Flying overseas with a 2.5 year old

[Anonymous]

What's the most efficient way to pull this off? I have family meeting me when I arrive but they won't have a car seat. DS is about 35lb, 3 feet. What must I bring, and how do I organize so that I am not a beast of burden carrying 2 bags, a purse, a car seat, a stroller to the gate? Tips on making it through a flight to Europe? (Have already begun to collect surprise sticker books to help him remain entertained on the plane.) Any and all advice welcome!

[Anonymous]

Buy an oversized bag for the carseat with wheels to tow behind you. Once you put the carseat in the bag, take your other carry on bag and put it in the seat - inside the closed bag. This way you are only carrying one and the airline will only count it as one. Once you are on the plane and installing the carseat, take the carry on bag out and stow it elsewhere.

Also buy a gate check bag for your stroller. Keep ds in it until the moment you gate check it so you don't have to carry/chase him. You can also hang your purse or another carry on off of the handles.

[Anonymous]

What about documentation of custody?

[Anonymous]

Documentation is covered, it is the logistics that are scary.....the bag-in-a-bag idea is a good one!

[Anonymous]

check in the car seat.
bring an umbrella stroller all the way to the gate. they're light and very handy. better than dragging a kid who's decided /shehe's tired. if he/she doesn't want to get in, put in handbag.
one backpack and one handbag are manageable. don't give kiddo a backpack too. won't want to carry it after ten minutes and then you're stuck.
have new age appropriate portable games/toys to surprise him/her. the newness of it will keep kiddo entertained for a little while.
life saver: portable dvd player with his favorite shows and movies.
last but not least: incentive candy (controversial but definitely worked for us).
be armed with patience. be methodical and calm. focus on you and kiddo and not on people rolling their eyes because he/she doesn't want to take out shoes at security check, or situation x, y, or z.
good luck ;o)

[Anonymous]

How old is DS? I have found that an Ipod is better than a portable dvd player and DD loves watching it. It is so much smaller and easier to deal with on a plane (no big check at security, no changing DVDs, nothing starts to skip, etc.). He will have to be old enough to wear headphones, my DD did not really deal well with headphones until she was almost 3.

[Anonymous]

for the shoe thing--put big socks on over his shoes while you are standing in the long line--then you don't have to take off the shoes!!! -works for us every time. way better than getting a kid to take off his shoes (and then have to put them back on--impossible to do alone!!1)

[Anonymous]

I'd check the car seat and use the CARES harness on the plane. Weighs about a pound, installs in seconds and provides a three point harness. It allowed my son to snuggle up next to me and sleep, read, play games, etc.