With many of the airlines cutting back on the number of flights, you can bet that 1) the trips they are continuing with will be more jam-packed than ever before and 2) if you’re traveling with kids you’d better be prepared.

To help make your trip as pain-free as possible, start by booking a flight during your little one’s usual sleeping schedule – and if you can, book your seats in a place where you won’t have to share the space with a stranger.

Once your seats have been selected, turn your attention to the in-flight entertainment. Now, having traveled with my nieces on numerous occasions, I can tell you that it really pays to fork over the $3 for the in-flight movie, but you can’t always count on the offerings to placate the kids. So be sure to bring hand-held games/entertainment, paper and pen for hangman and tic-tac-toe, coloring books and snacks.

To help keep your kids comfortable on the flight, bring along a kid’s neck pillow, travel blanket, and their iPod wrapped in a case complete with carabiner, which makes it easy to attach to their bags.

As for what to pack your kids clothes and toys in… well, a bag that they can maneuver is ideal. This will not only give them control over their own belongings, but because kids’ bags usually come in fun and funky shades, they’re easy to spot in the overhead bins and keep an eye on as you walk through the airport. Some popular choices include:

Got any great tips for traveling with kids? Click the comments link and share them now!