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I recently had to make a journey to a different state for a family funeral. My husband was unable to take time off work to go with me and so I had to go solo. I had family when I arrived at my destination but flying I was alone.
In preparation for this journey I combed the internet for information on how to fly solo with two kids. I found great tips but I could not seem to find anyone who had flown by themselves with more than one child (they are smart!). Hence this article. It is doable but it was far from easy. I survived and you will too. Some things will go smooth and other things will make you want to cry. But it is doable.
Flying during COVID-19 you do have to wear a face mask the whole time you are in the airport. Kids over 2 also have to wear them. My daughter kept hers on for thirty minutes and then bailed. No one said anything but it would help to have a talk with your toddler explaining why they need to wear a mask. It would have also helped if I had a child sized mask.
- Checking in
When you first arrive at the airport make sure that whoever is dropping you off actually goes into the airport with you. This will relieve the stress of trying to haul all your luggage plus two kids through the airport. My husband parked and helped me get my bag and car seats checked in before leaving. All airlines allow 3 children items to be checked for FREE. Use this. I saw many articles that said to put your baby in their infant carrier and haul them through the airport and then gate check the car seat. I would not do this. Getting through security with more than you need is a challenge so you want to have as little on you as possible. Check in all car seats. This way they are taken care of and not another worry throughout the airport. I love this airport bag for car seats. It condenses super small and has backpack straps for easy hauling through the airport.
Also when checking in make sure you go to the full service area. When you fly with a baby you get a special boarding pass and you have to go to an actual person. A kiosk check-in won’t do it. Another thing that is smart to have is a copy of each child’s birth certificate. Not all airlines ask for them but some do. So to be safe make sure to have copies on you.
I use this amazing airport bag for my car seats! There are backpack straps, plus they condense into small little bags when not using! They are a must for flying with car seats!
- Security and Breast milk
Security is not too bad with children. Mostly because kids do not have to take off shoes (which is huge when you have a toddler and baby). You take everything off and in bins as directed. Make sure to put any tablet you brought in its own bin. I had breast milk in my bag both on the way there and on the way back. You will be stopped and have to go to the side for them to check it. Since I had two bottles with about 6 ounces each in my bag they had to test the milk. Not a big deal just be prepared to have to wait a minute before heading to your gate. I have never had problems getting breast milk through.
I talked to my toddler before we arrived at the airport about being my helper and so I needed her to listen and stay by me the WHOLE TIME. It worked great. I didn’t have a problem with her running off as I would normally have. She stayed with me and it relieved a lot of stress.
- Waiting for your plane
Waiting for the airplane is not the most fun because both the toddler and baby get anxious. My baby was 9 months when I did my solo trip so he wanted to crawl and play. It can be a little hard but not too bad. I found a family bathroom before settling in to wait for the plane. This way we could all go to the bathroom without having to navigate a big bathroom. I changed my baby’s diaper as well. If you have recently potty trained your toddler and you are worried then put a pull up on them for the flight. There is almost no room in airplane bathrooms so to be safe put a pull up on them for a peace of mind.
- Boarding the Plane
I paid a little extra to choose where we sat. It eases my anxieties and I like to know I don’t have to board right away to get a seat. Many articles I saw said to board as soon as possible to get the kids settled. I like to do the opposite. I like to wait until the last group is boarding. I didn’t have a carry on so I didn’t have to worry about overhead bin space. I waited so I could allow my kids as little time on the plane as possible. I would rather sit by the gate where we could all stretch for an extra minute than be crammed in a small space on the plane. Since I had assigned seats this was possible for me to do. The only airline where you want to board with the family boarding is Southwest. They do not allow you to choose your seats but do have family boarding so definitely use that.
- The Plane Ride
Before the trip I went to the dollar store and bought snacks and activities to make sure my toddler would be entertained. You can bring snacks through security so save some money and bring your own snacks. I way overdid it so I ended up hauling extra things. Pack 1-2 snacks that they absolutely love (and do not get often). For my daughter this was Cheetos. She loves them! I put a muslin blanket in the pocket in front of her chair where she could wipe her hands and she was set. I, of course, brought a tablet where she could watch a show with Bluetooth headphones. She was content the whole flight there. The flight back she was not and so it was a little harder. The baby was not happy with either flight. If your baby sleeps easily on you I suggest flying during nap times this way they sleep the whole way and are much easier. On the way there the baby fell asleep and was amazing! On the way back he slept before we got on the plane and the flight was terrible. He was super wiggly and grumpy and wanted down. Plan for the worst. The flight might be terrible and if you prepare yourself for this then it won’t seem so bad.
- Landing and Getting Off the Plane
This part of the flight was the happiest part. I packed up everything when landed so we could get off as soon as possible. I waited my turn and it was smooth sailing. The biggest thing is to make sure that whoever is picking you up parks their car and comes in to help with the luggage and car seats. My husband was late and so I had to sit there and wait 45 minutes! Not fun, so tell whoever is picking you up to be there on time so you are not sitting there with grumpy kids by yourself.
Flying alone was a big challenge and I wish I knew a little more of what to expect and what I needed to survive. It will most likely be stressful and hard. But it will pass and it will be ok. Nothing lasts forever. Neither does an airplane ride. You got this!
What have you done to survive flying alone with kids? Let me know in the comments!
Such great information! Thanks Shelby!