Flying with 2 Small Children

Great advice I got, that really worked...go to a dollar store of some sort and buy several new age appropriate toys or activity games/books for each of them for cheap. Don't let the kids see them. Wrap each of them like little presents, and take them on the plane with you. Throughout the flight, for 'good behavior', they can earn picking a new gift out of the bag. It gives them incentive to be good, it takes time to open the gifts (especially for the little one), and then they play with their new 'toy' for awhile. When that one wears out of keeping their attention, have them choose another. It really worked for us!

I did this 2 weeks ago. My husband was with us when we flew out to our vacation, but he had to return before we did. On the way there, my boys (4 and 2) had so much fun just experiencing the flight. Your 6 year old will probably be that way. I definitely recommend taking books, toys, crayons, etc. and your 2 year olds' car seat. STRAP HIM IN! :)
On the way home, it was just me and the boys. What a nightmare. We took off at 9 pm and landed at midnight. They wouldn't wake up, and screamed all the way from the plane to the baggage claim.
But you shouldn't have that problem. I wouldn't let your 2 year old nap before the return flight (as if he'd have time with how early you have to get to the airport!), and I bet he'll sleep the whole flight.
Good luck!

Oh, by the way, getting through security can be a nightmare. Something that really helped is CROCS. We all wore Crocs or flip flops, which was very quick to get off, then back on after they went through security. We also had a backpack/leash for our 2 year old, which kept us from losing him many many times! We had to take that off to go through security, though.
You can also check to see if there are any play areas in the airport, and hopefully they'll be near your gate. We found one in Salt Lake, and one in Phoenix, which were great during our layovers.

I use good old-fashioned bribery. A couple of days before the flight, I take my kids to pick out a new toy (something small). They are not allowed to see it anymore until the plane is fully up in the air and the seatbelt sign is turned off. I bring books or travel games for them to read and play quietly while we're waiting for take-off. If they've been quiet and obedient, they get the toy (they've NEVER not gotten the toy). I also bring snacks (not sugary ones which will make them bouncy) and my laptop and/or portable dvd player (if you do this, make sure to bring 2 sets of earphones and a splitter so they can both hear whatever movie you bring without bothering the people around you). Tell the flight attendant that it's your boys' FIRST TIME on an airplane and that they're REALLY excited (this will give her the heads up to cut you some slack if they get a bit active). 2.5hrs is a pretty short ride, so it'll go fast (I've taken my 3 kids on 13hr plane rides - many times). Just tell your boys that there are many people on the plane and they should act like they do when you take them to the library - quiet and considerate of others. Make sure they don't kick the seats in front of them or bang on their tray tables. And if they do, don't act like "what do you expect? They're boys, deal with it!" Apologize and make sure it doesnt' happen again. I've done lots of traveling with my kids and have seen some atrocious behavior from other kids that the parents don't correct. Your 6yr old will be fine, but your 2yr old may want to "explore" the plane - certainly take him for "walks" up and down the aisle once or twice, just don't let him run out of control. You'll do fine, just explain to your boys exactly what's expected of them and reward their good behavior. Good luck and have fun!

Create back-packs for both of them. Sticker books are perfect for flyer. Plenty of snacks too. If you have plenty of things for them to do it will keep them occupied. Costco has some neat busy books to chose from. I think walmart does too.

C.
www.AHomeCareer.com

I have a dd who loves flying and we keep her busy with snacks and a juice cup to keep ears clear. I take a couple of books and get some of those color wonder books from walmart or target by crayola(she loves those). If you have a portable dvd player you can always take a couple of movies to keep them occupied. I hope this helps and have fun

See if the airlines rents DVDS players then bring along their favorite movies. They usual provide headsets too.
Aquadoodle has a portable mat set to travel with too, as well as Magnadoodle has smaller versions of their drawing board.
Go to the Dollar Store or Target $1 aisle and pick up like six fun little things. Tell them for every 30 minutes or so they sit still and behave they get to pick out something from the goodie bag. Make sure you pack snacks and buy water bottles as sometimes with delays those can be the worst time.
Just have them well rested and it will go by quickly.
On the way back, skip naps so maybe they will sleep. I know my daughter always fell asleep within 15 minutes of take off.

Just did this with a 22 month old and a 4 year old, unfortuately without my husband's help! I stocked up on snacks we don't usually buy (fruit snacks, yogos, etc), brought the portable DVD player, coloring supplies, an aqua doodle, and a series of small, cheap toys (Hot Wheels cars, etc) for the times when my kids were about to lose it...I just tried to keep them busy. It worked great for my older one; she brought her Leap Pad along as well. My son wasn't in his own seat, so he was VERY squirmy. He did enjoy driving his Hot Wheels on the tray table, which kept him occupied for quite a while. If you can bring a car seat for your little one so he will not be able to get out of his seat, I think you will have an easier time than I did!!!

C.-
Wow! Lots of great advice! My kids have flown since they were babies (they are 4 and 7 now) and LOVE IT!

We always bring a DVD or Laptop for movies. If you are flying on a plane that has music or TV (some still do in coach) that helps as well. The other thing we do is make it a fun adventure - We usually take morning flights out and evening back, so hold off on breakfast and get it at the airport. I know that can be a little pricey - but we do McD's and they are excited because it's something "special" Same with the return. We also let them go to one of the gift shops in the airport and pick out one snack and maybe a bottle of water with a single kool-aid mix to add to it. They love getting to pick out their own snack and there are things other than sugary ones to choose from!

Good luck and have fun! Oh - ours also love to look out the window and tell us about things they see. So, one gets to be on the window on the way out, the other on the plane back.

:) Have a great trip-
C.

We take at least one new small toy for each. Etch a Sketch and magna doodles are both great. We also take either the leapster or leappad. You have to take the leap pad out at security. It's considered a computer by most checks. Modeling clay is also great. Lots of books and coloring things, as well. We usually take a new set of the markers and a coloring book from Crayola that only write on the special paper. Any quiet toy that they haven't played with for a while works well. GL! Have fun!

Hi C.,

This past winter we took our two year old to Europe. It was an 11 hour flight. I had some great suggestions from friends. I went to the dollar store a bought a bunch of cheap little toys, coloring books, markers, stickers, etc and a special bag my son had never seen. We put all the goodies inside and each hour or so we brought out a new item. Also, we brought a DVD player and he was just getting into Mickey MOuse so we bought 2 DVD's he had never seen before.

One flight was as night and the other was during the day. On the night flight we brought pajamas.

The trip went so smooth! He never cried on the plane!

Good luck and have a wonderful trip!

L.
www.DenverJuicePlus.com

Hi C.,

We've flown with my 3 year old son several times since he was 1 and always got through the flights in pretty good shape! We take an insulated lunch pack (about the size of a hardcover book--I slide in one or two small ice packs---WalMart has small M&M-looking packs that fit nicely) and supply it with a variety of snacks, including some type of protein (cheese, choco. protein powder that can be mixed with milk or water)...often when he's irritable, he's hungry!!, so this has helped fill his tummy. We pack a few of those single serving kool-aid packets, too. We have him eat or drink something during take-off and landing, so his ears will pop. He carries a backpack and we fill it with a handful of lightweight books, Hot Wheel cars, coloring book and crayons (use a plastic travel soap dish to hold the crayons...that keeps them from rolling all over the place), or those Crayola paint pens, and of course, his lovey. On flights over 3 hours we pack our portable dvd player with a few of his favorite movies. Also, if you can, give each of the boys a window seat...your older son would probably do well with a map that has your trip highlighted...something showing landmarks that he can follow on his map. I always carry some backup 'distractions' in MY bag--things I can pull out as a surprise...a new little book (one with LOTS of pictures--Richard Scary books or the Look and Find books are the best, or a Hot Wheel). When our son was younger we'd walk him up and down or around the aisles a few times. Pack a spare set of clothes for each and use the potty right before you board...and, board the plane first. Buy a bottle of milk and/or water before you get to the gate to have on the plane (some airlines have gotten rid of milk as a drink option!) We actually got stuck in the Atlanta airport for several hours (6!) on our last trip and were so relieved that we had our Bag 'o Tricks and favorite snack food with us! Hope this helps...good luck! :-)
L.