Flying alone with 2 kids? First time questions...

[Desnik]

Hi!
I have only flown twice and that was at 8yo and 11yo!!!
DH doesn't/won't fly. We have been driving to WDW every year for the past 7/8 years. We have 2 kids, a DS 21mo, and DD almost 7yo. After this past trip, I really can't take it anymore! I use to love the drive but, now with the 2 kids, it has just become a drag. Especially the ride home! DH says he'll drive down and pick us up at the airport! He will not get on a plane, lot's of reasons. Anyway, we are now DVC members and see alot more trips during the year in our future. Particularly we are planning a summer trip to Vero, and WDW in Nov. I do not want to drive. However, I am really nervous flying with the 2 kids by myself. We don't have anyone that could come with me to help out. I am alittle leary about the whole flying thing and the airport searches and security. Also, taking care of the 2 kids without DH, what if something bad happens?
We would only have a carry on, DH will have all the luggage for the trip. That would make it easier for me.

So, has anyone flown with 2 small kids by yourself? Any tips or incouragement? Do I stay with DH and drive and save money?

TIA

 

[Sandi]

I only have one child, a 10 yo DD, so I can't provide you with a perfect comparison. My DH hates to fly, so it is not uncommon for him to drive to our ultimate destination with DD and I flying. We've been doing that for years.

I think a lot depends on your kids. Are they generally well behaved and not wanderers? Getting around airports isn't that much different than getting around shopping centers, museums, and the like. If they are good with you there, they'll probably be good air travelers. I don't know how long your flights will be, but sitting for an extended period of time can be a problem for kids and adults. I always make sure to have something to keep my DD busy so that time goes faster.

Direct flights are always easier than those on which you have to make a connection. If you can do a one plane, nonstop flight, get that.

Plan to have food with you all the time. Throw some apples and granola bars in your carry on.

Something else you might want to consider is letting DH take one of the children and you take the other.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Harligirl]

Hi

I would HIGHLY recommend flying Jet Blue or Song - those little TV's in the back of the seats are LIFE savers!!! I just came back travelling with every age from 2 to 17 (kids) and the best thing is the TV. It is direct TV so you will get Nick-Dora, SpongeBob, etc! It is great! They also serve good snacks (you can even have more than one!) No, I do not work the airlines - we traveled Jet Blue, not sure about the Song experience...

I also agree about getting a direct flight. Also just be prepared for security and you will be fine. If your kids have those light up shoes, take them off- they set off the detector.

It really depends on how you feel traveling with your kids- no one knows them better than you!!

Good luck!
Lisa

 

[shelly3girls]

I have flown alone with my DDs the first time being when they were 2 months and 2 years. Below are my suggestions to make things easier.
1. gate check your stroller that way your youngest can be in the stroller most of the time
2. Pack snacks and small toys in your carry on.
3. pack a change of clothes, you never know what can happen
4. arrive early, although it is not fun waiting long for the plane it is better than not being guaranteed seats all together (your oldest is old enough to be seperated from you although many people will move once boarded) or rushing b/c something takes longer than expected.
5. bring a carseat so your child will be more comfortable on the plane
6. ask for assistance getting to the gate if you need it
7. if your youngest tends to bolt off bring some type of harness (better safe than sorry)
8. We found Southwest to be great in accomodating travelers with small children.
9. Direct flight is a must!
I am sure I will think of more, this is it for now.

 

[Desnik]

Thank you all so much this info is really helpful!!
Just to give more info: we will be flying from NY, my kids are usually good! They never run off and are not wonderers. I would definately bring the stroller for my son. What does gate check mean? Sorry for my ignorance! I didn't even know you could bring food on the plane! I think the kids would be OK sitting during the flight. TV's would surely help alot!! Only thing is in NY Jetblue only flies out of JFK, and I have heard horror stories about that airport. Although my dad loves Jetblue. I was thinking of flying out of Newark on Continental. At the time I plan on flying DS will be 2yrs. 3mo. Does he need a carseat?
Thanks!!

 

[shelly3girls]

Gate check means that you are able to use your stroller all the way up to the door of the plane. Leave it there with a tag on it and it will be in the same spot when you arrive at MCO. I always bring a carseat for my DD3 not only because it protects her but also b/c she sleeps in it. Without the seat I think she would try to get out of her seat or just be uncomfortable. As far as safety is concerned he really should be in a seat to protect him from turbulence. The seatbelt is not enough to keep him safe.

 

[Desnik]

So, how do I handle the 2 kids, carryon and a heavy carseat, alone?
Safety is most important just trying to figure out lagistically!!

 

[Jestocost]

TV's would surely help alot!! Only thing is in NY Jetblue only flies out of JFK, and I have heard horror stories about that airport. Although my dad loves Jetblue. I was thinking of flying out of Newark on Continental.

JFK, Newark, LaGuardia: You'll hear plenty of horror stories about all three, so pick your poison. I personally have never been on a flight into or out of Newark that has been on time, so I dislike that airport extensively. It's been too long since I've been through JFK to make a good comparison. My advice is to compare rates, flights and services available through both and make a choice based on that.

We've taken to brining a portable DVD player with two sets of headphones. The kids can watch their own movies on whatever airline then.

As far as in-airport logistics with two kids on your own go, maybe my DW (E&BMom) will chime in. She's the expert on that in our family.

It'll work out great. Too bad DH won't see the light. Air travel actually is much safer (not to mention faster) than driving. I would personally rather drill my own teeth than spend more than six hours in a car.

 

[Sandi]

Maybe a combo carseat/stroller. My sister uses one of those and she travels alone with her son a lot. For a carry on, consider a backpack. It is quite difficult to push a stroller, pull a carry on, and hang onto an older child.

Your DD could be in charge of a wheeled carry on bag. Get her a little backpack to put her entertainment stuff and a snack in.

And, this might sound silly, but practice at home. My DH has a video of me and DD at about 3 years walking around the house pulling our carry on bags in preparation for a trip to WDW. We laugh at it now, but it was useful and we worked out the bugs.

Another thought is to practice a security check. Have your DH be the TSA agent. Your DD will have to walk through the metal detector alone and before you. If she knows what to expect, she'll be fine. My DD has been pulled from the line 2x to be wanded. She thinks it's cool, but she was prepared for it.

 

[shelly3girls]

I would highly recommend a light-weight carseat/booster. The kind that have the 5 point harness then convert to a booster. We bought a very inexpensive one at walmart and use it every time we fly. It weighs a fraction of my carseat at home and still protects. Sounds crazy but I push the child in the stroller, put the carry-on in the basket underneath (in your case your older child could carry it) and put my arm through the straps of the carseat wearing it over my shoulder. I may look silly but it works quite well. I agree though that a regular carseat would be too heavy to do this. I never asked but maybe the airline would be willing to transport you to the gate like they do other guests who need assistance??

 

[jel0511]

I'm going to play devis advocate here and say just drive with your DH. IMO, flying with two children is MUCH more stressful than driving with them. On an airplane, you're constantly trying to keep them quiet, occupied, etc worrying about the people next to you, all the lugging,YIKES!! And you'll be all by yourself, and your DH will be driving down anyway. Just go out and buy a portable DVD player. We have one that is built into our car, and it keeps the kids occupied for HOURS ON END! We also bring toys for them and they do pretty good. We stop about every 4 hours, so the kids can get out and run around, usually a McDonald's PlayPlace and they're happy as clams. I don't have a problem flying, but I do prefer driving, it is MUCH less hassle especially with little kids.

 

[Desnik]

Thanks for all the replies!

jel0511
We have a tv screen in each headrest and one for me in the front! With a DVD player. I don't know what happened to my kids this past trip. They were possessed!!! DD has driven down with us 6 times, and it was DS 2nd time. We drive long distances all the time. This time they were out of wack!!! The TV worked only a portion of the time. DS didn't even sleep that much. DD was always nagging are we there yet. I had a ton of things to keep the occupied, like toys, activities, gameboy. They just didn't want to be in the car anymore! We did stop and let them run around and they were good in the car for about a half hour after!!LOL Then they started driving me crazy again! It took about 2 days once we got to WDW for them to wind down and get back to normal! Maybe it was just a fluke and they'll be better next time. I'm really leaning toward just driving. It seems like stress either way and one doesn't seem easier than the other. At least if we drive DH will be there to help.

We'll see, thanks for all the tips!

 

[Lollipop Mom]

You can do it!!!! I flew alone with my children in October and lived to tell the tale and my kids are 2 1/2 and 4! I met up with a girlfriend who also flew alone with her 2 and 4 year olds and survived as well. Our portable DVD player was definitely a big help!!

Some tips...get to your gate early and explain that you are travelling alone with 2 kids and ask if you can board early. I was able to do this on the flight there but not our return flight and it made a BIG difference. Unfortunately it also provided me with one of my most frustrating moments too! They boarded first class and "platinum level" passengers first then "premium business" passengers. I was sent with the premium business passengers. This meant that I was on the jetway with my 2 kids and a slew of businessmen. When we got to the end I got the kids out of the stroller and was trying to hold on to my 2 year old, fold the stroller, not lose the carry on stuff and fuss at my 4 year old to under no circumstances consider touching those buttons (at the little control pannel thingy that connects the jetway to the plane) all while a bunch of business men stepped over me and my children to get to the plane rolling their eyes. That brings me to another tip...on our return flight the gate check agent told me she would hold people from coming down the jetway behind me to give me a couple of minutes to get the stroller folded and the kids ready to board. It definitely reduced stress at that time not to be worried about holding anyone else up!

As for the car seat, I brought one of the 5 point harness boosters someone else mentioned. I packed the kids stuff into backpacks that they were responsible for carrying only from the jetway to their seats. When I got them out of the stroller they each had thier backpack and walked on their own. I held my carryon in one hand and the car seat over my shoulder with the other. I coached my 4 year old down the aisle with my 2 year old walking between us. I suppose I could have asked a flight attendant to carry my carseat for me but that worked fine for us.

When it's time to get off the plane I just told my kids we were staying put to try to be the last off the plane. They enjoyed telling everyone goodbye while they waited for their turn. We were able to leave the plane without worrying about getting in anyone's way. The flight attendants were MORE than happy to help us get out and set up.

If you have someone dropping you off at the airport, ask them if the mind coming in with you. Go to the customer service counter for your airline and request a gate pass for that person. This will allow them to accompany you to your gate and stay with you till you board your plane. Having my husband there to help us get through security made a big difference. They even issued him a gate pass to meet us at the gate when we returned.

We typically drive too and though it was a little stressful getting through the airport and onto the plane, it was better than 8 hours in the car with the boys! I'd do it again. If I can manage with a 2 and 4 year old, I'm sure you can manage even better with a 2 and 7 year old! I've told my husband from now on we only drive if we are going with my parents in their RV which is a TOTALLY different driving experience!

Have a great trip!

 

[bdcp]

We've driven lots of places (one and two day road trips) with our two now grown boys and we did it without a tv or dvd players! GASP! How'd we ever do it? They grew up entertaining themselves and each other. Either way, driving or flying with them was always easy as they would pull out a book, coloring book and crayons, talk to us, each other, etc. I flew alone with my oldest when he was 10 months old and I carried him, and my carry on bag. He wanted to stand on my lap and look over the back of the seat the whole trip. It was a 3 hour flight and I didnt' even get to eat and had to ask the flight attendant (she was nice about it, since it wasn't her job to babysit) to watch him so I could go to the bathroom once. Sky caps are always available too to help with bags. Your 7yo should be plenty of help. There are 7 yo's flying alone to meet family due to divorced parents living far apart and they only have escorts on and off the plane. Your 21 month old will need your attention since that's an age where they don't want to sit still. I hope you bought your DS a seat on the plane because then he can safely travel in his car seat. Either way you go, it's going to take some patience. How far is the drive? Someone else posted about driving 17 hours vs 7 hours flying (getting to the airport, waiting for flight, flying, waiting for luggage, rental car, etc.) and they opted to drive.

 

[Taratink]

Our last flight I bought sticker books for the kids to play with. Crayola also has those color magic markers and fingerpaint kits. I also get those lollipops that look like big pacifer rings and that keeps them quite too. They have magnet boards with little magnets that my kids have fun with. Toys that won't roll away on the floor are good. My kids are on the difficult side but they loved the plane and they were great. We took jetblue and it was the best flight I have ever been on. Good luck!
Tara

 

[lindaso]

JetBlue out of JFK isn't that bad. They have their own terminal and everything is clearly marked. Even security isn't that bad. I've never had to take my shoes off at JetBlue at JFK. You can carry your baby through the screening machine. I have a huge stroller and they don't make me fold it up.

What I do to get through the airport is load the carseat onto the stroller and carry the baby. You can even have your 7 year old push the stroller for you. He/she can also hold the baby's hand while you unfold the stroller and load the carseat back on. After that, it's easy. JetBlue will let you preboard to install your carseat. Baby can walk onto the plane while you carry the seat. (Or carry both which I've done too but it's not easy squeezing down the aisle!!) Gate check the stroller and it will be waiting for you either in the jetway or outside the jetway when you arrive.

I can't even imagine driving from NY...we talk about doing it but we ALWAYS book a flight. Oh yeah, I agree with everyone else...don't even think about booking anything but a direct flight.

 

[disneymom3]

Well, your oldest is 7 so it is not like you are flying with two little kids. The 7 yo can carry his/her own carryon and decide what to pack in it. Make sure some snacks are included. The toddler, I would bring a carseat whether you "need" one or not. The hardest part will for sure be getting the carseat, stroller and toddler through security. Just a lot of hassle.

Actually I am with jelo511 on this--I have three kids and if I can't drive to where I am going, I won't be going there for awhile! Way less hassle involved in driving than flying. You are in charge of your own schedule, can stop when you need to and if the kids have a meltdown, at least you don't have to worry about other people having to listen to them! And we don't use a video system in the car either. I just don't believe in them.