Tips for Flying with Babies & Toddlers

I often get asked for tips about travelling with small kids, since we've done the long-haul flights now many times - starting when Dylan was 3 months up to the most recent at just under 4. Since I'm prepping for my first flight alone with the both of them, I figured I'd go ahead and put my thoughts to paper. If anyone has any more tips for me, especially for parents travelling alone with multiple kids - I'm all ears.

My first suggestion? Start your planning early. This has especially been crucial for me since I've ordered quite a bit of our travel goodies online. Also, the amount of prep work involved in making sure you have a well stocked busy bag is not to be underestimated. I also start preparing the kids early. Our two favorite books are Airport and The Noisy Airplane Ride. I use the pictures in the airport story to help set the stages for the trip through the airport - long lines with lots of waiting, hold on to mommy's pockets when I'm unloading things at security check, your suitcase/lovey will go through a tunnel, etc.

That reminds me of another general tip: if you're going to be delayed/miss a connection/have to run to try to make a connection - let them know in advance. It helps them prepare if they know they'll have to sit in the stroller/baby carrier so you can run super fast or that they'll probably not get to see grandma tonight but will get to sleep in a hotel, etc.

Packing your carry-ons: I'd highly recommend backpacks over rolling suitcases - two hands are always better than one when there are small children involved. G and I have always each carried a backpack that's been assigned to one child. (We'll see how I manage that one when there's only one of me). Far as I can tell, the more compartments - the better. Large compartment: at least one full change of clothes per kid - all the way down to socks & undies. For Miles: I calculate our average daily diaper usage and add 3 more, and bring one full-sized pack of wipes. I also have at least one emergency t-shirt for each of the adults. I put one tiny bottle of antibiotic gel in each pack and try to wipe down our seats/trays as soon as we get on each plane. Someone gave me this tip as a way to prevent the sickness that often follows a trip on a plane. Dunno if it works but I figure, why not? The emergency medical supplies are usually just nose spray, anti-nausea meds and benuron suppositories (Americans would use Children's Tylenol or the like).

                             

The busy bag:

• Colorful post-its - they can stick them everywhere & you don't have to worry about not being able to get them back off.
• Plastic thermos with screw-off lid that is attached to the bottle - fill with pipe cleaners & buttons with holes large enough that they can thread them on the pipe cleaners. Most likely it'll be the in-n-out of the bottle that'll be the most popular, but the pipe cleaner threading can be fun, too.
• Anything stackable/closable - preferably both. I found a set of 2-3 tupperwares that can be closed inside each other, filled the smallest with tiny finger puppets (which we never used)...but the tupperwares themselves are a big hit.
• Photo book of the people you're going to visit. I made a picture book of all the family they'd be going to see (since there are quite a few and I was concerned it would be overwhelming for them). Dunno if it helped on that front but it certainly killed some time for us.
• New coloring book & washable crayons (get the triangular ones so they won't roll all over the place) - another favorite of ours is Draw It Again.
• Stickers, stickers and more stickers. This is where a huge part of my prep-work goes. I peel off the backing on the sticker paper so that they're easier for baby fingers to deal with and cut the sheets up into individual stickers. Then I sort them into different "mottos" - some are color sorting, some are theme sorting (i.e. car, animal, plant), some are to create stories around a specific theme (i.e. farm or construction). I package them in packs of about 50 stickers and seal them into labelled envelopes. And I make sure I have at least 8 envelopes per kid - for each direction. Stickers are the real work horses on our flights. The boys keep coming back to these - even once we added the iPad to the activity playlist.
• Tiny packs of playdoh & toys - I bring 2-3 of those itty-bitty playdoh packs for each kid (because they inevitably want to play playdoh at the same time) and a few toys for working with it - letter shapes or food shapes to cut out. I also pack 1-2 cars that will leave interesting tracks in the playdoh. The last couple trips I included little plastic dinosaurs in each pack, too.
• Button snake: I made my own by sewing a felt square on one end of a piece of ribbon and a button on the other - then cutting small felt squares with a slit in the middle. They can thread the felt squares onto the ribbon.
• New small-format books of the "Where's Waldo" variety - anything with a ton of pictures. We love Joachim Krause.
• 1 or 2 new small toys (mini magna-doodles, My Little Pony, Schwarzer Peter/Old Maid...preferably things that won't roll around).
• Headphones - we prefer the cheap ones that sit on the top of their heads - they seem to work better for the boys. In some airplanes you can even listen to the pilots talk to the control tower during takeoff. 
• Snacks - especially on the first few flights with Miles, food was the #1 activity. He must've spent at least 1.5 hours of one flight eating raisins alone. My primary snack tip: sugar is bad/protein is good. We usually take something like raisins, goldfish, crackers, string cheese, squeezeable applesauce packets, protein/granola bars, apples, etc.
• The exception to the sugar rule? Lollipops for landing. For whatever reason, those last minutes once you've landed but can't get off the plane yet are the WORST. I stash lollipops for exactly these occasions - you might need to break them out a little early if you're having trouble getting them back into their seatbelt (see CARES harness).
• Sippy cups...this is a recent realization from our flight back from Greece. I was sitting with both boys and G was across the aisle. When they brought the food/drinks, it was HELL trying to make sure they didn't spill their drinks as I was getting their food ready on their trays. This trip I'll be bringing them sippies - the liquid can go in there and the kids can have the cups/ice/straws for entertainment purposes.
• Last but not least, the iPad - fully stocked with videos (at least 1-2 new) and apps. This time I may even be travelling with 2 iPads since it's just me, myself and I.

Finally, my strategic tips:

• Strollers, even if they're a little older. Both of mine are wiped by the end of the trip and it's just asking too much for Dylan to navigate the gigantic airports during layovers after he's been travelling 10+ hours. If yours are still small enough, I'd recommend a baby carrier in addition. Baby carriers are easier through security check (you don't have to take the baby out but they'll probably swab your hands) and I've used mine in desperate situations to encourage sleep on the plane as well. 
• Buy the extra seat if you're on long haul flights. I've never understood how parents navigate mealtime with a baby on their lap. Dylan spent 80% of his first flights in his own seat. On the flip side, Miles maybe spent about 20% of his first flight in his carseat. But it was nice to have the respite even if it was only a couple hours.
• Bring infant carseats on the plane, skip the carseats for the bigger little ones. They have a little more room to wiggle without the carseat, and also have more room to sleep. You might think the carseat will be a method for restraining them...which is true, but they'll likely be screaming their heads off - which is no bueno for anyone. 
• The CARES harness for the ones who have a little trouble listening/sitting still. I only use this at take-off and landing, but it's necessary with Miles - who just doesn't get it that he has to stay strapped in sometimes, especially when the stewardesses are giving you the evil eye.
• Run them ragged before you get on the plane. Race through the airport, do jumping jacks, whatever - but get rid of as much physical energy as possible before they have to sit in those little seats.
• Realize that your only goal is for them not to be crying/screaming. Know that all your expectations will likely get thrown out the window, they probably won't nap or sleep at all - even if your trip is 23 hours long. Don't stress it, don't try to force it...the trip will be less stressful for everyone (your fellow passengers, your kids and yourself) if you just aim for the singular goal of no screaming. Entertain, cajole, walk up and down the aisles if that's what they want to do (all I did with Miles on the flight when he was 1.5)...just keep them happy and quiet. Deal with the aftermath once you've arrived at your destination and can handle it without 783 strangers staring at you.