Flying alone with 2 babies!!

[divalicioust]

Oh, everyone advised me to ensure she had a pacifier when we took off and I think that helped as well.

[machalatte]

Don't forget about your own needs, too. Pack snacks for yourself that you can unwrap and eat with one hand. You'll probably never be able to have both hands free. The flight attendants will probably hold one of them if you need to go in to the bathroom. Lots of hand sanitizer, too. Airplanes are filthy. Getting through security will be the hardest part. Also, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Even if somebody grumbles about it and is rude, at least they are giving you a hand. Traveling with babies is stressful but it probably won't be as bad as you think it will be. The planning and anticipation is worse than the actual event. Kind of like going to the dentist.

[omgsweet]

Thank you all for your advice! I actually forgot to check the thread before leaving this morning!

I didn't want to drive with my husband because I would rather suffer for three hours than three days.

The flight went pretty well. My daughter watched her new DVD for maybe 20 minutes and then passed out for the whole flight. As soon as she fell asleep, my son decided to get very fussy. He got bored with every toy that I brought. Just as I was getting up to rock him to sleep, a very nice stewardess came and asked to hold him. She rocked him to sleep for me! He, then, slept for the rest of the flight. It went by pretty fast!

I was not able to take my daughter’s car seat on the plane because I just couldn't carry it.

Collapsing the stroller at security would have been impossible if the very nice man behind me didn't offer to hold my son!

The guy next to me clearly did not like children. He sighed pretty loud when he sat down next to me. The flight was not full, so he could have moved. I'm not sure why he didn't. He didn't turn his head to look at me the whole flight. I apologized when my son was fussing but he acted like I wasn't there.

Thanks again for all the advice!!!

[omgsweet]

Originally Posted by vhdos

My suggestion would be to put both of them in their car seats but that will be next to impossible with no help. It will even be difficult for you to carry on one car seat while boarding the plane. Chances are, someone might offer to help you. There was a mom with two young kids on my last flight and she literally could not carry everything by herself. A complete stranger offered to carry her car seat on to the plane and belt it in for her. When our kids were young, we always brought their car seats on the plane because then they were comfortable and contained (and more likely to nap!). Are you holding the 7 month old as a lap infant? If at all possible, I would find a flight with three seats on one side and book all 3 (no lap infant). Bring a stroller and gate check it. Also, you might need more than just a dvd player and coloring book. Whenever I fly with my two kids (they are 4 and 5 years-old now) I buy LOTS of new travel-size toys and activities. The key to happy kids is keeping them occupied. It is also critical that you have something to eat and/or drink for both kids during take off and landing. I would hold off on too much candy since that might give them too much energy. My final piece of advice is to just be ready to tolerate the dirty looks that you'll likely receive from other passengers. It can be pretty stressful trying to keep not only your kids happy, but all of the other passengers too! Most people are pretty understanding, but there are those people who seem to judge your entire worth as a parent on how your children behave on an airplane. Go figure. Good luck!

I did get a lot of nasty looks. But I also got a lot of props for being alone and at least a handful of people did offer to help me.

[divalicioust]

Kayla didn't cry when we flew but there was another baby that did and I felt bad for his parents. I could CARE LESS about nasty looks, we were all babies at one time, we all cried at one time, they are babies and can't communicate any other way GET OVER IT.

[kavnadoo]

I'm not a parent and I've flown a lot on long flights. I just wanted to let you know that I totally understand why you would choose to fly 3 hours than drive 3 days. It's also so much easier on the kids. Just so you know, when there is a parent with a crying baby on the flight that it does not bother me. I can only imagine how much pain little ones must be in when their ears are popping.

As for that person whom you said ignored you when you apologised, just remember that there are understanding people out there. The sad thing is that you only hear from the upset ones. GL with the flight!

[vhdos]

Originally Posted by omgsweet

I did get a lot of nasty looks. But I also got a lot of props for being alone and at least a handful of people did offer to help me.

So glad all went well! I was hoping that you'd end up with some nice people around you that were willing to help.

[Danica]

Originally Posted by divalicioust

At 6 months in July I instructed the director at her daycare to only allow her one nap the day we flew. When I picked her up I kept Kayla up until 10 pm (bed time is 7:30), she got on the plane at 10:40 pm and she was knocked out the entire time, never cried or woke up, we flew 5.5 hours to New York AND when we got there she slept another 5 hours. I will only fly red eye. WE are flying to NY again for Christmas and I'm planning to do the same thing.

This is brilliant. I am keeping this in mind for when I have to fly with my daughter, I would have never thought of it!!

[TravelBug]

Glad it went well for you! I wouldn't want to do a 3-day road trip with the kids either, didn't know it was going to be that long!

[kicksarefortwids]

Originally Posted by divalicioust

At 6 months in July I instructed the director at her daycare to only allow her one nap the day we flew. When I picked her up I kept Kayla up until 10 pm (bed time is 7:30), she got on the plane at 10:40 pm and she was knocked out the entire time, never cried or woke up, we flew 5.5 hours to New York AND when we got there she slept another 5 hours. I will only fly red eye. WE are flying to NY again for Christmas and I'm planning to do the same thing.

OMG i took a redeye with my 2 kids (one baby, one toddler) once and i swore i would never do it again. despite being exhausted (which actually makes it harder for most babies to fall asleep) they both had a hard time sleeping so both ended up crying. the thing i failed to consider is that the other people would be trying to sleep so if you think you get dirty looks for having crying children on a regular daytime flight, imagine the looks you get for having crying children on a redeye. we landed the next morning with none of us having slept. oh and the airline lost our luggage to boot.

with that said, i frequently fly cross-country alone with my kids (daytime only!) and generally find that (1) i get a lot more sympathy (and help) from other people and (2) going to the bathroom is virtually impossible so i don't drink anything (a little dehydration won't kill you). what's really hard now is when my older son has to go to the bathroom which means we all get to go to the bathroom. the nice thing about boys is peeing is easy but #2 is another story. bring lots of purell!

[kimberf]

Edited: Oops, sorry, skipped page 2 and just saw that you already did your flight. Glad you all made it safe and sound. I say tough luck to the guy sitting next to you. He's just lucky no one spilled or spit up on him.

I am always amazed at how unhelpful people are when you fly with kids. I once was holding my son when he was about 3-4 months old (and he was a tiny baby, so maybe 7-8 lbs at that point) and literally trying to shove my carryon into the overhead with my head. The guy like 5 people behind me finally said, "Could someone up there please help her?" It was a huge shock after having everyone be solicitous while I was pregnant.

[Angelbabe1]

I must say you are very Brave :) I have little toddlers and I still haven't flown with them by myself yet, but hopefully there will be enough activity going around that it will keep them occupied.

Good Luck, hope your flight experience is peaceful.

[divalicioust]

Originally Posted by kicksarefortwids

OMG i took a redeye with my 2 kids (one baby, one toddler) once and i swore i would never do it again. despite being exhausted (which actually makes it harder for most babies to fall asleep) they both had a hard time sleeping so both ended up crying. the thing i failed to consider is that the other people would be trying to sleep so if you think you get dirty looks for having crying children on a regular daytime flight, imagine the looks you get for having crying children on a redeye. we landed the next morning with none of us having slept. oh and the airline lost our luggage to boot. with that said, i frequently fly cross-country alone with my kids (daytime only!) and generally find that (1) i get a lot more sympathy (and help) from other people and (2) going to the bathroom is virtually impossible so i don't drink anything (a little dehydration won't kill you). what's really hard now is when my older son has to go to the bathroom which means we all get to go to the bathroom. the nice thing about boys is peeing is easy but #2 is another story. bring lots of purell!

Kayla sleeps HARD at night, deep, deep, the only time she is fussy when teething, I could not wake that little girl up she was SO EXHAUSTED.

[divalicioust]

Originally Posted by kicksarefortwids

OMG i took a redeye with my 2 kids (one baby, one toddler) once and i swore i would never do it again. despite being exhausted (which actually makes it harder for most babies to fall asleep) they both had a hard time sleeping so both ended up crying. the thing i failed to consider is that the other people would be trying to sleep so if you think you get dirty looks for having crying children on a regular daytime flight, imagine the looks you get for having crying children on a redeye. we landed the next morning with none of us having slept. oh and the airline lost our luggage to boot. with that said, i frequently fly cross-country alone with my kids (daytime only!) and generally find that (1) i get a lot more sympathy (and help) from other people and (2) going to the bathroom is virtually impossible so i don't drink anything (a little dehydration won't kill you). what's really hard now is when my older son has to go to the bathroom which means we all get to go to the bathroom. the nice thing about boys is peeing is easy but #2 is another story. bring lots of purell!

There was another baby that cried for about 2 hours right near me and I didn't notice, everyone was knocked out, I can sleep through anything so...lol.