flying with 2 under 2

I need advice (and words of encouragement lol)
Im thinking of going to florida next month - it would be me, DH and our 5 month old and our 20 month old. we would be going on a Saturday and returning on Monday

Traveling with my 5 month old doesnt concern me too much (we flew with dd at 6 months last year and it was easy).
However, they both have different nap times - 20 month old takes one nap from about 2pm-4pm and ds 5 months old naps from about 3:30pm - 6pm. He takes cat naps during the day for about 30-45 minutes here and there.

that being said - what time flight would you look for? do you think a 20month old will actually nap on the plane? what do you bring to entertain them at that age?

also, how do you manage in a hotel with two kids in cribs? DD is a light sleeper so when DS cries it will probably wake her (he wakes to eat at 6am and goes back to sleep til about 9am) DD sleeps until about 8. should i book a suite so i can keep ds in our "room" and dd in the "living room"?

do you pack 2 carseats, the double stroller etc???

anyone btdt who can help be me more at ease about actually taking this trip...i havent booked it yet obviously

Message edited 9/4/2014 11:47:39 AM.

Re: flying with 2 under 2

I would fly in the am - that way they are not tired and cranky if they don't nap. Most likely your 20 month old wont nap on plane.

Just bring some new coloring books or a new doll to peek her interest.

The hotel it will work it self out - you might be surprised that they don't wake each other.

I would bring the 2 carseats but check them and gate check your double stroller unless you want to bring 2 singles

Re: flying with 2 under 2

I'd fly in the late morning. This why they will sleep their normal night at home, and will go on the plane not too cranky.

As for the sleep situation, I think it is what it is. I bet neither will sleep their normal patters when they aren't at home, so I wouldn't get the suite.

I'd wear your 5 month old to the airport and check your double stroller. Then you and your hubby only have to worry about chasing your 20 month old. And hopefully letting her run around before the flight tires her out enough to relax on the flight.

And I'd rent car seats b/c checking both of them sounds exhausting. Or maybe bring the infant carrier, but rent the convertible.

Re: flying with 2 under 2

we've flown three times with our twins, at 14m, 19m and 20m. A trip to florida would be no big deal. We scheduled it around their naps and they napped on the plane- most trips only an hour but our most recent trip was 2 hours. On the way back they napped more than going there because I think they were already seasoned travellers lol.
We had play doh, sticker books, ipad, but basically they were most interested in eating the whole time. We tried to give mostly cheerios/puffs and dried fruit so it would last a longer time and hold their interest.

We had 2 car seats that we stacked one on top of the other and tied together with bungee cords onto a luggage cart. The first trip, we brought a stroller but decided to just wear the babies the next two trips because lugging the car seats were a pain. If I needed to bring a storller, I'd probably check it next time. definitely book a suite if you can swing it. we got 2 cribs and hung out on the patio after they fell asleep. it was a total blast and even though the airport can be kind of stressful, it was totally worth the effort.

I have a pic of the car seats if you want to know how we did it.

Message edited 9/4/2014 4:09:44 PM.

flying with 2 under 2

Just thinking about it is exhausting isn't it? I promise it's not as bad as you're probably imagining it to be. I take car seats and a double stroller. I've taken the car seats on board with us so the boys felt like they were in the car and both fell asleep even though it wasn't nap time. The white noise did them in lol The first trip we took I bought a travel crib...total waste for us. All four of us slept in the king bed. I pack like I'm moving when I'm traveling lol FM me if you have any questions, I've flown a handful of times with my almost irish twins and have tried just about everything. =)