What It’s Really Like to Fly Internationally With Small Children
It doesn’t have to be a bumpy ride.
Four years ago, my two small children went on their very first airplane ride. Unlike many other children their ages, this airplane ride was to a different country. On a Monday in the middle of September, our family of four began the exciting journey to our new home. We would be living in Germany for 3 full years. Of course, we had to get there first, and for months the international plane ride gave me slight anxiety.
At the time, our boys were tiny. Our oldest was just shy of turning 2 and our youngest, just 6 months old. This would be our first time traveling by plane with our boys and secretly, I wished it were to Disney World instead of a 10-hour plane trip. Honestly, the horror stories from other parents who have made the big trip overseas scared me to death. What if they won’t stop crying? What if they get hungry? Will everyone on the plane absolutely hate us by the end of the trip?
If you’ve traveled with children, you know it can be a struggle. Looking back on traveling around Europe with my own tots, I know that it wasn’t that bad, but in the moment it felt like I was doing nothing right. The same can be said for our big airplane trip to Germany. There are just some life lessons you simply have to go through to understand. Or you can learn from the past experiences of others to gain some wisdom on what to do, and what not to do, for a similar travel situation.
Before the big flight, I was as prepared as I could be with an extra change of clothes, bottles, Cheerios and a stocked diaper bag. However, I was still internally freaking out. Were we really about to fly across the world with 2 small children? It felt like I wasn’t even allowed to do this!
Having lived in Japan years before, I was even more aware at how awfully long the plane ride would be. And full aware of how cranky and antsy my two kids get in the car, well, it was going to be interesting to see how it worked out.
But we survived! Yay! And spoiler alert: it’s really not that bad. Ignore the haters who simply want to scare you into never traveling with your youngins. Why limit their experiences just because they're small? Here are some truths that I hope you’ll find pertinent in case you ever need to fly internationally with small children.
Think of how you will get from point A to B.
With over 4 suitcases on a buggy, 2 car seats, and 2 small kiddos, we sort of had our hands full. Luckily, the baby carrier saved us from having to worry about a bulky stroller and my oldest didn’t mind holding my hand and walking. It’s not a bad idea to get a game plan in your head of where the kids will go and how all the bags will be transported. If you can get help from another set of hands, that is never a bad idea!
If you can, check in your car seats.
I was against checking in our kids’ car seats, but I now know better. They were so bulky to carry around the terminal, not to mention bulky in the airplane seats. The only upside was that my 6-month old slept the entire plane ride in his seat, so that left my arms totally free. This is a personal choice of course and only you and your family can know what is best.
In case you do want to check in the car seats, there are several car seat travel bags on the market that help tremendously — we used those puppies when we returned to America.
People are willing to help you.
I was in awe of how helpful strangers and our flight attendants were. I hope this rings true for every single parent who flies with their children because it can definitely be daunting. Rarely did we get dirty looks from annoyed patrons, but it was more like words of encouragement and a helping hand. Please don’t think that everyone is staring at you when your kid melts down or that you are being judged. You are doing the absolute best you can.
They will need a lot of snacks.
When you travel internationally, you will be provided at least two full meals, but they will be spaced out (think dinner and breakfast). Snacks will be your best friend on an international flight with children. I know that mine do not like to eat big meals in one sitting, so the timely airplane food did not work for us. Also, if you have a picky child (waves hand in air) you want to pack their favorite snacks so they don’t get hungry. You will also want to bring an empty reusable water bottle — your attendants can supply you with ample water and juice.
They probably won’t sleep.
Don’t count on them sleeping…maybe even at all. Somehow, we got lucky and our 6-month slept the entire 10-hour flight. Our 23-month-old, on the other hand, fussed for a while and refused to sleep in long increments. It happens. Remember that this is a whole new experience for them. They are out of their comfort zone. Go with the flow and try your best to keep them entertained.
They will be bored and wiggly.
Flying internationally will take a long time — just think of how we can get sick of sitting in one spot for too long, and amplify that by about 20! Little bodies need to move so have low expectations when it comes to your child sitting still in an airplane. If the seatbelt sign was off, we would take turns walking our cranky 1 year-old up and down the aisle, just so he could stretch his legs. The iPad was charged and stocked with games and movies. We got creative.
They will get better at traveling.
Perhaps the first time flying is a not-so-pretty experience. That’s okay. I look at it this way: either they get better at traveling, or you get better at adjusting to them learning how to travel. No matter what, these are experiences that you will forever share with your child. Cherish these memories which means you will need to take the good with the bad.
So there you have it. Flying internationally doesn’t have to be scary. Good luck and I hope you enjoy the adventure!
