Flying for the First Time with a 5 Yr Old and 10 Mo Old Baby.

Lollipops are good for takeoff/landing. We flew 2 years ago and my 6 year old still remembers the lollipops. We brought wiki stix with us for entertainment. They are small to pack and easy to pick up. Have a great trip!

I've flown a lot with my kids.. I bring a ton of stuff but it is so worth it. (I'm from MO so we fly home usually 2x a year from CA). I bring some tough, chewy things for the older kids to chew on during the up/down times (the down is way harder than up) such as yogurt raisins, licorice, skittles and also use the ones they really like as a special treat for being good. They haven't had any issues with the ears at all. I will say that if either of your kids have any sort of cold when you are flying, you can get some drops from your Dr that numb the ears.... it is normally for ear infections, but my Dr gave them to me when I was flying with 2 kids that had terrible colds.... the drops are really thick and sticky, but a lifesaver if they could be painful b/c of extra fluid in the ears.
As for entertainment.... for those ages you know best their personalities... my kids loved the dvd player for a bit, books, crayons, ... and the little one maybe a couple colorful books and small toys. If you want more ideas I can think back to my flying and give you more if you would like! screaming child better go!

* Take off: fruit snacks are great thing to chew for the 5 year old. Just don't give them to her until you are lined up and ready to take off....or have another package ready to go.
* Are you taking carseats? How will you lug them through the airport? Will you check them at the counter or gate?
* Take an umbrella stroller to get through the airport with baby - unless you have a sling.
*Make sure baby and 5 year old do not have jackets on through security and be prepared for blankets to be taken (was an issue for our 2 year old -- she didn't want to give it up).
*Pack a change of clothes for all of you and extra baby supplies and take on board with you (another thing to lug through the airport - but worth it).
*Be prepared to send everything through the security belt.

Good luck and have fun. I'm sure you'll get many more great ideas and suggestions. I'm kind of zonked right now. :)

Go to the dollar store or section at Target & get a hadnful of new toys to be given out as 'surprises' during the flight. Bring a stroller so even if the baby isn't in it, you can use it to carry your stuff. I highly recommend NOT using car seats on the plane. Send them down the shoot. I say this cuz when our youngest was 18m we had a 5 hour flight w/him. Put his Britax on the plane which was difficult to get installed & then the tray wouldn't come down due to the size of the seat plus he had little space to move around. As far as the ears situation: not all kids' ears plug up. My husband had a horrible time w/his ears flying as a child & just assumed our boys would as well. He has talked about it so much over the years that our kids say their ears plug up even when I knew they don't & they talk about in incessantly every time before we fly. First word of advice, don't talk about it non-stop or your 5 yr old will pick up on that energy & worry about it. But, just in case, bring along something for the 5 yr ol to suck on like a sucker or make sure she's drinking something out of a straw. A bottle or nursing should be fine for the baby. Good luck & have fun!

Hi, it depends on their personalities. I like to travel at night so they fall sleep in the plane, I wouldn't like to travel with both of the during the day. It is so easy to travel with my 5 year old, I bring DVD player and books but she usually falls asleep just after takeoff. My baby was good with nursing on his 1st flight but on the 2nd one he was very hard to calm down. I recommend a sling so you have free hands and can reach for your daughter if needed. Try to pass security as light as you can and don't bring beverages other than formula. I fly without belts, earrings, easy to take shoes etc.. Last time I was told than children under 10 or 12 do not need to take their shoes off. Bring extra diapers just in case.

Both my kids have been flying since very young (6 weeks for my son, 10 weeks for my daughter), who are now 5 and 2, and we've never had a problem with ears and pressure. My kids always bring their own pack-pack with a few toys, and we always bring the DVD player with headphones and a variety of videos. We travel quite frequently (we live 2800 miles from family), so we have it down to a fine science, but I remember what it was like in the beginning, trying to figure things out. Snacks are good, but make sure you have meal-type food as well. I usually cook a few chicken nuggets for them to eat, and since we usually fly at 7am, I always have a couple bagels and peanut butter. Truthfully, though, my kids don't eat a lot while flying.

Have fun!

Don't forget to pack her an old fashioned book or something else to distract her, the Nook will have to be turned off for takeoff and landing.

Bagels are great for take off and landing as they are nice and chewy. Just make sure you don't give it to your daughter too early on take off. Take tons of snacks and food. I think the plane pressurization is much better now than it was when I was a child. I have travelled extensively all of my life and we started flying with our daughter when she was 7 mos. old. The only time she had trouble with her ears was when she had to fly just a couple of days after getting a cold but the issue resolved quickly. I always pinch my nose and blow or yawn to clear my ears. This does not work for my daughter, she pulls on her ear lobes and apparently that works for her! She also loves to study the emergency card in the seat pocket with all of the pictures of the plane and the symbols on it, every time she studies it for 15 mins. or so! Have fun!

lollipops and/or some kind of sippy or straw cup with water should help your daughter.