About to fly away with your triplets? Here’s some advice based on what has worked for us when traveling with our toddler/preschool triplets on planes:
I let them pick out one toy at the airport within reason (I know kinda pricey) but on a 5.5-6 hr flight, the boys played the whole time with their little airplane and my daughter played with her Spiderman coloring book. To me it was $ well spent and now I have made it a ritual.
Pack a bag of food and snacks.
I bring lots of snacks food and even those special snacks like chocolate chip cookies. I give those mostly at landings and take-off. Landings are a bit rougher on one of my boys than on my other two kids so I like to have special snacks for that.
I pack sippy cups and have the flight attendants fill the cups up with milk/juice. So much easier than handling a little plastic cup on a bumpy ride. One spill and they are stuck with the wetness (whether on them, in their seat, or on the floor) for the whole flight.
DVD! To us that is a must. Mine don’t wear headsets because you can’t hear the show past our seats because of the plane noise. If your kids don’t normally watch DVDs, don’t have the fear of them wanting to watch when you are “home”—you can say this is special just for airplane flights. Mine watch DVDs in the car but ONLY on the 5-6hr drive to AZ, not around town or on short trips. I suggest keeping the DVD player and DVDs under the seat vs. in the overhead because shortly after take-off, the captain gives the approval for electronic devices but the fasten seat belt sign is still illuminated . . . sometimes for a while. Remember to bring an extra battery, the power supply, and an extension cord. In case you are delayed, they can watch the DVD player while waiting at the gate. There are usually outlets all around, but you may need an extension cord. Also, it saves and charges your battery for the flight.
We actually have 1 DVD player, 1 laptop, and an ipod. Yes, they have all been in use at the same time! It is good to have more than 1 player, because you may be split up on the plane based upon seating arrangements. I don't know of a plane that has 5 seats in a row, without a break for the aisle. Also, I’ve heard reports that you can download books onto your ipods from itunes, so that’s another option. I haven’t tried it yet, so I don’t know what books are available for which ages. Worth looking into.
In the beginning I was a stickler on keeping to our schedule and making sure they ate right. But then I thought what is more important:
1. Kids cranky but eating right or
2. Kids happy
I have slightly different rules for the plane and mine don’t take advantage of it. I make it more of a reward. If you remain quiet and don’t wake up your brother then you can get another cookie. Or if they say can I have another cookie and your limit is 1 or 2 a day, you could say since you are staying in your seat and are quiet, you can have another cookie. We change our rules when we are on vacation (sure I’ll have another dessert), so I just use that logic with them.
Travel with Tylenol, motrin, bandaids, a change of shirt for you (you never know who may get motion sickness), change of clothes for them, and Benadryl. Benadryl is not just for aiding them to sleep, it helps their sinuses, so the pressure doesn’t build up and cause them discomfort on take-off or landing. One piece of advice I remember is if they are crying during take-off or landing that’s okay, it is helping them relieve the pressure in their ears. The first time we flew I said that over and over in my head so I wouldn’t stress too much. But that is when I want them to drink and eat to pop their ears. Having a sippy cup allows them to drink because otherwise they would not be allowed to have a drink.
Don’t hesitate to walk around the plane with them. By the 4.5 hour mark I am anxious to get off the plane, & they aren’t any different. So we parade around the plane for a bit. In the back we even play Simon Says to help them stretch and play a game.
Bring books that are light to carry, we’ve even played bingo. Let them pack a small bag of toys they want to bring on the plane (those backpacks are great for that) – you’d be surprised how long that the toys they pick out will keep them occupied. I used to pack one new toy per hour and that was a bust. I was stuck with the stress of finding new inexpensive toys and most of the time they just wanted to see the next one. This way they choose the toys and it takes the guess work out of it for you and they are happy. Plus I overemphasize sharing on the airplane. Now they help each other pick out toys.
If they have a favorite animal or blanket they sleep with, bring that on the plane to help them sleep. My daughter travels with her sponge-bob towel, which we use as a blanket.
Regarding car seats: You check them in with your luggage, unless you are going to use them on the plane. If you use them on the plane they have to be FAA certified. It will indicate that in your manual and on the seat itself. Print the page off from your owner’s manual if you cannot find it on your car seat. When we used the car seat on the plane we were stopped by the flight attendants asking for us to show them that the seat was FAA certified.
If you are checking them with your luggage, I don’t know the requirements for packing the car seats. Our seats have a case so we just use that. Call your airline if you are unsure.
Last hot tip: Pack for the worse case scenario, which means pack more food than you need in case you are delayed, or any flight cancellations. Gotta be ready for anything!
Phew! Okay, off you go. My big advice is to make it special, modify the rules to fit the situation. Good Luck!
-Jeanmarie
Mom to 4-year-old BBG triplets
