I am getting a bit nervous. James and I are flying (alone) to Atlanta next week. We are only going to be gone 5 days, so I have managed to pack everything in one backpack for me to carry and he has a small backpack with 'toys' in it. I am not checking anything. I am just a bit nervous about getting onto the plane with his carseat and how he is going to do with the flight. I am getting flashbacks of flying with my baby brother who ,even now at 25, pukes at take off and landing! :eyes: We are also flying standby (Buddy Passes), so that makes me nervous too......I have never flown standby before. James is very well behaved, so I am not worried about his behavior. I just worry about the physical effects of flight and boredom for him.

I have packed his backpack with Wonder Markers, the paper, his Video Now Jr and 2 pvd's, and a couple of Thomas trains. I am hoping to get a couple of games in the mail either Monday or Tuesday, but if they don't make it, no biggie.

Any 'been there, done that' advice?

I have flown alone with kids several times. Last month I flew alone with my 6 y.o., 3 y.o. and 17 month old, and had to change planes. Fun! Fun! Fun!

I would check any bags you can and bring as little as possible with you onboard. Getting though the aisle with a carseat, backpack, kids backpack, and a 2 y.o. can be hard.

Pack snacks and bottled water. Ask ahead of time if a flight attendant can help you by carrying the carseat for you. But you will still need to buckle it in yourself.

Bring a stroller and gate check it. That way you can wheel it right to the door of the plane and it will be there when you deplane.

Try to get him to drink during take-off and landing to reduce ear pain. I gave my older 2 lollipops on this last flight just to get them to swallow.

The carseat must be next to the window. If you can't get a tight fit due to the position of the buckle against the back of the seat ask for a seat belt extender so that you have more belt to work with and getting a tighter fit.

Sounds like you have good ideas for activities. I might also bring Play-doh and stickers.

Good luck!

OOOooo.......Playdoh, that is a good idea. I also have a couple of books packed.

I am not sure how the 'checking' baggage goes when flying standby. I wish I had planned a bit better and mailed our stuff! Then I wouldn't have the hassel of any baggage, but James little backpack.

I don't have any advice that Kelly didn't offer, LOL...but I just wanted to say that I have flown with the kids a few times, 5 hour flights NOT counting the 1 or 2 hour layovers LOL, and managed just fine :D

The first time the kiddos were 2 1/2 and 6 mos...and it went well! Corbin was so excited to see the clouds, the rumble of the take off and landing, we called it an 'adventure' and it was a breeze :D Olivia was 6 mos, so she slept alot of the way, nursed when she wasn't LOL.

As they've gotten older, it's still basically the same.

You'll do fine :D I wish you well! And have fun :D

You shouldn't have too much trouble. I just flew up to NY from FL with my 2yo and 4 mo old. It was a pain carrying the diaper bag, carryon AND two car seats.

You will be able to board before everyone one else, so getting to your seat and installing the car seat shouldn't be too big of a hassle. My 2yo loves planes, so he was very excited to get to ride in one. I brought something to draw with and his favorite snack. He stayed in his car seat for most of the trip.

Good Luck!
_Jeannine_

my first thought when i read the title of your post was "bendadryl"!!! :lol:

no real advice though. i haven't flown since my oldest was about six mos old!
good luck!!

I did it with Chrissy when we moved down here, and again right after Mikhail was born (so a 2yo AND a newborn) to go visit my mom and get the rest of my stuff from her house.

The carseat was the best thing. She did great on long car rides, and being in the seat made it more like that for her. I brought crayons and books, and SNACKS!! Stuff that was special to have.

For the carseat and stuff, you shouldn't have any problem getting someone to help you with it.

She didn't have any problems on the plane during takeoff or landing. I made sure she had a chewy snack (like gummy bears) during those times.

HTH!! And have fun!

I did it when ds was 2. We went from NH to WA, with one plane change :) I made sure I brought a couple of *new* toys/games he had never seen before, it ended up being ok, although he did poop in his diaper on the way there... :rolleyes: (And I was using cd's....luckily i caught it before he mushed it all into his butt :lol: )

Oh and I brought plenty of snacks, not sure how long your flight is? And the ergo carrier was a blessing waiting at the airport for the change over.

I've flown with zoey at 18mos , with zoey/roman at 4 and 18mos respectively and recently a short flight at 5 and 2
But in both cases what worked for us was STICKERS! and lots of them. I got them sticker books, plain paper with other sheets of stickers. THey peeled, they stuck. For HOURS lol

and snacks. lots of fun snacks

You should be able to do checked luggage even on standby..That shouldn't be a problem. I am not sure you will be able to get on first, though, since you will be going standby, waiting to get a LEFTOVER seat. If you are at all able to, try to get a bulkhead seat...they have no seats in front of them, and have a lot of extra space where you kid can play, and less people around them to be bothered.

Sounds like you have good ideas for distraction. One thing I would add is bring out the entertainment one piece at a time, and try to stretch them out til the signs of boredom show, so you have a distraction everytime. Bring snacks, and dole them out piecemeal, too. Bring ones that they only get as a special treat, so they are excited. Also, if the flight is going through a meal time, and your kid is picky, consider bringing a simple, easy meal that can transport well, in case the meal is something they refuse to touch, and end up starving and cranky.

If you are still bf'ing, try to bf during take off and landing, if possible (Yes, this can take a little gymnastics, lol!

Try to get any kids packs, if possible...even airline cards, or crayons, have the novelty of the new and exciting, and can entertain for awhile!

I have flown long overseas flights many times, with babies, toddlers, and kids (only two all up, though!), and never had a problem yet! You should be fine!


HTH!

Murali

We flew overseas with our then 2 yo. He did amazing! We changed planes a couple of times. He only had a hard time with his ears on the first landing (into L.A.) We walked many, many laps around the isles. No sickies or anything like that. I don't have any tips though. We let him watch the movies (not interested) let him nurse at will, had a few toys and snacks for him, and as I said, walked many laps up and down those isles.

Good luck.

Thanks for all the great ideas guys! I am feeling a bit better about it today. I am packed and ready. I think we will be fine.

More than anything, I have figured out I am stressing over the whole 'standby' thing. I hate to be boarding last with a carseat and toddler. I am just praying that since we are flying on a Wednesday at a strange time, that we will be able to get right on with no problems. Also, that if we have to sit next to someone, that they will be a person with kids, who won't be annoyed by us. The flight back is on Sunday evening, but at least I will be prepared for the 'routine'. yk?

I really appreciate the sticker tips. Believe it or not, James has never been given stickers (other than at the doctor's) so I think this will really be a hit. Daddy found a cool Thomas sticker set that has a book and tons of stickers. Yeah Daddy!! :)

Again, thank you all for the words of wisdom and encouragement. I will let you know how it went when we return! :happy:

If I can fly alone with 6 month old nursing twins you can do it with a 2 year old.
I have also done it alone with 13 month old twins....

Everyone has offered the same advice I would. Stickers are great. Also pack extra snacks- especially if it is something they don't normally get (like in our case fruit snacks).

Be careful with wheeled toys (ie Thomas the Trains) it is very hard to get them when they get dropped on the floor and roll under the seat in front or behind you.....I am speaking from experience, especially when the person you ask to get the toy is a bit grouchy.

I'm sure your son will love it though. Try to get them to drink from a sippy cup during take off and landing to help with the ears and popping.

Have fun!

Tawnya

PS Wow! how did you get everything you need to take in one backpack? That I am amazed about.

omg......I never thought about the trains being a problem. Thanks. I will make sure those stay packed until we get there.

About the backpack~Well, I am a packer. I have 5 outfits for each of us, two sets of jammies each, our medicines, an pair of sneakers (mine) and toiletries in there. It is a pleasure trip to see James' aunt, so we will have access to irons/steamers. hahah James backpack has all the toys and our underwear (I just couldn't cram those little suckers in there!) I am just praying they don't want to unpack anything at the airport security~My backpack may be dangerous when unzipped and James' pack will seem pretty strange with underwear under all those toys! ;)