We are taking our first family flight in a month and the kids will be 22 months and 4.5 months. They are both flying as lap children. I would like to bring our city mini GT double and check it, but is that a bad idea? We will already have our luggage (checked), the britax carseat and infant carseat...what other tips can you give me for a smooth flight? We are staying with family and I can't decide if I want to bring the bjorn travel crib or not too. What things should I buy in advance to make the trip smoother? We will only be there 5 days and 2 of those are travel half the day.
-
I have 2 under 2 as well, I have no advice but want to say that you're brave to attempt this and good luck!
-
Thanks! DH will be with me, but I am s nervous!
-
@matador84: I will let you know how our trip goes. I have a 20 month old and an almost 4 month old. We leave Monday.
-
I'm doing the same thing in four weeks except I'm flying solo internationally with my then 24 month old and nearly 5 month old!
The essentials for the flight are going to be lots of snacks, an iPad loaded with apps (screen time restrictions go out the window on an airplane!), multiple changes of outfits for both babies and me, antibacterial wipes to wipe down our seating area, a bag of new little surprise toys (the dollar store is great for small wind up toys, squishy toys, post it notes, colouring books etc), and multiple sets of essentials for sleep (loveys, pacifiers, favourite blanket). My toddler loves books so I'll have about ten of her favourite books as well.
I'm expecting this flight to be an absolute nightmare - anything better than that will be a pleasant surprise!
Oh, we're also flying with out City Mini GT double, but I've bought a carry bag for it and will be checking it in (it's too big for gate checking). I'm hoping it makes it in one piece!
ETA: Our toddler will have her own seat for this flight, but when we flew in from Australia last month, they were both lap infants as they were 22 months and 3 months (DH was with us for that flight). It was totally fine having them as lap infants and those were some long, long, LONG flights!
-
@Ree723: which bag did you buy for the double? I can't find one that seems to fit!
-
I think you probably know this, but if you have two lap children, you might not be in the same row because there is only one extra mask per row.
So for your carryons, make sure you decide in advance who is sitting with whom and pack accordingly!
Good luck!
-
so you will bring the stroller and gate check it? Right? I think it is not a bad idea if you are not hauling 2 car seats onto the plane too (since your kids will be lap children). You do need something to carry them as you navigate across the airport.
Another idea is, do 1 single stroller (if you have it that is) for your older child, and 1 baby bjorn so you just "wear" your infant and push 1 stroller. So it would be less clunky...
We always bring our travel crib, but we only have 1 child and that thing basically filled one big suitcase (can not check that thing as is or it will fall apart). Can your parents get a cheap crib up there? Is your 22 months ok to sleep on a bed instead of a crib?
Good luck!
-
We did two 1yos a few months ago, both as lap infants. It wasn't very fun, but doable. We got car seat bags and checked their seats and used a double through the airport and gate checked that. We stayed in a resort though that had cribs, so I'm no help there, but i hate to over pack so I probably wouldn't take them.
-
@matador84: We ordered the one made by Baby Jogger so I can be sure it will fit. I haven't received it yet but it has pretty good reviews.
-
@Ree723: def going to purchase!!!! Thanks! @Mrs. Polish: I don't know if we can gate check anything...I'm planning on checking everything at ticket counter. Scary!
@irene: I'll wear DD in the ergo. DH will probably carry DS. I only want to bring the double stroller and I'm not sure if I can gate check it, I think I'll have to check it at the ticket counter. I can't decide on the travel crib. My son could prob sleep in bed with us, but my 3 month old always sleeps with me so the whole family would be co bedding! Eek! Not sure about that.@looch: yes, thanks! We are hoping to get two aisles. I will have a backpack for each of the kids. -
@Ree723: @matador84: We just did our first flight with 16 mo twins a few weeks ago and gate checked our Britax B Agile double stroller no problem, which is very similar to the Citi Mini double stroller.
DH and I were not allowed to sit in the same row since our boys flew as lap infants. So we sat across the aisle from each other so we could swap kids as needed.
On the flight home, DH requested at the gate to move our seats to the back row and we ended up having both sides totally to ourselves, since people often don't like to sit in the very back.
I would recommend for you to have your family buy the diapers, snacks, etc. that you would need while you're there so you don't have to travel with it.
Other than that, have plenty of apps to play on your iPad or iPhone and lots of snacks!
-
@sunshineandsushi: what airline did you fly? I'm hoping all goes well--we have 2 diff 1 hr 15 min flights.
-
@matador84: We flew Delta. It was a nonstop flight around 2.5 hours.
-
Okay...here's a question-where do you change a baby and or a toddler on a plane?
Would it be worth it to get junk car seats that might get damaged? I hate the idea of using a cheap car seat but if they both turn out fine in the end we could use in my husbands car. Wwyd?
-
You should have access to a bathroom with a changing table, it folds down over the seat.
We had a cosco scenera as our travel seat.
-
@matador84: Our pediatrician said to change the baby wherever we feel most comfortable, to simply forget about what other passengers think, and to change her where we can feel the most confident at keeping her safe. So we plan on changing her in the seat.... Not in the bathroom.
Also not all planes have changing tables built in, and if they do it will be in the bathroom that is wheelchair accessible at the front of the plane.
-
Okay...I am working on our travel plans since we leave soon. I decided against gate checking stroller since we have a connecting flight and I don't want to have to wait for stroller to be off loaded and then miss our flight. I hope this ends up okay for us.
Dd has a keyfit...should I pack the base in the travel bag or no?
-
@matador84: We just got back from flying with 2 under 2. Here is what worked for us:
~checked the car seats (and all pieces) all the way through.
~gate checked our umbrella stroller (we never has trouble waiting for it to meet us)
~I carried E in the Ergo, Dh carried N or pushed him in the stroller.
~we had both lap babies, so we couldn't sit on the same row with each other.
~N wasn't really into eating a bunch on the plane. He was busy sleeping or playing peek a boo with the other passengers. E slept pretty much the whole time.
~don't be afraid to ask for help. Our flight attendance were more then happy to assist us.
~ don't forget pacifiers if your little ones take them. Otherwise make sure you have something to help them swallow so their ears don't hurt.
~lastly remember to breath, it may go perfect or there could be hiccups. Just roll with the punches and it will all work out.Have fun!
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
18 comments