travelling on a plane with two los?

[maggieruth]

currently i have one ds and have taken him on a plane for 4 trips, 2 with my dh (to canada when he was 2 mo and to portugal when he was 15 months) and two by myself (to canada when he was 5 months and to france when he was 11 months)
my sister is having her first baby (i am going to be an auntie!) in december but i won't be able to visit straight away as i am having my second baby at the beginning of feb
i want to visit her but am struggling a bit with when... it would appear that i am not allowed to travel on my own with two under twos so i would need to bring dh along for a shorter (more expensive) visit if we went before May (when Ethan turns two)
if i went after may it looks like we could stay for longer as i will be on my maternity leave and it appears to cost less (£100 less) but i would have no help
any thoughts?  anyone want to encourage me with stories on travelling with two so i feel like i could chose anything? anyone think i am mad?
TIA! 

[nicolanorway]

MAD, mmm. yes i think you are mad. from where and to where are you hoping to fly? do you have to switch planes. will somebody take you to the airport and will somebody collect you?
it could work out okay if you don't have to switch planes and have somebody both drop you of and collect you.
let me know what the plan is and we can see if you really are a mad woman!!!
BTW, can't your sis come to you?

[litomi]

WOW... you are really BRAVE
Travelling with two LOs? You know how strict the airport security is now a days. Last time when I flew with my LO, I was carrying her in my arms and taking off my shoes for security checkup. I had to take my LO out of the baby carseat, coz the carseat had to go through x-ray.
Imagine yourself helping your older one to go through security check while holding your younger one. Personally, I really don't think it's gonna be easy.

[Fife_Mum]

Yes, mad. It won't be on the plane that is the problem, but check-in and security (including taking your toddlers shoes off for scanning  ) and carrying bags too. If you are travelling with a decent airline you should get to use their 'special' lane and not queue too much though. Also I was not asked to take Arwen out of the baby carrier through security at Seattle or London when security was at its tightest. On the other hand if you had a stroller, you'd have to collapse it, and if you have any drinks or empty baby cups/bottles you'll have to unpack the bag. I certainly would not do it alone  .

BTW, I know you can't have 2 lap passengers (under 2 without a seat) in the same seat row due to not enough spare oxygen masks, but if you have a seat for Ethan (assuming you have a suitable carseat which you would also have to carry to the plane) what is the problem with you having 2 under 2?

[maggieruth]

sis COULD come to me but then no one else would get to meet our new lo (i am the one that moved away)
okay, the whole security thing makes things sound much more mad... when i flew with Ethan i just wore him in a sling but that was before the recent problems in uk airports... so i can STILL sort of picture sorting ethan out with new baby cuddled in (providing new bub likes the sling)
i need to make some phonecalls and see how the 2 year old cut off thing works, i hope that if i just bought an extra seat for ethan that they WOULD let us fly but booking things on the net, you don't get to make requests like that... i need to talk to a real person but thought i would get some opinions first
keep em coming in (even if they are just that i am clearly out of my head  )

[Deb_in_oz]

if you DO do it i recommend spending more and getting the best kid/family friendly airline you can as it really makes a difference.  I flew united and they were useless even though i was traveling alone with a child, then flew Qantas and they did so much for me (someone met me at the gate and took me thorugh back routes to expedite the trip through security, immigration etc), they helped me get baggage from the carousel (remember that part - hard to do with one child in a sling let alone 2 kids - without assistance every time i tried to lean to pick up a case i almost bashed Alex in the pouch... and no passengers wre offering to help me  )

[Erin M]

I would call the airline and ask them what kind of assistance you could expect, what they'll do to help you, etc.  I just flew by myself with my 18 mo and 35 weeks PG which was a bit of an ordeal, but I did find it manageable.  I got my 18 mo her own seat, the hardest part was getting her car seat through the airport and through security while having to worry about her at the same time.  I would think a lot depends on #1 as well.   Will he stay with you in the airport, will he sleep on the plane, things like that make a big difference as to how easy your trip will be.  Personally, I think with the right amount of planning, it is manageable and doable, just takes a lot of thought and planning.

[maggieruth]

thought i would let you all know what i have found out...
flying with two under twos is appartently a no no, anyone under two needs to sit on an adult's lap and you can't hold two in the correct safety position. (whether or not you could even restrain one in turbulance....)
as soon as Ethan is two, he can sit in his own seat but before then even if you buy a seat for your todler, you need to hold them for turbulance.
so now i am thinking i may visit once early with my dh and then again when ds 2 is about 6 months and ds 1 is 27 months....  (meant to be a crazy smile)

[jhwest]

I've done it and it is a pain.  But not so bad that I wouldn't do it again.  As the others have said, security is a big problem.  Just be prepared for it and ask for help.  Most airport personnel are understanding when it comes to babies.  Last time I travelled with a baby and a toddler I bought them both seats and it was very difficult installing both carseats while trying to hold/keep track of the kids.  Just speak up and ask people to hold your babies.  Most flight attendants were happy to hold my babies while I used the bathroom.  If the idea of letting other people mind your children bothers you, it might be a bit difficult. 

[maggieruth]

when given the choice between travel and not travelling, i will take painful airport experinece everytime, esp when it involves going home to see family... i didn't realise that you COULD install car seats on the plane!

[Mommy Moo]

I travelled from one end of Canada to the other with a 2 year old and a 1 year old.  Overall it wasn't too bad but there were definitely moments on insanity.  Like when my 1 year old pooped in his stroller in the airport and ruined it. Thank goodness it was just an umbrella stroller. 

My only tips would be to bring lots of snacks for the older one. I also brought some of those "I Spy" books. That really kept my 2 year old busy. '