Seeking INFO on How to Travel with 9 Month Old Twins...

I traveled with my twins when they were 6 months old. Call ahead to the airport, there is someone there that will give you a hand to the gate - it is a great help when you are trying to juggle everything. They were great on the plane, they slept.

Well... I hopw you are traveling with someone else to help you... My sister and I both recently took trips with our brand new babies.. About 4 1/2 to 5 months old.

1st.. Pack super light. Pack your regular diaperbag away in your suitecase. Pack only what you will need for the flight. Example. If it is a 3 hour flight you propbably will only need to change the baby once if any. so pack two diapers and just a few wipes in a ziplock bag. (per baby) One light weight easy extra outfit (per baby) and 1 bottle ... don't bring stuff you don't need on the plane.. CHECK EVERYTHING ELSE! The more stuff you have to carry thru the airport the worse off you will feel.

2nd... Use the Sky Cap... & curb side passenger pick up features. Direct drop off at sky cap means you don't have to lug babies and luggage. If you have a rental car have one person go get the rental while the other waits in the baggage claim area (again look for a sky cap to get your luggage for you to your car) and when you return to the airport drop luggage at sky cap and check in .. then return your rental car (this requires a few extra minutes)

NOTE: Sky caps work on tips ... $1 bag for little items $2 per bag for difficult ones. So pack lots of $1's in your bag.

3rd feed & change baby right before you leave.. And give you baby some tylenol or benadryl about the time you board the plane. Board first and try to sit in the front row that doesn't have another row in front of you if possible. You wont have a tray but you have way more foot room and lap room if you are not buying seats for the girls.

I took my boppy on the plane because I breastfeed and my baby slept on my lap on her boppy the entire flight....

4th.. The take of and landing can be h*** o* a babies ears so make sure they have something to suck on. A binky or a bottle works good. THe sucking/swallowing will allow their ears to pop and keep them from crying out in pain.

If you have Questions let me know
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Hi! I've always used Benadryl when flying with my little ones (now 5 and 3) and they've always been angels on flights. I would try it out beforehand just to make sure the Benadryl doesn't make them hyper. I've also had a drink ready for them on take off (bottle or sippy cup).

Have fun on your trip!

Hi A., my name is T. i am a flight attendant. What airline are you traveling on, are you traveling by yourself. I don't know if all the airlines are the same but i fly for united, their policy is car seat need to go by the window that is because in case of an emergency the car seat does not block anyone from getting out. Check with your carrier what the rules are. As far as toys are concerned what do they play with at home, what keeps them entertained? If they like to watch cartoon dvd's i would suggest bringing a dvd player. Books are always good, any toy that they like is fine as long as it doesn't make a loud noise. How long will you flight be? Make sure you bring plenty of snacks and food, formula etc. Supplie s are limited on the airplane now a days and alot of things have been cut so please make sure you have what your children like. If you need anything please let me know at ____@____.com

I would definitely test out the Benedryl before you go. It can make some kids more hyper. Do your babies like videos? We carry a dvd player and a couple videos.
S.

One good idea is to wrap up small, new toys as presents and them unwrap one every time they start to get squirmy. Usually the act of unwrapping the new toy, and then playing with it will keep them busy for a while. Try to bring a portable DVD player with their favorite movie. Just make sure the batteries are charged enough to last the entire trip. Bring toys that they absolutely love, or brand new ones with lots of noises to keep them interested. Don't worry about the other passengers being annoyed by the toy noise... they would be more annoyed by crying, haha. Bring some of their favorite snacks to eat too. If you are traveling alone, try to immediately make "friends" with some of the people sitting around you, so they could help you a little. The more hands the better. Good luck!

I have twin 7yos a 4yo and a 1 1/2yo. I have been traveling with my twins since they were 6mo. There are many things that you can do to make your life easier on this trip. I have heard doctors reccommend benadryl and that is fine as long as it is not a habit.
-You can bring your full size double stroller to the gate and they will check it for you there and have it waiting at the destination gate when you deplane. So don't check your stroller at the ticket counter.
-If you are traveling with another person that will help, if not it is still very do-able. You can get a ticket for yourself with infant in lap but you will still need to get another seat for the other child. Do you have an airline approved carseat?
- Ask about preboarding. Even if the airline does not do preboarding as a rule they will generally let you on at the same time as the first class passengers to help avoid the crowd and rush.
- Ask for, and accept, help. Tell the people at the desk at the gate that you are boarding with infant twins and you need help with the process. At the very least they will check your stroller, help you with the carseat and stowing the carryon items and getting settled in.
- Are your children bottlefed? If they are then have plenty of bottles ready to be mixed with pre-measured water in the bottles and pre-measured mix in a container. There are very inexpensive containers made just for this and can be found in most baby sections or baby stores.
- Bring plenty of wipes, snacks, diapers and at least one change of clothes.
- When the plane is actually taking off and ascending this is the perfect time to feed them. You know that your ears pop at this time, well their's do too. The sucking helps them to pop their ears and equalize, just like chewing gum will for you. If you are lucky they will be asleep for descent, if not give them a little something then, too.
- Enslave the staff. This sounds cynical, but if anyone wants to talk about your precious bundles and play little games and such with them then encourage it. Be friendly and open and encourasge contact. I know that soometimes the attention that your twins garner is enough to make you want to tuck them away for no-one to see, but this is not the time for it. As an example, one time I was flying from Seattle,WA to Las Vegas and the boys were not quite one. Joseph had a fit that could peel paint and Nickalas was calm and happy. A stewardess who had stopped to coo and laugh with them earlier in the trip swooped in and walked up and down the aisle with Joseph until he fell asleep. I didn't even have to ask for help, she felt connected so she just did it. All three of us were happy with the situation.
- You don't have to beg for help. Be charming and open and it will come to you.

We traveled back to Michigan from Nevada on a plane when my daughter was 9 months old. We didn't need to give her anything. She was quite good. I had expected there would be problems but there wasn't. She looked out the window and played with us. I took a little bag for her of snacks and toys (books, little stuffed animals, etc.). She also slept for some of it. The way back was a little more challenging because she was over tired. But we managed - she took a little longer to calm down but she eventually did.

Hi,

I don't have twins, but I do have one that I took to Oregon from Vegas on the plane when he was that age. Benadryl sounds like a good idea, also, make sure you have either a bottle, cup, or something for them to chew (gummy bears, raisins) for the ascending and descending of the plane. If you want to try something more natural instead of the benadryl, I'd go with Valarian tincture. You can buy it at Wild Oats market, or Whole foods, or Trader Joe's. They have kids kind. Basically, it's an herbal sedative (you may even like to pick some up for yourself...the best sleeping agent with no hangover, even if you only get 4 hours.) Valarian also has muscle relaxing properties. It's completely natural, without harsh side effects.

As for toys, I don't know if your kids watch TV, but if you have a portable laptop or DVD player, they'd be mesmerized by the Baby Einstien DVD's.

Good luck and happy traveling!

Another mom,
R.

Benedryl never worked for my kids. I have a 2 and 3 year old. But you can try never hurts. When I traveled with them when they were smaller made sure they had a bottle at take off and landing because it helped their ear when popping. Bring their faviote toys. If you have a poritable DVD player with Elmo DVDs BRING THAT it's a must if your kids at 9 months watch tv. Just grin and bare it and so will everyone else on the flight. Just because you have little ones doesn't mean you should stay around the house. They have a right to travel too!!! Remember its hard for us to stay in our seats that long so it's worse for the babies. I also found sitting in the last row better no one behind us. You can take your stoller right up to the enterance of the plane and they have it waiting for you when you get off Big help!!! My kids and I will also be flying the friendly skys in Aug. Maybe we'll see you there:)J. K.

If you are going to do the benadryl thing, test it out in advance. I've heard horror stories of people who have tried it and ended up with completely wired up kids. Yikes... Are you traveling by car? Plane? It is nice to have a backpack or something with small, interesting toys your kids haven't seen before (or lately!), etch-a-sketch is portable and no pieces to lose. My son is a horrible traveler. When we do any car travel we take a portable DVD player & a pile of vidoes (I usually take several out of rotation at least a month in advance so they will seem new or at least novel when we go) and that really helps. Make sure you have a supply of water and small (not messy!) snacks. Are you traveling by yourself or will you have help? Good luck! Hope you find some info that helps!
T.
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A.,

I am shocked that your doctor would recommend medicating your children to fly! My children are ten months apart and I have travelled with both of them from as early as six months. We have gone as far as Spain, from Las Vegas, finding that the children handled the flights better than the adults.

I have followed 2 general principals. 1. I am smart about booking the travel. Late night flights are usually pretty good for coast to coast flights or Vegas to Hawaii. If the flight was particularly long or with a long layover (which I generally try to avoid) then I get a hotel room. For instance, we had a 6 hour layover between NY and Barcelona. I booked a hotel room near the airport with the shuttle. Everyone appreciated the downtime, including the babies.

2. I always travel with a "bag of tricks." These are toys, books, activities that my girls have never seen before. Even as infants they loved the new items. I also make sure I am stocked up on Mylecon, Orajel or whatever was appropriate for their age maladies such as teething, etc. I also tried to delay their bottles to keep them a little hungry for lift off and landings as the sucking helps with ear pressure.

On another note, while I always relished the idea that kids under 2 fly free, I have since found that the extra seat is a blessing for spreading out, laying a baby down, etc,'

I think its great that your kids are starting flying so early. It makes is a lot easier in the long run. Happy flying.

Hi there, I have two boys who are two and a half and one years old. I have flown from Vegas to England with them for the past two years, starting when my eldest was about 3 months old. My main piece of advice would be to make sure the kids are sucking on something - a pacifier or bottle or drink - when the plane takes off and lands as this will help stop their ears from popping and being painful. As for entertainment, a portable DVD player has been a must for my elder son but your kids may be too young for that, my youngest isn't interested in watching TV either. Other than that I take a bag packed with snacks/bottles so I have them at the ready in case of outbursts of crying and then a bag of toys like colouring books, reading books, flash cards (as many flat things as possible to be able to pack the most I can into a small space). I found that one of those drawing board game things (they sell small ones in Target) that you draw on and then pull the lever to make it disappear is good. Also don't forget favorite sleep toys/play toys in the hope they will get some shut eye and then any other toys (that aren't too noisey) you can pack in the bag! I haven't had to use Benadryl so far but I fly to England in 3 weeks with the boys on my own and I will definately be taking some with me on that trip....just in case! Hope this helps - feel free to email me if you have any other questions, (____@____.com) Z.

Hi A.,

My daughter has been traveling to/from Hawaii since she was 8 mos. old I have used Benedryl for our trips, it helped her with her sinus that would plug her ears when we were taking off/ but mostly landing. And it made her sleep for a little while, we came from Hawaii so it was a 5 1/2 hour trip each way. I also brought new toys that she had never seen before that I thought would stimulate her for a little while. Also, when she was 8 mos old she was traveling free, I know now they charge everyone! We had her in her car seat and since she was familiar with that seat and it was secure she would pretty much just stay in it. Take Care and happy traveling!