Hype me up and tell me I CAN do a short international flight alone with my two kids (3 years and 9 months)

[seelah]

@docmrm I did a 3 hour flight with a one year old and a 6 year old and it was great. You can do it! Lots of snacks were the trick. Also headphones helped my older kid. It can get loud and it just helps her calm down.

 

[laura888]

@docmrm I just did 5 hours (2 flights with a layover) with my 2.5 year old and 9 month old! It went way better than expected! You got this

 

[katrina2017]

@docmrm I went last year with a 3 and a 8 month old… and my husband. My 3 year old screamed because she was frightened the first flight. By the 3rd flight she enjoyed the tv and snacks. My baby was no probably just heavy as I carried her most of a 9 hr flight. People around me were actually very kind and happy to see young kids.

 

[battlecat]

@docmrm Make sure that the airline will let you travel with two kids that young. for example, in Canada (by law), one adult can only be responsible for only one child under the age of two.

 

[opaldigger]

@docmrm I’ve only done one kid alone but as an infant and toddler. Check as much as you can so you focus on the kids + essentials. Don’t rush yourself going through security, people will either pick a different lane or offer to help. At the gate see if you can board early. Every time I’ve flown alone I’m offered help constantly- don’t turn it down if you feel you need it. My last flight while boarding a teenager offered to carry my bags and his mom held my toddlers hand while I swapped the stroller and carseat to gate check, then carried her car seat so I only had to carry my daughter onto the plane. Getting off a dad took my bags and had his son carry the car seat so again I just had to carry my daughter. Everyone always seems so in a rush and focused on themselves at the airport but I’ve realized moms traveling alone with kids seem to catch peoples attention and people are so quick to ask if you need help.

 

[origin]

@docmrm It sounds like it's a direct flight? You can do it!! The 3 year old will probably be so amused by the new experience of riding a plane that will help a lot.

 

[abisdeking]

@docmrm I did this with a 4 month old and 3 year old. I highly recommend going earlier in the day. Our flight was delayed. The 3 year old was so tired he fell asleep under the seat in front of him and I couldn’t get him up when the seat belt light came on because I was holding the baby. He was screaming.
It’s doable, but just go earlier so the 3 year old doesn’t get over tired.

 

[whydis]

@docmrm You got this, you can do it!! Wear the baby

 

[gina]

@docmrm The flight might suck but getting to spend weeks with your family is totally worth it! You can do it. Can you just wear the baby and give the toddler a tablet?

 

[katrina2017]

@docmrm I did a 10 hour plan ride with a 2 year old and a 4 month old. The part that was the hardest was waiting in the airport. You can do it!!!! We basically walked around the airport for 3 hours and then when it came time to get on the plane, the 2 year old crashed HARD from all the excitement. I nursed baby on take off and landing so her ears were pretty good. I let my 2 year old chew gum for take off and landing which I normally NEVER let her have gum so that was exciting for here too. I have complete faith that you can do this!!!!

 

[greaterishethatisinme]

@docmrm You can totally do it. My cousin had to fly solo for 7 hours with an infant and 2 year old and lived to tell the tale.

Good luck!

 

[yoshs]

@docmrm Honestly just so it. 3 hours is short enough to suffer through. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Always assume they will never sleep and you'll be pleasantly surprised if they do. Take a good baby carrier, get tons of stuff to occupy both and bring every snack you can think of

 

[cjm]

@docmrm You got this!! My home country is a 14 hour flight away, sometimes it’s a nightmare, sometimes it’s just fine. But it’s always always worth it. Like others said, screentime on fully charged ipads, loaded with fun videos and kid friendly headphones, things to suck on to equalize ear pressure, and mayyybe tiny cheap silent presents (sticker books??) for the older one to open mid-flight.

You got this!

 

[luv2laugh]

@docmrm I fly solo with my kids all the time. They are 10 and 13 now, but we started at three months with each of them. I have a couple suggestions: number one, for the toddler pack a large variety of snacks in small quantities. Novelty is key here. What do you want to do is shock and awe with constant new things and unlimited iPad time. Two: if you can afford it by a seat for the baby and put them in their bucket car seat. it will give you a break from holding them the whole time and assuming they are familiar with their car seat, they feel like they are in a safe and familiar place. It really helps a lot. Three: book seats close to the restroom. That way if your toddler needs to use it and the baby is asleep in the car seat you can keep an eye on both at the same time.

 

[corkscrew96]

@docmrm You can do it! If you don’t already have a tablet, you can get a kids kindle fire for not that much. You can get a month of Disney plus just for travel (if you don’t have it already). Download a couple movies, some Mickey Mouse and Bluey episodes. Whatever you think your kid might like! And then I am a big fan of color wonder markers because they don’t make a mess. You can get a pack with markers and like 20 coloring sheets for not that much. My kids like to snack a lot while flying, and we usually try to do stuff that isn’t overly messy, like cheerios, goldfish, veggie straws, etc. Basically just crackers. I would try to eat dinner at the airport instead of bringing substantial food on the plane. I limit my older kid to one lovey (stuffed animal or baby doll) because more than that is too much to keep track of.

I like to bring a carrier for the younger kid and a stroller to be gate checked for the older kid. If the older one wants to walk a bit, then cool, but I don’t want to set it up where she must walk because she will inevitably throw a fit at some point. But we have a walk and train commute to get to the airport, so your experience might be different. I also check everything that I possibly can so I have less to manage at the gate. Overall, just try to be prepared and assume that some things will go sideways, but you can get through and it will be ok.

 

[paulintexas]

@docmrm It may be hard, but it is but a point in time. The support you will receive when get there will hopefully be worth it.

 

[hu1tz]

@docmrm You can do it. The plane ride is short. The hard part is getting to/from the airport. It might help to write out what you’re bringing with you on the plane and how to carry it all so that you have a plane of attack and aren’t juggling too much at the airport.

 

[pythagon]

@docmrm Do it! My parents are taking my boys (under 10) to our home country for a few weeks this summer, and that flight is, let’s just say…longer than 3 hours. They are not daunted by the prospect in the least.

I will be praying for them lol. But I think they will be fine and so will you!

 

[chazzz]

@docmrm You can do it! Screen time is your friend with your toddler and remember the flight is only 3 hours so even if baby doesn’t sleep or cries a lot, there’s an end of sight!

3 tip:
- keep your hands free: bring the stroller but also a carrier for when the stroller is side-checked and you need to go in and out of the plane with your 3 year old too
- don’t rely on 3 year old doing any airport-distance walking, since they can be unpredictable. So make sure they can also sit in stroller if needed (not just infant seat) or some other way to roll them around. We have this skateboard attachment that we can attach to the stroller and it has been a life saver walking through airport terminals when traveling with baby+3 year old
- bring lots of snacks for everyone!

 

[deavallsbabe]

@docmrm 3 hours is definitely doable. just take snacks and toys