Flying Southwest with Two Children by Myself--advice?

We just flew southwest and they now have boarding groups based on when you get your boarding pass so go on-line at print yours the earliest you can. I believe you can start printing 24 hours before your flight.

But I do remember them boarding special needs guests and those with young children right after the business select group (they board 1st) so you will have ample time to get on board and get settled.

And yes, bring the car seat for the toddler. Then it's more like what they are used to when going "bye bye".

I would get a cloth bag with different compartments for different little treasures and activities. This is what I would bring.
1. a travel aqua doodle
2. some play dough
3. coloring book
4. snacks
5. something chewy in case their ears need to pop
6. get the older child a portable cd player ( cheap at walmart) check out some garage sales for kids on books on cds
7.nothing that makes a noise
8. get the baby a new sensor toy
9 travel med
10. a mini photo book with photos of them. this keeps my kids busy. they loved looking at photos of themselves when they were little

LEt me just say that SW is the BEST airline to travel by yourself with your kids. They are so nice and always very helpful...also most other passengers will be helpful too.

THe boarding is basically the same now as it was before, but a bit more refined. You must log on exactly 24 hours before your flight to get an "A" boarding pass and sometimes that doens't even happen if there are a lot of business travelers and such, but seriously...do it exactly (like to the minute) 24 hours before to give youself the best chance. If you get an A then you can board in your number. If you get a B or C, you get to board after A and before B since you have kids. It kind of sucks. But, usually there is enough room to find all three seats together and if not, you will find someone to move to accomodate you. Did you buy a ticket for the 18 m/o? If so, then yes, bring the car seat. You want as much stability and restraint ;) as possible! Don't bring the car seat for the other child b/c you just can't carry all that. If you did not buy the little one a ticket, I suggest this...as long as your 4.5 y/o can still fit in the car seat...bring it on and put it in the 4.5 y/o's seat. Strap that one in for take off and landing and then swap...keep the bigger one in your lap throughout the flight. They can watch a DVD or whatever, but will be much more amialbe about the lap I'm sure!

If the little one is asleep, I would just ask someone sitting near you to keep an eye out on the baby while you run to the restroom. If he/she is sleeping they won't know your'e gone anyway!

Good luck!! It is stressful but worth it when you get a fun get-away! I did a lot of travel by myself with one kid and while pregnant with the second, but I'm gearing up for a solo flight in February with both of them, so I feel you! Mine will be almost 3.5 and 17 months by then!

**I just want to say again, that SW does not let you board first with small children! I have flown them a lot and you have to wait until after all the A boarders go on, you don't get to go first. So please, not trying to be a nag here, but make sure you get that boarding pass early!! :)

Plus I wanted to mention that SW is the ONLY airline that does not charge you for bags or extra bags. YOu get TWO per ticketed passenger which is a huge help when you have extra stuff to check like perhaps a pack-n-play or travel high chair. Also car seats do not count as baggage so you can check those for free and not as part of your '2'. Have fun! It really isn't as bad as you're imagining it will be!

Have you already bought your tickets?

I don't have experience flying with kids but I do have experience with Southwest Airlines. They do assign seats now, and typically you can even choose your seats when you book online. It's first come, first served, though, so you get to choose between what's left when you book your flight. My overall experience with Southwest has not been good, and I've flown with them several times. The staff are curt, stopping just short of being rude, in my opinion. Also I read somewhere that SW offers the least amount of leg room, so if that's important to you (i.e., if you need the room for your kids to be able to stand and play), keep that in mind.

A shorter flight with kids may be a good tradeoff for curt service, though. Christine has some great ideas for how to keep the kids occupied on the plane and in the airports. I remember flying as a child myself, and crying because my ears hurt, so def bring something chewy for them!

Yes, you will be fine. Log on 24 hours in advance and get your boarding pass. The earliest possible. Let the ticket/ gate agent know when you arrive at the gate that you are traveling with small children
They will let you board first and they will put all 3 of you in a good place, together.
The flight attendants were wonderful and they will stay near your sleeping baby for restroom stops.
Or find a nice person near you, if the flight attendants are busy.
This summer we flew SW and I held a sleeping toddler when mom could stand up and stretch her cramped legs.
Two rows ahead of me, a retired nurse was playing little games and singing songs with all the pre-schoolers around her while their parents had a chance to grab a quiet snack and coffee.
You will find that travelers are usually very helpful to each other....especially to moms with kids.

Make sure that you set up an alarm and check in online at the first possible second. You can also pay like $10 for a drink ticket and priority seating.

It is still a cattle call, but you don't have to go camp out. When you get your boarding pass, it is a letter, but also a number, and you line up in that order. I think that there may also be a child boarding, but I'm not positive. How long is the flight from BOS to STL? If you can hold it, I would!! How responsible is your 4.5, can she sit nicely with your toddler while you go? As for your 18 month old, if she is strapped in, maybe a nice flight attendent will sit there for a minute with her while you go, or if you have to take your daughter? There isn't much room for the both of you in the bathroom, so if you can take her at the airport as close to boarding as possible, you may be better off.

SWA will give you a spot in line dependent on when you check in. So if you check in online exactly 24 hours ahead, you'll get an early spot in line. They board "A"s 1-60, "B"s 1-60 and "C"s 1-60. You do have the bonus of a small child so you'll get to pre-board and not have to worry about boarding in line.

As far as going to bathroom, why can't the 4.5 yo go by themselves? It's just a quick jaunt up the isle....no way to get lost, get distracted or veer off the airplane altogether. There are stewardesses at the rear of the plane where the bathroom is, in case they need a little extra help.

Try an relax and realize that most of the people on the planet are usually pretty nice and sometimes even helpful. If you run into a scenario where you do need help, ask a stewardess, ask the person next to you, or trust your children that they can be more mature than we can sometimes give them credit for.

Living in fear is a life half lived.

Hi, Take one of those diaper changing mats. There were no facilities on the Alaskan Airline plane I was on and the mom next to me was told to put the child on the floor in front of the bathroom. GROSS!

I believe they will put the travel stroller in the front luggage bin.You need to have the flight attendant watch your younger one. Don't rely on strangers.

Hi S. J. I so feel for you! I flew on the plane when my baby girl was 4 months old, and my boy was 24 months old!!!! I had all those questions you had above and, AND MORE.

first, take a deep breath. Remember that you are a mother with two small children. EVERYONE is going to recognize that and MOST of them will do everything that they can to help you. There are only the rare few (baby-haters, people who have never had any children) who are going to roll your eyes at you or not help in the slightest bit.

I think the things to think about now and prepare for are: how long are the flights - ? How long of a stretch can your older child go before needing to pee? How well does the older child listen to you? How well do the two of them get along?

If you have any behavior (not listening to you) issues, now is the time to work on them so that by the time you get on the plane, they are attuned to you and listen well when you give them direction...

If the older child is getting into that independent stage where they don't want to listen, work on creating some kind of portable, behavior management system now - I use things like stickers, rewards AFTER good behavior etc. I read another mother who tantalized her traveling children with a new toy when they sat in their airplane seat quietly and buckled up.

Talk to them ahead of time about standing in lines and staying close to you. Even your 18 month old child can be prepared mentally for the journey ahead. I let my son travel with his father on a 23 hour plane and layover journey across the world when he was 20 months old. It is possible. We described how the plane would go up up up and down down down and land and who he was going to see and then told him how after a while he would come back home...
crayons are okay attention catchers. Sometimes a new book. little hand-held toys (just one - not ones with lots of little parts) are good and if you have a backpack full of them, you can switch them out for a new one when they get bored.
re: bathroom: If the younger one is sleeping, pick them up and carry them with you while you take the older one to the bathroom. If you have to pee, take them with you. I know that may be wierd of me. There may be a small part of your brain saying, wow it is so much effort to get us all to the bathroom. But I always use any opportunity that anyone in the family has to pee, to get the other children to try. I would rather that than an accident. Usually the flight attendant can help you by holding hands with little children outside the restroom while you pee (or whatever else needs to happen in there) but that way your little one won't feel like you are deserting them in a strange situation where they don't know where you have gone. I always tell both my kids when we are traveling the #1 rule is we stick together and we all have help each other out with this. They have to wait for mommy to pee and I have to wait for them...
The good thing about layovers is that for kids it gives them a chance to get up and run around a little bit more rather than be stuck in their seats for long hours on end. I also use layovers as a chance to get a snack, and use the bathroom in a place where there is more room to maneuver with kids than those super small airplane toilets.
If you know how long the flights are beforehand, you might practice getting your children to engage in SOME ACTIVITY for that stretch of time each day (every other day etc.) and label it somehow - this is "Sitting Quietly Time" or some name so that when she/he is on the plane, they know what is expected of them there. Make the time very fun at home, (play doh, painting, reading, anything you can think of) And then you will see what sorts of activities interest them the most and you can capitalize on that when you get on the plane...

Good luck. One thing my kids always like to look at are pictures of the family. I have seen them look and look and look again at all the photos of their relatives. Or baby pictures of themselves.

You get a place in line that you go in then choose your seat. My husband has flown Southwest all the time for work and he loves it! Just go up before they call people and they let you in 1st to find a seat so you don't have anything to worry about. As for advice sit in between your kids. Bring things for them to do and juice/snacks for them.