International Travel with Kids

I'm back!  Did you miss "Stories from Stuttgart?" :)  I have a few posts in the works, so check back! To start off, here's a look at our travel days to and from the USA in numbers:

      2 kids
      1 mom
      4 flights
      2 airport shuttle rides
      5 taxi rides

  +  3 days at Baltimore airport
---------------------------------------
      4 weeks of quality time with family and friends

We did it!!  We made it to the US and had a wonderful time.  Before we left Germany, I worried about the logistics and stress of traveling overseas on my own with a 3 year old and a 3 month old.  However, the desire to see our loved ones back in the States outweighed my own anxiety about the travel aspect of our trip.  (And as my mom said: "Just get to us, and then we'll help you and give you lots of breaks!"  Oh, how I wanted those breaks! :))  So, off we went, and you know what?  We did fine.  Yes, there were some hiccups with flying Space Available (it took us three days to get a flight back to Germany out of BWI), but all of our travel days were worth it for the chance to spend so much time with our Stateside family and friends and introduce many of you to the newest member of our family, William!  

At some point, I may do another post with more detail about flying Space A, but one thing I thought was kind of funny was how it helped change my perspective and attitude about flying.  Usually, I would not look forward to getting on a long flight, but when I didn't know for sure if there would be seats available for us, I found myself praying, "PLEASE let us get on this flight!"  And it felt like such a great prize when we did get selected for the flights!   

I thought I would do a post with some tips about international travel with kids while the experience is still fresh in my mind.

1. Be hands free: wear your baby!

The Moby Wrap is such a great invention.  It is the most comfortable of all my baby carriers.  I didn't use it very often with Drew because the wrapping of it intimidated me, but once I got the hang of it with William, I started using it all the time.  The only downside to using this in airports is that when you are tying it on, the tails of the wrap hang on the floor.  Those tails end up being tied around your waist ultimately, though, so you don't have to worry about any potentially dirty ends being up by your face or the baby.

2.  Pack light!

I made sure to only pack what I could feasibly manage on my own in the airport.  For this trip, I had:

-1 large suitcase

-1 carry-on packed with snacks, electronics, important paperwork, toys/books for Drew

-1 diaper bag with a change of clothes for the kids and an extra shirt for me, plus other baby essentials

-William's car seat and Snap-n-Go stroller (I mailed a car seat for Drew to my parents' house.) 

You can see my gear in the photo below.  I pushed my stroller with one hand and my suitcase with the other.  Drew was a great travel companion as well; when needed, he held open doors for me or even pushed the stroller (without baby in it).  For the most part, the stuff I brought was manageable.  The only difficult part was when I got off the military flight each time because my stroller was not waiting at the gate.  This meant I had to carry my two bags, baby, and car seat.  Luckily, I found people to help me. (See #5 below!). 

3. Visit the kids' play area at the airport (or, for military families, find the USO)

There can often be long waits at the airport for international travel, either because you have to get to the airport three hours or so beforehand, or in our case, because we didn't know which flight we would get on. Either way, I have started to look for both the kids' play areas and the USO whenever we travel from US airports. Sometimes they will not be close enough to our gate to visit, but if they are, they are worth the trip! Many airports now have these kids' play areas (we have been to the ones at Minneapolis St. Paul airport, Chicago O'Hare, and now BWI).  They are a great way for kids to burn off some energy before a long flight.  

I have been a military wife for almost seven years now, but it didn't occur to me to go to the airport USOs until we had Drew.   It is such a great place to relax and unwind. They often have a kids' playroom with toys and books, comfortable chairs, snacks and drinks, and a baby room with changing table and cribs.  You can even check your luggage there so you don't have to haul everything around while you wait for your flight. (This was key for us at BWI).

4. Have special treats on hand

On our last night, we didn't board our flight until almost 1am.  Drew was tired and beginning to melt down...he didn't want to get up from his seat to walk anymore.  How did I get him to follow me and wait in lines at security and at the gate?   M&Ms!  Luckily he has a sweet tooth like his Mama.

5. Accept help

You usually hear, "Ask for help," right?  Well, I was fortunate enough that I didn't have to ask for help too often...instead, it was offered to me frequently!  As we boarded our flights, other passengers would ask, "How can I help you?"  Instead of politely declining, I told them ways they could help:

-carry my bag back to my seat

-carry my car seat off the plane

-help me shuffle my bags along through the customs line

As we got off the airport shuttle at the rental car place, a few men sprang into action: one took my stroller, another took my bag, yet another grabbed my car seat...it really warmed my heart!  In fact, the kindness of strangers was one of the best surprises of our ordeal waiting in Baltimore.  We met so many nice people who were in the same boat...well, flight...;-)...and who wanted to reach out to us and find ways to make things a little easier for us.

6.  Bring age-appropriate things to entertain kids on plane

I have flown many times with Drew from when he was 10 weeks old to nearly 4 years old.  I thought some of you might like a list of the items I find helpful to bring on plane rides at different ages.  Drew has always enjoyed reading more than any other activity, so I always make sure I have books with me.  On short flights, I do not usually use electronics...but on overseas flights, they are a big help!  All time limits and rules about iPad usage don't apply on an 8 hour flight-whatever it takes to keep the kid happy in his seat!

0-5 months: breastmilk or formula, Wubbanub pacifier, Moby wrap

5-12 months: fabric books with crinkly pages, board books, this Manhattan toy,  plastic cups from flight attendants' drink cart :)

12 months -2 years: snacks that must be eaten one at a time (cheerios, goldfish, puffs), board books, iPhone with apps such as "Peek-a-boo Barn"

2 - 3 years: books such as Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (over 60 pages of pictures, stories, and the quest to find "Goldbug" on each page), iPad with a few kids' shows, lollipops (for taking off and landing)

3-4 years: paperback books (i.e. "Berenstain Bears"), iPad, lollipops, small toys/games that are wrapped and can be unwrapped and played with (thanks to our friend Catherine who gave us about 15 such gifts for our PCS flight to Germany!), travel games such as Bingo or Go Fish

Finally, here are a few photos of the kiddos on one of the overseas flights.  William had to sit between us for safety reasons.  Drew quite enjoyed ordering his own apple juice from the flight attendants that came down his aisle.  

William took a few naps on the way to the US (and Drew took one too).  On the way back to Germany (an overnight flight) they both slept almost 6 hours.  They did really well and were cheerful and calm the majority of the time.  I was proud of my good little travel companions!

Are you a KD Weekly reader?  Jump over to that blog to see photos from our time 

in the US.  Click HERE.