Flying to Fl w/ the girls, need some help!!

[remyandhollandsmommy]

I just found out last night that my mom wants to pay for me and the girls to come home to FL for her birthday gift LOL. So I found a flight for 11/12 to 11/17 for us that cost 308 total roundtrip (yea for Delta)! DH will be TDY so I will be flying down with Remy 7 and Holly 23m by myself. Remy will have her own seat, but I am holding Holly on my lap (how does this work). Can anyone give me any tips, what I need and tell me what to expect? I have never flown w/ the kids and the last time I flew was before 9/11 and I know regs have changed since then. Is there anything I need to take for the girls? Should I take their birth certificates? DH is no help since he normally uses military flights. TIA for any help!!

 

[mickeyboat]

Bring lots of snacks and activities to keep them busy. Anticipate a possible delay and pack your carry-on bag accordingly (lot of diapers, change of clothes, toothbrushes). Can Holly chew gum? I give my girls gum to help with the pressure in their ears during take off and landing. If Holly can't chew gum, have her suck on a juice box or something during take off and landing. A lot of parents recommend the first row of seats for some extra room, but if you choose that row, there will be no room under the seats for your carry-on bags, and you will have to stow them in the overhead compartments during take off and landing.

Good luck, I hope you have a great time.

BTW - When I was in Paris last week, I saw a painting in the Louvre Museum by Paul Cezanne called Carrefour de la rue Remy a Auvers. I took a picture of it for you but it is really blurry. I wonder if you could google it!

Denae

 

[NMAmy]

You don't need to take their birth certificates. I just flew last weekend with my big tall 15 yo dd and they didn't ask for her ID--just asked her how old she was. I've never flown with a child in my arms so I'm not sure how that works. Hopefully, the flight won't be full so maybe you can use an extra seat.

How wonderful for you! I hope you have a great time!

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

Don't forget about advanced boarding. I've found lately that some airlines forget to announce advanced boarding...which goes a long way in making your kids feel at ease when they're flying.

My DH gave my DD7 a disposable camera that she used to take photos on the plane. It gave her and my DD4 something fun to do that was out of the ordinary. You may also consider bringing a laptop or DVD player with headphones. Of course, it's one more thing to carry, but wow, if a movie keeps them quiet and happy...it's worth it!

 

[wuv tigger]

Also the Crayola Color Wonders ONLY work on the special paper. We buy the plain paper for the older one so she can be creative & the pictures already drawn for the youngest. The flight attendents loved the CW as they left NO marks on the tray tables. And they don't leave marks on the clothes either.

Our flight was just over 2 hours. We used the stroller until we got on the plane & used gate check. They give you a tag to put on the stroller at the check in desk and you use the stroller until it is time to board the plane. Then when you deplane, your stroller will be waiting for you.

We also bring the smallest amount of clothes that you can as we had a washer in our villa/timeshare. We bring a change of clothes for everyone in one of the carryons ... haven't lost a piece of luggage yet, but you never know if you might need clean clothes on the plane.

Each girl had a back pack filled with favorite toys. Each girl had snacks given to them. Check with your airline to see if they only provide a drink or if they provide snacks. We have found that bringing our own really works best. We bought a bag of colored goldfish crackers. They don't usually get these & they loved the colors.

PM me if you have more ???

Judy

 

[Nancy]

Take their birth certificates! My kids got asked. I agree with taking extra stuff in a carryon. (think possible delays) You'll get to pre board so they shouldn't be a problem. You'll have to get through security by yourself so make sure your tickets and id's are easy to get to since you won't have a lot of free hands. Maybe if you can get your older girl a small bag with wheels she can help get you through the airports. (that can hold all their snacks and toys)

My kids are older now and they have to show picture Id just to go over the border into Canada now, I used to be able to just say they are my kids. We now take birth certificates and their school ID's with us whenever we go across. I would do the same with flying.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I just flew last weekend with my big tall 15 yo dd and they didn't ask for her ID--just asked her how old she was. I've never flown with a child in my arms so I'm not sure how that works.

Really? I flew last week with my 15 year old son who is probably about 6' 1" now...I haven't measured him in the past couple of months. TSA agents on the way out and the return flight gave us a hard time. I have a Passport for him, but I didn't bring it because I didn't think it was necessary and I didn't want to lose it. From now on, he is travelling with it. The other two kids who are ages 12 and 2 however had no problems.

As for the girls....small things to keep them occupied. Rember that you might get "stuck" in an aiport with them over a delay, so overplan. If you have a personal DVD player, or a Gameboy, or a Video Now -- those are great.

When my boys were smaller, I would always buy a new game for their Gameboys and give it to them at the airport. That would really keep them occupied.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Good Luck is all I can say I've done it with my three kids when they were 3,5,7 it was a little tough. One thing I would suggest is to bring your little ones birth certificate, since she is so near the cut off date agewise. I would also suggest you buy her a seat. They are 1/2 price for under 2 so it should only be about 80.00 well worth the peace of mind and she can sit in a car seat. JMHO

 

[malibuconlee]

I'd make a copy of the youngest's birth certificate to take if she's that close to being 2. Isn't it UNDER 2 that can be lap babies? Just to be on the safe side.

 

[LvsTnk]

I would definately try to buy the extra seat if you can. I flew with my 3 when they were little and the oldest ended up with a fever and felt sick all the way home. I had to put the youngest in his carseat so I could tend to him. Boy those flight attendents were so nice and was I glad to be in the back of the plane next to them and the restroom.

I would also try to use a DVD player you can get a splitter for a few extra bucks so they both can use headphones.

I use fruit snacks since my youngest doesn't chew gum and that works well with the Earplanes.

Have Fun!!