[northernfive]

Hi there
Wonder if any of you seasoned travellers can give us some tips....

We fly from the UK to NZ (via LA) with Air NZ in just a few weeks now.....we are TOTALLY dreading it as we have 3 young children - a 4 year old, 22 month old and 7 week old baby

Any adivse ?

We've booked a bassinet for baby so hopefully that will help and we've been buying lots of little things to keep the 4 year old and 22 month old entertained - mini crayons and colouring books, little puzzles and books etc....but on a total journey of 33 hours and 4 airports we think we're in for hell!!

Any tips would be greatly appreciated !!

cheers

[Scotty69]

cant give advice, :eek: just a good luck:exit

[dharder]

We fly from the UK to NZ (via LA) with Air NZ in just a few weeks now.....we are TOTALLY dreading it as we have 3 young children - a 4 year old, 22 month old and 7 week old baby

Sounds like my idea of hell as well :)

We have flown once with two 6 year olds and two 2 year olds, and I have flown once with the two year olds to NZ/back.

I think the four year old probably be alright with lots of bribes and the tv, and I think as far as babies go, at that stage, they are normally quite happy to be either just held or fed (or walked about). The 22 month old is probably going to be the most difficult, since their attention span is so short.

We've tried Vallergan and Phenergan, though one of them was totally counterproductive, and not sure how much the other did. But others use those drugs with success.

My experiences are: I needed a lot more spare clothes than I thought for the two year olds, I packed all snacks in really small packs to give them something to do, I found it really essential to pack stuff in a I could reach the things I needed easily, I bought a lot of new toys (small) that they hadn't seen before, those magic drawing board thingies were great, I always drew getting the next thing out as long as possible to keep them hanging in there. We also walked around the airplane for miles, or so it felt.

We had a six hour stop (I think, can't really remember) in Kuala Lumpur, and I tried to move them as much as possible. If you have to wait somewhere for a long time, a change of place is always good. We had a few hours to kill in Amsterdam, and I moved the girls from one row of seats to the next, each time packing everything up, circling the terminal, and then sat down on the next row of seats.

Sorry, this got a bit long, I will fly again by myself with two 4 year olds, and I just hope they get lots of use out of the little tv screens in the seat in front of us this time (were not interested last time)

Good luck,

Daniela

[swissmissdesigner]

I did the same thing: Legos, colored pencils and books.
I also took a big play blanket, extra pillows and put it on the floor where they had more space to play, of course this is only the very first row.

[nippa&pippa]

You will be fine! been there and done it with 9 weeks old baby and two years old child last year ;) Just try be calm, as your children will be calm if you are!!!

Best tip I can give you regard to baby is use front baby carrier to give you free hand to hold other children and as well as bag as you will need free hands to deal with in airport. Forgot to use pushchair in airport, not worth it hassles! (we had nightmare time with it in airport!!) just hand pushchair at check in.
Another one, can your OH carry your 22months in back carrier? that does help alot :nice1
If you are coming here for reccie, you will find carriers is useful for visit places where pushchair can't go... like pancake rock etc.

Blanket for children to sit on the floor is easy available from airline, unless you want to use your own..my both children was on the floor during most of flight, playing with toys etc.

I put baby in bodysuit and bodysuit for whole flight because spare clothes take less room take in your bag, keep warm for baby during flight and most important, it is comfortable for baby. Also packed PJ for toddler, so they can go to sleep comfortable in PJ..my son did..

Because of liquid etc, put all your bottles for all your children somewhere that are very easy to reach so custom can look at bottles to ensure it is empty! (I accidently put all four in three different bags, some in bottom of bags, mean I had to empty whole bag :uhoh )
hope that help :nice1

[tigerlily]

This thread
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9944
was helpful I thought.

Also brush up on all your little silly songs and games that you can play with the kids.
My kids (twins age 4) love to make "letters" to send to people - near and far- using stickers instead of real stamps, with little papers inside.

Sense of humor intact is essential. There will be crying, but it will be worse for you then those around you. As long as you are making an effort, I think no one will fault you for the screaming of your children. I like to keep the mantra, This Too Shall Pass, close at hand.

I often plan to buy a few new toys or books in each airport we stop at (time allowing). To give myself and extra bit of time on the next flight as they enjoy the new thing.
Lots of little books are good, but I also bring along a long book, full of pictures and stories (Richard Scary Treasury sort of thing). It eases my mind to know that I could read to them for hours if need (delays happen).

My kids roll their own backpacks onto the flight for their carry on. I make them bring their own change of clothes and toothbrush etc. Still room for toys, but it's nice that I don't have to manage everything.

Another thing I've made for long flights are little photo albums of people and things they know, they especially liked that when they were younger.

Bring zip lock bags for the messy clothes. And lots of handwipes.

I use backpacks quite a bit. When they were little, using a backpack to carry them left my hands free and moving through the airport was easier. Now I use a backpack to carry all the goodies onto the plane, leaving 2 hands free to carry or hold the hand of a child. I'm not a huge fan of strollers for airplane travel. I've used them when I didn't have Dad travelling with us, but I like it better without.

I hope the 22 month old has their own seat and that you are bringing their carseat? It's easier to be able to strap them into something they can't get out of. They are probably used to sleeping in it from car naps anyway. That way you are in charge of when it's ok to get up and roam around.

Things with wheels tend to roll away.
I made some little felt kits by getting some sticky back black felt and sticking it on the back of a big book. I then cut out shapes for them to stick on it. It was nice because they couldn't hurt if they were thrown.

Hope this helps!

[tigerlily]

I like Crayola twistables instead of regular crayons, they seem to last better, not break.
Also a blank journal, so they could draw pictures that are not on loose pieces of paper.

A kids toy catalog and a marker (to "go shopping").

A puzzle that you made out of photos of the family.

A book of mazes.

A finger puppet doing a show goes a long way.

[Tia Maria]

northernfive, I agree with the others, its your middle one who will probably be the most challenging.

How many seats do you have booked? Where you are placed on the plane can make a great deal of difference to how it all goes. If you know your plane type you can look up seat configurations on this site:

www.seatguru.com

Then if possible reserve in advance. Also I found non weekened flights tended to be less busy.

Here are some more useful threads:

www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11992

www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7080

Here's an email I sent to a friend recently, some of it may be relevant for you:


Tips for flying with young children

1) Some people prefer the bulk head seats as they have more leg room, or they have to be in them as they have a bassinet. On the downside the armrests don't lift as the tray comes out from here, also the TV comes from under the seats which is another thing between you and the kids.

Also, they are often near where the cabin crew set up for meals, which can be good as you may get served early but can be noisy, and they are under the big screen, which can either be a good or bad distraction for the kids.

2) If you know your plane type check out this site: www.seatguru.com

Which will give you leg room for different airlines and seat plans. We booked 4 seats in the middle – this allowed us to lift the armrests so the children could sleep 'top to tail' in the middle and use us as pillows.

3) You will need car seats the other end; we bought special lightweight ones and had them in the hold. If you decide to have one on the plane check with the airline first that it is compatible and be aware it makes your seating arrangements less flexible.

4) Most airlines let you take the buggy to the gate which is great as you get it the minute you get off the plane. Let him walk before hand to wear him out and use the buggy for your hand luggage!

5) We got the kids a 'kids wheelie bag' and packed all their toys/Pjs and snacks in them. They loved wheeling them around. But we actually chose quite small ones with carry handles as we were aware we might end up carrying them/the buggy/the kids/our cases and our flight bags. They actually folded quite small and fitted in our suitcase the other end.

6) Take some toys some, old for comfort, some new for interest. Leave some for when you are queuing in customs the other end, as they can be really cranky by this stage.

7) Have a portable toilet seat for your son, preferable one he has practiced on at home. A lot of children are scared of the airplane toilet as it is so noisy when it flushes. Consider something waterproof to go under him in case he naps on the plane, you can buy disposable or washable ones from Mothercare, or if desperate grab a plane blanket/cushion!

8) Many children wee/pooh on landing be aware of this!

9) It can get quite cold on planes but the blankets are normally full of static – so consider cardis or something like this: www.snugglesac.com

10) Normally people prefer to book night flight as kids are normally tired and sleep, we changed ours into PJs to give them a 'sleep association'. However, if I could do it again I would prefer to arrive at about 3pm as I could not sleep on the plane and the children arrived refreshed and full of energy and I was knackered. An afternoon flight means you can put them to bed not too long after you arrive, but obviously you have to entertain them more on the plane.

11) Do take Calpol/nurofen – whatever you normally use in case they get ear pain. Also consider ear plugs, much better to have them and not need them than have your children in pain for 7 hours. Ear pain is less common on long distance flights as you fly higher but they may experience it on take off and landing – a lollypop is good for this.

12) Once the hot towel has cooled a little put over their nose and mouth and get them to breathe in, this will help unblock them and stop them drying out. It's good for adults too. Another tip is to bring Vicks or a smell they like to breathe in and prevent sinus pain.

13) Many parents use Phenargen for their children, I think you can get it over the counter from the chemist (check age range). It is for travel sickness but as it contains an anti-histamine it also causes drowsiness. If you go this route do check it on the children beforehand as some can have the opposite reaction and go hyper!

14) It can be worth booking the children's meals as they often come out first so you can help the children eat before your dinner is served. Get confirmation in writing as they often don't have note of the request.

15) Be aware of all the latest security restrictions, it means it can take a lot longer to get through. They will take children out of the buggy, may ask you to fold it and are very strict about liquids. You can always check with the airport website, but they normally have plenty of shops to stock up on drinks etc on the other side of security.

16) Kids tend to adjust well to the time difference as they just wake when they want/sleep when they want/eat when they want and have no responsibilities. Ours woke a couple of times in the middle of the night and we all got up for a midnight feast then a couple of hours later we all went back to sleep.

Hope some of this helps

Best of luck with it all, to be honest it will be knackering and stressful but at least you know that eventually it will be over. Some things you just have to grin and bear! :D

Cheers

Tia

[tigerlily]

Yes! On the kids meals, they do tend to come first and that makes it much easier when yours comes later and you can actually eat it.

The type of seats that airlines do not allow are the booster type- we actually had a hybrid kind that got by a lot of flight attendants until one grumpy one- so best not risk it, look for the FAA approved sticker or something similar that spells it out clearly.

Perhaps a glass of that free wine to help you sleep?

[Familyofmonkeys]

We did flight with 3 kids earlier this year...they were just 4, just 2 and 12 weeks. We were dreading it, but it was no where near as bad as we thought.

Advise not already mentioned by others:

Take it in turns for adults to eat...ask to keep other meal warm. If there is turbulence and seatbelt light goes no, you have to have baby on your knee, not in basinette. This happened to us when we were in middle of meal. If was a bit of a muddle trying to get 2 toddlers seatbelts done up and baby strapped to my seatbelt, while taking it in turns to hold trays of food.

We tried to get Phenargen for older kids in case they needed some 'rest', but in UK, they have changed the ages they will prescribe this for, so they would not allow us any for our 2 year old.

I put baby in papouse so we only needed on buggy for 2 year old for journey...good as it kept my hands free to deal with other kids and luggage. As buggys need to go through x-ray machine, it mean I could hold onto my 2 year old...stop him running off while OH dealt with all the luggage and stuff. By time kids are 4, they are generally quite excited by stuff going on around them, so not really a problem age.

Other thing...if you get time, get kids some exercise when at airport, so they will be more tired when they get on plane. Once initial excitement over, they will be more likely to sleep.

[northernfive]

Wow, thanks so much to everyone for their tips !!

So helpful.

We are now just 20 days away from the flight and are just totally dreading it !!
But the advise is great and we will use it all. Like everyone says - the 7 week old and 4 year old will be fine - baby will not know any different and should just sleep and feed, and our 4 year old is really excited.....but the 22 month old.......argh !!!!

He is a handful at the best of times !! A real explorer....never sits still !
oh dear!

[Familyofmonkeys]

He is a handful at the best of times !! A real explorer....never sits still !
oh dear!

I find that food is one of the best distractions at that age :o