I can’t believe I’m saying this. We survived flying with two toddlers on a cross-country flight. Dare I say, we even thrived. I snuggled my one-year-old daughter for a contact nap, sipped a Dunkin’ coffee (thanks, JetBlue!), and read my Kindle. For over two hours. I looked over at my husband across the aisle, who had his eyes gently closed while our three-year-old was watching Frozen. Oh, and our 15-pound dog was an angel snoozing in his carrier under the seat.
I had been anxiously anticipating the chaos of flying with two toddlers on a six-hour flight for months. I worried about the crying, I prepared for multiple blowouts, and I considered buying ear plugs and treats for our nearby passengers.
How did we do it? What was the secret? Honestly, pure luck. This won’t work for everyone and it certainly won’t work for us every time. But in a world where we read horror stories of toddlers having big feelings in public places and what feels like inconveniencing the world, I wanted to share a glimmer of hope. That they are cute little humans and sometimes it does work out okay. Here is what worked for us.
Schedule Your Flight With Your Kids In Mind
We booked a flight that left Logan at 6 a.m., which was pretty intentional. We kept our kids up late and then woke them up at around 3 a.m. to get to the airport. It threw off their routine so much that once the novelty of being on a plane started to fade, they were content to keep things very low-energy and napped for long stretches during the flight.
Stay Near The Airport
Since our flight was scheduled so early, we drove up the night before and stayed at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport. The hotel is close to the airport and has a 24/7 shuttle. This kept our stress level in check so we weren’t rushing through the weekend bridge traffic on the day of our flight. We were able to settle in our room, eat at the hotel restaurant, and even check out the hotel pool (always a favorite).
Have A Plan For Your Gear
Besides luggage, we decided to bring both of the kids’ car seats and pack-n-plays on the plane. We bought large duffle bags for the pack-n-plays and checked them along with our luggage. Our younger daughter is a champ at napping in the car so we brought her car seat with us onto the plane and installed it. Our older daughter has a very hard time sleeping in her car seat so we checked hers and let her sit in a regular seat.
Have Tech Options Ready
We have the Disney+ app, which allowed us to download multiple movies and Bluey episodes on our tablet. We also downloaded a few on our phones in case there was a problem with one device. Thankfully, JetBlue has charging stations under each seat, but we had an Anker Power Bank in case we ran into trouble. We also bought cute toddler headphones that said they were “tablet compatible” but came with the wrong cord for our Apple products. So our three-year-old used our wireless earbuds instead.
Pack All The Snacks
This applies to adults and kids alike. We splurged on individual snack packs of Veggie Straws, Goldfish, Cheerios, and M&Ms to keep the kids occupied. We also felt comfortable giving them appropriately-shaped lollipops, which last a long time, help quiet any fussing, and can help with ear pressure discomfort from flying.
Low-Tech Options
We brought along a few low-tech options to constantly cycle in and out which kept the kids pretty busy. They had a couple of Quiet Books, which are cloth books with tactile activities on each page like zippers, buckles, and knobs. We also used this drawing tablet and these water markers that kept them busy for awhile too.
Flying with two toddlers is definitely a challenge even when they’re on their best behavior. If the judgment of other people feels stressful, remember that your tiny humans are allowed to take up space in the world too. And you’re doing great. And you’ve got great kids.
