Ila's Tips for Traveling with Kids

Hey ya'll!
We embarked on our family trip to California for a week and to another - surprise - destination the following week. This trip is ultra special because my parents planned to take both my sister and I - and our respective families on a big, BIG family trip. I am SO excited because Lincoln and V will be around family 24/7; it'll also give Ryan and I some time together and just a break from our normal routine. Not to mention, I grew up going to this destination, which makes it all the more special. Lastly,l this is probably one of the first trips I feel like Lincoln will really enjoy. He has been to Cabo twice, actually, but at 6 months and at 1 years old, so it wasn't like he was really in tune with what was going on. Now that he is 2 years old, I feel like he may "appreciate" the trip a little bit more. 
Since departing on this amazing trip, it has got me thinking about traveling with kiddos. I flew out to California a little earlier than the hub, which meant that I traveled with both kids alone. Yes, I did it; four hours with a busy toddler and a nursing 3 month old - by myself. Thus, I wanted to share my findings - some travel tips and tricks for the plane and also planning logistics.
Before I start, let me preface this post by saying this is for traveling with two kids. Traveling with one kid is somewhat of a different story (and mind you, a heck of a lot easier). Anyways, here goes it - my travel tips and tricks.

​Planning + Airport Logistics

Bring ID's for the kids. So, if you want to fly anywhere, I suggest you have and bring an ID for your kids or some form of identification. I've had so many situations (especially while traveling alone) that I was asked to show my kids' ID's. Seriously. It got to the point that I told Ryan that they should force all parents to get ID's for their kids when they are born to eliminate the problem of not having proper identification. Thus, I recommend getting a passport for your little one at an early age. You'll have this while flying and if you are ever in a bind to travel internationally, you'll have it taken care of. If you don't have that, you'll want to make sure you have some form of documentation notating your kids' respective ages. The check-in agent will likely ask you for this, especially if you didn't buy a seat for your little one (they like to make sure your kid is really under the age of two). **Also, make sure that you check 'traveling with infant' when you are making your plane reservations. It's not a huge deal if you don't, but they will make you add this detail when you arrive. So if you check-in with the sky cab, they will make you go inside and talk to an attendant about adding him/her.

Have your spouse help your to the airport and check your bags with the sky cab. Get your bags and carseats checked with someone helping you, and also make it easy on yourself and do it without the lines. Thus, the sky cab is always nice, then you can walk into the airport bags free.

Bring double stroller to airport and gate check it prior to boarding plane. When walking through the airport to the gate I thought about letting my two-year old walk and carrying my 3 month old in a carrier, but who am I kidding? My two-year old follows directions for 2.5 seconds and there would be nothing worse than having to chase him though the airport. Thus, carrying the kids in the stroller is the way to go. ****Note that some airlines do not allow you to gate check strollers that weigh over 30 pounds. My double baby jogger weighs over 30 pounds (I think it weighs 32 pounds), but I begged the attendant to make an exception. He did. I would check your airline's rule and regs to make sure you are able to gate check your particular stroller.

Bring a light-weight carrier for baby on the flight. I debated between carrying V in my Chekoh Ring Sling or my Baby Ktan. I didn't consider bringing the Ergo Baby on the plane because it is a bit bulky to take in and out of the diaper bag and also more difficult to put on and off (but I am bringing it on the trip!). I ended up taking a gamble and went with the Chekoh Ring Sling on the plane, and let me tell you, I absolutely chose right! The sling is perfect for carrying your baby short distances and also provides the perfect little cradle for taking naps on the plane. It is super easy to take off, put on and to store. I will absolutely do this again on the next flight.

Gate check carseats. I thought about bringing Lincoln's carseat on the flight for the sole purpose of corralling him, but since he is two years old and gets his own seat I figured logistically it might be hard to get his carseat on the plane (it doesn't click into our Baby Jogger Double Stroller). I talked to other moms about bringing the carseat onto the plane for a two-year old and they said it's not necessary. We'll see.
*For those traveling with one child under the age of 2 (and ESPECIALLY while traveling with a child alone), I would highly recommend trying to bring the carseat on the plane if possible. If your carseat easily clicks into your stroller and it is easy to get it on the plane and gate check the stroller base, I highly recommend bringing the carseat onto the plane. This will give you free hands and an enjoyable flight, while also corralling your little one. My best flights with Lincoln were those in which we were able to bring the carseat on. I simply strapped him into the carseat as I would a car and I was free to do whatever I desired the entire plane ride; rather than hold a baby.
To take your carseat on the plane, start by asking the attendant at check-in how full the flight is. If the flight has open seats, I always asked if they could put me next to an open seat and if I could bring my carseat on - either that or purchase an extra seat for your little one --- it is SO worth it, ESPECIALLY on long flights - but I understand it is expensive. That said, you'll never know if there would have been open seats to begin with. If there are open seats, sometimes the attendant would allow me to bring the carseat on and put it in the open seat, other times they would give me a hard time about not having purchased a seat. It's really a 50/50. BUT if you get an attendant who is sweet and you are able to bring on your carseat, it will make the WORLD of a difference to keep baby in one spot and to have your arms free. If your partner/hub or another family member is traveling with you, it is fine to fly without the extra seat/carseat -- but even so, I would always ask the attendant in check-in how full the flight is an inquire to try taking it on in case of an open seat. 

Get to the airport EARLY. There is nothing worse than being late for a flight with kids. BUT don't get there too early so that you have too much time to kill prior to boarding the flight. Try to leave a little room for error, but not TOO much.

Burn some energy prior to boarding the plane. At first I thought of the importance of being near the gate prior to boarding, so we waited close. Then I thought, what am I thinking? Lincoln needs to run run run run run to burn as much energy as possible before sitting still for four hours. Thus, before boarding, I let him go full throttle through the airport. I let him out of the stroller and had V in the carrier. He ran ahead of me and I told him to go as fast as he could while we chased him through the airport! I set a timer on my phone to ensure that we were back to the gate a few minutes prior to boarding.

​What to Bring On the Plane

I'll start by saying this:  I know, we all try to limit our kids' screen time but let's be honest, when you are on a plane it may behoove you to throw this rule out the window. When flying, I found that the best way to keep my busy toddler in his seat and CALM in his seat was to show him movies or shows. I remember when I first had Lincoln and flew with him a few times, Ryan and I promised each other we'd be the parents that encouraged their kids to read or to color or to do something productive (aka anything other than iPhones/tablets/movies/etc.) because we thought that's what "good" parents and "good" kids did. HA. I laugh in my own face now. Apps are okay, but my child tires of them quickly. Thus, come prepared with some of their favorites and a few new shows. It will keep you nice and relaxed, ESPECIALLY if you are traveling alone. And let me end by saying, YOU ARE NOT A BAD MOM FOR DOING THIS. We support you! Do it.

Download the airline app. So I didn't do this lol, and I SURELY regretted it. The reason being is that when you have the airline app you are able to stream their entertainment/movies/shows for FREE. Because I didn't have the app prior to taking off, I had to download it on the flight. This took FOREVER, and with a baby in my arms and a busy toddler in the seat beside me it was painful to wait and wait and wait for like thirty minutes for the app to download, then once it was almost done it tells me that it cannot download the app at this time. Thus, I had to purchase the Wifi for $20 and then download to app. Anyways, just make sure you download the airline's app, and I suggest downloading the GoGo Inflight Entertainment app too - you can also use this for entertainment streaming.

Download apps. I'm sure ya'll have tons of cute, entertaining AND educational apps on your iPhone - a few that I like are Baa Baa and the Fisher Price apps. Please let me know what other apps you like! A word to the wise, be sure that you choose apps that don't require WiFi or if they do, just be prepared to purchase Wifi on the flight. I recommend downloading a ton of different apps, and even better, downloading new apps that your kids haven't seen. I'd also recommend saving the apps and the movies until your kid needs them, if you know what I mean.... starting with a movie and then switching to toys may not be the best route.

Download their favorite movies and/or shows. Duh. I'd download a few of their favorites and a few that they haven't seen. You can gamble that the inflight entertainment will include movies that they like, but if they don't like them, you are screwed. Lincoln liked one (and a half) of the movies (they only had three). I wish I would have had more movies for him to watch or to choose from to keep him occupied.

Go to the Dollar Store and pick out random toys. Even better, wrap the toys in wrapping paper and tell your kids that they get more presents if the are good on the flight. This was one of the best pieces of advice I got from a fellow mama! I can't believe I hadn't thought of something so brilliant. I am surely making a trip to the Dollar Store and picking up random toys that my kids will take interest in - then, I'm going to wrap them up and allow Linc to open them up along the flight so long as he's being good. Brilliant idea.

Bring a sticker or coloring book. This is always a good idea, although this never entertains my little guy for a long time.

Bring a few light-weight books. Good idea, but books can be heavy and if you are traveling with a baby it will be nearly impossible to hold a book and read to your toddler while also holding your baby. If you do bring books, I always opt for the lightweight books. If you do bring books, your kid might also tire of it on the plane/trip quickly. This one really is age dependent, however, for my two year old toddler boy, I opt not to bring books. 

Bring snacks. Always necessary on a flight. Just avoid sugar for obvious reasons. We sat in first class on the way there and they brought out ice cream for dessert. I thought this would be a good distraction and that Lincoln deserved it, plus I wanted some bites so I figured we'd share it. Bad idea. Lincoln started talking really loudly/yelling right after, after having been so good on the initial portion.

​Tell the kids about the 'Airplane Police' or the 'Cloud Angels' (or something similar). The Cloud Angels can be the actual clouds in the sky, and you tell your kids that they watch to make sure that little boys and girls are sitting nicely in their seats with their seatbelt on. You can even tell your kids that the presents are from the Cloud Angels :)

Teach your kids how to use an airplane voice prior to being on the airplane. My mom had started telling Lincoln about the airplane voice a few weeks before our trip. We practice in the house every now and again. We practice whispering and I tell him that is also a good airplane voice.

What About Baby?

As your baby grows into a toddler, you'll often look back and realize how easy it was to travel with a baby lol. The only challenging part is holding them, but if you took my initial advice and got them their own seat and bring on the carseat, this will take away that. Aside from bringing a light weight carrier for the baby, I suggest only a few things:

Bring an outfit change. For whatever reason my boys never really spit up much, but when they go on an airplane this is when all of the blowouts and throw ups transpire. Not sure if it is the change in cabin pressure or what, but I remember specifically Lincoln full on throwing up on our decent to Colorado (good thing Ryan was holding him and not me :)! ) - like throwing up everywhere (he's never ever thrown up other than that). So anyways, I've been on enough plane rides with Lincoln to know that it is WISE to bring extra clothing not only for them but also for you! Another time, Linc spit up all over me and I had forgotten to bring an extra top. BIG MISTAKE. It was in the beginning of the flight and we even had another connecting flight and I had to sit in my shirt with throw up the entire way. Ugh. So nasty. I recommend wearing a comfy long sleeve shirt then packing a nursing tank or visa versa.

Bring a baby toy or interesting book. Unlike toddlers who tire of toys within seconds, babies are quite the opposite and enjoy toys/books for hours. You only need one or two. I find the more that you bring, the more cluttered your mind is! Keep it simple.