I was almost 21 by the time I flew for the first time.  Honestly, I thought I’d die in the state I was born in.  For that matter, in the same city.  I had never been out except on a family camping trip or a field trip and I didn’t feel as though I was missing much.  But then, my whole world was in my city, or a surrounding state.  I had grandparents, literally, around the corner.  I had aunts and uncles and cousins all close by.  Then… I met this amazingly funny and uplifting and encouraging Christian guy online.  And he flew to meet me, twice… turned out he lived in Alaska.  And then… he flew ME to Alaska to meet his folks.  Whoa!  You should have seen my bag.  I brought books, a change of clothes, first aid kit, food for days, and so on.  No… this wasn’t my checked luggage… this was my carry-on.  I had no idea what to expect and, being a girl scout, I was prepared for anything.  Except the loss of hearing and the early arrival and the neck pain from the crazy bag… but that’s another story.

Fast forward 10 years and I was preparing to fly with TWO children – a 3 1/2 year old and a 1 1/2 year old.  The first time around, I packed for everything just in case… now I have to pack for everything because everything happens!  I have traveled with my son before, quite a few times actually.  He was a great baby traveler.  I nursed him up and down and he slept most of the flights.  The airports were the biggest challenge.  But now he’s a walking, talking, running, little boy.  And that is a whole other world.  And my daughter… she’s not so easy to soothe as he was.  The carrier won’t do it… nursing won’t do it unless she’s in the mood… I’m was more than a little curious to see what she did.

There are so many things to consider… I never want to be the mom who drags two kids on a plane with no entertainment and then lets them scream.  But I don’t have the strength to deal with 2 kids at 4 am and carry a ton of stuff as well.  So it gets tricky.

I figured we needed the Baby Dolls.  Although my kids aren’t super dependent on them, I’ve seen them settle down more quickly when they are upset if they can cuddle their dolls.  My concern was that they would get filthy, being dropped all over the place, falling on the floor of the plane, etc.  So… I made “leashes” for the dolls.  Click on the photo to see more.  (Flight #1 update:  Baby Dolls weren’t taken out AT ALL until the car ride after the airport and airplane part… they will probably get checked for #2)

I got a new Water WOW Alphabet book for my son and a ColorBlast book for my daughter.  The Water Wow is reusable and I love them…. but my daughter has taken to squeezing all of the water out and making messes, so I think the one time use pages are ok and the marker that can’t write on anything else is a nice middle ground.

(Flight #1 Update:  They weren’t opened AT ALL, in airport OR in flight… but they will probably stay in the carryon for the next one just in case.)

You can’t bring full sippee cups through security, but you CAN bring sippees and fill them up AFTER security!  So, I am brought our trusty Thermos sippees, because they have lids and can be protected from the yuck and they keep whatever I buy to put in them cold, for the length of the flights.  I also made sippee cup leashes for them.  This way, I can attach them on the planes and not worry about the cups rolling away.

(Flight #1 Update:  Totally worth bringing!  They were used a TON in the airport and a tiny bit on the plane.)

On the off chance that we get delayed or something… I brought two books.  That’s not my plane we got for our son at an airplane museum.  And Amazing Airplanes was a gift from Grandma & Grandpa to our son recently.  Both are great!

Flight #1 Update:  We’ll be leaving these in luggage for the flight back.  They were great for discussion and prepping, but the kids weren’t interested in a book about planes by the time we got near the real deal.

I’m usually pretty picky about the snacks my kids eat.  We try to avoid junk food, and I am so glad that they are more prone to eating Bananas and Apples and “real” food than processed stuff… but traveling is special and so… we go for variety and excitement.

Honey Maid Angry Birds, Scrabble Junior Cheez-Its, Dora Snacks…

I know… not the healthiest selection, but the kids love the novelty.  

So… win!

But, travel isn’t all snacks and toys… I panic about the possibility of becoming separated from my munchkins.  Thankfully, hubby agreed to get an Escort Pass and escort us to the gate.  But since I didn’t see that one coming in advance… I also had these…

They are ID bracelets that have a slot inside to slide an information slip into.  There is enough room for name, emergency contact and any allergies.  The bracelet velcros on.  I had “practice” runs with the bracelets at places like the zoo and the park, so that the kids were used to wearing them and we didn’t add something new and annoying during such a stressful time.  They are fantastic!

I did make great use of the nursing cover that I completed for myself before I left. —–>

And the travel pillows I made for the kids totally ROCK!

Instead of a blanket, I brought an oversized sweatshirt/jacket that I didn’t have to stuff into a bag because I was wearing it, and then I used it as a blanket for my munchkins.  It was a good thing… the flights get chilly!

I totally stressed, before the flight, about whether my son would be comfortable and safe enough on the plane without a carseat.  As soon as he got into his seat, he started buckling his seat belt.  He LOVED that he wasn’t in a car seat.  And… I officially have no plans to bring a carseat onto a plane again.  They are SO heavy and I can only imagine how much fun getting down the aisle with the munchkins and the seat would have been – even if an attendant had assisted.

Overall,

We got onto the plane, my son was SUPER excited to watch the activity on the tarmac and my daughter got right to nursing.  As we were ascending and our heads felt heavy on our seats, I encouraged my son to take a nap, and assured him that after nap he could play tablet and have snacks and have fun.  And… the three of us pretty much slept for the whole flight.  Baby Girl taking turns between nursing and cuddling and Little Man snuggled up on the Travel Pillow that I made him and sleeping hard!  We never opened the kids’ backpacks and the tablets never got turned on, except while we waited at the gate to board.  We woke for descent and all was well.  I couldn’t have had a better flight.  That said… Always be prepared!!!