Ugh. The dreaded first flight

[JDAZ11]

I'm starting to freak out. We finally set a date for moving the babies across the county and bought tickets last night.

We got each of them a seat, and my mom will (hopefully - there are some issues with my sister going back to work after maternity leave the week we are leaving) be coming with DH and me. I wanted to get another ticket - either for a fourth adult, or just for the sake of having a full row.

For me the biggest issue is still my abdominal injury. I can't carry a ton of baggage, a car seat, a baby etc. and neither should my mom (my baby sister is having twins in November and she doesn't need any injuries before that!). One of our kids is HUGE - he has t been weighed in months, but he must weigh 38lbs at this point.

They are also both very rambunctious- and often really injure me while squirming around on my lap. So right now we are trying to decide whether or not to bring car seats on the flight. And if so, what kind? Ours are HUGE and would never fit on a plane, so we'd be getting new ones (we only have two anyway, so it's not a total waste).

So what have you guys done? They will be one day shy of one the day we are planning to fly.


Any ideas for apps or great toys to bring on a plane. Are you allowed to put ear phones on baby? (Probably not a great idea?). Can I just give them Benadryl? (I'm kidding, I know I can't... But that would make me feel way better about this!).


I have been getting medical preboarding (when flying southwest), because I can't really carry much and I'm so scared of being bumped. I'm not sure how it will work when traveling with all of these other people, but I'm sort of hoping they let us on first... But then it just extends the amount of time we are stuck on the plane. So maybe that isn't a great idea.

Ugh. I don't know. I'm terrified of how badly this could injure me. I've been in so much pain for the last two weeks from our beach, and we drove. It's just way too much for me still to lug my own kids around.

Anyway, I'm sure you all think I'm a huge whiner , but I'm overwhelmed with everything going on and would love any tips!


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[SoonerTexan]

Hugs...it wasn't awesome flying with 3 kids to San Diego earlier this year, but we survived.

I say bring the carseats. It will be a pain in the butt to get them on board, but worth it to have them strapped in the whole flight. Do you have a double stroller? We load children and/or carseats in the stroller and gate check it. Well worth the hassle for something to throw crap on and keep kids contained. Definitely avoid lifting as much as you can! Is there anyway your husband can fly with you?

As for the car seats being too big, we managed to bring a Britax on board, so I doubt they are really too big to fit in a seat. If you really think you need different ones, Cosco ones are light and cheap.

So in summary, my recommendation:

1. Check everything curbside except a bag of snacks/personal items you need onboard
2. Load carseats/kids into double stroller--heck, if you have multiple strollers, why not. Are you able to wear the smaller kid without injuring yourself? That may help--especially with security. You are allowed to wear them through the entire security checkpoint.
3. Gate check the stroller--you just go to the gate counter and let them know you have a stroller to gate check. They will give you a tag for it and you just roll it down the jetway with the kids/crap still loaded. At the plane entrance, fold it up and when you land at your destination, it will be there waiting for you before you even get to the gate. Definitely ask the flight attendants with the car seats if you need them.

I don't have a lot of other advice for that age group. If they like ipads, go for it. Do they still take pacifiers? If so, I'd bring them for the takeoff and landing. Lollipops are another good alternative.

[spotty_dog]

What seats do you have? I've carried a Britax Marathon on and it fits fine. But word to the wise, it is CRAZY hard to get it OUT if you buckle it in rear facing (especially if you tighten it), so I used to put it in forward facing even if my kid was still young enough to RF in the car. I strongly recommend having car seats if at all possible. Not only does it keep kiddo strapped in and safe during takeoff and landing and turbulence (parent arms are NOT enough and adult seat belts certainly aren't) but it gives them the familiar setting -- maybe they are used to napping in the car? Bonus! And it gives them enough height to reach the tray table, usually. You could also just get cheap Cosco Sceneras, they are supposed to be the easiest to install cheap seat, and if memory serves they're pretty narrow -- but they aren't very comfy.

I have a friend who flies Seattle to New York regularly with small kids in tow (I know she's flown solo with an infant, toddler, and young school ager? She's up to four kids under 10 now but they usually go crosscountry on the train these days...) and she swears by an attachment for the Britax that lets you wheel it around…I think it's this one: https://www.amazon.com/Go-Go-Babyz-G...dp/B002RXWZSS/ The kids can even be strapped in the seat instead of a stroller, reducing the crap you have to carry.

[Thirteen]

At age one, we do the pass and swap between laps (multiple adults, if applicable). Each adult has a small carry on that contains something the kids like (snacks, a special airplane toy, the precious precious IPad that's preloaded with mind numbing games or videos of choice)
I secure kids into their car seat and attach a rolling cart with telescopic handle to roll them through until security. (GoGoKidz, Britax, etc sell these, on Amazon) This works all the way onto plane loading. If you want to avoid lifting/installing, just gate check everything (car seats and strollers) and do the baby lap swap shuffle.


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[SoonerTexan]

Ugh. The dreaded first flight

I forgot about the go go baby things. Those would be ideal if you can gate check everything else


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[OrionGrad]

We bought two Cosco seats for traveling because they're super light, but we've usually just passed our kids from lap to lap, and I've only used a car seat on board maybe once or twice (and that was a Graco infant seat). I agree with everyone else -- check as much as you can at the curb, and use some type of stroller-type device so you won't have to carry the kiddos through long terminals. I really hope your mom can travel with you so you have another set of hands!

[MrsC]

We got a Britax seat for traveling/as a second seat (smaller than the Peg Perego) and it fits fine. Forward facing was much easier to do with the lap seatbelt.
The travel cart is a lifesaver, I think we have the Britax one. Like everyone else said, just wheel them to the gate and check it there. You should get priority boarding with a "stroller" anyway. DH left C in the carseat and just carried him on the plane that way.
If they're likely to sleep in a carseat, they'll probably sleep a lot on the plane. Otherwise, we brought a couple of his favourite small toys and downloaded Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Kindle. He was 18 months the first time we all flew though.
The hardest part is going through security because you have to take the baby out of the carseat and put the cart through separately too. But allow yourself plenty of time and it will be fine. It was a lot easier than we expected. We flew to Ireland and back (7 hr flight) when he was 18 months and to Texas (3 hrs) when he was 2yrs, 4mths. Good luck!

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[Pollyanna]

Yes, bring the carseats!!! We kept our littles in the car seats on a plane until they were close to four. It makes the flight soon much easier to have them contained. And lets be honest, those plane seats are gross... We have taken our Britax Boulevard several times and it fits no problem. The Roundabout is easier to buckle in. Know that carseats MUST go on a window. I'm not sure you can put two next to each other, check with the airline before you chose your seats. You will need someone to get the seats buckled into place and another person to manage the kiddos and the stuff. Honestly, I always find this the most stressful part of the trip because I don't want to block the aisle while they're trying to board the plane. Just make a plan in advance and you'll be fine.

[scarlett09]

Following.

Has anyone tried a CARES harness? I was debating one of those for our (first) 2.5 hr flight in November.

What does one do with the car seat when the transportation from the airport to the resort is a bus?


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[SoonerTexan]

Ugh. The dreaded first flight

Following.

Has anyone tried a CARES harness? I was debating one of those for our (first) 2.5 hr flight in November.

What does one do with the car seat when the transportation from the airport to the resort is a bus?


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It's a PITA to be honest. They will toss it in with the rest of the luggage, but you have to carry it in between: Many car seats have straps so you can carry it backpack style.

I flew to the KC IMSN conference wearing a baby, with a car seat on my back, carrying a purse, diaper bag, and lugging a bag. It was painful. But it somehow worked. (Def would not do that with an abdominal injury though)


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[oceanchild]

JDAZ, I agree with others about car seats at this age. If they are still in infant buckets, use a double stroller. If they are convertibles, get the GoGoBabyz and wheel the seats. You'd probably still have to carry the seats down the aisle, which would undoubtedly be the worst part of this endeavor.

DS has flown dozens of times since he was born, and 12-18 months was really when it was the hardest. They're just tough to entertain at that age. Snacks and screens.

In the last couple months (DS is now 3), we've just stopped bringing the car seat on the plane. I bought the most padded bag I could find and checked it on our last flight. (The Serious Car Seat People do not recommend checking them.) Up until then we've used the GoGoBabyz and brought the seat on the plane.

Following.

Has anyone tried a CARES harness? I was debating one of those for our (first) 2.5 hr flight in November.

What does one do with the car seat when the transportation from the airport to the resort is a bus?


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We looked into the CARES and weren't super impressed. It would still be easy for a squirmy toddler to slide out from under it, and I feel like the circumstances where it would really improve their safety over a seat belt are pretty limited. If the trip never ever requires car travel, I'd honestly probably skip the car seat.

[scarlett09]

Ugh. The dreaded first flight

We looked into the CARES and weren't super impressed. It would still be easy for a squirmy toddler to slide out from under it, and I feel like the circumstances where it would really improve their safety over a seat belt are pretty limited. If the trip never ever requires car travel, I'd honestly probably skip the car seat.

Hmmm, yeah. We are taking a big coach bus to and from the airport. That's it. No cars on this trip. My only concern is trying to restrain her on the flight. I think she may want to run around the plane, so I guess I will resort to 2.5 hours of PP episodes. Thanks for the tidbit on the harness!



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[oceanchild]

Yeah, I really like the car seat as a restraint and familiar place. They are so flipping heavy though. I suppose you could get wheels for it and just cart it to and from your hotel. Tough call.