Babies on a plane

[Dana30]

We are going to Disney with our 11 month old twins.

I have snacks and toys to keep them busy, bottles for take off and descent and a dvd player for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

My fear is ear pressure issues or motion sickness. Will it be an issue at this age? They do fine in the car.

Any other suggestions, advice?

Thanks!

Dana

 

[northriver]

Pack food/formula/diapers clothes for at least 24 hours. Nothing worse than getting straned with babies and not being prepared.

I have always flown with carseats for my kids. I buy them seats and drag the carseat along. It is an added expense and definately a hassle but for me it is very much worth it for their safety and my piece of mind. Added bonus: in the carseat they are comfortable, and they know they have to stay still and behave!

 

[Dana30]

We did not get them seatsbut we did buy 1 extra seat for room.

I will make sure to have enough formula and diapers and also a change of shirts for me and DH and the kids!

 

[thepeach80]

If the plane is not full, you can use one of the open seats for the other baby. Taking them in their seats is going to be safest and will let your arms rest to be able to take care of yourself and them. All 3 of mine rode in carseats on our trip and the people around us were all telling us how well behaved our children were and I think it was b/c they couldn't go anywhere. Mine have never had any problems w/ ears flying and they all have tubes, so plenty of bad ears. I did have some problems coming home, but they were short lived. Good luck,

 

[hcmommy]

I second making sure that you carry on anything you will need for the next 24hours. I took my 12 mo. old from Tx to Wa and they lost our luggage for a day. Luckily he was off of formula and I had an extra outfit for him and almost enough diapers, although I had nothing for me!

My son had no issue with his ears or motion sickness. He traveled as a lap child. He went thru lots of juice and snacks though so I am sure that helped to keep his ears from popping. Bring more than you think you need. It keeps them busy! He liked playing with sturdy flashcards, board books, his toy car and a plastic cup a stewardess gave him most of all! He loved looking out the window too.

I was terrified to fly with him but he did great! Now I'll be taking him on a plane at 17 mo. old, I'm really SCARED!!! He's much more headstrong now!

One more tips I forgot to mention. Make sure you change them right before the flight. We were on 2 flights each way and I only had to change him on the plane once and it was not fun! Also I made "diaper packs" for the plane and airport. A Ziploc with a disposable pad, diaper and few wipes in a snack size baggie. It made things much easier especially since the diaper bag was PACKED to the gills. II didn't have to dig for everything, just grabbed a diaper pack and went. I didn't have to lug the diaper bag thru the airport either, I just left it with my dad.

 

[Dana30]

That is a great idea about making a diaper pack for each change. I would never have thought of it, but it makes great sense. I will do that.

Jennifer, thanks for the advice, but we are going to check our car seats. The plane is almost completely full both ways. And with twins who do not walk yet, we have enough to carry thru as it is.

I feel better about ears and motion sickness now. Thanks again ladies!

 

[eowensby]

I always give my son a dose of tylenol about 20 mins before we board the plane. It seems to help with the pressure changes. He's flown at 3 months and 6 months. I also carry an empty bottle or sippy cup so that I can fill it with water before we get on the plane to help with his ears.

 

[HillPete]

Two ideas-

Take your stroller with you to the gate and gate-check it. The airline folks know what to do. It's a pain going thru security, but not as much of a pain as lugging both kids once you're on the other side!

Take whatever toys you are planning on bringing and wrap them in tissue paper - even if they are old toys! Unwrapping them will take up time and keep the little ones busy. It's very entertaining for toddlers. Make sure you use non-bleeding colors otherwise it will get really messy.

Have a great trip!

--H

 

[tjmw2727]

We are going to Disney with our 11 month old twins.
I have snacks and toys to keep them busy, bottles for take off and descent and a dvd player for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
My fear is ear pressure issues or motion sickness. Will it be an issue at this age? They do fine in the car.
Any other suggestions, advice?
Thanks!
Dana

Sounds like you have it covered and I wouldn't worry abut ear problems or motion sickness. Generally speaking most kids are fine and since you see no evidence otherwise your children will probably not even notice the motion or the pressure too much. We never did OTC meds for flying and never had issues with our dd's. In light of the new warnings on giving babies/toddlers OTC medicines I would definatly avoid it if not absolutely necessary. My youngest gets carsick in the car but knock wood has always been fine in the air.

If they won't take a bottle for take off or landing don't worry as chewing and swallowing will work just as well as sucking to relieve any ear pressure. If they are old enough for something really chewy - then the chewier the better. I used to give my dd's the gerber graduate fruit chews - like gummy's but a bit better for toddlers but they were a bit older than your dd's.

For the DVD player I would practice using the headphones ahead of time so they will be familar with using them. You can get a splitter in the electronics department so you can plug both sets of headphones into the player. Target and Wallmart sell smaller size headphones for kids.

Don't worry - they may even take a nap

TJ

 

[avamadison]

My husband and I are in the same boat! We leave for WDW in 2 days with our 15 month old twin daughters. We have flown with them once before and everything went great. This time we are bringing a new book and toy for each of them that they have not seen yet so it will be a nice way to distract them if we need to.

We have been told by so many people that buying seats for both of them would be well worth the money so we did. We are going to use our double carriage in the airport and are taking their car seats. I am hoping that they just fall asleep in their seats on the plane. I also am packing some new foods that they can snack on that they have never had before so they can have a little surprise.

I am sure it will be a challenge but we are ready for it!

Good luck!

 

[mousescrapper]

Don't have much else to add. But wanted to chime in and say I surrived flying with just turning 2 yr old twins to PCB Fl with a plane change layover walking outside in Atlanta first (they are 8 1/2 now) But you can do it.

We've always bought the seats for our kids, even now when I just flew by myself with our 8 mo old. But I think OP you'll be good with the extra seat.

Diito, keep 24 hr of any necessities with you in carry-on. Don't mean to scare you but...We were flying to WDW on 9-11 with those same 2 yr old twins and thought piece of cake after the first trip. Yes, 9-11 is an unforseen, but we were stranded, no luggage for 3 days, had to make a superTarget trip with that one.

Also love the diaper pack trick good one!

Make sure you carry those little disposable garbage bags for anything from dirty duds, to dirty diapers, bring a pack of double duty wipes for anywhere clean up.

And yes, check your stroller at the gate or use those baby sling things. I used cotton balls in my 8 mo old's ears, don't know if it helped but it made me feel good.

Remember you can bring liquids through security just for the babies and you get 3 carry-on's plus the diaper bag because of your 3 seats. And allow for that extra time in security of folding up your stroller and putting it through the belt scan.

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[debaone]

I have new twins (3 month old girls) and have wondered what it is like to go to Disney with young twins and a 3 yo son. Any travel experience with the twins yet? Please also update after you get back...what worked and what didn't.