Air Travel with Two Small Kids - Tips Needed

Something to help with pressure changes during takeoff and landing - bottle, suckers, gum, anything that makes them swallow a lot. If the 1 year old is on a lap, I suggest an extra clothes for the adult or a waterproof pad - my daughter barfed during landing once and I had to wear kid-barf-soaked pants until after we were able to claim our luggage. Ugh!

Take several different ziplock bags, they will come in handy. Mini kleenex packets

Take lots of snacks - good suggestions: freeze dried fruits from Trader Joes and those applesauce squeeze packets (if they'll let you take those on the plane), Gerber freeze dried yogurt melts. Suckers are great for distracting them.

Dress them in layers in case they get cold/hot

I took lots of cloth books since they barely weigh anything. Also sample sizes of playdoh are good too. Paper and crayons, mini plastic slinkys, pillow pet, travel Doodle Pro

Let them run around as much as possible in the airport so hopefully they'll be tired.

Do NOT give Benedryl or other antihistamine hoping your child will be drowsy and fall asleep. It backfired on me (and very often does), and my child became hyper and crankier - it sucked! Instead try Rescue Remedy or Hyland's Calms for Kids. Use some of the Rescue Remedy yourself. Just a very mild homeopathic calming tincture.

Don't feel like you can't take electronic toys - especially for the baby. The plane is so loud that people will not be able to hear them anyway. I took this along with some other small ones -
http://compare.ebay.com/like/380288012772?ltyp=AllFixedPr...

Best toy ever for the 1 year old - those spiral keychain braclets. Put on your wrist and let baby snap it/try to get it off. Here is a photo of one:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_33287-37672-701304_###-###-####+#...

Here are some more great ideas:
http://www.sybermoms.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-29485...

http://www.squidoo.com/toddlertravel

First and foremost......GoGo Kidz carseat wheeler, Its a god send!!! for the 1 year old.
Take a carry on backpack coloring books, small toys and possibly a laptop,portable dvd player or iphone with a video so the kids stay entertained.
My kids always fell asleep, airplane are great white noise makers.
Snacks
Small pillow pets, perfect for them to lie down on.
Thats all I took because anything more was too much
Dont forget the birth certificates and social security cards!
Diapers
Travel wipes
hand sanitizer
pocket tissues

When the plane take off & lands ,be sure your 4yrs old having chewing gum in her mouth , that will help reduce air pressure,also you can take coloring book with crayons for her,potable dvd player is a good idea too.
You can ask travel agent if flight crew can provide with baby basinett if you are having a more than 4 hours flight.

I use to keep following things in my diaper bag,
kids & infant's tylenol,
Mylicon drops ( for gas relief)
diaper rash cream/wipes/diapers/petroleum jelly
extra clothing for all kids/hair brush
full covered clothes (it gets cold in long flight for kids)
baby food ,some favorite snacks for 4 yrs old.

Try not to give milk to both of them 5min before or after take off & landing to avoid throwing up.

Have a safe & wonderful trip.
S.

You need a well stocked diaper bag including changes of clothes of everyone (extra pants and underwear, 2 changes for your older one), about 2x the diapers you expect to need, bottles for the little one if not nursing, mini first aid kit (bandaids, antibiotics, basic baby medication like tylenol and any prescriptions for the kids). A few extra empty sippy cups. Snacks (favorites and a few treats). Small toys to play with on the plane. My 4.5 yo son does pretty well with matchbox cars. Crayons and paper if your kids will use it. Maybe a favorite book. I always buy a few small new toys for the plane for each kid. Brink a favorite toy or blankie your kids need them.

W fly every summer to see my in laws so my 4 year old is pretty good with it now. If you don't do it often, explain to the kids, especially the older one, so they know what to happen. Rehearse the what to do if you get lost plan with your older one (just in case). Consider putting a tag with your name and cell number on each child. I always use a small stroller in the airport and check it at the gate.

It is a bit of work to be prepared but it helps things go smoothly.

www.seatguru.com
This is a GREAT site, which even Travel Agents use, to choose seating on your airplane.... we have used it and it is totally accurate... and great especially for people who are traveling with kids.

all the best,
Susan

Been there and done that several times...

Portable DVD player with headphones...

Hit up the dollar store...I spent about $20 dollars on "new" little toys, stickers, stampers, note pads, etc etc...every so often pull something "new" out of your bag of tricks...plus if one of the toys is lost on the plane or airport it was only a dollar.

Snack, snacks and more snacks...I could pull out individual snack sized packs of fun snacks...sugary one they didn't get a home...

I had sippy cups for them to suck on at take off and landing (instead of gum)...the stewardess was glad to get me a drink to put in them for take off.

And I will admit I even packed the individual dose packs of benedryl...just in case one needed help with taking a nap...I never have given it to them for sleep...but I was prepared, because well there are another 100 plus people on the plane that wouldn't want to hear my child scream for 4 hours.

Take a change of clothes for them and YOU...I had a diaper blow and got on my shirt too...

The 4 year old might like a hand held game of some sort...Leaspster, etc...some resale shops have them and cartridges for super cheap.

Hope this helps...have a great trip!1

Ziplock baggies full of snacks, take sippy cups EMPTY with you and get water and juice at a newstand or from the flight attendant, take a portable DVD player with you for the older 4 year old if you have one (if not, consider it an investment if you will be traveling again) and buy little tiny squishy ear buds or a kids headset and take approximately 3 movies that the kid will like and sit through, consider the coloring books and markers that will ONLY color on that paper so your kids do not color on the seats, trays, etc. Baby books, etc for the little one and some sort of lovey. Generally, I would have my daughter watch a movie (she knows we MUST be airborne before it can be turned on and turned off when the warning for landing comes- she is 3) and I play clown and entertain my little one (he just turned 2). They stay pretty much silent. Kids' ears block on the flights so have them drink or eat during take off and landing or have the older one chew gum.

I have taken 4 roundtrip flights with just my daughter since her birth, and about 5 with both of them....my husband only accompanied me on 2 of these (they were all to my parents' home in PA). Some we sat on the tarmac for 4+ hours due to deicing issues, snow delays, and mechanical failures plus switched planes so it is stressful to fly with kids yourself.

Also, if your little one is a lapchild, make sure you ask at check-in if you are on the appropriate side of the plane. Only 1 side of each plane has the extra mask that comes down in case of emergency for a lapchild. On United, it is the right side in my experience. That is all I fly. One reservation attendant accidentally booked us on the left and the flight attendant had us move once we were all settled -- what a pain. Better to find out and be moved earlier.

Best wishes and good luck! :)

When we traveled overseas I made sure we booked an evening flight, that way the kids would most be asleep for a majority of the flight. Other than that I took a couple of their favorite toys and some snacks. The plane was wonderful because it had individual monitors for the kids to watch cartoons, that helped as well.