Flying with a 6Mon, 2 Yr and 3 Yr Old to Fla.

I find this website helpful: Travels with Baby, particularly this page: http://www.travelswithbaby.com/planning/faqs_topics.htm#F...
Good luck!

yes, you can bring the stroller right up to the gate with you. You can also pack snacks, the only thing you cannot bring is liquids. Just bring empty sippy cups, and buy water, juice, or milk in the airport. As far as activities, stickers, paper, crayons, books.... I'm sure the kids will do great. my 3 year old loves flying, especially turbulance! Talk it up as an exciting adventure! Then let your hubby worry about entertaining the toddlers while you worry about the baby. Have a great trip!

If you have a PSP or a portable DVD player, they are invaluable when you're traveling with a toddler. You can take the stroller all the way to the entrance to the plane itself. You can bring snacks, but the TSAs will make you dump out any liquid - just bring empty sippies and buy juice/milk to fill them after you go thru security.

Hi,
I completely agree with bringing a portable DVD player, and make sure it's fully charged. If your husband can sit with the toddlers, you can even get an adaptor so that you can plug 2 sets of headphones. We've done the crayons, toys, stickers thing but we'd be through our bag of tricks by the time the plane was ready to take off, while the DVD player keeps our son pretty engrossed. Our only goal is to keep the kids happy and occupied during the flight, even if it's dramatically different than what they're allowed at home so we have plenty of snacks, including sweet treats (cereal bars, chocolate milk and fun-size m&m's) to cut short a meltdown, and the DVDs. Make sure your husband sits behind you and the kid who is most likely to kick the seat or push against the seat is behind you. We also have the "airport" book that someone else recommended, and my husband will read the book on the plane to show our son each step of the flight until take-off. Even with lots of prep before the flight, I still think their behavior is completely unpredictable. Our boys were GREAT flying roundtrip to Hawaii, but have been a terror on a 1-hr flight to Pittsburgh. Good luck!!

Make sure that you bring your baby's birth certificate if you will be holding the baby on your lap, as FAA rules require lap children to show proof of age.

Our 3 year old has flown about 5 times and really loves the airplane. He never gets scared during takeoffs and landings, although my DH gets sweaty palms :)

My son LOVES stickers, so I usually get 1 new sticker book of his favorite character (currently Buzz Lightyear and Lightning McQueen) before each trip. That helps keep him very busy.

I found it helpful to bring along an empty water bottle so that once you got thru the TSA checkpoint you could fill it with water from the fountain. (I hear that water on the plane is very dirty if they put ice in it.) With the crazy length of tarmac delays that are possible, I make sure to bring 1 entree-type food for each kid. For my 3 yo that'd be like a thing of Spaghetti-O's (he eats it room temp).

Above all, try to pack as lightly as possible, and check whatever you do not really need on board with you. I have found it less stressful to do laundry at the destination than to hassle with extra baggage thru the terminals and car rental centers.

There are lots of variations on your question already posted on this site. I flew with my 2 children last summer. they were ages 6 months and 3 years at the time. The older one had flown with us the previous summer since we visit the grandparents in another state once a year. We got seats for the kids and kept the baby in her car seat the whole time using a snap and go type stroller. I never had a problem bring the stroller to the plane gate and checking it there. You can double check the security issues but they do let you bring formula for a baby (they have a test to make sure it is okay). It is good to bring extra clean bottles and sippy cups though. One year they let me bring 2 juice boxes for my then 2 year old during takeoff. I think the person was being nice but it is worth a try since at worst you have to throw out a few juice boxes. Dry snacks are fine so bring a good assortment. A few new, small toys per child can go a long way. Coloring books are good if your kids like them. My son doesn't like coloring but was amused for over an hour by a few new matchbox cars.

If you buy ready made formula they will let it thru with out problems. Bring a lot of snacks as well as food if you are flying over mealtimes. Toddlers can be be extra fussy if hungry and a new treat is a good distraction. Extra clothes but most of all extra diapers. You never know when you get stuck on the plane and running out of those is not a good idea. I pack a backpack and have them in the stroller until we board so I can have my hand free. I also find a lot of baby wipes come in handy for just wiping about anything. Relax you will survive and enjoy the vacation.

Planning & preparation are the key!!! You can bring snacks....& DO!! Keep them happy with familiar things! We pack sandwiches/snacks and only buy water/drinks after security, but with younger kids, you may be allowed to take a certain amount of liquid thru security. You can bring the stroller, but may have to take kids & stuff out to go thru security. Make sure kids wear easy on/off shoes because they have to come off at security. It's not as scary as it sounds...go to the TSA website to double check what is allowed & what isn't. Allow enough time & go thru the family line & you will be fine!! Have a great trip!!

Hi P.! I googled and found several books suggested about first time flying that might work for your toddlers....the local librarians may have something as well, we had a book we used and I can't for the life of me remember what it was titled or who wrote it....will update if it comes to me. Anyway, here are Amazon listings for the 3 books I found just to give you an idea....they may have these at the library as well...we always took the book with us and I just always preferred not to take a library book and run the risk of damaging or losing them.

Going on a Plane (First Experiences)

http://www.amazon.com/Going-Plane-First-…

My First Airplane Ride
http://www.amazon.com/First-Airplane-Rid…

Airport
http://www.amazon.com/Airport-Byron-Bart…

One more thing I want to mention and some people think it's nuts but it's another quirky "Mom's helper" I swear by when traveling with toddlers.....and that is, buy a fishing bell -- usually come in a 2 pack (tiny cow bells) and when it is possible in the airport before boarding, put them on your kids backs and let them jump or walk around.....this alerts other people that they are there so they don't get run over and it clues you into their movement immediately.........some folks choose not to let their kids "exercise" in the airport but I just always found it helped make the whole trip more peaceful if they could burn off some of the energy that comes with the excitement of something new like this. Well, that's my 2 cents worth! Take care and have a wonderful trip!

Just a heads up re: bringing milk, etc. Sometimes they will let you through with it, but by law they are not supposed to. We got lucky a couple times but have since found out that was a fluke. Security makes you dump any liquids you have prior to the security check. So, bring empty sippy cups, bottles etc. and fill them with purchased milk and water once you are through security. Even unopened water bottles were confiscated last time we flew.

I bring little toys, art supplies, stickers, little books, etc. that are new. Don't wrap them as security might unwrap everything. But the novelty worked wonders. Also little snacks. I know some folks swear by the portable DVD player (or computer) so kids can watch a favorite show or 2.

Read some fun books about planes and travel with your 3 year old so he's excited about going on a plane himself. Maybe buy him a little plane of his own to have with him. I bring little lollipops for take off and landing to help with ear pressure. It made the trip a treat. If you don't want to do candy, something the kids can chew or suck on with help keep ears clear. I nursed my 6 month old on the ascent and descent.

Take a deep breath and remember most people have been through air travel with kids so they are understanding. If one (or more) of your kids has a melt down, other passengers know no one is more unhappy with that situation than you! You do the best you can and then kids will be kids. Luckily the flight from the midwest to FL is pretty short. We go every year and have never had a problem. I hope you have the same experience. Good luck!

The biggest piece of advice I can give is to make sure you all sit together. This may sound really stupid to say but we have flown several times and each time the airlines some how screws this part up. Some airlines are scrambling passengers seating assignments. This happened to us twice. Even online check in had us seperated. Make sure you get to the gate in plenty of time for them to shift your seats should there be a problem. We saw a dad last fall flying with his 3 children all under 8. All his seats ended up at a considerable distance. Even though they were purchased at the same time and they all had the same last name. They claim its for security but its a serious pain in the hoo-ha...

You can totally bring a stroller with you until you board. Check your airlines website and read their rules and guidelines for flying with children. It will tell you what is acceptable to bring as far as food and drinks for children, and usually umbrella strollers can be taken all the way to boarding, but bigger ones need to be checked in I think. You also shouldn't be charged for strollers(unless they exceed a certain weight) and carseats. Some airlines require you to bring your own booster seat for your children who won't be flying on your lap. I printed a lot of their policies before we flew with our 7 month old just in case they tried to charge me for something when they shouldn't. As far as preparing your 3 year old for the flight... talk about flying now with them at least once a day. Maybe have a picnic one day by the airport where you can watch them take off. Make it as positive as possible so they feel more comfortable once the day comes. I hope this helps... happy flying!

As a travel agent, these are tips that I've given my clients in the past. Hope they help.

Have an imaginary plane trip before you leave. Make boarding passes up for the kids. You be the flight attendent and have them hand them to you as they "board the plane." Put the seat number on the boarding pass and line up the dining room chairs with corresponding seat assignments.

Have the kids draw pictures of what they think they will see out the windows and tape them to a wall next to the chair (that can be the window seat).

Have hubby pretend to be the pilot "Welcome to flight 123 from ??? to Orlando. Thank you for flying with us. When we reach our cruising altitude we will come by with beverages and snacks. Please keep your seat belt fastened, etc....stuff that they would normally hear on an announcement. "

You can be the stewardess and hand out juice and peanuts.

Rock their chair and have the "pilot" come on to say "We are experiencing some turbulance but everything is ok. Please stay seated with your seatbelt on"

Have them carry a backpack full of their favorite little toys. I always liked playing cards, mcdonalds happy meal toys, coloring books, etc. If you have a portable DVD player that can go a long way.

Be ready to nurse the baby on take off and landing to avoid strain on the ears. Your 2 and 3 year old can have gum to help eleviate the pressure.

When you check in at the curb or ticket counter tell them you want to "gate check" your stroller. This will allow you to take it all the way to the gate and when you land it will be waiting there for you in the gangway.

You can bring snack for them (fruit snacks, granola bars etc) but has for bottled water you would have to purchase once you get past security.

Have a great trip!

Bring a change of clothes for each of your kids and a clean shirt for yourself in your carry-on bag, I speak from great experience on this issue. There is nothing worse than traveling and you smell like puke and poop.....

Gate check the stroller and any car seats you have. I did not need to show proof of anything for my kids when traveling domestically.

Ask the gate attendant to board early because you have small kids. This will NOT be offered to you, you must ask. Airlines of definitely changed their policies on this issue for some reason.

I brought a small soft sided cooler with cups filled with milk for both of my kids, security tested it, no problem. You will also get preferential treatment when going through security at the airport. You get to go to the head of the line. Don't stress, just take it in stride and it will go smooth.

A big help is to curb check your bags instead of going inside. You have to pay for bags either way and adding a 2 dollar tip per bag for the guy is worth not having to deal with the hassle of schlepping 3 kids and bags inside to wait in another line.

Not sure how active your 2 & 3 year old kids are but I would get a harness and leash for each of them. They are easier to keep tabs on. Please don't be offended by me suggesting this, it really helped me with my little guy who is extremely active and will bolt at the drop of a hat.

Hi,

You can gate check your stroller. When you check in, you will need to get a baggage tag for your stroller, but you can take it with you up to the door of the plane, fold it up, and leave it.
As far as food, you can take whatever you want with you through security. Liquids are what you have to be careful of. You can usually take 1 bottle/sippy cup of milk or juice for your younger 2 through security. Other liquids you will need to buy once you are through.

Check this site http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm
I always go and read it every time I am traveling with my kids. You can bring formula, breast milk, and juice for infants and toddlers. I definitely recommend bringing a juice box or two for the toddlers, it is much easier if you have prepackaged containers that have not been opened. Here is the info specifically on the breast milk, juice and formula http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm
I agree with whoever said to bring extra clothes, when our first daughter was 4 months old we went through both extra outfits that I had and we were washing out on of the outfits in the sink of the airplane bathroom so that we could dry it out and she could wear it again (we were traveling all day).

Yes, take your own snacks. It's liquids that they will make you throw away. You can check your stroller at the gate. Just ask the gate person for a tag. Then as you get on the plane, you will leave it at the door. It will appear at the door when you get off.
If they offer to let you "pre-board", don't do it! It just means that you will be on that plane for an extra 45 minutes or so.
I HIGHLY recommend getting (or borrowing) a mini dvd player w/headphones. I checked out movies at the library and my boys were zoned out by the time the plane took off. Normally, not the best thing....but under the circumstances it was fine.
Bring a couple of empty sippy cups, because the drinks that you get on the flight will spill all over the place.
You can curb check your car seats for free. They are considered safety equipment. Some people worry about the crew throwing them around, but I've never had a problem.

Here are some tips.
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