Traveling by plane with twins

Bandlbednar@msn.com - posted on 11/10/2010

Hi,

Trust me, it will be fine!!! We just did this trip about 2 weeks ago with our 18 month old twins. I will tell you, do not expect them to sleep :) We did gate check our stroller but did not use a bag, however, we wrapped a strap around it and it proved to be a huge hassle. The stroller was pretty much clean. If you check the stroller, I would suggest wrapping it in a bag. Make sure you bring tons of snacks and different activities. We purchased this item, a cross between silly putty and playdough which doesn't get messy or leave stains at Walmart for about 5.00, and it kept them busy because they could pull it apart and put it back together. (At Walmart, it was in the section of crayons, yellow box, can't think of the name) This used up a good hour. Another thing that kept them busy was a bag and I put more new items in it. For take off and landing, I gave them an apples because I knew it would keep them busy and it really helped with the ear pressure. They will do great! I was REALLY concerned with such a long flight but I would do it again!!! Most people are helpful and will 'entertain' them as well. On a funny note, we did fly Southwest and after we boarded, about 10 people relocated their seats!!! We thought it was hilarious, of course they were all young men. The couple behind us was like, you guys know how to remove a crowd. And honestly, if I was traveling solo, I probably would have moved too :)

As far as seating, we purchased one seat and carried the other as a lap child. For us, this was amazing. We all sat together and we switched the girls from the lap to car seat which worked great for us!! It was worth the extra cost to be able to have a 'mini' break and being able to switch them back and forth between laps and the car seat! Have a great trip!!

Sandra - posted on 11/10/2010

we had tiny bottles of soapy water to do bubbles...it kept them entertained for a long time.....take little toys or books......they will want to take a look in the magazine..........other people will interact with them too..........

Cat - posted on 11/09/2010

Hi there! I've also travelled with my twins several times, and although it can be a pain to entertain two little people on a flight, its actually not that bad... My one daughter had a problem with not being able to run up and down the aisles though, that was probably the main issue I had... Distractions are great, they should help a lot... I dont know if you can fly with extra liquids where you are flying from, here they wouldnt allow it, so I just bought water bottles from the vending machine before boarding (after clearing security) As for the stroller, I didnt use any specific gate check bag at all, and all times I got it back in pretty much the exact same condition... Good luck! I'm sure you'll all be fine!

Annette - posted on 11/09/2010

we travelled between Europe and India a few times while our three kids including twins were between 1 and 5 years old (each an 8 hour flight or so) - expat family life. We packed coloring stuff, toys, music, little new toys packed as gifts that also gave them the joy of unwrapping, and we spent time walking up and down the aisles :o) On our first travel, we had packed the twin stroller into a special gate check bag, but it was just a big nuisance. We did without all the time later, ok, the stroller got dirty, but then, in Bangalore/India it got dirty everyday anyway...

Suzanne - posted on 11/09/2010

Hi Adrienne, you should be fine. We have been travelling with our twins since they were 2 months old and now they will be 6yrs old b/g this month. We have been to Mexico, Jamaica twice. Coloring books and DVDs are perfect. If they like milk, I would pack the pre-packaged bottles of mile and a couple of bottles of milk/juice for take off and landing. This will help with the air pressure in their ears. Maybe you will be lucky and they will sleep the entire way! :)