flying with two kids...and no daddy!

[emmagee]

Okay, having just got some sleep after weeks of not, I am (barmily) going to Edinburgh with 3yr old and 10 month! Flying from Stansted..oh and leaving 'himself' to do DIY.
Tips please!
Should I take baby in rucksack and carry luggage or put luggage on my back and push the babe? Am I bonkers?

I used to fly regularly on my own with 3 including baby so feel can help you here! First, ask for special assistance in advance. At Heathrow they will take you to gate on those old lady train things. Check what Stanstead can offer! Second, check with airline what their policy is with buggy. If you can take it to the gate and if they will give it back to you as you get off the plane then go for the buggy option. That way you can hang all those extra bags you end up with on the buggy. If they wont let you have your buggy back as you get off at Edinburgh, then take your baby rucksack cos at least then you won't have to carry 10 month old, hang on to hand luggage and 3 year old. (But then if you have got your special assistance you should be met at edinburgh so may have smiling air hostess to help you!) Are you going GO? If so dont rely on their food which you have to buy. Take plenty of non messy snacks. If 3 year old needs to go to loo on plane get most motherly air hostess to hold baby. Some of them look pretty sick at the small bundle being thrust into their arms.

Good luck! It is do-able tho sounds like husband owes you one.

No, you're not bonkers. Make sure you have plenty of bribes and distractions. If you get delayed for an hour or 2 it helps to be self sufficient.

My Bushbaby is too big to have as handluggage. You should be OK with your buggy as far as the gate but, as Buster says, where you can pick it up from is more a problem. I did over 30 flights with ds in his first year and there was never a consistent policy on where the pushchair would be even on the same flights.

Your 3 yr old can take his own travelpack which should make them feel all grown up and most of their supplies can go there. I have a small drawstring bag that fits on my shoulder that I keep in my hand luggage that I use to contain 'expansion' aquired at airports like bottles of water and newspapers. Make sure you take some supplies for yourself in case you get delayed, it's easier to keep your cool if your bloodsugar is not dropping.

If you are travelling with a budget airline you prob will have to pay extra for special assistance. If your seat is not reserved you should be allowed to board first to bag your seat. I wouldn't necessarily go for the front row as you can't always have keep bags of tricks around you during take off, which you will need to keep you all entertained. I hate that bit after boarding waiting for take off it's so difficult to keep children still.

This may be the time to consider getting a Hippy chick belt (or borrowing one). If you end up having to carry your hand luggage, control a 3 yr old and carry a wriggly 10 month old then you will need all the help you can get. Your other luggage should be less of an issue as it should be easy to get hold of airport trolleys.

On the bright side, if it is a seat free for all and the flight is not fully booked, you will prob get the third seat for your baby.

Allow the same planning for the return trip when the thrill of anticipation has gone. Get dh to pick you up from the airport.

What's it actially like on the flight. I've been putting off visiting family w. our 2 w/out dh because it's the 2 hours in the plain I'm terrified of, rather that carrying luggage etc. Ds2 is not-quite-walking but wants to be on his feet constantly and gets very angry & frustrated if held on lap for 5 minutes. Ds1 on a 1 to 1 is as good as gold (usually!) but can get cross & grumpy w. bro - the disaster potential terrifies me! Should I stop being such a wimp, or am I wise to wait 6 months/a year to do it as I don't HAVE to?

Let me know how you get on emmagee & good luck

Monkey, a 2 hour flight is actually quite a good length. At least 10-15 mins at each end of a flight is taken up with take off and landing so if you have a very short flight there is not much time in the middle to serve the food or go to the lou.

Your 2 might be in sufficient awe of what's happening and all the goings on to have a chance to act up. Getting a meal on a tray with all the things in containers seems to be a big distraction with other mothers. A 2 hour flight will prob be part of a journey of at least 4 hours so it's good to be prepared for a long journey with different sections. It's the waiting bits with restricted movement (waiting at the gate, waiting to get your slot for take off) that I find the worse.

I suppose it's like planning for a long day shopping!

We're back and it was great, it seems the sun followed us up to Scotland and then straight back again! I took a small rucksack for me and the babe, I bought a little pull along bag for the 3 yr old (7.99 from our local market!) - which she LOVED! It really restricted the amount of stuff we could take, but it was fine. I bought food and nappies when we got there.
Then put the baby in our lightweight buggy so I could loop smaller bags over the handles - lunch etc. Both kids were amazing, I kept them well fuelled (and myself too, thanks for that tip Malmomum). We flew on Go which was infinitely better than Ryanair who I normally fly with to see my Dad in France - allocated seats make the whole thing less of a bunfight, also they were happy to do a 'baby block', i.e. book us three seats by giving us aisle and window and not putting anyone in between. So all in all absoultely fine and 4 hours door to door which is alot better than the train and because it was in manageable chunks of time, unlike the boredom of being stuck in a train for 6 hours.

Ah so it was you who took the sunshine away!

I brought it straight back! :-}