Traveling

I was looking at booking a fight for myself and the boys in about a month. 1 adult, 2 16 month olds. We have taken 4-5 LONG car trips before (12+ hours each way) and been fine. This will, however, be our first flight. Am I crazy for even considering this?

I was planning on doing 1 lap child and 1 in a carseat. I know from previous experience that the airline will allow someone to come to the gate with us, and pick us up at the gate at the other end. So it is just mainly down the ramp and getting settled on the plane that I would have to do by myself. And hauling all the crap at the same time. And of course the inflight entertainment...

I had planned to bring some new books and a dvd player (or two) to keep them as occupied as possible. I had also heard about having them eat/drink something at landing or take off. Any suggestions?

Have you flown before? What worked well? What didn't? What do you wish you had known before your trip?

 

I have not flown with my girls before but I know lots of moms have done it and lived to tell the tale! GL!

 

I've posted a few suggestions on other threads. (Please keep in mind our children are a bit older) You may read one of them here:
Flying to Hawaii with almost 2 year olds.

Here are some excerpts from my other posts in other threads:

We just got back from a 5 hour flight with our 2 1/2 year olds. This is the 2nd long flight that we have done with them and we gate checked our DuoGlider and their convertible carseats. I would recommend doing the same because I found it much easier to navigate through the airport since we also had some carry-on luggage. Some advice that I would give you would be:

1. Plan ahead. Everyone will have to go thru security so I would dress accordingly (i.e. wear comfortable clothing for the flight, but also wear easy slip on shoes since everyone needs to remove them when you go thru security. Also, I would pack some light weight jackets in your carry on luggage. Wearing it thru security is a pain because they usually make you remove them, too.)
2. Put your cameras, DVD players, and other items that have to be separated when you go thru security in easy access (i.e. pack them last in your carry-ons because security often makes you remove them from your bags. If you have them at the bottom of your bag...it's a pain!)
3. Ask for seat belt extenders for your car seats. This makes buckling and securing the carseats MUCH easier. As soon as you preboard, ask a stewardess for two of them.
4. I recommend bringing your DuoGlider because if you are renting a car, you will be alone with the children and the luggage while your DH gets the car. It is easier to have them all in one location. Plus you never know how far your gate is going to be...it may be a LONG walk. ;P
5. Have everyone go to the bathroom either right before you start to descend during the flight or make a pit stop BEFORE you go to the baggage claim. It's much easier to take everyone before you have all that additional luggage.
6. Going through the airport I pushed the children in the DuoGlider with all our carry-on luggage. My DH pushed a SmartCarte with the carseats. We checked our other luggage at curbside.

Here's another:

1. We flew Hawaiian Airlines and we were able to preboard.
2. You might want to check Seat Guru. It's a website that lists the airlines and their seating configurations. You can look up your flight and seat assignment and it will tell you if it is a "desirable" seat or not (i.e. whether you seat has less foot room than another seat, etc.) Then you have a better idea of what seats you want to sit in. HTH!

Lastly... Trader Joes' also makes some freeze dried fruits (i.e. blueberries, pineapple, strawberries, bananas, etc.) that are great snacks. They're easy to eat and NON-messy! Whole Foods also has organic lollipops. We found that lollipops help with the change in air pressure (or you can have them drink out of their sippies/straw cups). Bringing new books are also great entertainment.

 

We just bought a bunch of new DVDs and toys for our boys to play with on an upcoming flight. They will not see any of them until we are at the airport or on the plane. I'm hoping the novelty factor helps to make this an enjoyable flight.

We flew last year when they were 13 months of age and it was a nightmare. They both screamed the entire way, both ways. The first flight was a red-eye - we hoped they would sleep but there was no chance of that! This year, we are traveling early in the morning - they will both be wide awake but at least they won't miss their naps or be sleep-deprived when we arrive at our destination.

We used car seats for both of them, so I don't have any experience with the lap babies. However, if you have someone with you to watch the babies at the gate so you can install the carseat, that is a HUGE added bonus! We had a tough time juggling car seats, carry-ons, etc.

Good luck!

 

How long is the flight? I've flown with my girls many times, but also with DH. If its not a long flight it shouldn't be too terrible. Change diapers before boarding, have snacks, sippies, books, DVDs, patience and a sense of humor.