last minute questions..

[Mrs Lapo]

Hello, ok so we are leaving Sat (CAN'T WAIT) and of course I have some last minute questions because this is the first big trip we have ever taken:

1) I have requested a crib for my son and was told it's more like a pack and play - do I pack crib sheets or pack and play sheets? which fit better?

2) Does anyone lock their suitcases when they are checking them? This is my first time flying since I was a kid and I bought a lot of stuff before hand (stuffies, costumes, trinkets etc) so that I wouldn't have to spend so much there. I am just wondering if I should lock my bag before checking it or if it'll be fine to go through as is. I am keeping all my electronics on my carry on but I was just curious what others did.

3) Any other tips anyone can give for toddlers on planes? I have lollipops to help with the pressure of take off and landing. I have snacks, games and small toys packed. I'm honestly hoping he will sleep since we're taking an early flight but I'm not sure. He always falls asleep in the car even on short trips. But I would love to hear some ideas to have handy just in case.

4) Wifi on plane - we are flying Southwest - are most of their planes equipped with wifi? I was planning on bringing my kindle and renting a movie for my girls to watch but I wasn't sure about the wifi. I know costs like $8 but I have not flown in about 18 years.

Are there any other last minute tips, pointers or advice that you can give me about traveling to Disney? Or anyone who recently came back who can tell me tips & pointers for our trip? I feel like I have been planning it forever and I'm almost in disbelief that it's literally only a few days away

Thanks in advance

 

[msmama]

1. I believe if you're staying at a Disney resort they're pack'n'plays so those sheets would work better.

2. Only TSA approved locks are allowed (they must have a key to unlock them) otherwise they will be cut off. I usually hold the zippers closed with some twist ties (I am paranoid about them unzipping). In general, you will be fine and not lose anything while flying, BUT there is always the outside chance that something could go missing so anything that you can't live without should go in your carry-on.

3. Many (maybe even most) have wi-fi, but I would say there's a good chance it won't be good enough for streaming. I've often been on planes that say they have wi-fi but it isn't working for whatever reason. Best bet for movie is to download it to the device beforehand.

Have fun!!

 

[JessM]

I wouldn't bother locking your suitcases, unless its a TSA approved lock they will cut them off anyways. I fly at least once a month, usually twice and almost always check a bag (construction gear is bulky!), I've never had anything go missing but anything valuable is carried on with me.

SW wifi will NOT stream anything. They have blocks up to keep you from streaming and using all the bandwidth. SW wifi in my experience isn't much good for anything except checking and responding to email, it's just too slow. You can rent movies on your kindle fire and download them directly to the device to watch without wifi. I can usually get two movies on mine plus a season of shows.

 

[Mrs Lapo]

Thank you so much for the responses. I will definitely download the movie first so that they can watch without streaming. And I will take your suggestions and use twist ties to hold zippers closed because I too am just paranoid of losing something. And I will definitely pack the pack & play sheets! I'm such a nervous nelly

Thank you!!!

 

[Raenstoirm]

Have yet to travel with a baby, but I have been told to bring extra sheets too. Invariably, the sheet you bring gets soiled in some way and there is no access to a clean one at 2am. I have read reports of parents having to use towels and such as sheets in the pack and plays and that just doesn't sound comfy.

 

[Mrs Lapo]

Great idea! I did see the thread about that. I will pack extras just in case.

Thank you!

 

[Habbott]

Since you're flying southwest, if you didn't pay for advanced seating, you'll get to pick your seats in between zones a and b. I was nervous the first time I had to pick seats on the fly. My suggestion with a little one is to pick a seat behind the wings of the plane. It is louder back there and you hardly hear anyone else (meaning littlest can be loud without it bothering too many people.). Don't stress when you see the line for the A group. Last southwest flight the A group seemed huge, but we had plenty of choices.

Hello, ok so we are leaving Sat (CAN'T WAIT) and of course I have some last minute questions because this is the first big trip we have ever taken:

1) I have requested a crib for my son and was told it's more like a pack and play - do I pack crib sheets or pack and play sheets? which fit better?

2) Does anyone lock their suitcases when they are checking them? This is my first time flying since I was a kid and I bought a lot of stuff before hand (stuffies, costumes, trinkets etc) so that I wouldn't have to spend so much there. I am just wondering if I should lock my bag before checking it or if it'll be fine to go through as is. I am keeping all my electronics on my carry on but I was just curious what others did.

3) Any other tips anyone can give for toddlers on planes? I have lollipops to help with the pressure of take off and landing. I have snacks, games and small toys packed. I'm honestly hoping he will sleep since we're taking an early flight but I'm not sure. He always falls asleep in the car even on short trips. But I would love to hear some ideas to have handy just in case.

4) Wifi on plane - we are flying Southwest - are most of their planes equipped with wifi? I was planning on bringing my kindle and renting a movie for my girls to watch but I wasn't sure about the wifi. I know costs like $8 but I have not flown in about 18 years.

Are there any other last minute tips, pointers or advice that you can give me about traveling to Disney? Or anyone who recently came back who can tell me tips & pointers for our trip? I feel like I have been planning it forever and I'm almost in disbelief that it's literally only a few days away

Thanks in advance

 

[puffkin]

We are flying down Saturday too

Disney uses pack and plays and they do provide a sheet. I always bring my own though for extras since they are so easy and small to pack. They don't give you a blanket though, so if you use one, pack your own.

I have never locked my suitcases when flying. We don't really travel with anything valuable except our electronics which we carry on anyway.

We travel a lot with our kids and less is more IMHO. The window shade provides 15 minutes of fascination, as does the Sky Mall catalog, and emergency evacuation card. If you are lucky you will get on a Southwest plane that has free streaming TV. Love those flights! If not, the wifi is slow so I would just download a movie. You should only need one if you are flying from PHL. We do that flight a lot...its not bad at all! For snacks, I give one or two cheerios (for example) at a time to drag that out. We usually do stickers or some type of cards....not to play a game but to look at. They like to look at pictures on my phone. Usually by that point its soon time to land and they watch out the windows.

My biggest advice is to take as little as possible to carryon. I take 1 bag that has the snacks, few activities, diapers, etc. I make sure it is small enough to fit under the seat. You do not want to keep your stuff in the overhead with little kids, too hard to get too. My DH carries on his work laptop and medications and that is it. Flying with little ones is stressful enough without dealing with bags and bags of STUFF.

 

[Crystal824]

It is a pack n play. Disney will provide a sheet, but we always bring our own. We never lock our suitcases. We have traveled a bit with our kids. I always bring movies on the Ipad, which you mentioned, a coloring and sticker book, and snacks. Have a great trip.

 

[Mrs Lapo]

Thank you both. I was worried about not having assigned seating. So thank you very much for the advice. My game plan was getting to the airport early to be in the family boarding group so that we could all get seats together. But I was going to have DH stay in the airport with my son bc I was told that you should try not to board the plane too early with little guys so that they don't get so antsy. We were actually watching that show Modern Family the other night & it was the one where the whole family flies to Hawaii. They were trying to keep Lily awake so she would sleep on the plane & they spritzed her with water every time she started falling asleep... I was laughing hysterically. I don't think I need to go that far but it was an idea to keep in the back of my mind. Hahaha We have a cab picking us up at 3:30 am to board a 6am flight so I'm hoping he sleeps.

 

[tina.tina]

Cracker Barrel has cute little sticker books where the book is a scene and you put the stickers in it. Finger puppets would be cute. If he's upset, the puppets could talk to him and calm him down. Warning: you may be talking with a puppet's voice the whole trip. DS5 was upset waiting for Fantasmic! to start and I made a puppet out of a wash cloth to calm him down.

 

[sweetlike]

I've flown with my toddlers quite a bit and having a new toy or activity is a great distraction. Just make sure you don't show them or tell them before "the moment," you know that moment where you know it's going to go south quickly my boys love Melissa and Doug magic wonder coloring books which were originally purchased at an airport and now we stockpile them for trips!

Also have a change of clothes handy for you in case of spills, leaks, sickness, etc. I also bring empty soppy cups to fill up in terminal or on the plane to keep spills to a minimum.

I second your idea of having someone wait with the kids until the last minute.

 

[Habbott]

The last time we flew, I bought a replica toy southwest plane from Amazon. It was a big hit (with our flight attendant too, lol). I'll be packing it in his activity bag again, plus his disney bus replicas we got on our first disney trip. I have been buying target $1 section items for awhile now as well.

Also, my son doesn't always take to what I expect he'll take to. I took both suckers and gummie bears for him. He went straight for the gummies instead of the sucker I thought he would choose. We didn't wait to board the plane. It was just easier for all of us to go at the same time. He sat with dh and gpa while I installed his car seat, and then he spent time playing with the window and his toy plane.

 

[ah1126]

Stickers are a great distraction! Also I like to take fruit snacks for my DD for take off and landing.

 

[msmama]

Sippy cups with a straw can also be good for popping little ears! Take it empty and fill after you get through security.

 

[puffkin]

Sippy cups with a straw can also be good for popping little ears! Take it empty and fill after you get through security.

YMMV, but I have taken sippy cups through security countless times filled with water and have never had an issue when travelling with little kids. As long as you have a little kid/toddler with you, chances are they won't say a thing

 

[Mrs Lapo]

Thank you all so much. I have stocked up on some color wonders and small toys for him. I will definitely grab some gummies in case he doesn't want the lollipop. And my girls I think I'm just going to give them gum. They're 5 and almost 10. I don't usually allow gum but its a special occasion. They're already downloaded games that they can play without wifi connection on their ipods so they're all set now. And I downloaded 2 movies to my kindle just in case it's needed.

I didn't think to pack an extra set of clothes for the plane but that's a great suggestion! And I was curious about the sippy cups because I was definitely planning on bringing one. I guess if I get stopped and ask to dump it then I'll just refill it after security.

We will have his car seat so I am hoping that he will feel comfortable and just sleep but we shall see. I just have this reoccurring nightmare of being that parent on the plane with the screaming kid who everyone keeps turning around to look at but I guess that's normal, right? lol.

 

[lvillotta1]

When my girls were smaller I always brought their car seats and strapped them in. I loved the fact that they were safe and there was not getting out for the entire flight. They loved their seats and we always had many treats and toys. It was nice that we were able to board first too so we had plenty of time to get settled. Have an amazing time.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Thank you both. I was worried about not having assigned seating. So thank you very much for the advice. My game plan was getting to the airport early to be in the family boarding group so that we could all get seats together. But I was going to have DH stay in the airport with my son bc I was told that you should try not to board the plane too early with little guys so that they don't get so antsy. We were actually watching that show Modern Family the other night & it was the one where the whole family flies to Hawaii. They were trying to keep Lily awake so she would sleep on the plane & they spritzed her with water every time she started falling asleep... I was laughing hysterically. I don't think I need to go that far but it was an idea to keep in the back of my mind. Hahaha We have a cab picking us up at 3:30 am to board a 6am flight so I'm hoping he sleeps.

Southwest's boarding process is very efficient and not at all like other carriers. You should plan on boarding the plan together, as a family. As inexperienced flyers, you'll need time to settle in, and your son should be fascinated by the new experience on an airplane.

Even if you're planning on using family boarding, please check in for your flight right when it's 24 hours to your flight time. You may find that you're in the A boarding group, which will allow you to board BEFORE family boarding.

 

[Minnesota!]

One thing I have noticed flying SW to MCO - there are usually so many families that they did not do family boarding at all. Just A, B, C.

I would also just plan on all boarding together. SW is QUICK at boarding/departing...no real down time to have to cool your heels.

HAVE FUN!!