Air Travel W/ 22 Mo Old Twins!

Hey Chrissy,
Flying with your kids is definitely a challenge. I work at O'hare and I see it everyday. Take the stroller (you'll love it in disney). Yes you can check it at the gate and it will be waiting when you get off the plane in Orlando. Also security sees kids all the time and just take your time with it. Most parents will be sympathetic :) Lastly you can take advantage of early boarding to get the kids on the plane and situated before the swarm of people. That way you can relax a bit before take off.
Have a great time!!
K.

Hi Chrissy,

My husband and I have traveled with our boy/girl twins at 14 months and 26 months . We held them the first time and they had seats the second time. I would bring your double jogging stroller . When you get to your gate you can ask the agent for the claim tag . You can wheel them down to the gate with them in it and then you just fold it up and hand it to the agent right there.

Are you bringing their car seats on the plane? If you are by yourself I would get assistance from an attendant to help you install them. We are going to Disney in dec and we are not bringing their car seats because they don't actally need them on the plane and we are taking the shuttle (Disney) to our resort. You can't use a carseat in the shuttle. We aren't renting a car either so if you are doing the same it may be the way to go.

I would be sure to bring a change of clothes for everyone. Change them before you board and on the flight in your seat because the bathroom is too small and they touch everything .Huggies overnights are the best for traveling . We use the overnights for the entire day we travel because you never know when you will be able to change them.

My mom got the kids wheeled carry on bags at walgreens. They were a frog and a dog. It kept them buy in the airport . Fill them with new crayons,coloring books , cars , stickers,Doodle pros,snacks etc. My kids never sleep on planes no matter what time it is so maybe you want to do the Benadryl thing other moms suggested.

The most important thing is to stay calm. Don't worry about people when your kids cry .They will cry beleive me. It's ok.
If you have any questions feel free to email me:)

L.

I don't have twins but have travelled with multiple children from the newborn stage to high school age. Here's what I have learned: leave yourself more time then you think you could possibly need to get thru security and to the gate....you don't need the additional stress of running out of time! Take more toys and snacks then you think you will need; don't rely on the airline to provide anything! This may mean stopping at a kiosk after security to load up on beverages. I always took sippy cups b/c it is so easy to spill a regular cup on a cramped airplane. I always took an extra set of clothes for each child in a gallon ziploc bag. That way if something spills inside the carryon/backpack, the extra clothes are dry and if you need the extra set you can put the dirty clothes in the ziploc. Air pressure changes during takeoff and landing can be h*** o* the ears, so try to time it so that the twins will be drinking something at these times. Don't wear anything yourself that you would mind getting spilled on. I am a fan of the portable dvd players. We usually tried to get a new movie or show to unveil on the plane. New toys work the same way. If you can, travel early in the day so the kids won't be too tired and hopefully air traffic will not be all snarled. If you check bags, try dividing everyone's clothes and packing a set for each person in each bag. That way if one bag gets lost you don't have one person without anything at all.
Good luck and enjoy your trip!!

I recently went to Ireland (7 hour flight) with my 17 month old and while I don't let her watch TV generally, I made an exception for this and bought a portable DVD player from Target and it was fabulous. We have done this transatlantic trip now 4 times and while it would be nice to have her sleep, I have never wanted to risk drugging her, especially since most of the cold stuff is now no longer recommended for little ones. The usual crayons, paper, books etc along with snacks have worked well for long trips.

Disney has GREAT strollers that you can rent if you don't want to lug your jogging stroller. Let them each bring a backpack on the plane with little toys, coloring books and crayons, flash cards (my kids looked at those for hours on our road trip to Florida) and magnetic puzzles. The flight is only 2 1/2 hours, you should be able to keep them entertained without having to give them Benadryl!! Also, make sure you have little snacks and juice boxes packed. Don't stress out, I was so stressed the first time we traveled with the twins (they had just turned 2) and they pleasantly suprised me at how well they adapted to every situation, and they loved every minute of their vacation!!!

Chrissy--We travel 5-6 times a year, and always take one trip to Disney. My ear doctor recommends Benadryl or dramamine and ibuprofin, at the appropriate dosages. It is not to make the kids sleep, it is to dry the fluid in the ear so they don't get earaches! It also keeps the fluid (and thus bacteria) out of the inner ear. Kids cry because they don't know how to release the painful pressure in a yawn etc. when they are on a plane.

You can check the stroller at the gate. Put some identifying sticker/flag on it because you will be made to park it at the entrance of many of the Disney attractions and then Disney workers will park it at the exit. IT means you are finding a stroller you didn't park, and lots of people use your brand of stroller! The rental strollers at Disney are nice, but they are far walks from the buses and trams that get you from the hotel to the park entrance...too far for your aged kids. You have to return them before exiting the park, and the transportation can really be 3/4 of a mile down the way. That walk seems 10 times further when you are exiting. The Disney transportation system makes you line up according to hotels...your hotel spot can be one block down from the closest, which is still a mile or so from the entrance gate! Also, busses can get off schedule, so you may be waiting for a while, so keep some little games, toys, snacks and drinks for the stroller wait as well!

Disney is a great kid place! If you have any q's about your hotel or anything else, just write me. I congratulate you on taking them when they are little--it was so worth it! I have friends who say why not wait til they are older? It's just like Christmas...it is sweeter when they are little and believe the characters they are seeing are real, and it still brings a tear to my eye when I think of how special it was each year. Now we are into the "puke rides" and water parks, and I miss the pirates, princesses and Pooh! (oh yea, a character buffet is really awesome). Have fun! L.

you can check the jogging stroller by the gate. disney does have great strollers to rent singles and doubles. if you don't want to have to worry about dragging yours to and from the park. have fun disney is so great!

I have never gate checked, as I only have one little boy, and prefer my mei tai at the airport. BUT, I hate to say this, but BENADRYL is really the way to go with little men of that age. Ask your doctor what dosage to give kiddos of their size. They will fall asleep in like 10 minutes and be out for a few hours. I hated doing it, but don't know what I would have done without it.

I also rented a movie from Itunes and played it on my Ipod for my little man (he was 20 months last time I flew and it was a 4 hour flight), and bought some new 'special' toys, and some exciting snacks he doesn't usually get. I also let him have a bottle and bink, something he can't normally have. I do hope you're not traveling alone, and wish you the best!

Things will go well until they get tired of sitting still!

C.

Everyone had great tips. No problem with the stroller, the flight attendants will take care of it. make sure your name is one it, and they do have a special gate check tag that will inform everyone. I traveled with my twins numerous times, and the only issue I had was the seating arrangements. We did bring their car seats on the plane, and it was great. The never really wanted to get out, and we had a 4 hour flight. We are a family of 5 so we would get 3 seats in one row and 2 in another. The twins were more comfortable with me, so I was going to sit in the middle of both of them. On some flights, they let us do that. On one flight they were adamant about only one carseat per row. That was because of evacuation policy. That was more difficult because one twin was behind me with my husband, and he screamed the whole take off until the seatbelt sign was turned off and he could be with me. He could see me through the seats, but couldn't get to me. On one flight they did let two car seats in one row, but I had to be on the aisle. That worked out ok. Just so you are aware there are some regulations about that. travel magadoodle worked great. Also, in the carseats, they are sitting higher and closer to the seat in front of them, and they will constantly kick the seat in front of them. Try to get the first row. You will not be able to get the exit row because of the children. I would try to have my husband sit in front of them instead of behind them so that they are kicking his seat instead of a poor stranger. Kids are very adaptable and will take cues from you. If you are calm and have fun, so will they. Make sure you bring a changing pad, the only place to change them is on the floor of the kitchen area. Yuck.

Hi Chrissy. There were just 2 other traveling questions posted within the last couple days. You may want to take a look a page or two back. Here is what I added to one of the other posts:

I know someone suggested using Benadryl, but be aware: Even though Benadryl can make some children sleepy, it has the exact opposite reaction on other children (it makes them wide-awake and hyper!) Aside from the obvious risks of dosing a child with medication he doesn't need, be very careful about using Benadryl if you don't know which way your child will react.