Last year, I decided to take a trip across the country from California to Ohio to visit family. Unfortunately, my husband was not able to join me so I had to make the trip on my own. Luckily, my parents were going to be in Ohio already so I would have some help once the plane landed. Here's how I got through the 4 1/2 hour flight with a three year old and a one year old by myself.
Picking the flight
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| Researching flights on the computer |
There are many opinions about what's better for kids: nonstop flight or a flight with one stop so that the kids can stretch their legs. Being that a flight with a stop 1) would add more time to our total travel time, 2) makes me have to pack up our stuff and get to another gate, and 3) comes with the possibility of us missing our connecting flight if our first flight was delayed; I decided that a nonstop flight was our only option.
I tried to choose a morning flight so that there was less of a chance of the flight being delayed. Some people swear that taking a red eye is the way to go with young kids, but my son isn't a great sleeper when he's not in the comfort of his own crib.
Deciding between lap-riding or buying my son his own seat
Children under 2 years of age can ride on an adult's lap or can sit in a FAA approved car seat in his own seat. My Aunt whom we were staying with in Ohio had a car seat for my daughter but didn't have a car seat for my son, so I had to bring a car seat anyway. Getting a third seat was a no brainer for me. I needed the car seat at my destination (although you can always gate check the car seat for free), riding in the car seat is the safer option, I could definitely use the extra room that a third seat would provide, and having one kid on my lap for four hours straight while trying to appease my other kid seemed like a torturous thing to do to myself.
What to pack
I needed to be able to pack enough for all three of us for seven days. With that being said, I needed be able to pull the luggage, carry our carry on bags, and manage the kids ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Enter panic mode. Remain calm. It can be done.
I used our largest suitcase since I could fit everything in there and made sure it didn't exceed the 50 pound weight limit. Lucky for me, toddler clothing is small.
Now for the carry on bags. You're allowed one carry on bag and one personal item per seat. I decided on a backpack style diaper bag and my daughter's Minnie Mouse backpack, which is a full size backpack.
I filled the Minnie Mouse backpack with things to keep the kids entertained and happy. I brought our portable DVD player and two sets of kid sized headphones with a splitter. I packed some of their favorite small toys and a few new surprises including these fun wax sticks. I also made sure I kept a few surprises tucked away in our suitcase for the return flight.
I packed the diaper bag with the usual necessities like diapers (lots of diapers since the air pressure change can cause blow outs), change of clothes, and wipes. In addition to that, I packed light sweaters for the kids since it can be cold on the plane and a light baby blanket. And snacks. Of course, I had to have snacks like goldfish crackers, apple slices, and granola bars. I brought two empty sippy cups for the plane ride since my kids cannot be trusted with cups without lids.
Also, in my diaper bag were my quart sized bags with my liquids and gels. I used one bag for food items like Trader Joe's fruit pouches which are 3.1 oz and Infant Tylenol. I used the other bag to store my nonfood essentials like hand sanitizer, a small Lysol, and bubbles. Yes, bubbles are an essential.
Getting around the airport
My husband was able to drop me off at the airport and carry my suitcase to the kiosk where I checked my luggage. After lots of hugs and kisses, we then parted ways. I still had two backpacks, a rear facing car seat, and two kids to get to our departing gate. How did I accomplish that? With my stroller and Ergobaby carrier. Now, at the time, we had four strollers: one single stroller, one single umbrella stroller, one tandem double stroller, and one side-by-side jogging double stroller. I chose my single stroller because it was sturdy enough to carry everything but light enough for me to easily lift on my own with a 20 pound kid on my back. I put my son on my back and my daughter in the stroller. I put both backpacks in the undercarriage storage area of the stroller and I hooked the car seat handle on my stroller clip. Don't I look like a pro at this?
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Passing through TSA security somewhat gracefully
The most important thing to remember is to remain calm. People see you have kids; they will understand that it may take you a little bit longer.
After I put everything on the belt for the x-ray machine, including my collapsed stroller, I sent my daughter through the metal detector. I then sent my son. If your child can walk, TSA will make him walk through the metal detector. Both children were allowed to keep their shoes on though. After I made my way to the other side, I reassembled everything and we were on our way once again.
One thing to keep in mind is that you can bring a sippy cup or bottle of milk for your baby or toddler, and it does not have to be included in your liquid/get zip lock bag nor does it have to be under the 4 oz limit. When we traveled with a sippy cup of milk for K in the past, the TSA agent inspected it separately with a special test strip.
Boarding
We were at the back of the plane and even though we could have boarded first, I chose to board towards the end. The kids were having such a good time running around and looking out of the window, that I didn't want to rush just so that they could sit and wait for everyone else to board.
Strollers are checked at the gate (for free) which meant I had to carry everything to our seats. I put R on my back and put the two backpacks in the car seat. When we got to our seats, I secured the car seat in the window seat and sat in the middle with my daughter in the aisle seat.
Avoiding a major meltdown 30,000 feet up in the air
To keep the kids entertained, I brought out one toy at a time; and every once in a while I brought out a special treat like M&Ms or a brand new toy. We made creations out of playdoh and wax sticks and watched cartoons on the DVD player while eating our snacks. Food sold on the flight is generally very expensive and not kid friendly, so if you don't pack your own food, then it's better to buy something after you pass through security. Unfortunately, milk is not available on flights, so the kids were treated with apple juice in their sippy cups.
Then came the hard part: getting my son to take a nap. I could tell he was getting to that point, the point where if he didn't fall asleep soon he would be screaming his head off. He's not the type of kid to just nod off while watching a show, so my only option was to pick him up and walk up and down the aisle until he was asleep. After about the 50th lap, other passengers were giving me the "he's finally asleep" nod, but I knew I wasn't in the clear just yet. I rocked him for another 10 minutes at my seat before sitting down with confidence that he wouldn't wake up.
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| Success! |
The surprising lifesaver of flight was the syringe that we use for the Infant Tylenol. During the descend, my son refused to eat or drink and his screams were a clear indication that his ears needed the be popped. I put juice in the syringe and surprise, it worked. It was the only way to get him to take liquids to relieve the pressure in his ears.
If you have any other tips about flying with young kids, please leave them in the comments. Thanks for reading!
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