You’ll drive to the designated drop-off area, hand over your keys, and staff take your car to a secure parking facility, so you don’t need to balance your luggage and the children.
If you’re departing from Terminal 5, driverless pods can transport you from the car park to the terminal in just six minutes. Each pod holds four passengers, plus luggage, so if you’re travelling as a family of five, you’ll need to account for this. The pods operate on limited hours, running from 04:00 to 00:30. If you travel outside this window, you can use the shuttle bus.
Luggage trolleys are readily available at Heathrow car park and on the forecourt for the terminal, so take advantage of that too. Whatever parking option you choose, book somewhere that offers 24-hour CCTV or security patrols.
Security and family lanes
Heathrow offers family-friendly facilities to help make the security process less daunting for younger travellers. So look out for Mr Men airport signage and games. Based on the British series of books by Roger Hargreaves, it has been added to Terminal 2 and Terminal 5. Little Miss Explorer and Mr Adventure were designed exclusively for Heathrow, to make the travelling experience more fun for children.
Before leaving home, measure the pushchair you have, and compare it against the limits set by the airport. Some can be taken and used right up to the boarding gate; others must be checked in earlier.
Although you can take baby food, milk and sterilised water in your hand luggage, it may be screened at security and stored in a clear container. You should also check if your airline has any specific requirements.
Navigating UK passport control can be a big part of the experience, but children who are more than eight years old and 120cm tall can use eGates. Children who don’t meet the eligibility requirements will use the passport control desk.
Those travelling with younger kids can take advantage of the free dedicated soft play areas and pay zones. The play areas at Terminal 5 and Terminal 2 open from 6 am until 9 pm, and offer a convenient way to pass the time until boarding begins.
Once you know about the various measures in place to make the airport experience more kid-friendly, you can take advantage of convenient alternatives to ensure your next family trip goes off without a hitch. Likewise, booking your parking ahead of time and accessing the children-focused QR codes that are available throughout Heathrow Airport can help ensure everyone has a positive experience when travelling.
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
