Oh b*gger, think I've commited to this now ... please come & tell me dcs will be alive at the end of the flight..

[funnypeculiar]

Have promised our best mates in Minneapolis we'll come out & see them this summer with ds & dd ( will be 3 1/2 and 18 mths)Will I be forced to commit mercy-killing half way across the atlantic? Any tips on good flights/flight times?
Aggghhh

Ah muminfife that will be it We are actually flying with BMIbaby to France and I booked online and could choose seats. Virtually the only ones not available to me were the ones with more space, because of the emergency doors.

Hi Muminfife,

I don't mind doing internal transfers in the US so much nowadays (having done a few now) but have learnt from experience that you need bags of time in order to do so. Going through US immigration and customs at first point of entry for one thing can take an age and all this is eating in to your time to catch the next flight.

It does break up the journey yes but I would prefer to fly direct these days to a destination if at all possible.

Have always wanted to go to Pittsburgh and watch the Steelers play!.

Hello, I just did longhaul to Aus with LOs 5, 4 and 2 (s'ok, don't want a medal - although I am PG too). Anyway, have only skimmed this thread but if I may contribute, just to say we had bulkhead seats and youngest slept v. well on floor (but they don't always let you do this). Arms don't lift up tho so lo can't lie down on seat. Also table/tv a faff as not directly infront and we were forever getting them up and putting them down. Next part of journey we had regular seats, which was good because the arms lifted up so they could lie down. Make sure you doublecheck bassinets and childmeals if you go for them. My oldest preferred the adult pasta option rather than the nuggets.
We too stopped in HK - didn't plan it that way but delay in London meant we had 4 hours there, and thank God we did!
I gave mine a sticker book each and had a competition. For each half hour they were good (including sleeping) they got a sticker. At the end the each got a prize for 1st 2nd and 3rd.
Lastly just to say it really wasn't as bad as I or anyone else thought. But do watch the panic on the faces of the other passengers as you board, as they all recite silent prayers of "please not near me, please not near me!" Good luck!

Yes, I can't wait to see people's faces . I want to walk on board loudly saying, "oh don't worry darling, I'm sure his projectile vomitting will stop in a few hours..." But I have a warped sense of humour.

DW, more seriously, is planning to take lots of packets of extra earplugs to hand out to those in the vicinity.

On one of our recent flights, there was a child who cried pretty much the whole way across the Atlantic, while his parents tried/pretended to sleep next to him.

It'll be a trial of course but it's just one of those things you get through. The more often you fly with dc, the less it bothers you. You'll be fine. Take a change of clothing though in case they throw up.

We always immediately empty the pockets of all the airline's pointless rubbish and fill them with our pointless rubbish. Particularly with bulkhead seats, so bags are up top.

Sorry - have been off being sick
Thank you for all of these wonderful hint & tips - feeling less paniced now!

I may get shot down in flames for this but...

My secret longhaul flight weapon is Medised.

We are going to Orlando on Tuesday - our 4th 8hr+ flight in 2 yrs. ds is 4 1/2 and dd is 2 1/2. Get them on the plane at lunchtime. Medised them to max dose they can have for their age just before they serve the meal. Let them eat luinch and then fall asleep for up to 5 hours.

Helps them and me pass the flight without commiting murder and adjusts the jet lag straight out of them.

medised is paracetamol and a sedative. We use it when the DCs have a cold as it "aids restful sleep". It works for us.