3 1/2 Hr Flight with 3 & 5 Yr Olds..... HELP

take a dvd player...and lots of little distractions.... crayons, coloring books etc. i would also carry extra food and clothes just in case. I have travelled alone extensively with my toddler and its not hard--you just have to be organized and prepared...good luck!

Fun distractions:

Red Vines / Twizzlers licorice - bit off the ends and it works as a straw for drinks on the airplane.

Use the red vines licorice and m&ms to play tic tac toe. Winner gets to eat the m&ms (or use skittles). Learn colors and strategy.

If you have an iPod, load some audiobooks (check out your public library, ours has tons - we simply delete after we've listend) get a headphone splitter so both kids can listen at the same time. You may have to reserve them, so search the catalog online and put holds on them. (Kids fall asleep easier with audio books than movies).

Get a blank notebook - I buy a drawing paper one that's 5x7 at Michaels - and new colored pencils for budding artists. don't forget a small pencil sharpener and put the pencils in a pencil case instead of the box. Or if you have a future engineer, buy a small spiral graph paper notebook at Borders in the greeting card section.

Limit them to one stuffed cuddly animal or doll. I've occassionally gotten a new friend for the trip that's smaller and fits better in our carry-on bag. I found the cutest little bunny in an orange sweater that was about 4 inches tall at Whole Foods before the spring holidays.

Have small backpacks for the kids to wear. They should be able to carry some of their stuff. Make sure they're really light weight though and not over stuffed.

i've flown lots w/ my 5yr old & will now do it first time this mo with new 7mo as well! would definately suggest like another mom extra change of clothes incl underwear in a plastic bag in case you need to store dirty/wet clothes. make sure they do potty break BEFORE the plane so hopefully you can avoid the tiny one onboard. if your kids use pullups for sleeping & they may fall asleep bring a couple of those. pack the least amount of items for carry-on so you're not overloaded through the airport, at securtiy, boarding & packing up. pack a couple of 'surprise' activities or toys for the kids. 'Wet Ones' for hands/faces. if you take a portable DVD have two headsets & have them agree on a movie ahead of time. you HAVE to take off your shoes for security & load everything in a bin so be prepared for that. you said December? so guess they won't have easy flip flops or sandals - just have them take them off while in line. my stuff usually piles up at the end of the belt while i try to get my sons shoes back on (that's the most stressful part of the airport). remember you can't have liquids through security so if they have a drink dump it or get a drink AFTER security. i like to add an extra 30min to arrival at the airport on top of suggested arrival time just so i don't feel stressed if there are long lines and so we can just 'chill' at the gate - that's when i usually bring out the DVD. sometimes airlines don't have blankets or pillows so if you can easily pack a blanket for them & a travel pillow bring that too. backpacks are the easiest for yourself & the kids for carry-on. if you think you will bring lots of stuff back check in one EMPTY suit case - i usually do this b/c i shop while on our trips since we don't live near any shopping! look on your airline's website for tips or other travel websites should have tips for travel with kids - southwest does. one tip i keep in mind is expect 80% of the experience to go well so you'll be satisfied in the end. happy travels!

Take a little dvd player if possible. Makes it VERY easy. Don't take too much stuff as carry on. YOu'll just have to lug it and the kids around. Don't expect that they'll carry much either. You know how it is "mommy, carry this for me". I'm lucky, music will entertain my daughter for hours. New songs on an ipod works great for me. Count your blessings. I had Ella in Germany. ALl flights home for me were 10 hours.

My only suggestion is to have a car arranged on the other end. I HATE the cabbies begging for jobs. I get it, but I hate it. Additionally, I feel at a loss for the language. We always have a car pre-arranged to take us to the property (hotel or house).

I'm paranoid about certain things and traveling with my daughter is one of them. I refused to go to Mexico for five years and we finally went. Everything was fine and worked out well. We had cars prearranged to take us where we needed to go. Someone always knew where we were going. We made sure we had International calling set up on our cell phones, so that we could call within the country and out. We stayed at a private home the first trip and the second we did a private home and a hotel(2nd half of trip). I even traveled back with my daughter alone. The airport was a little intense with going through customs/immigration and dealing with all the paperwork and addded fees. Yesn be prepared for some exit fees.

I also travel with antibiotics for each of us. For my daughter, I get it without water added and purchase bottled water once we arrive. I save that one bottle for just med. ... just in case they are needed.

Have fun,
Stephanie

You are so brave. There will be other passengers on board that dont have tolerance for children. The best thing is to make sure they have something to occupy themselves and hold on to them at the airport. I dont have to tell you that they are fast and curious.

For us it's no big deal really. We travel loooooooong periods(to Trinidad door to door16 to 22 hours, and Ontario, about 16 hours) and my kids love it and are gret!!!! been doing it since they were small! Just make sure you get enough
sleep the night before cause your job will be to entertain. Evey little thing is entertaining when traveling....looking at planes take off and land,looking out an airplane window etc, etc. Just think it's fun, and they will follow you there. 3 hours is a piece of cake!!!
P..

Great specific advice from others, I just want to add an overall thought. Don't freak out, it's going to be OK. I've traveled alone with my 2 kids lots and although you can't prepare for every possible situation, you will be amazed at how kind people are. Once someone sees a mom with 2 kids, they will likely send you to the family line or grab you a luggage cart or help in some small way. Definitely bring extra undies for both kids, that was one of my biggest mistake -- my daughter peed in her seat, luckily the seats were leather and we were able to mop it up fast with those covers for the pillows, but I didn't have a change of clothes for her so she wore something of mine as a dress! But it never ceased to amaze me how nice people were. So take lots of deep breaths, do the best you can, and relax. It'll be fine!!

Hi L.,
I flew to Guadalajara with my then 2 and a half year old daughter without my husband. I only had one but I can tell you what I did to entertain her. I bought a couple of reusable sticker books and she loved those. I also downloaded Disney princess and Dora music and videos on my IPOD and let her listen to and watch that. The flight isn't too long and it goes by quickly if the kids are entertained. Good luck and have a safe trip! C.

I have been traveling with my 7 and 6 yr old since they were 3 months, every year, sometimes multiple times a year to France. Its a 9+ hrs flight, depending whether its direct or not. And I always get compliments from neighboring passengers on how well prepared I am with my 2 hyperactive boys.
1. If you can, try to time your flight on their nap time. Easier said than done, I agree.
2. I usually prepare toys they have not seen and introduce them on the flight one at a time. Depending on your child's age and attention span, you can guess how long before they need a new toy or distraction. This does not have to a "new" toy. It just have to be a toy they have not seen for a long time, say a couple of months.
3. If they like DVD, I usually starve my kids of TV, DVD or computer a week or 2 before our flight. That way, when they see that little screen with their favorite movie, you have a captured audience for at least an hour...or less if they are younger.
4. Prepare something for take off and landing. They ears will pop and they will cry if you do not prepare anything for them before hand. If they still do sippy cups, give them their sippy cup as soon as the plane starts landing or taking off. For my boys, the take off is no big deal. It's the landing that bothers them. Lollipop works great for older kids. Again, landing is more painful for my boys, so sugar is ok since we are landing. :-) The idea is anything that can get them to suck or chew will help with the ear pain.
5. Pack a few snacks and drinks. I know, drinks can be tough with the airport rules. So, I usually stock kids drinks as soon as the airline start giving out the free drinks. The flight crew understand and will do anything to help you quiet your kids.
6. If all else fail, take a tour of the plane. Walk then around the narrow alley when they are bored and restless. I usually never needed this but I do see a lot of parents doing it. I usually have enough "things to do" to keep them on the seat for the duration of our flight.
7. Try and keep both your hands free to grab your kids at an instant. Which means, put all your stuff in a BIG backpack. And that is what occupies my hand carry luggage.
8. Since you are taking 2 kids by yourself, don't assume they will be sleeping at the same time. At least mine never did. Therefore, I never get to sleep on the plane.

Hope these help.

I've just flown with my 2 yr old and 7 month old. The infant was easy as he just ate and slept but the 2 year old wanted to investigate the plane and wander the aisles, which made it difficult. I didn't worry too much about walking the aisles because there were plenty of other kids doing the same thing and they can't get very far - like you can't really lose them anywhere! The flight attendants are usually really good and can help keep an eye on one while you take the other to the restroom, etc... If it's not a full flight, try to get at least a whole row not far from the restrooms so then you can kind of keep an eye out if the 5 year old goes by himself. Or if you take the 3 year old in, a flight attendant can help keep an eye on your 5 year old.
I would also suggest prepping both kids before leaving on what to expect and what you expect of them (that they need to sit in their seat, etc..) I think both of your kids are old enough to have their own luggage/backpack on wheels to put activity related items in there (Like books, music, pens, crayons, electronic computer games, etc...) They can stowe it under the seat in front of them. I also suggest to buy something new to give to each of them and they aren't allowed to open or use until the plane ride. For example, I bought my two year old new washable markers and a coloring book for our trip so he was very excited to use that on the plane. If they are picky about ear phones, you should make sure they have their own pair to bring. The plane movie happened to be kid friendly (Madagascar 2), which was nice.
You can also bring kid cup/small fold-down straw thermos for the kids and fly w/water or liquid inside and not have to dump it out. That way in case their ears bother them w/taking off (altitude change), they'll have something to help them clear their ears. Oh, also bring snacks that they like. I brought gummi bears and animal crackers, raisins, etc....things that I know they like!
I'm sure both kids will be great and enjoy the ride! Good luck!