In the Air

Arranging the Flight

Paperwork

Seating Issues

Car Seats and Strollers

Packing

Food for the Flight

Favorite Travel Toys

Equipment at Your Destination

At the Airport

In the Air

At Your Destination

Jet Lag

Resources

Remember... you're not likely to ever see these people again, so the most damage you can do is make them miserable for a few hours... they will survive.

Find out the flight crew's schedule.

Ask the air crew when they will be working in the galley, bringing the meal carts, etc - makes it easier to plan when to prepare bottles, sterilize the nipples, bring the babies to the bathroom for a diaper change.

Offer drinks, food, or pacifiers to help with the pressure change during take-off and landing.

Make sure you have some food or drink available before you stow all your carry-ons. Eating or drinking while changing altitudes will help your children's ears adjust to the pressure change. Older kids might like gum or candy, especially if it's something they don't get very often.

If you are breastfeeding and your children are in car seats, you may not be allowed to take them out of the seat during take-off. Even if they're lap babies, feeding two at once might be a bit tricky! Bring bottles of water or, if they're old enough, juice, to help them through.

Ear tubes equalize the pressure, so the kids will be more comfortable.

That's the only way my boys have ever traveled by air. They got their tubes in right before the 8 months trip, the ENT said their ears were so bad, he was afraid a drum might rupture. The tubes came out after the 3 yr trip. Anyway, the kids should have no problems, because what causes the discomfort is the pressure difference between the inner ear and outside air. With tubes, the pressure is always equal (unless one is clogged), so NO discomfort!! They won't even notice the plane pressurize and depressurize if the tubes are functioning properly.

If you give medicine to make them drowsy, be sure to test it before the flight.

Some parents give a small dose of decongestant and/or pain reliever to keep their children's ears from hurting. Others use tranquilizers or other medication to help the children sleep. If you do this, be sure to test the medication before the flight. Some children react badly to tranquilizers, and might actually be more active than normal!

Before our big flight, a friend told me I should try to put them on tranquilizers to make it easier on us. I got some stuff from my doctor and tried it on the boys a few weeks before with a smaller dose. They were very apathetic and quiet. To me it was awful and I decided to rather put up with their normal self than this behaviour. I heard that there is some homeopathic stuff available, so maybe that would be an option. But that's up to you and if you do get something, I would advise you to try it out before.

Keeping the kiddies amused may be easier than you think!

In all our flights (including several international trips), the most difficult stage was between 12 months and around 2.5 years. They are old enough to be mobile, yet not quite old enough to understand why they have to be seated for so long. Once they reach 3, they may have the skills they need to keep themselves entertained.

Flying is so much easier now that the girls are 4! I flew with the two of them last December (read: crowds!!), and on one leg of the trip, one of the girls fell asleep-- and I dozed off soon after.... The other kept herself busy, talking and "reading" for at least an hour.

If your twins haven't reached that stage yet, here are some activities that don't require packing:

• Stock up on finger-plays, like Five Little Monkeys. Even if you can't sing, you can recite things like The Itsy-Bitsy Spider to keep little ones amused.
  
  
• We try to keep aisle walks to a minimum, but sometimes you can find a spot (usually by the restrooms) where there's enough room for two to play Ring-Around-the-Rosie.
  
  
• Enlist your neighbors.

  Our kids liked to wander around the plane, and most people were very happy to entertain them for a while. Don't hesitate to ask the stewardesses and other passengers for assistance, don't be shy. Most people are bored on a long flight and are quite happy to talk with you and hold the boys or help you in any other way, just ask!! Can't say more than "no", so what have you got to lose?

• On international flights, see if the kids can go up and down the stairs a few times. We used the steps as counting practice-- up 3, down 3.
  
  
• Let them use the head sets.

  My girls didn't figure out how to adjust the volume, so I didn't feel they were damaging their ears. And it was something new to play with.

• Never underestimate the amusement potential of the beverage cart! Ice is such a great plaything....

Cut down on distractions to help babies sleep.

On one flight, when my daughter was in the baby bassinet, she wouldn't go to sleep because she wanted to look around. I finally put the sun cover from the car seat over the bassinet, and then she fell asleep. Made me think of covering bird cages so that the bird thinks its night!!!

Mealtime can be hectic, but entertaining!

You may find that mealtimes are the high point of the flight. There are so many little packets and packages to look at, or chew on-- not to mention the food!

If you're traveling with two lap babies, you may find it easier to eat in shifts:

When it came time to eat, one of us stood up near the bathrooms while the other one ate. Hubby orders a low fat meal in advance so these are served before the regular meal usually.

Diaper changes may be easier at your seat.

Unless you're on a 747 or other large plane, there probably won't be a changing table in the restrooms. Even on the international flights, the changing tables aren't always in every bathrooom. Check with the flight attendants to see which one has the table.

Even if your children aren't anywhere near the potty training stage, you might want to try pull-ups (if they'll fit!). This would make changes, whether at your seat or in the lavatory, much easier.

I changed my boys on the floor in that open space by the door. If I knew that the diaper was just wet, then I'd probably just do it on my lap or on the seat... but my boys at that time were almost always poopy too.

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The few times that we've flown with the girls, we were fortunate to be seated near the galley where the flight attendants "hang out." On all the flights, the flight attendants were extremely nice, helpful, and interested in the girls. The way we changed diapers was in the "jumpseat" that the attendants sit in during take off and landing. One of the flight attendants knelt on it to hold it down while I changed the baby.

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Try **hard** to hold off until the kids fall asleep (you hope ), then ask one of the flight attendants to keep an eye on them while you go. If it's late enough (i.e. they are done serving dinner, etc. and aren't busy), they'll love it -- even if the kids are awake, they'll watch them for a couple minutes as long as they aren't swamped.