Did I actually fly from Mobile to Dallas to Colorado by myself with three children?
Yes, yes I did.
And I survived! There is hope for many of you out there should the opportunity arise for you to fly somewhere with kids. Several people have asked how it is done, so here goes.
1. Ok, I will be honest here and say that it probably does help that my kids have flown quite a bit in the past. So it wasn't as "new and exciting" as it might be to another child. They quite like to fly. Layovers, not so much, but flying they enjoy.This is not so much a tip as it is just a fact. On to #2.
2. Let them know what will happen before it happens. My kids have flown before, but I still took the time to remind them about how we get through security, how we behave at the gate, how to find our seats on the plane, where to put their things once seated. Those sorts of things. The good news is that children and those over 75 are no longer required to take off shoes to get through security. Of course, while we were going through security, I was "randomly chosen" to have my hands swabbed for explosive residue. Thankfully all that was on my hands was diaper cream and hand sanitizer, so I was good to go. While I was being screened, Ansley and Stephen sat at the end of the security area with our stuff - within my eye sight. Have I said before how awesome my kids are at traveling? I don't know if they somehow understand the seriousness of following my directions perhaps - I am not sure what it is - but they were shining stars.
3. Where was Molly James during all of this? Molly James and I were as one unit. I wore her in a Beco baby carrier that I am currently borrowing from Melia. Super comfortable for both baby and me. It was like an instant sleep inducer for Molly James and I was free to use my hands for whatever I needed to do. Like have them swabbed for explosive devices. If you have a baby, I strongly suggest wearing your little one over dealing with a stroller in a crowded airport. Especially large airports like the Dallas airport where you will be going up and down escalators to get to the train that allows you to change terminals.
4. Involve your kids in the process of getting where you need to be. If your kid has learned any numbers or letters, give them a job. Stephen especially enjoyed looking for our gate number or watching for our Terminal on the Skytrain in Dallas. I took a few moments and explained to Ansley (who is reading pretty much everything these days) how the departure and arrivals screens are read. It was a great lesson for her and she very much enjoyed reading them in the airport. We also played a little math game and figured out the length of delay time for certain flights. Molly James passed the time by nursing and napping.
5. Another good tip for flying with kids is to remind them of their space on the plane. I know the man who sat in front of us on one flight was dreading it after he saw a row of little Dukes behind him when he sat down. However, I had reminded the kids that their chair was their island. Where do they stay? On their island. This prevents little legs from kicking the seat in front. Once we were settled, entertainment chosen, seatbelts buckled, the kids really did well. Stephen does enjoy looking out the window, but Ansley was happy to read or play her DS. Molly James was happy to nurse and nap. (do you see a theme with Ms. MJ?)
At the end of this one flight, the businessman complimented the kids on their behavior. "I thought this would be a nightmare of a flight with all of you behind me." he said. "But your children did very well."
"Um, thanks." I said. (Nightmare? Really? Good grief)
6. Did you know kids fly alone all the time? Of course you did. And of course I did. But they are not MY kids. People turn their kids over to airline employees constantly and fly them from one part of the country to another.So, surely this means they are trustworthy? can you think of a news story where this turned out badly? I can't. I didn't google it, so don't tell me if you do. I say all of this for a reason - twice while flying I had to leave the older two in the care of airline employees and guess what? It turned out just fine. The first time a lightening storm in Dallas meant all of our gate checked items were stuck under the plane for a good 30 minutes. We did not check any baggage, but the baby seat was gate checked so we were forced to wait for it at the gate. When they brought the carseat up, there was a giant surge of people trampling each other to get down the gateway and then back up. There was no way I could get all of us down there with our bags, get the carseat and then fight the crowd back up to the terminal. Enter two airline employees who offer to stand with the children. They had badges. They wore uniforms. They had been working the gate the entire time we were there. They looked nice. So I said a quick prayer to God for guidance, felt that is was safe (aka - there was no panic in my stomach), and Molly James and I took off after the car seat. Sure enough,Stephen and Ansley were right where they were supposed to be when I returned. I also had to leave them one more time on the plane while Molly James and I ran like crazy people back up to the gate when I remembered my cell phone was plugged in up there and not, in fact, in the diaper bag where it should have been. The phone was still there. The plane did not leave me. (Stupid phone battery!)
7. Allow your kids to pack their own little backpacks. But here is the key - only let them pack it as heavy as THEY can carry it. So no heavy books and toys. Because if it is too heavy, guess who ends of carrying it? Yep, the grownup. Even if it is a rolling bag, don't pack much in it. They will tire of it quickly. So paperback books, a few small cars, a cloth doll...these are the things you want to pack. Also a light jacket as it is cold on some planes. (not on any of our planes this time however). Stephen and Ansley carried their own things this entire trip. Made things much easier.
8. Have gum for your older kids to chew on takeoff and landing. Stephen wont chew gum, so I simply asked the flight attendant for some water and he sipped it during takeoff and again during landing. Helps their little ears. It doesn't bother Ansley to change altitude, but it does my Stephen. Molly James nursed through takeoff and landing. She was good to go.
9. We used Priceline this last time to purchase our tickets. Which meant we bid on them and were not guaranteed the time of the flights before we purchased them. Since it didn't really matter what time we got there this worked for us and saved us a TON of money. We probably would not have been able to go had we not bid as opposed to paying full price. If you are flexible in your times and maybe even by a day or two, check out priceline. Don't be scared of it. We saved close to $1000 by using Priceline this time. Side note - even though priceline asks if some of your passengers are children, they apparently don't tell the airline that, so at checkin we had to do a little paperwork, but it didn't take long. And because I always checked in early at the airport, there was time to change our seats around so that we all sat together.
10. Last but not least, do not feel bad if your children require a few extra minutes to complete whatever task is at hand while you travel! When we first began traveling, I would mumble apologies to those around us as little ones struggled to put shoes back on or a backpack on the conveyor belt for xray. But what I discovered is that 99% of people simply don't mind. I can't remember getting one frown or scowl from anyone on this trip. I got lots of "you have your hands full" or "are all three yours?" but never once did I get any ugly or impatient remarks. I think people are generally very nice. Most people, anyway. People offered to get our bags from overhead, offered to hold something for me while I fiddled with the baby, told me their own stories of children or grandchildren. Even in Dallas, that was crammed full of people due to delayed flights and thunderstorms, people were kind. Kind with their eyes and their words. Patient with little ones and patient with their mama.
