Flying to grandma's

My girls and I are leaving in a week for my mom's house, the house I grew up in. It's going to be the girls first airplane trip, the first time they're outside our time zone, the first time meeting most of my family, and the longest they've ever been away from home. I am so excited and nervous all at the same time. I'm creating my packing list now and am certain I'm going to forget something major. So... any advice? Thoughts on packing? Tips on what worked for those of you who travel regularly with your kids?

We'll be leaving home shortly after the girls wake up to drive an hour to the airport, then we'll have a four hour flight, a 1.5 hour layover, a one hour flight, pick up a rental car, and drive an hour to my mom's. All in all, we'll be on the road for about 11 hours. I'm tired just thinking about it. We'll be at my mom's for 10 days, then will repeat the process in reverse. My nanny is flying with us to NY and staying for a few day, and then DH will be coming out for a few days and flying back with us at the end of the trip.

I'm checking the car seats, not bringing a stroller or high chairs or other large items. I'm planning to bring lots of books, some new games/toys, and will have a DVD player on the plane.

So what else? What did you forget that I might also forget? What did you love for traveling? Please respond... I'm so excited and my poor DH is really sick of listening to me plan for every contingency!

Thanks!!

 

Personally, I would bring a stroller. We rarely use a stroller, but some of those concourses are very long for little legs. Might also be nice with the layover if they are tired, cranky, etc. If they don't want to ride, pile the stuff in there -- helps to consolidate for trips to the bathroom, etc.

As for what to bring, lots and lots of snacks. i bring plenty of small containers of a variety of items. I would also bring lollipops in case their ears are bothering them. Mine will play for quite awhile with the stuff on the plane so I minimize the stuff we carry, but would suggest a few small things like coloring books/crayons, pen/paper, stickers, wikistix, magnetic toys are great, travel magnadoodle, books. Some non-traditional favorites of ours include post-it notes and masking tape. I also keep an in-case-of-emergency item, which could be food or a new toy, stuffed animal, etc. in case you get delayed or someone starts to lose it . A lot of planes don't have blankets or pillows due to swine flu so you might want to bring long sleeves or small blanket.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

Bring some snacks that are easy to eat (no mess). Good luck! Sounds like you are putting a lot of thought into this trip! It sounds like fun!! It will probably take the kids some time to adjust. Be patient!

 

Definitely bring a stroller! You will likely have to do a bit of walking during your layover. You can gate check your stroller so they can be in it up to the minute you board the plane. It's very simple.

Bring some new (small) toys for the plane...mini magna doodles, coloring books and crayons, maybe some stickers (they can put them on the coloring books). Bring LOTS of snacks. This saved us every trip. I brought all sorts of different kid type snacks that they might not normally get...cookie type snacks, fruit snacks, things like that.

You can't bring liquids through security. So if you have a full sippy cup when leaving home, make sure to dump it in the bathroom before you go through security. Otherwise you will be pulled aside and be told to leave it, or they might be nice enough to just check the liquid.

As for packing...bring their favorites to keep things like home. Favorite pillow, animal, small toy, blanket, etc.

Keep their schedule as much as you can. It's going to be so much fun to see everyone, but not much when they are cranky because the are all out of sorts.

Pack your patience!! It is trying traveling with twin toddlers, but can be done!! :Clap:

Didn't I read a while ago you are headed up this way?

 

Everyone covered it!! You'll be fine!! I travel alone with mine a few times a year, and they are great travelers now!!

Where are you going? Have a great trip!

 

We're flying from New Mexico to Rochester, NY. So... not quite Red Sox Nation Michelle... but closer than I am now! I went to college in Boston and I miss MA. I hope to take the girls to the Cape someday and to see all the awesome sights in Boston.

 

I agree with the stroller, and you may want to consider putting them in the car seats on the plane, especially if they are good about sitting in them in the car. For us, unless they are strapped in with a 5 point harness they will not stay seated. You should be able to board first and get off last, so getting the car seats on and off the plane shouldn't be too much trouble - especially with a stroller!!

I agree with the snacks!! Also don't forget to have 2 extra sets of clothing for each of them, as well as something extra for yourself. Everything will spill, and if you have anything sticky, it will most likely end up on you!!

Something that I have done for recent trips is to pack a small lunch box (walmart sold these small zip up tin lunch boxes) with some small toys, maybe brightly colored so that you can see them when they land on the floor, that they had never seen before. Since you have girls, maybe a purse full of goodies would be better? Anyway, the tin provides an enclosed place where they can play as well as storage!! It also provides a place to stick stickers, draw on, etc.

On the way there, the kids should be excited about all the new adventures, so you may not need all of your standbys for entertainment, but remember that you have a return trip that you still have to get through, where all of the nuances will be "old news". So don't forget to be prepared for that!!

Good luck - traveling is exhausting, but I have also found it to be a lot of fun. It is amazing how a trip can change when you get a two year olds perspective. We are planning a trip from PA to CA in November just after our boys' 3rd birthday. I have already started to think about all the logistics...

Please let us know how it goes!!

 

Everyone said what I was going to say with the addition of two other things: 1) Consider bringing a DVD player, and 2) their own backpacks. We bought the girls rolling backpacks and packed them with some old fav toys and some new toys too. I kept the snacks in the big diaper bag and their loveys for the plane (didn't bring those out until I was desperate though). I also changed diapers right before boarding (or if they are trained, make sure to hit the potty once right before boarding). As for preboarding, some airlines still allow this, but personally I prefer to be the last people on the plane. The less time on the plane with twin toddlers, the better IMO.

Oh and definitely bring a stroller. Even if they decide they want to walk, you can use it to hold all your carry-on's and then gate check it right before boarding.

Have a great trip!