Flying with Children

Old Mar 4th, 2005, 06:51 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Flying with Children

We are going to be flying to Florida with our 3 1/2 year old and 1 year old. We've never flown with children before. We'll take any and all tips from you experts. Thank you!
cindyloo is offline  
Old Mar 5th, 2005, 12:42 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 609
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi there,

You do not say how far you are flying, but in saying that I can tell you from experience no matter how long the flight it is worth buying the one year old their own seat and if you can do it, put them in a car seat. They will appreciate the familiarity of it and with good luck should hopefully sleep. With your older child make sure you have lots of activities to keep them occupied. Books, crayons etc.

Also make sure you pack a snack box and a drink. Do not rely on the airline to provide that all for you, after all there will be a lot of other passengers on board as well.

Fire any other questions my way and hopefully I can help. Also there are many others who have flown with kids on here, so plenty of good ideas should be forthcoming.

Cheers

Steve
Kiwi_acct is offline  
Old Mar 5th, 2005, 03:52 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 23,138
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Our kids loved flying with us when they were little because they got our undivided attention for length of flight. Bring lots of little stuff to spring out for older kid. Anything - even a little box of cereal with a bow on it is a novelty. Old favorite toys and a few new inexpensive ones. Lots of snacks - a variety to keep things interesting. We used to forget about any "at-home food rules - a pack of M&Ms at 10 AM goes a long way towards intriguing a bored kid - they think parents have gone insane!

For baby, bring a couple of clothing changes and one for you as well - babies always seem to spit and leak on planes for some unknown reason. You will end up bringing more carry-on stuff than you used to bring for a one week adult trip and probably swear you are never doing this again - but in the end it will be worth it.

We found time in destination airport more troubling than the flight. Waiting for luggage, waiting in line for rental car, and then hauling everyone out when they were tired and hungry seemed to take an eternity after surviving the flight. Sometimes it works to send one parent for the luggage and the other to deal with rental car counter if logistics permit. (As long as you have driver's lic. of other driver, it works).
gail is offline  
Old Mar 6th, 2005, 07:06 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,049
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Your one-year old is probably too young to be told how to deal with unequal air pressure in the inner ear, so you'll have to find some way to deal with that.
clevelandbrown is offline  
Old Mar 6th, 2005, 02:25 PM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 23,138
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ear issues with one year old can be helped by a bottle, sippy cup, breast feeding - whatever stage s/he is at. Chomping on a cookie or something similar will also help. I remember a flight when my son dealt with it by chewing on the plastic airline emergency card in the seat pocket - I tried not to think about all the germs on it. Maybe they did him some good, since he is now healthy and 18 and has not missed a day of school in 10 years.
gail is offline  
Old Mar 6th, 2005, 03:13 PM
  #6  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you for the tips, everyone! Here's another question: should I get my one year old her own seat? We're flying from VT - Fl. Total flying time is about 4 hours. (2 flights)
cindyloo is offline  
Old Mar 6th, 2005, 03:41 PM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 23,138
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
While the expense certainly makes people think, it is always safer to get a child or infant her own seat. You can then install an approved carseat, and most kids act as if they think they were in a car. Also, with full flights and cramped seats, holding an infant as a "lap baby" gets old very fast.

Watch stuff fly around planes if you hit any real turbulence and imagine how you might not be able to protect infant in your arms in event of emergency.
gail is offline  
Old Mar 9th, 2005, 04:10 PM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 642
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
With regards to your 1 year old getting her own seat, it all depends on how she is on long trips. When my child was 1, I got her a separate seat but she ended up in my lap for 3/4 of the trip. Needless to say, I never got one again for my second child when he was 1 and we rode on a plane. You must also make sure that your car seat is airplane compatible. To keep them busy, I wrapped a few things from the dollar store. When they got restless, I gave them one each. They were excited about the surprise present and this kept them happy for a while. I also pack a separate snack bag for each child. I put them in small ziplock bags and then put all small bags into one gallon size ziplock. Both bags had identical goodies. This prevented the arguing in the plane as they always wanted what the other child was having plus if one finished their share, that was it for that child. If they wanted more,they would have to ask their sibling to share. So they were quite happy to each have their own. Travelling with 2 young kids is a lot of effort but well worth the work. Good luck and most of all, enjoy and have fun.

Martinan is offline  
Old Mar 26th, 2005, 05:05 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,586
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I think the best thing to bring when flying with kids a portable DVD player or laptop to play DVDs. Ever since we started bringing my husband's laptop, plane flights are SO much easier. Just make sure the batteries are charged!!!
karens is offline  
Old Apr 1st, 2005, 02:24 PM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
One thing that's helped me travel with my three year old is to be extremely organized with packing and luggage... including stroller and car seats. I have a cheapo umbrella stroller that is great for airports- if I lost it en route, no problem. I'd recommend finding a tote whose handles or straps fit well around the stroller handles so the stroller can carry some of the load...

Porters can help during certain parts of the trip, but once you get past check-in, and agina when you land, you're on your own!

Sometimes I pack my carryon so heavily that I have a backache for the rest of my trip- don't wait until the last minute to get organized! There is a fine line btwn making your luggage too heavy, and having too many lighter pieces. When you're chasing kids in an airport, you'll pay the price either way-

I also arrive early enough to the gate to get a snack at one of the eateries- yes, they are expensive and not very nutritious, but it works for us. I've heard that portable DVD players (when allowed) are awesome entertainment. Plus, let your 3 year old have their own backpack of stuff, it'll take a little of the load off your shoulders! (just make sure you have room for it in YOUR bag!). Good luck!
miller20621 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
oceanmarina
Air Travel
18
Jun 21st, 2007 10:23 AM
TravelingMom
United States
17
Mar 7th, 2007 11:29 AM
lisettemac
United States
30
Feb 2nd, 2006 07:22 AM
bodi
United States
5
Sep 27th, 2004 07:17 AM
Tango
United States
15
Aug 2nd, 2004 07:09 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -