Air travel with 3 under 3....

[Anonymous]

....anyone brave enough to try this and lived to tell about it? We will be traveling in a few weeks to see the grandparents with DH - almost 3 and twin girls who will be about 15 months. This is a short trip to Minn but we do have a lay over. This is a practice trip for another trip coming up in about 6 months to CA and next year to Germany so if you have advice to offer we will need lots of it in the next year!

[Anonymous]

I see no one has replied to this. I have no advice, it just gives me chills to think about it. My personal experience is that the ages of 1-3 are the toughest to deal with during air travel. Tough, but doable.

[Anonymous]

OMG. I have 1 who is 6 yo. If you will post your approximate travel dates, I will kneel on tacks and say hail marys for you and tell stories of your bravery to my people...seriously, you are my hero for even considering this.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the well wishes and all Hail Mary's welcome during the third week in August b/c we now have our tickets....and be wary if you are traveling to MN during that time!

Oh, and also DS (not DH- is almost 3 - though sometimes it is hard to tell the differnce.

[Anonymous]

You have a good sense of humor; that should help. We had one very long flight with DD when she was 15 mo. and found that Cheerios doled out one at a time occupied her for long stretches. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I think the answer is DVDs for the almost 3 y.o. and walks up and down the aisle for the littles. Crayons, puzzles, stickers, band-aids, all good toys too. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Okay I will weigh in but I have two not three. I have found a couple things work for me.

1) I sit in the back of the plane. I realize it's counterintuitive but I find the back gives you the feeling you are more alone and not bothering anyone and if you are like me and worry that your kids are offending people, you will happier there. Then wait until the plane has completely unloaded before you move off because the wait in the aisle stinks and it is so much better to hang out and organize.

2. I would get separate seats for all. I know it's more pricey but you will go crazy if each kid doesn't have their own space and you can't bank on the plane not being full. I would get the cares harness for the older ones, if you don't want to deal with all the carseats, so you can navigate through the airport better with only one stroller that has the infant seat.

3). Be organized--don't stress about security but have a game plan when you get to the airport--I just flew out of BWI and I was able to get a cart that went through security and up to the gate with the carseats. I don't know about Dulles or Reagan so ask ahead. Make your life easy and only have formula that hasn't been opened so you don't have the bottle hassle and buy water when you get through security. If you have any liquids other than formula make sure you put them in the ziplock bag so you don't have to do the extra screening which will make you crazy with the kids. Also wear shoes that you can just flip off so it isn't a hassle getting them or the kids shoes off. Again it's all about seamless organization.

4)Bring lots of snacks for the plane because you could wind up delayed and nothing is worse than no food. Also buy some new games to be opened on the plane and bring a hand dvd player with the earphones.

5) Do not medicate your kids; although you may be tempted you could have the one kid who freaks out and it is not worth taking a chance.

6) Be kind to yourself-most people on the plane have kids or have kids in their family and although you may be worried about noise, I find that if people see that you are proactively trying to work with your kids to keep them peaceful, it's all okay. Oh yes--minimize connections--again counterintuitive as you may think "hey we can get off the plane"--nah you just want to get there and not have them do the process over and over again.

Good luck!

Have fun!!

[Anonymous]

I am definitely interested in hearing how you end up handling the trip.

We haven't flown with all three together, yet. The last time we flew with our twin girls was when they were 16 months and now they are almost 2.5. My wife just flew with our 8 month old the other week. What worked for the twins were magna-doodles, books, snacks, and water. We used Ergos through security and umbrella strollers as backup. I would try to bring as few carryons as possible because of the layover. Do you have to bring the carseats? Maybe rentals or borrowing ones in MN? Is it possible to bring another adult along?

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Bring ready mixed formula, juice boxes, extra clothes and paper towels and plastic bags for the inevitable big dirty diapers. We just did an 8-hour flight with 3yo and 4mo. It helped to have 3yo bring her own carryon with books, games, crayons.

[Anonymous]

Sounds horrible LOL! I have two and wouldn't dare....

But if you are determined to do it, I would make sure there are three adults to match up with three kids so you have a 1:1 ratio - might give you a fighting chance.

We flew internationally with my DD several times between the ages of 1-4 and the flights were much easier when she was 3+. Can't imagine doing it with her at that age plus 2 others!!

[Anonymous]

Op here: Thanks for all the advice. We are looking into borrowing some car seats so that won't be a problem (hopefully). We also have enlisted the help of a friend to assist us to the airport. My biggest decision now is what stroller to bring. WE have a Joovy Big Caboose for all 3, then we have a single and a double stroller. It might be easiest to do the double stroller and Ergo any time we are walking with all 3 once we get there. DS can walk a good ways but a 2 1/2 it is not a sure thing. I guess we can check them at the gate but not sure I want to deal with two strollers with carry on stuff also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay I will weigh in but I have two not three. I have found a couple things work for me.

1) I sit in the back of the plane. I realize it's counterintuitive but I find the back gives you the feeling you are more alone and not bothering anyone and if you are like me and worry that your kids are offending people, you will happier there. Then wait until the plane has completely unloaded before you move off because the wait in the aisle stinks and it is so much better to hang out and organize.

2. I would get separate seats for all. I know it's more pricey but you will go crazy if each kid doesn't have their own space and you can't bank on the plane not being full. I would get the cares harness for the older ones, if you don't want to deal with all the carseats, so you can navigate through the airport better with only one stroller that has the infant seat.

3). Be organized--don't stress about security but have a game plan when you get to the airport--I just flew out of BWI and I was able to get a cart that went through security and up to the gate with the carseats. I don't know about Dulles or Reagan so ask ahead. Make your life easy and only have formula that hasn't been opened so you don't have the bottle hassle and buy water when you get through security. If you have any liquids other than formula make sure you put them in the ziplock bag so you don't have to do the extra screening which will make you crazy with the kids. Also wear shoes that you can just flip off so it isn't a hassle getting them or the kids shoes off. Again it's all about seamless organization.

4)Bring lots of snacks for the plane because you could wind up delayed and nothing is worse than no food. Also buy some new games to be opened on the plane and bring a hand dvd player with the earphones.

5) Do not medicate your kids; although you may be tempted you could have the one kid who freaks out and it is not worth taking a chance.

6) Be kind to yourself-most people on the plane have kids or have kids in their family and although you may be worried about noise, I find that if people see that you are proactively trying to work with your kids to keep them peaceful, it's all okay. Oh yes--minimize connections--again counterintuitive as you may think "hey we can get off the plane"--nah you just want to get there and not have them do the process over and over again.

Good luck!

Have fun!!

I always give my son some benadryl on the plane. This is not an overnight flight so maybe not necessary, but when you are on a long flight with a time difference, it is a life saver.

Basically you should consult your pediatrician prior to doing so and get the correct dosage of Benadryl for their weight. Then try it at home before you go so that you know how your child reacts rather than finding out on the plane.