New to air travel- nervous about logistics

[geekypeach]

I am hoping some vets can help me out here! We will have DH, myself, and our 6yo and 2 yo. I have so many questions, I don't even know where to start. We've already decided that both kids will have their carseats on the plane. DD6 is teeny tiny- about 36 lbs, so I am absolutely against letting her fly without her seat. How much of a pain and hassle is it for two adults to handle a kid each, their seats, carry on bags, and themselves? What type of things do you carry-on? What do you check? We plan on taking the stroller too, because the rental fee at DLR is not something I'm willing to pay.

We are flying southwest with a stop in Phoenix. How bad are stops with young kids? There is no plane change, but I worry about the extra added time (not that I can change it!).

Any advice is super appreciated!!

 

[Amy and kids]

How big are the car seats? It is a pretty big hassle to carry car seats through the airport when you have 2 kids and only 2 adults to handle the kids. They do have big push-cart type things you can rent at the airport to help with transport but I don't know if those are able to be pushed through security or if they are more for bringing your luggage to the car from baggage claim. I guess I'm not really much help.

 

[MNFootballMommy]

Make sure your carseats are FAA approved. They should have a sticker that indicates that. If they aren't FAA approved, they won't be allowed to use them on the plane and will have to be checked at the gate. I am bringing a backless booster seat for DD on our trip and it isn't FAA approved, but DH (a frequent traveler) says he sees them being used all the time. I am prepared to have it gate checked though.

The stroller can be checked at the gate, so you can push it through the airport either with kids in it or 'stuff' in it. The exception will be security--it will have be collapsed to go through the scanner and the kids will have to walk (minus their shoes, so slip ons are a plus) through the xray machine.

Personally, I would only bring backpacks as carry ons, thus keeping your hands free for your other responsibilities. Put some snacks (If the 2 year old still uses a sippy cup, bring it empty. There will be opportunities after security to fill it.) and activities for the kids in there, along with some for yourself. If you are arriving late, pack some pj's for the kids, just in case. Also, any valuables (jewelry, iPod, etc.) should be carried on and not packed in a suitcase.

I am sure others will have some wonderful ideas as well. Have a great trip!

 

[ashpinoza]

well at that age i wouldnt use it but its a personal choice. because, not to scare but thats not going to protect a child any more than a seatbelt will if there is issues, god forbid. we are also going to TRY and take ours on but our kiddo is one year and its more to keep him in the seat and help him sleap. i dont feel it offers any extra protection than it would in a seat belt. at his age its different though they have to be lap, OR in a safety seat. but for a child that age i wouldnt go through the hassel as it offers no benefit. a BOOSTER though would be a good one and less large to lug around. the PP said done bring juice in their sippy, you CAN most definetely. you are alowed child items like baby food, juice, or milk, you just have to make sure you declare it. also a stroller is allowed on the plane free. and southwest airlines policy section on their website offers great info on traveling with kiddos. i HATE stops and made sure we didnt get any flights with stops but sometimes its unavoidable and will definetely be alot harder with little ones but the stroller will help to push them around. no doubt its harder with kids but if you have patience and can be quick you can do it!

 

[Queenbillabong]

The other thing I would suggest is that before takeoff, at least 20-30 minutes before, give the children some Children's Tylenol or if they have Children's Tylenol Sinus - this will prevent any pain from popping ears on takeoff/landing. We found out the hard way that our DS has ear issues, especially with landing, and this has saved many a tear since then

 

[bumbershoot]

As nutty about carseats as I am, with the 6 year old it's more about behaviour...will she sit in her seat with the lap belt fastened, or will she be squirming out of it, taking advantage of the relative freedom, etc?

And, of course, making sure the seat she has is allowed on the plane (though if she's that weight, she's probably still in a convertible vs a booster, so it's more likely the seat is OK).

Some airports let you take the luggage carts through (seatac does, or at least has for me) while others don't (San Diego).

At the gate, get a gate-check tag for the stroller.

I too would try to take as little in carryons as possible. But no matter what, give yourselves PLENTY of time. You don't want to add "rushing" to your list of things to do. When you're at the security area, if someone behind you is twitching about relative slowness, just invite them to go in front of you as you're loading your stuff onto the conveyor belt.


I've carried...3 year old, his Cosco Scenera, one carryon for me, one personal item for me, and DS's little backpack AND coats for both of us, through an airport (well, I only *carried* the kidlet when he had to pee all of a sudden). I was sweating so badly! But I made it.

Though it was the trip back home, when I couldn't deal with it anymore (getting onto a SW plane that was already halfway full because we got on at a stopover) and gatechecked the carseat, and he did fine in the lapbelt and we left our days of carseats on planes behind.



Oh, as for the stops...it's hard on DS because his ears hurt on descent. We started using EarPlanes for him, and make sure they are in his ears half an hour before descending, and he says they work well. With a flight that stops midway, it might be worth it to just leave those things in the entire flight. Oh, and bring backups in case you lose one. Just buy the multipack from drugstore.com, like we should have done long ago.

 

[iKristin]

Oh, as for the stops...it's hard on DS because his ears hurt on descent. We started using EarPlanes for him, and make sure they are in his ears half an hour before descending, and he says they work well. With a flight that stops midway, it might be worth it to just leave those things in the entire flight. Oh, and bring backups in case you lose one. Just buy the multipack from drugstore.com, like we should have done long ago.

I highly recommend earplanes!! I can not pop my ears for the life of me and I'm 24 but I'll ball my eyes out when it comes to landing because it hurts me so much. My ears also stay full for up to 2 weeks afterwards. Earplanes are amazing!! They have them in adult and kids sizes.

 

[geekypeach]

I think for me, the reason I want her in the carseat (which is a light/slim model- an Evenflo Chase) is that I do not trust people to treat something as important as a carseat with respect if we were to check it. I checked on carseat rental rates for the rental car and they are simply outrageous.

She is a well behaved child. The 2 yo is my wildchild for sure! I have nightmares about him and this endeavor.

What about portable DVD players with headphones? I also plan on taking my laptop and don't want it checked, nor do I want it out on display as a means to watch DVDs. I also have a DSLR outfit that is going along.

It would appear that I jujst want too much, doesn't it?

 

[iKristin]

All this stuff with two adults? That sounds like a little too much to carry IMO. Airplane safety belts are safe enough since these aren't like a carseat, it's more like a smaller version of a recliner chair

 

[geekypeach]

Hmmm. I think you're right Kristin. You know when you know something isn't going to work out, but you just don't want to believe it? This is it!

I think I'm going to do a mock-pack of the big stuff. What's funny is that we are super-packers when it comes to clothes and the like. Sigh.

 

[iKristin]

Most carseats are packed differently into the plane. If you bring it up to the front when you get to the actual terminal they will check it for you and it is put under the plane seperate from all the luggage. Why not do that?

 

[geekypeach]

If that is the case, I wouldn't have any problem with it. On all the travel sites I've read that they toss them around, breaking the foam pieces and getting them dirty dropping them onto the tarmac. Of course, you never know what you can believe.

Back to the DVDs- do they bother other passengers if they're on earphones? I don't want to be rude!

Off to find the earplanes, thanks for the tip! I remember my first flight as a child and the pressure made my face and head feel like it was smashed. It was awful!

 

[iKristin]

No the DVD players shoulder bother anyone I listen to my iPod really loudly and no ones ever complained to me

 

[bumbershoot]

What about portable DVD players with headphones? I also plan on taking my laptop and don't want it checked, nor do I want it out on display as a means to watch DVDs. I also have a DSLR outfit that is going along.

It would appear that I jujst want too much, doesn't it?

I don't think you want to much. Unless you're expecting the flight attendants to carry it all through the airport for you...then you're expecting too much.


Gate checking the seat is going to be the best way to minimize the nonsense that might happen to the seat. You will still carry that seat through the airport...so by the time you get there you might just carry it on anyway. But anyway, you get it through the airport, ask for a gatecheck tag for the carseat if you want it to be gate checked, and for the stroller too.

Then as you board, you will leave the carseat (and you can put it in a bag made for travel by the way...I bought one from Target) and the stroller at the end of the ramp, just before you enter the plane. The employees will walk up the stairs from the tarmac, take the gatechecked stuff, and put it on the plane. When you reach your destination, they will take the stuff off and put it back in the same place on the destination ramp for you.

Yes there are opportunities for them to be rude to your stuff. But not as many as if you check it at the ticket counter and wait for it to come crashing down the carousel.


As for laptop and DVD player...bring 'em in a carryon! As long as you have packed well and given yourself enough time, it won't be a problem. We have a couple backpacks with padded spots for laptops, then other pockets for other electronics. I bought a Fül brand backpack for DH at Costco about 6 months ago, tons of pockets, well within carryon sizes even for the puddle jumpers he's been on in Canada recently. Carries his laptop, several electronic devices (he's a product tester for kindle), mp3 player, etc etc etc.

After you board, putting the carseat(s) in the proper place (needs to be at the window...and if you take both seats on, I think the second can be in the middle, so two seats in a row), getting settled in...take the DVD player and a DVD out, put the needed things in the seatback pocket in front of you, along with anything else you might need. Stow those away, then stow away your bag that held those (which by that time can probably fit under the seat), and then relax.

If you're going to experiment with earplanes, get headphones NOT earbuds. And even headphones are going to be weird with the earplanes in...DS insists it's fine, but then, he tends to lose an earplane when he does that because it wiggles around when he jostles the headphone.

And don't listen to the movie without the headphones, of course.

 

[Brady's Mom]

Gate checking your stroller and car seats (or maybe just 1 car seat) is a great idea. Having your dvd players out and ready before take off is also good since once the electronic device ban is lifted, after you're in the air, it's easy to plug them in and use them for your kidlets.

Be prepared for security to take a LONG time. We travel with smaller children (they are older now - but they used to be smaller) and some TSA agents are really, really picky about scanning the stroller ALL over and some just do a decent visual inspection. We head for the family or handicap area at security since we have a double jogger and it is wide. I've never had to fold it up to get through security, but it is big. We schlep our booster seats in the stroller and walk with our kids when we are at the airport since the stroller holds the laptop and the bags and the car seats.

Be prepared to have to take the laptop OUT of whatever carry-on it is in since it also has to be visually inspected - I don't know if that applies to dvd players or not.

Slip on shoes are a definite must for everyone - since everyone has to take OFF their shoes in order to get through security - even your little kids. Slip ons make it sooooo much easier.

You shouldn't have to pay any extra to gate check your stroller and car seats. At least the last time I flew we didn't have to, but they've changed baggage handling fees since then. At least with SW you don't have to pay for checked baggage.

Snacks are a great idea. We bring empty water bottles so we can fill them up after we get through security and then we have a water bottle on the plane and we bring gum for take off and landing. Although I'm thinking earplanes sound great and we might have to try those next time.

 

[94bruin]

If your 2 yo is not potty trained, double the number of diapers you'd normally bring for him or her. You never know when a plane might be delayed.

What I like to do is bring some items that they've never seen before. That'll hopefully keep their attention for a little bit. Re-usable stickers were a great hit with my daughter. She stuck them all over the window. The flight attendant almost had a cow - but I showed her how easily they came off. Other small things like post-it pads, floss. When my daughter was about 2, she just loved to pull out the floss. Finger puppets, some crayons with a small pad. (It's been a while since I've flown, so I'm trying to think of what I used to bring for DD1.)

Also, another trick is to have your kiddies drink something during take-off and landing. That helps with relieving the pressure in their ears.

BTW, I hear you on the carseat. I've always taken on DD1's carseat. I believe it's safer for them to be strapped into their seat. Plus they'll be more comfortable. Of course, I haven't flown since having DD2, so I don't know what we'll do the next time we fly.

 

[94bruin]

It looks like if your older child is over 40 lbs, it should be okay to let her? sit in the seat with a regular belt.

I found some links that might be helpful on the carseat issue.

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/airplanetravel.aspx

 

[DisCopper]

I can't really comment on how the carseats work, but as for everything else, I'll echo what someone else said: bring only what you are really going to NEED.

With just two adults, and two small children (one of whom you say is a handful), then you need to have some ability to maneuver. The airlines say you can have one carry-on bag and a personal item (purse, computer bag, etc...). If you try to cram 10,000 things into them, it's going to be a struggle. I'd bring only one bag that you know can fit under the seat for each adult. The aisles on most planes are pretty narrow, and to try to get the 2 kids, 4 bags, and carseats on and off the plane is going to be a nightmare. Unless you're in First Class, you won't have a whole lot of room in your seating area.

Personally, I'd forget about DVD players, etc... Bring coloring books, or something that is smaller, easier to handle, and unlikely to break or be damaged. Bring the things that you NEED for the kids to survive (diapers, etc..). That's going to fill up your carryons pretty fast.

I always groan when I see people who are overloaded trying to board a plane. It slows down the boarding process, but I always think, "That has got to suck for them."

 

[DisneyMomma81]

You'll be fine ~ I've flown with my 2 kids before just the 3 of us, I've brought along a car seat or at least a backless booster *which I gate check for DD ~ DD's travel seat was *got too tall for it* a Cosco Scenera ~ you DD is under the weight limit (40 lbs) so she might fit - what seats do you plan to take with you? DD's main seat is a Britax Wizard ~ we do not fly with that thing ~ it's a beast.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I also gate check the stroller ~ it's not a big deal to send it through security, it folds up nice and skinny ~ a Mac Volo ~ I place it on the belt and it zips through.