to think that you can travel with young children?!

[FlappyBaps]

Right I am am rapidly losing patience with my DH and the dreaded subject of The Holiday. Please tell me that my desire to get somewhere almost guaranteed to be sunny is not overriding common sense!

Our DD is 14 months old - a very wriggly, active 14 months old and to be honest travelling anywhere with more than a 2 hour journey is going to be painful. But I reckon for our only 2 week holiday it's worth the pain. I'm thinking: flight from local airport, 2 hour flight, 2 hour car journey at the other end. That has got to be better than 3 hour drive to ferry port, ferry crossing (long one) and 2 hour drive at the other end (at least).

I'm sure some of you have done plan journeys with young children: how hideous is it? Really??

I travelled with ds when he was 3months and he was fine. Then i had dd1 and had to visit my family with 2 under 2 on my own as dh was working.
I was speaking to my mum on the phone the night before and told her i'm a bit panicking about the flight. She said : 'what is the worst that can happen? In the worst case they will cry. And you might get some funny looks, so what?'

Someone mentioned the waiting at the airport, make sure he walks/crawls a lot before you get in the plane.

You will be fine honestly. It is only 2 hours and you are 2 adults so you can go to the toilet.

Took dd 18 months to sorrento last year. V stressful. She wriggled so much her nappy leaked, going and returning, onto dh. Also have you tried changing a nappy in the crappy minuscule loos? Changing table suitable for upto 1 year old child only. Didn't fancy changing her in the middle of the aisle for all to see! Add that to screaming.

I've accepted life will not be the same for a few years yet.

go for it.
just plan,as others have mentioned. Bring loads of snacks, toys(maybe even a new unseen one!!) and realise that whatever you do to entertain lo you'll be doing in a confined space for a number of hours. Do your best to keep their ears from popping(less likely to spend the whole flight screaming in agony) Practise changing nappies in a small cupboard before you go(they only seem to poo when you've been told to keep the seatbelts on so you'll want to change them as soon as you can!) Bring a change of clothes for all of you!!

Most importantly decide that it will be fine. I've travelled loads with my two at various stages of baby and toddler hood and it was completely fine. My friend did the same. went on and on (love her really) about what a nightmare it would be, how stressed she'd be and what a bloody martyr how brave she was. Guess what the kids picked up on the stress and she had a nightmare!

Remember you are a JET SETTING MUMMY. Wear sunglasses. Then you don't have to make eye contact with the people who have just had raisins thrown at them.

ENJOY!

I'm taking my four children on a 3 hour flight plus journeys at either end on my end next month. they are 8, 6, 4 and 2. It's an adventure and my dh thinks I am mad and it quite glad he has to work.

He needs to do some reading, Libby Purves sailed round the UK with two small children, Helena Drysdale (author) travelled round europe in a caraven with her dh and two very small children. Plenty of people do things like that so I think most people can manage a holiday

We have family 4 hours away (in laws and my parents) and we regulalry drive the journey, often at nighttime, with dd1 (now 3). Having said that, now pg with twins, dh did say the other day that we'll be back to stopping all the way for feeds etc so it'll take longer and he wasn't looking forward to it - we're too used to it being easy.

Anyway, we travelled by ferry across the channel and then I drove for 8 hours with a 45minute lunch break with dd1 in the car at 18months. We borrowed an in car dvd player - and have since bought one! Inlaws also travelled in the back to entertain dd1.

At 2.5 we went to Majorca which was fab. We travelled at night and that worked on the way back as dd slept but on the way there she stayed awake until about 3am with no nap in the day! It was fine, sleep plans go out the window on holiday so we lounged round the pool for a day!

We planned to take dd1 to Canada to see my brother when she'll be almost 4 and our newborn would be 3 months old. I was hoping to bf and just keep baby on my boob for 9 hours! I'm expecting twins so that might not happen now! I think the other passengers would start crying if they saw us getting on their flight. lol.

Stickers , stickers , stickers...stick them on everything takes them ages to peel them off and on again. Have done flights since dd1 was 4mths and then with dd2 who is now 2 and far more difficult. Had 1 hellish flight but the others have been passable. I used to pay if needed for an extra seat so dd had extra space and could climb up and down the seat.

oh the dvd player thing reminded me
we bought the two youngest kids headphones and they watch dora vids on our ipods (dhs and mine) the older two have dss for such events

go somewhere with a shorter transfer at the other end if flying. factor in waiting aorund for car hire. be careful if flight arrives late after car hire is clsoed.

take in hand luggage spare clothes for baby and spare teeshirts for the adults for the vomit that will end up on you. .

but driving is actually good - service stations in france are excellent with play areas etc. . and you can load up car with all the extra stuff.

Course you can do it - go for it! We took DD1 to Newquay (a 5 hour drive) when she was about your DD's age. She too was an incredibly wriggly and active child and I was worried she was just going to scream the whole way through boredom.

Planning is the key. For a few weeks beforehand I scanned car boot sales for very cheap toys and hid them from her (or you could put away some of hers so they come out fresh). I also bought a white board with some of those washable markers, and one of those boards you draw on -megasketcher type thing (aqua draw would also be good).

On the journey I got something new out about every half hour, or as soon as she started looking bored. We did a couple of toilet stops, but she was fine.

Do it now, or you never will. At least she isn't old enough to request loud music/ fight with a sibling/ say "when are we there? I'm bored" over and over again/ demand a stop at every shop, cafe, service station en route/ make rude comments about fellow passengers! Enjoy this age while it lasts!!

Wowsers - I look away for a few minutes and am flooded with replies! Many thanks for all tearing yourselves away from the side-achingly funny bawbags thread to help .
Ooo I can't go back and comment on everyone's posts but thank you so much for all of the suggestions and warnings (particularly liking the stickers idea. Either that or a piece of velcro that she can stick, and peel, and stick, and peel, and stick....ad infinitem). Until a few weeks ago I was firmly in agreement with DH, but have recently just thought s*d it - life's too short and I'm buggered if I'm going to end up like the in-laws - too scared of the hassle to give anything much a try!
So, instead of going "ooo nooo it'll be FAAAR to awful" he's now actually spoken to a mate of his who regularly takes his DD back and to to Italy and lo and behold, we have a breakthrough. So provided the place hasn't been booked up already by super-organised MNetters we'll be orf.

Thanking ye kindly!

or even "too awful". More caffeine, please, waiter.

My children have been going on planes since they were months old (think the earliest was when dd2 was about 12 weeks) and they cope better than me! I am terribly sick on planes so I'm probably more hassle than the girls!

We've done flights to the Canaries, Spain, Florida, California, Bahamas etc and as long as you take lots and lot to occupy them (new small games, books, little treats, snacks, blankies/comforters) and make sure they have plenty of chances to get up and walk around (if of that age), it's fine. Also night flights are a god send so if they're available, we will book those simply as the little ones sleep all the way through! :)

Good luck if you decide to take the plunge, it's worth it when you get there!

Ruby

Have done Dubai, Ibiza, Poland and LA from 5 mos to 2.5 yrs, four flights just me and DD. Only bad flight was 9am to Krakow - it seemed a reasonable time but in fact required parents to be up at five to drive to airport so neither of us wanted to do any entertaining on the plane! Having flown 12 times DD knows to sit still until the cptain turns the seat belt sign off - no restraining needed. Longer flights definitely better overnight. Eight hour time difference in LA nearly killed us though, she was waking up at 2am ready to start the day!

I have done a few 7 hour car journeys with our daugther at age 1 ,2 and 3. We have travelled in the day as well and I dont think its that bad. I think you should go for it

Just one caveat, ferries and cars are MUCH easier than planes if you have a toddler. No takeoffs and landings, they can move around all they want on the ferry without people giving them (and you) looks, and they have their own seat in the car in which they can sleep.

Drove 12 hours to South East France, plus few hours on ferry, last year.

DD was nearly 4yo and DS was about 15months. DD was kept entertained by the in-card DVD we borrowed. DS slept a lot of the way, but was a bit unsettled ont he way back. Not a huge problem. We stopped every couple of ours for a short walk/fresh air.

However, I do have an irrational fear of taking toddlers on planes (potential for constant crying in confined space, with no escape!!!!).

DO NOT FLY CHARTER. I just flew with Air Transat taking DD to see the GPs. A nine hour flight turned into a 20 hour nightmare as they delayed us for 8 hours in the airport. It also turned a day flight (which I'd prepped for with toys and food) into a night flight. I had no sleep stuff and, although DD cried a very little, it is much worse on a night flight when people want to sleep.

I have complained to Air Transat and Thomas Cook and they are being arses about it. I just want an admission that the flight was not delayed, it was cancelled so they could have one plane rather than two and save money. Oh, and because they cancelled my flight, the end bulkhead I had booked didn't exist.

"
Remember you are a JET SETTING MUMMY. Wear sunglasses. Then you don't have to make eye contact with the people who have just had raisins thrown at them.
"
could be one for the Mumsnet Tips section?

Agree that driving is best! Own timetable, stop when you want etc. We did Disneyland Paris with dds aged 4 and 1, 8 hours door to door and they slept the entire journey!

just as long as I don't get the seat next to you on the plane.

Perhaps there's an age divide in this (my lot are all in their 20s) but I'd never have dreamt of taking a toddler/baby on a plane journey. It's not the biggest deal in the world to wait a few years and you can have good holidays nearer to home. However, from the number of threads about this in the travel forum it looks as though I'm in the minority (there should be a baffled older mum emoticon here)

it's all in the planning - my husband was a professional sportsman travelling from April to October and from the age of 4 months our Ds always came along too

Ours have been on planes since they were tiny (4 months in both cases I think) including to Oz, so yes, as everyone (almost!) has said, of course it's doable especially with only one between two adults! You just need to be a bit prepared that's all.

That said, we drive to the south of france rather than fly, and make it part of the holiday by stopping overnight several times and that always works well too.

DD age 15 months : 9 hour flight to California (under 2, her no seat)
DS age 2, DD age 4 to USA
DS age 3 DD age 5 Ferry + 5 hour drive France (each way)
DS age 4 DD age 6 Ferry + 10 hour drive France (each way)

Colouring books, atlases, music tapes, look out the window
and teach them a bit of patience

Mallorca at Easter (12 & 10) was a doddle and no, neither of them has a DS or an Ipod posher than a shuffle. They have learned that travel is worth the result.

Just do it.
Or as Oscar Wilde said,
Regret what you have done, not what you have not.

'Remember you are a JET SETTING MUMMY. Wear sunglasses. Then you don't have to make eye contact with the people who have just had raisins thrown at them.'

Brilliant.

Yes of course you can travel. I've just come back from Vietnam with all 5 of mine - youngest turned 3 while we were there. Flight not fun but worth it. Last year we drove to Italy. Have also flown with all of them as babies- we took children your dds age to Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Morocco and lots of places in Europe

It's ok. Not fun, but fine. And you're lucky there are 2 of you to 1 child so you can take it in turns. I would never let children stop me from if that's what I want to do.