re: OT travelers...flying with three kids. Logistical advice sought.

quote:

---

You can check car seats/strollers with you for free. 2 yr old won't need a ticket as long as they are on your lap and don't need a seat.

---

FIFY

quote:

---

Last flight I took had the poor dad carrying one massive car seat on his back and carrying another in his hands. They boarded first class. They set up both seats for the kids on the plane. Looked insane and miserable.

---

That was probably my sister and her husband.

quote:

---

Meh, I'd rather sit between a 3 and 5 year old than next to a fat frick

---

I've had more adults next to be act petty and foolish than kids or dogs.

quote:

---

There's no point in putting a kid in a car seat on a plane either.

---

It actually was a huge help in my experience.

quote:

---

For everyone who cannot stand flying when there are small kids onboard, do you have kids? Im guessing the answer is probably no

---

You would be incorrect.

quote:

---

I fail to see the relevance of this

---

Not relevant. I have two kids and would consider it a living nightmare to get on a plane with them, and as someone who's traveled alone a lot for work, often right before or after pulling an all-nighter for some big project, I understand the nightmare it would present to other passengers. Not because they are bad kids, but because they are going to act like kids. My 4-month-old is either going to sleep or make noise -- noise that can come in the form of happy cooing, or deafening shrieks of discomfort, restlessness, over-stimulation, gas, boredom, etc. Will he be tired by takeoff? Will he be OK with the noise/environment of the plane? That shite has to be timed perfectly with infants, and if he decides that his ears popping was the last straw and all hell breaks loose, you and your fellow passengers are fricked.

My 3-year-old would stay in her seat, but it's completely unpredictable whether she will A) Sleep/Watch her youtube nursery rhyme videos, or B) talk/ask questions the entire time. Option B doesn't sound terrible to me as a parent, but as a passenger who wouldn't give a shite about my kid or find her 3-year-old ramblings adorable whatsoever, it sucks. Kids on planes suck. It's nobody's fault. Sometimes flying is necessary. I thought I was going to have to take a few flights to get my infant son's condition properly diagnosed and treated, and that in itself was a horrific thought. Nowadays when I'm on a plane with fussy kids, my stress level mostly correlates with how the parents are handling it. If they look like they actually give a shite and aren't just sanctimoniously waving it off as "babies cry," "kids will be kids," etc., I have a little more empathy for them.

To prevent ear discomfort due to change in pressure, bring a bottle or pacifier for the baby and pop it in when you're about to take off or land. Lollipops or gummy snacks will help the older ones.

quote:

---

I have two kids and would consider it a living nightmare to get on a plane with them

---

It's no picnic, but you do what you have to do to go see family or go on trips. I try my best to keep my kids happy. The 4 year old is a champ at flying. The baby is, well, a baby. She cries on flights and we do what we can to avoid it, but when you're on a 16 hour flight then a lot of times shite happens.

quote:

---

my stress level mostly correlates with how the parents are handling it

---

why? someone else's kid is crying and i'm thinking "cool, it's not mine."

quote:

---

Because a 4 year old doesn't need a iPad.

---

neither does a 30 year old