Can you all slam me with advice for Traveling on airline w/T'ster

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

I have several great websites on traveling with children...
But I know "we" have specific stuff as BBBers (how the heck do you lug that Marathon around) kind of things...

The first leg of the trip is Raleigh to London so it takes off at 7:40 I think, sadly Tristan doesn't have bed time till 10:00 or most could say "treat it as bed time"...

Then at noon with a 3 hour lay over we leave for Prague.
We have gotten a seat and we do have the marathon..
We are not taking a stroller and might buy a cheapy in Ukraine...

Any special advice I would love???
Very nervous about the airline part of this...and enough clothes to last us 4-5 weeks...

Neve and Tristan born Feb 25, 2003
* EDD 3/19/05 Baby girl BRONWYN
* Adopting siblings in Ukraine 12-10-04
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan

[steph2003]

Portable DVD player! Saved our lives....I don't know what T's viewing habits are at home. We limit the TV watching (or try!) to Signing Times DVDs 1x a day. But after having Griff climb all over us like a little monkey on our outbound Thanksgiving flight we rented a portable DVD player at the Minneapolis airport & hooked Griff up w/some headphones for the flight back. He was entranced as he sat on my lap & watched. A computer laptop w/player (which I think you are bringing anyway) we didn't have room to lug a laptop along as well otherwise we would have just used my DH's work one to play DVDs.

To lug the Marathon around the airport - we got the ultimate car seat carrier that you can carry backpack style from Marilyn at a Running Stroller. She ships quick (got mine in 2 days) cause I know you are leaving real soon! or maybe Debbie locally can get it for you? You can roll it up & stick in in the overhead or under your seat after you've installed the Marathon on the plane. We had several parents come over to us & say oh, that is cool as they tried to lug their car seat & other gear around w/no cover. Just frees up your hands you know? and worth the $50 IMHO w/all the traveling you will be doing the next several weeks. plus you have a bit of room to stuff some other necessities in the carrier w/the carseat when it is all zipped up.


http://www.arunningstroller.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ARS&Product_Code=ult-carseat-carrier&Category_Code=CS-Accs


We found a sturdy, collapsable umbrella stroller invaluable as well that we just gate checked before boarding. But T might not be so inclined to ride in it in which case I'd use it to load any misc. bags you might be carrying on - but you said you'd get a cheapo one in Ukraine anyway so maybe ultimately you'd want to wait. Griff isn't walking so we found it useful to stroll him around the airport waiting for our flight & to hang our carry on tote bag from.

Since your flight isn't until 7:40pm - by the time you take off & then get settled in a bit (T will be excited no doubt) it will be approaching bedtime so hopefully he'll be able to settle down for a snooze around 10pm. of course at that time they'll probably be bringing around dinner service on an international flight :) and more distractions for him!

I know many are opposed to drugging up kiddos when not necessary but on the few international flights we've been on with children some parents have given Benadryl or the like for an over night flight to help the kiddo sleep. Of course Benadryl hypes some kids up so test prior to trying. Again, I'm not advocating unnecessary drugs just know this works for some parents.

[MamaKath]

Let me start by saying I have never done a trip that long, so my suggestions are from shorter flights and LONG car rides. I will try to reach my sister and step-mom as they have both made long trips like that for years and years. I will post again if they have any great travel tips.

Carseat- Buy a luggage cart. Most of them are rated up to 150 lbs. You can wheel the carseat around the airport. I know a lot of folks who strap their tike into it during the running around the airport as well. It will fold small enough to go in the overhead compartment with you, so you will have it to get back off the plane too.

Travel Tips-
*Bring lots of small toys that you can keep easily accessible to occupy her (Happy Meal toys are great, but lots of household things that she might not normally play with work well too like a calculator, measuring cups and spoons, a bunch of magnets with a small pan to use to stick them to.) Also Magnadoodles and Colorforms work great as well. Puppets are great too, you two can act out stories, etc.
*Snacks- Water and snack food is important, it can help delay melt downs, plus you never know when you may run into a delay (in the airport or on the tarmac)
*Change of clothes for each of you. Take-off and landing can cause the runs for some kids.
*Coloring stuff- Crayola makes Color Wonder system that is great but crayons and coloring books are great too.
*Messenger bag- If you can a messenger bag is easier than a backpack in leaving your hands free. They are easier to move around to shift the weight as needed, and leave your hands truly free since they do not have to be removed to get things out like a backpack would.
*Masking tape- Cheap, and entertaining! Does not stick permanently to clothes, seats, etc. yet is lots of fun to just wad up. Will mess up paper and magazines though so be forewarned.
*EarPlanes- these come in kids or adult sizes. They work great with the pressure. Some kids don’t mind them (this was ds) others hate them (this was dd). The are available at a pharmacy (they are OTC) fairly inexpensively. They do get left in for the whole flight to help your ears adjust the whole time. Chewy food like gummies can also be helpful during takeoff and landing.


Additional thoughts-
*Books on tape- a walkman and some books on tape might be fun.
*Music tapes also might be fun.

Links-
http://www.kidstravelzone.com/travel%20tips.htm Lots of great tips on this page!

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

I didn't even know there was such a back pack thing...I jsut left a message for marylyn!!!!!!

And my ped recommended Benadryl...Tristan doesn't get sick hardly ever and if I had to pull the "drug card" on him I gladly would do it for this trip...with my peds blessings thank god!!!!!

You are the greatest...thank you for taking the time to write such detail...


Neve and Tristan born Feb 25, 2003
* EDD 3/19/05 Baby girl BRONWYN
* Adopting siblings in Ukraine 12-10-04
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan

[Laurelsmom2002]

PP said everything I was gonna, except, snacks should be low on sugar. Dd slept much better on flights where children of same age were hyped on fruit loops and juice. She had puffed rice/cherios and milk. and btw she is not a great sleeper
Good luck

[Marisa6826]

Neve-

Just road test the Benadryl first! It does NOTHING to Sophie.

Dimetapp or Triaminic Cold are other options, as is kid Nyquil (yes, there's such a thing!).

-m

[steph2003]

Just thought of something else which you might already have on your list....for international/overnight flights I always bring my "sleeping/comfy" clothes to wear on the plane. I even bring slippers or thick socks to wear on my feet about the cabin, my feet are always freezing for some reason. The clothes help my mentally transition into "sleep" mode (if possible to get any sleep at all!) Maybe you can pack T's jammies as well & change him on the plane (or prior to boarding) hopefully this will help symbolize to him it will be getting close to sleep time. I bring a sleeping mask myself but I doubt you'd get T to wear one or a mini sized one - LOL! you could try blindfolding him - I'm kidding of course :)

glad to be of help - this is all fresh in my mind from Thanksgiving travels with my part "monkey" boy!

[alleyoop]

One word... STICKERS! I have never done such a long flight either, but stickers were a godsend on the flight we took. Trucks, Construction vehicles and the like are available at Borders or Barnes and Noble.

We will be thinking of you!

Edited to add: Also, Matchbox Cars! Perfect for rolling around airplane seats, etc.

[cuca_]

You have gotten great suggestions so far. Definitely bring a change of clothes. I had DD throw up on herself shortly after take off once. I don't think anyone mentioned board books. I find that you can stick these in the diaper bag/carry-on's pockets, they are not too bulky, and they keep DD entertained for hours.

I have never been in a flight that long, but what I do when we fly (usually a 3.5 hr. flight) is to bring the toys/entertainment out one at a time. I think someone else mentioned crayons and a coloring book. DD has loved these when I've brought them on flights, and I get washable crayons, and even let her color the table. (It wipes easily with a baby wipe).

DD also loves dolls/stuffed animals, so I usually bring a favorite one along with us.

I hope you have a safe trip, and that everything goes well in your journey.

HTH

Carmen
DD May 2003
#2 expected in May 2005!

[babymama]

I managed a solo trip to Puerto Rico with DS (one connection and about 7 hours travel) WITH a Marathon. So you can do this!!!

Hardest part was the walking to/from the gates and to/from ground transportation. I was able to mount the Marathon onto the stroller and carry DS in a sling while pulling my rolling luggage (diaper bag on shoulder).

If I could do it over again, I wouldn't pack as many snacks and wouldn't have taken as many board books (3 in carry on). DS was entertained with the in flight magazine. He wanted to get out of the carseat about 1/2 way thru our long flight. So I let him. He walked up and down the aisle a couple times. I took him to the bathroom with me (that was tough to manage). and then sat him in my lap for the second 1/2 of the flight (he proteseted going back in the seat for landing, but sat him in there anyway).

I ended up putting him in forward facing bc mainly bc it was impossible for me tobuckle the seatbelt backward (i tried contorting my body to make it happen, but I couldn't get it) - this was after I argued with the flight attendant about the FAA requiring infants to face backward (I felt dumb after my insistence when I puting him forward anyway, but oh well).

You might consider doing what I did for checking luggage...I drove up to the curbside check-in, put on blinkers (got the ok from security) checked my bags at the curb w/ DS still in carseat (I had the door open and watched him the whole time), then went to go park the car. I was glad I didn't have to transport everything from the long-term parking up to the terminal (though I still had to grab the marathon and DS). In your case, you could maybe drop off your DH w/ all your bags at the curbside, go park then bring T and the marathon up to the terminal to meet your DH.

Remember to give yourself plenty of time. Strangers and security were really, really nice to me. Several people carried the car seat and watched the car seat while I went to the bathroom w/ DS. I wouldn't normally leave the seat with a stranger, but dire straights call for dire measures. So many people helped me.

Good luck on your trip. I'm praying for a peaceful resolution to the strife in the Ukraine.

Lydia
Mama to Santiago, born 11/16/03

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

or is it a freebie????
Neve and Tristan born Feb 25, 2003
* EDD 3/19/05 Baby girl BRONWYN
* Adopting siblings in Ukraine 12-10-04
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan

[loewymartin]

It's a freebie :-)

I bought a pill holder (one of those days of the week plastic things with big sections) and put snacks in there. Alia had many things to choose from, but I would only have one "day" or section open at a time so the entire thing didn't get dumped out/eaten.

I found that Alia was much better behaved than I ever anticipated. We let her run around during layovers, and she ended up sleeping on the second legs of the flights. We did have diaper blow outs though - since I didn't want to remove her from the carseat very often (because taking her out meant not getting her back in). I ended up double diapering on one flight and buying maxi pads for the second to help absorb.

I wish you a safe and happy journey! I can't wait to read the blog of your trip.

Michelle - Mom to Alia born 5/16/02

[Tondi G]

Car seat is a freebie! It's going in a seat not in an overhead bin!

a few things that we found useful

portible DVD player.... be sure to have back up batteries! Unless you are flying Virgin and they have the little screens on the back of the seat ... they show cartoons!

cars with opening trunks,hoods, doors! Mason loved these kinds of cars and new ones we broke out on planes kept him busy for a while!

color wonder markers and paper.... only colors on the paper no where else! If Tristen is good with crayons then go ahead with crayons and regular paper!

little board books.... maybe go and buy some new ones and bring a couple of old favorites!

you might even consider some stacking cups


SNACKS, SNACKS, SNACKS! Pirates Booty, crackers, pretzels, fruit leathers, little cups of apple sauce... or peaches/ also fresh fruit bananas/pears whatever he likes, string cheese, cheerios (other cereals he likes), raisins (they alos seem to love playing with the empty boxes for some reason!), 100% juice boxes (the juice the airlines have is usually concentrated not so great.... if he even drinks juice!), water bottles with sports tops! I have never served them to mason but some people sware by those gerber graduates on planes in case your child isn't into what might be served on the plane?! bring along Take and toss sippy cups, bowls and spoons.... that way if they get lost (no biggie) or hit the floor you can just toss them!

bring him a familiar blanket that smells like home!

Um I guess thats it.... I will add to it if I thnk of anything else!

Good Luck and Happy Safe Traveling! HUGS!

~Tondi

[Sarah1]

We fly a lot, and my best advice is, keep a positive attitude, your sense of humor. I joke with my DH that what *I* really need before our travel day is a magic happy pill of some kind.

Flying at night should work out really well--it'll be dark, and the T-ster will most likely fall asleep pretty quickly after takeoff. Our worst flight ever was from Chicago to San Fran. We were delayed more than an hour, and the flight took more than four hours, in the middle of the day. Audrey didn't sleep at all, even though she was exhausted, but it was so bright on the plane that I think she was having a hard time settling down. I kid you not, she screamed and writhed around for almost two hours straight. But *everyone*--except for a couple of people--was SO understanding and nice about it. So, I have actually found most other passengers and flight attendants to be very accommodating and understanding of crying babies and toddlers.

Also, as Marisa mentioned, definitely do a test-run with the Benadryl to see how the T-ster responds to it. I haven't tried that with Audrey in a long time, but the one flight I did, it had no effect. Maybe I didn't use enough, but I certainly didn't want to use too much.

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

ooops I was editing my poor typing and did a post accidently...
thank you michelle!!!!!
I was going to diaper cover OVER disposies for the whole trip with that thought in mind :)...

Neve and Tristan born Feb 25, 2003
* EDD 3/19/05 Baby girl BRONWYN
* Adopting siblings in Ukraine 12-10-04
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan

[Saartje]

Car seat is not only a freebie, but is required if you have a seat for a baby. :) It only counts as a carryon if you're putting it under a seat or in the overhead bin.

To carry the car seat, if you don't buy a carrier of some sort for it, you can just loosen the straps that fasten the baby in all the way and wear the car seat itself as a backpack. DH and I did this for our treks through the airport at Thanksgiving with our Wizard, and it worked great.

[Momof3Labs]

Never underestimate the power of BARFY!! The barf bag makes a great hand puppet, and you can even decorate it with some crayons or stickers. This will keep Colin in giggles for a good 15-20 minutes when he is otherwise past his breaking point.

I've been working on our bags for our flight next week, and also have packed:

plain white typing paper
stickers and sticker books
some crayons
pipe cleaners
bendy straws
a new Thomas train

Snacks are critical for us - Colin will munch on Kix and raisins happily for quite a while. Bring stuff for T to drink, too, since you might not get beverage service right when you need it (and my experience is that service is very minimal on overnight international flights).

I always throw in a small, familiar blanket or stuffed toy since Colin is big on snuggling with his friends when he is tired.

Allow yourself plenty of time at the airport, and keep in mind that you will have to disassemble your car seat set-up at security (if you put the Marathon on a stroller or luggage cart). Have Steve carry Tristan through - if they need additional checking, one male security person can do it, where if you carry him, they will need to have a female check you and a male check Tristan. Wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off (Tristan too) in case you need to put them through the x-ray. Dress Tristan in something very comfy but keep it one-piece - it is easier to change diapers.

You will have to install the Marathon in the window seat (or the center seat if you are in the center section of a wide-body) for emergency exit reasons. Also, if you install the seat forward-facing, Tristan will not be able to use the tray (it will hit down near his feet).

Let him run around the airport before your flight to help release any spare energy (and hopefully bring on sleep more quickly).

I'll post again if I think of anything else!

[Thatchermom]

Who are you flying with? I'm guessing maybe British with your route. We did Seattle to Prague this summer on British - we didn't have our little guy, but we did have 7 bigger kids with us and were surrounded by families. Traveling as a group British was very helpful and responded quickly to every request we made, so don't be afraid to ask for help! We had individual monitors in the seats that you could choose your own channels on...several were cartoon/kid channels and had lots of different progamming over that many hours. The family next to us was given backpack sort of things for the kids just after takeoff with coloring stuff and activities from the airline. The crew was the friendliest and most helpful I have ever seen. They were great about getting snacks and drinks for the little guys near us. There were changing areas in the bathrooms, I remember. We also had the overnight flight and after a while EVERY kid on that flight was asleep. Lots of families were walking the ailes before that, there was lots of space to move around and it seemed to help.

London was a bit difficult for layover, as they did not post what gate our flight was leaving from until 10 min before boarding. I don't know if that's normal, but moving a group of 10 is probably similar to moving with a child and all that comes with and it was hard to make it there in time. Just FYI.

The London to Prague flight, however, was a WAY different story. Thankfully, not as long! The plane was old, dirty and LOUD. Crew was nearly nonexistent. Get your needs taken care of before that leg of flight!

I'm anxious to hear how this goes for you - we are trying to bring DS with us back to Prague this summer.

ETA: I remember from another post you mentioned something about internet access on your trip. Can't help much for Ukraine but I can send you to a great place in Prague. Best bagels in the city, the ONLY refillable drinks WITH ice, and reliable computers.

[JFC]

To follow on the PP, get to know the flight crew!! They saved us on our last trip from RDU-LAX -- including a few complimentary drinks! ;-)
Bring a change of clothes - for you, DH and DS!
Diaper changes went well in a quiet corner of the airport terminal - we'd lay a blanket on the floor or use an unused row of seats; on the plane we used our row of seats.
If you bring a stroller w/ you - we would gate check ours - it worked out very well.
The best advice I ever got was from a fellow parent on our plane - don't worry about the other passengers. Good luck! ;-)

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

Thank you so much for all of the info!!!! Great to know!!!!
where is that bagel place...gotta have my ice with drinks (that is going to be hard in Ukraine)....
Neve and Tristan born Feb 25, 2003
* EDD 3/19/05 Baby girl BRONWYN
* Adopting siblings in Ukraine 12-10-04
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan

[stillplayswithbarbies]

not only does the car seat not count as a carry on, if you bought a seat for T, he gets his own carry on allowance too. And his own meals, be sure to request in advance toddler meals.

...Karen
DS Jake Feb 91, DD Logan Mar 03
http://members.aol.com/khowe14494/superpower.gif http://members.aol.com/khowe14494/borntobebreastfed2.gif

[Twin Mom]

Great advice from the PPs. A few additions - I don't think anyone mentioned the travel Magnadoodles. They are another small toy you can take. Someone in my twins club also mentioned little tables you could snap on to the car seat on the plane. This would have been great because the tray tables do not lay flat when my kids are in the car seat (we travel with Roundabouts) so coloring is a bit difficult.

When my kids were younger, we would take a set of links for each one to hook onto the car seats and then hook their toys on because they would throw stuff on the floor so much. Not sure if that would be an issue for T. I just survived a 3 hour delay on the way to NY and a 2 hour delay on the way back to Atlanta in addition to the 2+ hour flight times. I brought the links this time, but we didn't even use them since toys did not end up on the floor. I also have a portable DVD player for emergencies. Gummi bears and goldfish also work well for emergencies!

Another thing that worked for me was to pack a small bag with the diapering essentials and then keep toys and snacks in a separate bag. That way when I had to change them I just took the small bag to the bathroom with each child (left the other with DH), changed them and came back and got the other one. You may want to consider bringing an umbrella stroller because even if T doesn't ride in it, it works well for moving your stuff through the airport.

Also, don't forget about the skymall catalog that you have on most flights (not sure about flight abroad though). My twins love to tear paper and the skymall catalog fits the bill. Every time we fly, they usually spend a few minutes "reading" it and ripping it up. Since the airline doesn't mind if you take it off the plane, I don't feel bad that my kids tear it up. Plus I think the other passengers would rather hear the sound of paper tearing than some unhappy children screaming!

Attached is a link for the car seat bag we use. This one has wheels which when you are traveling with 2 comes in really handy. I don't know that we could manage without the wheels. I wheel my double SBS stroller and hook one carseat bag to a swivel hook on the left side of the handle so I can push my kids and the car seat through the airport. My DH wheels the other car seat along with our carryons or slings it like a back pack over his shoulder.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/baby/B0000789TK/qid=1101870672/sr=2-2/ref=pd_ka_b_2_2/103-7483951-1443810

Good luck with your travels. One of my good friends is in Russia right now picking up her son. She is scheduled to return to the US on his 1st b-day. I am glad she is finally able to bring him home as her first trip was in August so it has beven a looong wait.

HTH.

[Thatchermom]

Hate to say it, but not even McD's had ice in the drinks in Prague! (Although they do sell beer!) Bohemia Bagel has two locations in Prague, one is not far at all from Old Town Square, since I think that is where you said you were staying. From OTS (kind of diagonal across the square from UPrince, around statue of Jan Huss) follow Dlouha to intersection with Masna and turn right -- up about 3/4 of a block. They also have internet phones at about $.25/minute, though cell service is amazing in Czech, with the right carriers. Oh - and they make real, normal breakfasts. I love to experiment with foreign foods, and many in Czech were fantastic, but sometimes breakfast you just want normal, kwim?

I can give you more info here or you can email me at thatcherzzz at hotmail for any other info you want.


I know Prague won't be the highlight of your trip to get your kids, but those few days will make you want to come back for more!

[DDowning]

Based on my flight experience last night, the best advice I can give you is that if you gate check a stroller, verify that it actually made it on the plane!!! I'm still waiting for deliver of mine!

Good luck on your trip!!! Can't wait to hear/read the updates!

[mama2galpals]

Hi Neve!

I can't tell you how excited I am for you as I've been reading some of your posts!

I have three kids so I have lots of experience flying with them but I must admit the longest flight I've done was NY to LA. Still I just flew with my dd (who is about a month older than Tristan) last night and I was worried about the night flight but it worked out really well. she fell asleep on and off.

anyway, after discovering i had forgotten to pack a diaper in my diaper bag :0 and we needed a change i had to take her into the bathroom and empty the diaper and put it back on her! on my return flight i made sure to pack a ziploc bag with outfit socks and diapers. ziploc bags are great for dirty diapers extra food or garbage.

Basically, I find toys and snacks are the two most important items.

As far as toys go I always go get smaller things they have never seen before and the trick is to have alot of different items. the party playdough packs are great. I take the FP LP too. the magnadoodle is good. stickers, crayons (i find at this age they don't even care about a coloring book...any paper will do in a pinch). little plastic animals and cars are also a hit. I believe the trick is they have to be new toys they've never seen before.

as for snacks you know what he likes so pack a variety plus i always bring my bag with ice pack and bottles/sippy cups and snacks in that. then i ask the flight attendant for milk and put the little milk container in there for later. as for sippy cups i'd recommend packing some of the disposable kind in addition to his favorite type.

btw if you are stuck, my dd loves to play with the plastic cups from the airline, preferably with ice to put back and forth between them!

as for the stroller when you get to the gate ask them to give you the ticket to gate check it. when they preboard those with small children you can just fold it right before you get on the plane and lean it against the wall and they'll take it and many times even set it up for when you get off. the stroller is a life saver in the airports.

also, believe it or not but it's not a bad thing to be in the rear of the plane when flying with kids. you are near the bathroom and flight attendant and alot of times that is where the empty seats might be if there are any. plus, if desperate you can get up in that little back area.

HTH and best of luck! :)


rita
mommy to
olivia 2/7/97
stella 9/24/00
emma 1/23/03

[lfp2n]

You got so much good advice already, we just got back from a cross country trip to San Diego and I flew to London in the summer. I took the stroller through the airport mainly as somewhere to put the bags and carry the Marathon and then checked it at the gate. I carried DD in a Hotsling plus letting her walk- the only time I've really used the sling but really worked well. I got stuck with her on the plane for 12 hours coming back from London with delays, and it was daytime so she only took one nap! My saving grace was snacks of many different descriptions, like goldfish, raisins, cut up fruit, ham sandwiches, omelettes etc, then I gave them to her little by little in a tupperware pot. As someone else said stickers keep them busy for ages, I took some books but thin paperbacks to read together, the board books got heavy, I also pulled out our linking rings so I could always attach something to the seat by a long chain that kept getting thrown off and retrieved. I also took a favourite blanket and a soft toy. I dressed her for night flights in a fleece blanket sleeper and for day flights in comfy sweat pants and top, not a snap crotch as its so much easier to peer down the back and check whats up with the diaper.
I still haven't perfected the art of a Marathon, if you don't have a bulkhead and have someone sitting in front of you if you rearface, that person can't recline and the gap is so narrow that the MA is very upright, so when DD snoozes her head lolls forward. If you have it forward facing you can get more of a recline so its more comfy for DD but that person in front gets the constant kicking in the back-remember to remove shoes! Gosh good luck!- I hope the trip goes smoothly

Lucy DD 3/03