Flying with children can be tricky. Not only do you have to pack and manage your own cases but you also have to negotiate the airport and plane with a child that may be asleep, crotchety or mischievous.
Stokke, a familiar name to parents for their pushchairs and nursery furniture, has a solution that solves several of these problems. JetKids is a neat little suitcase on wheels that will hold some of your child’s baggage but also doubles up as a flight bed.
Is it as genius as it sounds? We’ve done a deep-dive review to see if it’s worth the money.
Stokke JetKids Key Specs:
- Suitable for: children 3-7 years
- Spacious interior, including space inside lid
- Shock-absorbing wheels and front swivel wheel
- Straps allow it to be pulled or held over an adult’s shoulder
- Top handle for the child to hold when riding
- Foot ledge for your little one’s feet
- Size: 46 x 20 x 36 cm
- Weight: 3 kg
A mini airport adventure
As a ride-on, this is great inside the airport, as there is a place for tired little legs to rest. Your child sits on top, there are footrests and a handle for them and a strap for you to pull. The front wheels swivel, so you can tackle corners with ease. If your child is old enough for their legs to reach the floor, they can propel it themselves – but keep an eye on them: you don’t want them crashing into a duty free display or a fellow traveller!
So, you’ve gone through the departure gate and boarded the plane. What happens next? Well, JetKids is the correct size for cabin baggage (but do take care to double-check with your airline as different carriers have varying restrictions), so you can pop it into the overhead locker, or slip it under the seat in front of you.
Onboard benefits
When your little one is ready to relax, there are a couple of ways you can use JetKids in-flight. Firstly, simply have it upright in front of your child’s seat so they can rest their legs on it like a footstool.
When they’re ready for a little nap, simply take off the lid, remove the mattress and open up the lid to form a flat section; it sits on top of two extendable posts inside the case to make it the same height as the plane’s seat. The mattress goes on tip of this and covers the whole area from the seat’s back to the end of the lid, offering a larger space for your little one to stretch out or lie down. Access to the seat belt is not impeded, so it’s a safe option even in the event of turbulence.
Inside the box, there’s still enough room for some kid’s essentials – think a comic, books and a couple of toys is ideal, as well as a change of clothes and snacks. It’s not big enough to hold all your child needs for a holiday, so you will need to factor space in your other baggage for this.
Kids travel made personal
In four pastel colours, pink, blue, beige and mint green plus black or dark olive, your child can customise their JetKids with the included stickers, helping make it personal. It’s not cheap at just over over £150; pricey when compared to Trunki, another child-friendly ride-on suitcase that comes in at under £45 but many will prefer Stokke’s sleek aesthetic and bed box function.
Verdict
For parents and guardians, JetKids provides a helpful and easy way to negotiate the airport and plane journey with your child. And for them, it transforms an economy seat into a first class flying experience!
