Every parent will know that, as much as you love them, travelling with the kids can sometimes be a whole entity of its own.

From keeping little ones entertained to packing all of the family's essentials and remembering snacks, it can leave you feeling exhausted before you've even set off on the journey.

Luckily, comedy duo and Scummy Mummies bloggers Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn are on hand to give you some frank and honest advice.

Teaming up with Emirates , the pair have shared handy hacks and hilarious parenting tips (including casual bribery and sugar highs) to ensure a smooth journey for parents and children alike.

Check out their top tips on everything including what to wear, holiday essentials and how to have a tantrum-free holiday...
The Scummy Mummies shared their top tips

What to bring

  • The three main bribery tools are sugar, tablets and toys – if you say that you can eat as many sweets as you want, watch TV for a day and play with sack loads of toys, they’ll do whatever you want.
  • Give your kids new toys to play with so you buy at least 5 minutes more playtime on the flight before they get bored with it, break it or throw up on it.
  • Or alternatively, wrap up old toys so they think they are actual presents, every hour you get through you can give them a new toy.
It's all about keeping the kids entertained (
Image:
Emirates)

What to wear

  • Always wear clothes that you’d be happy to put in the bin, or go one step further and just wear win a bin liner.
  • Another idea is a plastic poncho – you can wipe it clean, put up the hood and have a nice nap.

Great games to play with kids on flights

  • My favourite game is ‘WHO CAN BE QUIET THE LONGEST?’ It doesn't usually last very long but it's worth it even for 90 seconds of peace
  • Play make-shift ’Guess Who?’ with fellow passengers, in which you guess what the person is like or what’s their name.
  • Other hits include ‘The Whisper Game,’ ‘Let's Cover Our Mouths With Our Hands’ and ‘Shut Up If You Want A Lolly’.

Making the most of the airplane

  • If the plane has a TV in the back of the seat, the channel showing where the plane is on a world map is good if your child is old enough to be interested. Try talking them through it – and if you have no knowledge of Geography, just make stuff up. "And that's the capital of Kazakhstan." "But Mummy, I thought that was the Isle of Man?" "Yes, that's what I said."

And if all fails...

  • Noise-cancelling headphones are a good idea as you can’t hear the kids or your other half.
  • Alternatively, leave your partner with the kids, head to the toilet and stare out of the window to ponder on life’s big questions…