Flying with Toddlers

DISCLAIMER*** I am not an expert on parenting, or traveling and I am likely to eat my words as soon as I publish this post, so get ready to laugh at me:)

I flew to California by myself with both girls last Friday.  It was a 2.5 hour flight to Dallas, a 2 hour layover then another 2.5 hour flight to San Diego with a 6 month old and just-turned 2 year old.

Now, I have flown by myself with just one of the girls a handful of times and I have flown with Phil and both girls once, but this was the first time by myself with both girls.

I compare flying with kids to starting a house project; I just expect it to go badly, cost more money and time than budgeted and give way more headaches than anticipated. That way anything that goes better than a disaster is a sucsess!

VERDICT: IT WASN'T SO BAD!!!!

Everyone has their own traveling style and their parenting style, and every circumstance can change (ie acts of God or stupid delays), but here is what I did and it worked great for me.

I am a minimalist to the max!!! I only packed 1 suitcase for all three of us for our 9 day trip. I didn't bring a stroller. I only brought enough diapers and formula to get us through a day of travel (I went shopping for those things when I got there). I only brought 1 blankie for Aven. While it would be nice to have some of those convenient tools to bring with you (it's hard for me to live without a Bumbo) YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT THEM!

When we got to the airport I wore Aven in the Bijorn, wore the diaper bag cross body style, slung my purse on my shoulder and held Emrie's hand while she walked. In my other hand I dragged the suitcase with both car seats stacked on top of it.  I checked the car seats and suitcase and headed for security.

I took care of Emrie first (she wasn't required to, but she wanted to take her shoes and jacket off), then took my stuff off and I was allowed to wear Aven through, which helped a ton. They ran a scan on the liquids (bottles) in my diaper bag and we were off.

We did not sit down once we got to our gate. I had Emrie's walking around as long as I could so she could get her energy out.  Boy, those moving walkways were a God send.

Here comes the tricky part...IN THE AIRPLANE!!!

Emrie had her own seat, but Aven was on my lap which can be a little challenging, just because you need your hands to hold the baby but of course the toddler needs your help with everything too.

I brought coloring books and crayons (they have to be old school) for take off and landing when the electronic devices have to be stowed. That bought me 15 minutes. Then I used the iPad with puzzles, games, books and a couple shows to keep her entertained. The beauty of the iPad is that you have all sorts of entertainment with minimal space.

I'm not big on snacks typically, but I brought some which helped (especially when she started getting too chatty :).

The layover was fine because we ate lunch and walked around.

During our second flight is when I realized something I wouldn't have thought through before...IF AT ALL POSSIBLE AVOID SITTING IN THE BULKHEAD! The key to surviving a flight with toddlers is to keep them busy, but if you are in the bulkhead ALL of your bags must be stored overhead...stripping you of your 'stash' to keep them busy (not to mention bottles, diapers, and snacks). Sure you might get a little extra room, but at the cost of all your 'tools'.

How did I survive this unforeseen challenge? I laid Aven on her blanket on the floor at my feet and let her kick around and play with my empty water bottle. I convinced Emrie that she needed a nap (I gave her a binkie and covered her face with her blankie). Thankfully, she fell asleep for an hour so I only had to entertain her for about an hour after that (good thing I have some books memorized).

Ultimately, just come as prepared as you can and be ready to roll with the punches. In the end you'll get where you're going regardless of the process!

Happy Flying!!!!