@simonjohn213 Same, the internet was very unhelpful when we were looking up pros and cons of getting a separate seat on 10+ hour flights.
I can't phantom lugging a car seat around and trying to keep them strapped for so long.
I haven't heard many horror stories from friends. Everyone travels a lot as we live abroad.
It gets hard when there are more kids than parents
@johnd I’ve flown several times with my kiddo. Under 26 months he was wonderful! A dream! At 26 months he was…much tougher. He could just reach the seat in front so we had kicking issues, he has been refusing to sleep anywhere but a bed so he didn’t sleep for like 24 hours. It wasn’t soul crushing, but it was definitely tough.
I flew alone with our oldest one and he was a champ at that age. We also did an international trip without much hiccup.
Then we went to Mexico when he was 2 years something and we did not take a car seat. It was a huge struggle with him to fall asleep on our lap - huge meltdown on the way back due to not being able to nap fully. We just got back from a flight and were smart enough to bring a car seat and he was able to sleep through it…
With our younger one, he had complete meltdown and he is only 16 months. He refused to nap on me and was just screaming murder. Thankfully we landed and he was able to sleep in his car seat - we flew him lap infant to save money…
Recommend getting a lightweight cosco Serena car seat and a luggage strap by the way. Still it means we had to board early to set up the damn thing and haul it through airport and security. Not something fun to be honest
@nemoigloo Yeah I can’t fathom lugging a car seat through the airport along with everything else. I wouldn’t call her experience lucky, some kids are just better flyers. I’ve taken my 2 year old all over the place on flights from 1 hours to 10 hours and have never had an awful, horrible experience.
@crutchfield23 We put both car seats in a wagon and pull that through the airport. It is annoying, I agree, but it’s the safest way for babies to fly. Remember that door flying off a plane earlier this year? Imagine the only thing keeping your baby from being pulled out of an open plane door being your arms…
@crutchfield23 Some kids are just better flyers which is…luck. There’s nothing you can do to determine if your kid is a good flyer or not, so it’s truly just luck.
@johnd I had a month long trip with a 6 month old, 3 year old that involved car ride, plane rides, and ferries and they were great!! Every child/family is different!
@johnd Haha I was so scared of flying with my son, mostly because of Reddit, but he's done 2 trips (4 flights) so far. The first time he slept both ways, and the second time, he was still surprisingly good.
They were like 45 minute flights but still.
Also, for anyone who needs toddler entertainment ideas for flights, stickers are great!
@johnd I still don’t want to try it until my child is 3.5 or 4! I want to book a holiday to fully relax, not for ‘that went quite smoothly’ sighs of relief or to consider any part of the holiday to be just about doable.
@johnd We flown a lot with our children as an example from Europe to the US and in 2 Months to Japan. Sure it can be stressful but overall it's manageable. I found the Tips in this Video helpfull
@johnd Not sure why Reddit tried to scare you off of this. Haven’t flown 12 hours but did do a few 6 hour flights with our high needs, low sleep needs girl and she was fine. I think having that big layover is really helpful because at that age, airports aren’t an inconvenience, they are an adventure.
@johnd Don't confuse the exception with the rule. And most flights don't include an empty row of seating to take the pressure off of you, so I wouldn't really include that as a normal experience.
@johnd Not a long flight, but my 2.5 year old slept the entire leg from Chicago to Albuquerque, and it was the most peaceful flight ever. Don’t ask about the Tampa to Chicago leg, though
@johnd Had a similar experience with my not even 1.5 yo boy. 16 hours. It was great. I chose a flight that coincided with nighttime sleep so he was asleep for most of it. Maybe I got lucky? I don't even remember him crying for anything.
On the other hand, 4 hour plane ride at 3yo..... Lol. But he was crabby only for the last 20 mins. So it wasn't the stuff-of-nightmares bad.
