first plane ride w/ children

[crazykids]

It's my first plane ride bringing children & I'm looking for any bit of advice I can get. One child will be 3 1/2 & the other will have just turned 2 yrs. I don't need a rental car since Magical Express is picking us up, so I was thinking of not lugging around a car seat since I will be by myself & am trying to limit to what I can actually carry. The airline told me it is ok for both kids to just use the airplane seat belt - is this safe? I have a portable DVD player that I'm bringing, so that should consume their attention for the 2 1/2 hour plane ride. Is there anything else I should be concerned with? What about the "popping of the ears" on the landing & takeoff? Any help is appreciated!

 

[brightvalleyjrts]

First of all, kudos to you for flying by yourself with 2 kiddos! I have done it a few times back and forth to San Deigo with my boys alone. It is no easy task. The airport was my biggest problem. So hard to deal with luggage and kids and all the gear!

I am going in march with my boys and we are leaving the carseats at home. The less I have to tote along the better! It's only an 1 1/2 hour flight for me, so I figure they will survive in the airplane seatbelts. The magic express bus is also picking up us and from what I'm told there are no seatbelts, so a carseat would be useless.

 

[_queenie_]

I don't think you'll have a problem with the regular seats, I've never had my kids sit in a carseat on the plane. I'd reccomend you bring some small toys and drawing paper/coloring books with you on the plane, the DVD player most likely hold their attention for two hours, not even for my DD13. As for the earpopping situation, I've always felt that helps to eat, especially when they're too young to chew gum.

 

[_queenie_]

I don't think you'll have a problem with the regular seats, I've never had my kids sit in a carseat on the plane. I'd reccomend you bring some small toys and drawing paper/coloring books with you on the plane, the DVD player most likely hold their attention for two hours, not even for my DD13. As for the earpopping situation, I've always felt that helps to eat, especially when they're too young to chew gum.

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

I think it should depend on how well your child rides in a vehicle in general. For us we wanted the car seat for our youngest, since that was something he was used and we knew that he would go right to sleep in it....not to mention a five point harness is more secure on a young child than a lap belt. If your child sits still and doesn't move much then the airline seatbelt would be fine.

 

[jakenzie32]

When I went with my toddlers I did not bring the car seats either. We shared 3 seats between the 4 of us, so the youngest wasn't buckled in at all.

I brought along some brand new small toys, but take the packaging off first as the garbage can be cumbersome on the plane

As their attention drifted I would pull something new out of my bag. Remember to save some new and never before seen toys for the ride home too.

I brought the Crayola magic coloring books, a peel off sticker book, puzzles, you might want to try a small container of Playdoh.

I brought a lot of snacks too. They chewed on fruit snacks during take off and landing.

Also remember extra wipes and extra clothes for them in your carry on in case one of them suddenly gets sick.

Sippy cups...to avoid spills

I hope some of these ideas help. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Veals_Family]

HI
My daughter is 3 and has flown 5 times already. Last month when we flew across the country I didn't have her carseat on the plane. She loved feeling like a big girl! I usually have our dvd player or laptop with either her favorite movie at the time, or a new movie. Plus a new toy or 2 and Crayola Magic markers or the finger paint. My daughter, luckily has not had any problems with her ears. I just have a drink for her, snacks and lollipops! Oh, and if your kids are like my little Stella, bring a small towel for spills....GOOD LUCK!

 

[OhioDisneyDad]

I would suggest that you purchase some Ear Planes. These help to equalize the pressure on the kid's ears. My DD7 had trouble the last time we flew and she was crying during the entire descent. Can't remember the price but it's not much.

 

[aquaticmom]

I would suggest that you purchase some Ear Planes. These help to equalize the pressure on the kid's ears. My DD7 had trouble the last time we flew and she was crying during the entire descent. Can't remember the price but it's not much.

Earplanes are around $5.00 at Walmart.