Flying with Munchkins

A bit about what we did and learned flying with a baby and toddler.

Preparing to fly:

Talk about flying and point out airplanes more than a few weeks before.

Check out books from the library about airplanes and flying a couple weeks before your flight

Watch videos of airplanes landing and taking off

Get a toy airplane. Use it to talk about how an airplane starts on the ground, then goes fast and gets really loud before flying high up in the sky. Then talk about how it gets loud and bumpy for landings.

The week before start telling the little ones you are going to ride on an airplane together. Talk about packing and going through security.

Kayley's airplane from Fred Meyers, and books from the library

Packing your carry on:

Organize your items wisely. We had two bags devoted to the kids: one for diapers/snacks/clothes, and one for the fun stuff. Each bag was carefully put together so if we needed something, we knew where it was and it was easy to get to.

Bring more diapers, wipes, and clothes than you think you will need. Thankfully we didn’t have a diaper explosion. We did have large zip lock bags in case it happened though. Wouldn’t want to stink up the plane with soiled clothes.

Fun bag: Have an assortment of items to entertain your child with. They don’t have to be elaborate (see below for list of what we packed). Pack a couple 100% new to your child items that you do not pull out unless necessary. Keep these items put away except for future flights so they are extra special.

Snacks: To help with the ears, bring some snacks for takeoff and landing. And of course during the flight too.  We also had a few little packs of Crystal Light on the go packs to add to water to encourage drinking on the flight. Remember to open your sippy cup during takeoff and landing so the pressure doesn’t make the liquid go everywhere (we forgot to do this during takeoff once. As a result, Kayley’s cup holder had a pool of lemonade in it).

Have all (but the most favorite items [i.e. blankie and stuffed animal]) out of sight for a few weeks before your flight so all items seem “new.”

Not all of these items came as carry-on, but most did

 At the airport:

Give yourself more time than you think you will need. We gave ourselves 3 hours and it ended up being perfect for everything.

Give your kids a chance to run/walk around before your board. If there is a children’s play area, use it.

Watch the airplanes come and go and talk about it getting closer to your turn.

Use the family line for security, it moves faster and the people seemed nicer. Also, if you’re traveling as a family have a plan as to who will take which child, who’s in charge of what items (bags, stroller, car seat), and who’s walking through first. Don’t stress about it, but since I’m a planner this helped me not be stressed. And don’t worry about taking your time if you need to. You’re traveling with little ones! People will understand.

Use the bathroom and change diapers right before you board. This way there is less of a chance of having to do it during the flight.

Having fun in the play area

 Flying with munchkins:

If your toddler has her own seat and you think you will have trouble keeping them in it, bring your car seat (that is FDA approved) on board. I don’t think Kayley would have stayed in her seat otherwise, plus she seemed very comfortable in it (I think she had more cushion than us). The downside to some car seats is that the tray does not come down all the way. Her tray didn’t come down all the way, but it was not an issue for us.

Make sure your kids are eating/drinking during takeoff and landing to help with their ears. Kayley loved having her special snack and juice. Shilo nursed too fast to be eating the whole time, but her paci seemed to help her.

If your child can walk, let them at least walk to and from the potty (where the small changing table is located).

If your baby is getting tired of being held all the time, doesn’t want to eat or sleep, and is able to sit by herself (and isn’t too big), pull down your tray and let her sit on it with a toy. Shilo was happy for about 20 minutes when I did this. She just wanted to be by herself.

Talk to your kids about what is going on when everyone is boarding and getting settled. Make sure you also talk about what is about to happen (takeoff) and that it will get loud and possibly bumpy. Do the same thing before landing. Toddlers like knowing what’s going on. Look out the window with them and talk about it. Kayley loved this.

Don’t let your child see in the Fun bag. Pull out items one at a time, asking them if they want to read/color/sticker/play/etc without showing them exactly what you’re grabbing for. This made it so Kayley didn’t go through the items like crazy, wanting to experience each one of them. It helped to pace her on them, and made each item a mystery and surprise. We also didn’t let her in the Fun bag during our trip. That was strictly a mama and dada bag to get into (we also had other toys packed in our suitcases). Remember to keep your 100% new items for the end of the flight, or if your child is having a total meltdown – you be the judge.

Playing with the finger puppets

Sticker time!

Cups are so amazing!

Shake, shake, shake it! A steward made a shaker for the girls with mini pretzels

Chewing on her fairy while sitting by herself on the tray

Color time! And making paper airplanes

Finger puppet time on our way home. This time with her favorite princess, Ariel.

Kayley’s Toys:

Books (3) (She read her new princess book a lot, along with a few of her favorites)

Coloring book, medium pad of paper, triangle crayons, click pen (we ended up using the pad of paper and click pen the most)

Blue paint tape – sticks to anything and comes off of everything (she loved putting pieces on the window, her nose, the seat, etc)

Cookie Monster and Telly figurines (didn’t use them)

Play cell phone (didn’t use it)

BLT coaster set to use as play food (didn’t use it)

Magna doodle (new toy and Kayley loved it!)

Disney Princess finger puppets (Our emergency item. We used two princesses per flight near the end. They changed our whiny, won’t nap toddler into a cheerful little girl. Plus it was fun seeing Andrew play princess with Kayley)

Mini Mouse stuffed animal (a need item)

Blankie (a need item)

Shilo’s Toys:

Alphabet chain letters (6) (didn’t get them out on flight, but used them a lot during our trip)

Chew/crinkle monkey and crinkle/chew fairy(she loves her fairy)

Pull to vibrate bird toy, attacked to play key set (her favorite toy on flight)

Shaker (made by a steward with a cup, lid, and mini pretzels) (She liked this a lot)

Our used cups from our complementary drinks (her second favorite item on flight)

This worked for us, and it might work for you. Of course every child and family is different, but I hope you were able to get some good ideas.

Wisconsin

What a whirlwind of a trip! We just got back from traveling to WI for Andrew’s grandma’s 85^th birthday. I have to say I had a lot of first experiences. It was my first time to WI, our first time to flying with both girls, and my first time meeting the other half of Andrew’s extended family. We all had a great time and are currently recovering from change in time zones again.

Highlights in order of occurrence:

How excited Kayley got to go on an airplane. She laughed and giggled with delight for both landings.

 

Ready to fly!

OoOoO! WOW!

Seeing the differences between WA/CA and WI: The architecture, amount of snow, and that the roads are clear even though there’s snow everywhere (doesn’t happen in WA the way it does in WI. I also learned that people in WI are given 48 hours to clear the sidewalk of snow outside their house, or else they’re fined). We also had a beautiful sunset on our drive from the airport.

 

Milwaukee

Farm in the snow

Beautiful sunset!

Playing in the snow as a family our first morning in WI. The snow is different than the snow that we get here. We thus made “stack snowmen.”

Sisters in the snow

The stack snowman enjoying the sunshine in the freezing temperature

Meeting Jerry, Mary, Laura and Jeremie, and seeing the girls warm up to them all.

Shilo loved Mary's necklace

Playing with Uncle Jerry

 

Fishing with Grandpa and Grandma V

Grandma’s 85^th birthday party! So great to celebrate her, and also meet so much of my new family. Kayley took some time to warm up to everyone, but then she was running around with all the kids having a blast. I’m proud to say that I was able to name all family members I met without looking at their name tag. Now let’s hope I don’t forget any.

Grandma cutting her cake

So many people came to celebrate Grandma's birthday

Photo time!

The cousins and most their kids.

We had dinner as a family at a local place called 7 Angels. I believe this is when Kayley decided to turn into a picky eater for the rest of our trip.

  

Lunch at Marv and Annie’s was fun too. Grandma, Rick and Andrew’s folks joined us. The girls had fun making everyone laugh and smile.

Hnaging out with Annie

Laughing at Kayley's answer to "Who's the cutest"

Hanging out with Uncle Rick (not to be confused with the WA Uncle Rick)

 We took a family trip to Lake Michigan, and stayed in the car 95% of the time. The only time we got out was to buy some snacks from Piggly Wiggly, and snap a few photos. It was freezing outside and the wind was blowing strong. We didn’t want the girls’ colds or mine getting worse.

Lake Michaigan

To prove we were there!

 The next morning we went to see a memorial for veterans of foreign wars. A few family members are recognized, including Andrew’s dad and grandpa. Then we went to Green Bay to visit Lambeau Field, home of the Packers, and had lunch at a local fast food joint called Culver’s.

It was so cold we didn't even want to uncover Shilo

Outside the stadium

Kayley gives it the thumbs up approval

Our last big family event was dinner at Grandma’s. We arrived late due to the girls napping, but it was worth it because we had a tone of fun playing in the snow again. This time Kayley was more into it and excited to play. Uncle Paul had a blast pulling Kayley around on a sled, and I even got to pull our giggly Shilo around on a saucer. It was great being able to see almost everyone one last time.

Let's go, Shilo!

Uncle Paul giving Kayley a ride

Some of the family spectators

Hanging out in the snow

Learning how to use a snow shovel

Hanging out at Grandma's

Getting love from Aunt Nancy

The girls with their great grandma!

Our flight home went well. Again, Kayley didn’t nap at all, and this time Shilo only cat napped. It was longer flying back due to the wind not being in our favor, and Kayley was done when we had about an hour left. Good thing we had Disney finger puppets as our “last resort” toy! 

So sad to leave

Disney Princess finger puppets!!!

Shilo was tired of us holding her, so I sat her on the tray

Now we’re back home and trying to adjust to the time change. There is so much more I could say, but I hope the pictures help to tell the story. I am so glad we were able to go on our trip. I’ve wanted to meet the rest of my new extended family ever since I married Andrew. I still need to meet a few cousins, so hopefully next time. Happy 85^th Birthday Grandma!

 

The girls with their Grandpa and Grandma V

Chillin' in the snow

Happy birthday, Grandma!

Grandma with the cousins and their kids.

Late Update!

Since it has been over a month I figured I should at least do a little update.

SHILO

 

Shilo loves to sit up and has been for nearly a month. She is able to lean forward and play with her feet and pick up toys and go back to sitting straight up. She can turn her head from side to side, but still falls over if she leans to much either way. Falling to the left or right doesn’t startle her as much anymore, but falling backwards still makes her cry.

Shilo loves to be in a standing position, and loves to jump and move her legs. She has started to mimic steps a little too.

Tummy time is still hated 90% of the time, but when she wants to she will push her chest off the ground. Usually though she will just cry and refuse to even lift her head…

Shilo is getting really good at articulating her paci. If she wants to chew it (one of her favorite things to do) she will pick it up and put the side or backside into her mouth. If she wants to suck on it she puts it in her mouth correctly and does so. She’s getting pretty good with her fine motor skills while playing with toys.

Recently she has become extremely attached to me. She doesn’t even like it if I am a couple feet away. It can make days seem pretty long if I have a lot I need/want to get done.

Shilo has started to “sing” a lot more. It’s really cute, except it sounds really close to her cry.

She recently discovered her toes and the bottom of her pants are fun to play with.

At night Shilo will sleep from 10:30 to at least 3am. In the past 2 weeks we had about 6 days that she slept until 5am.

Any time she sees Hoshi she smiles and laughs.

We gave her apple sauce for the first time about 3 weeks ago. I believe she likes chewing on the spoon more than she likes the food. At first she seemed pretty interested, but lately she is all about the mama milk and nothing else.

If she can chew it or lick it, she will (we took an infant/child CPR class to prepare for when she becomes mobile. God forbid she sticks something in her mouth and chokes, but with Shilo it seems more likely).

KAYLEY

Kayley is starting to want to play with Shilo more and has figured out ways to do this that make both the girls smile.

More words are being added to her vocabulary every week. Many of them still sound very similar to each other, but if you are playing with her you can figure out what she is talking about with a little guess work.

Jumping, walking backwards, galloping and running are her favorite ways to get from one place to another.

She is getting really good at hanging up her jacket and putting her shoes away all by herself.

When in a parking lot or near a street she is great at holding someone’s hand.

She wants to use the potty more and diapers are not getting as wet any more. We have a routine that she uses the potty when she gets up in the morning, before and after nap, and before bed. On rare occasions she will ask to use the potty at other times, or at least tell you she went potty. She has been totally fine using potties anywhere. While she is fine going peepee on a potty, going poop freaks her out so she refuses to do that on a potty.

Yesterday was the first time I heard her experimenting with her voice in a singing kind of way all by herself.

The way she says please is the cutest thing ever!

Kayley is all about doing it her way (typical for someone her age). She is also all about having choices.

Animals and mermaids are the coolest things in her opinion. She also loves reading her Bible and any book relating to Jesus.

She loves to pretend to call people on her play phone.

  

And there’s a quick update on the girls. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but our camera broke almost a month ago and we’re waiting for it to come back from the camera doctor.