If you plan to fly alone with two small children you'll be well
advised to
think about these main issues before you fly:
· Getting
around
I used a front-pack for the baby and reins/buggy for the older child,
while I carried all the hand-luggage in a large back-pack on my back. I
looked like a Sherpa! These days it’s even harder than ever to get the
airline to bring your stroller onboard, so if I were you I’d book ‘special
assistance’ at your departure and arrival airports (do this when you
book your tickets) and if that means sitting in a wheelchair with your
babies on your knee, just do it. In my experience ‘special assistance’
at Heathrow has varied between a wheelchair and the electric car-train
that they usually use for elderly and late passengers (this is really
fast and you need to hold on to your children very firmly…). Special
assistance also means you’ll have someone to help you get your luggage
off the carousel, which is hard especially if your buggy is one of the
things you’re waiting for, so you’re carrying your children at that
point.
· Eating on the plane
Your toddler will need you to
help with her meal, and your baby will be on your lap. It’s very hard
to eat a meal yourself with a baby on your lap because you can’t lower
the tray properly. If you have booked a bassinette for the baby things
are a whole lot easier as you can put the baby down somewhere. Also, if
you can book the window seats rather than centre-of-plane seats, the air
hostesses sometimes take pity on the poor soul in the third seat in your
row, move him/her somewhere else, and you’ve got a row to yourself
(albeit with armrests that don’t move so you can’t lie the 2-yr old
flat)…
· Changing nappies and
going to the bathroom yourself
You may find that your toddler
isn’t happy to sit in her seat while you take the baby to the bathroom
(or yourself). This can mean a logistical challenge as you all try to
pile into the largest cubicle you can find on the plane - there’s
usually one right at the back that’s marginally bigger than the
others. My 2-yr old ran up and down the plane and into business-class in
tears after she couldn’t find me when she woke up as I’d taken that
opportunity to take a bathroom break…you get the picture! A wonderful
AirNZ hostess offered to sit with my two for a few minutes when she had
some spare seconds so that I could get a sanity break – a saint.
· Settling to sleep
You normally have two options:
a) seats with a bassinette for the baby but without lifting armrests so
your older child will not be able to lie with her head in your lap
b) regular seats where you sleep with baby on your knee and your
older child with her head/feet in your lap
However, ask how busy the flight is when you check in and see if the
check-in assistant can give you a row of seats to yourself (four is
brilliant, three is still a bonus). I’d probably forgo the bassinette
in favour of a regular row of 3 or 4 seats to ourselves. That way you
really have the best chance of getting a rest.
The final issue is whether or not to sedate the children. I did this
when traveling with slightly older children (2 and 3) when I was
recovering from glandular fever myself, and I have to say that the
children slept very well and arrived in London very fresh and bright! My
doctor prescribed Vallergan Forte for them in very small, precisely
measured doses. With younger children I think I’d stick to homeopathic
remedies and visit a homeopath for advice a few weeks before the trip.
I hope this all helps and happy traveling!
