Surviving Twins

As a request from another mother of twins, and since it’s summer vacation time, I’m going to write a few posts on travel. As I was thinking about general ideas, I realized I couldn’t summarize all ideas into 1 post. (Flying, driving, age differences, etc). So, here is the first in a series of… well, who knows.

1. Give yourself extra time. When travelling with any child, you’ll want to have plenty of time to get to where you’re going without feeling rushed. You never know what traffic will be like, what the lines will be like for the ticket counter, or even the security checkpoint. Besides, you’ll probably have more things to put on that conveyor belt. And, oops, I smell a poopy diaper- no, make that 2 poopy diapers! The last thing you want is to feel stressed, so give yourself plenty of time.

2. Check the fullness of the flight. Many times the flight will be empty enough that you can take your carseat on and put it in the seat next to you. And if your babies will sleep, all the better! (It happened once for us, and it was the most enjoyable flight ever)! But even if you can’t take your car seat on, if it’s empty enough, you might be able to sit in the same row as your spouse. The rule for sitting in the same row is: You can only have 4 people per 3-seater-row, for oxygen mask purposes. So, if your flight is empty enough, you can sit by your spouse, with 2 babies, but no one else can sit in that row. If you fly an airline like Southwest, where you choose your own seat, a good option is to sit across the aisle from one another. (Or just ask the airline to book you there).

3. Pre-Board. You’ll have to do number one on the list, so you get there early enough to pre-board. Most airlines let families with chidlren under 5 board first. So, you can have a few extra minutes to get down the walkway and get situated in your seat. There are some airlines that just give priority to the “Platinum,” “Gold,” and “Silver” rewards members, so make sure to ask your airline.

4. Check at the gate. There is no limit for strollers or car seats- they don’t count as pieces of luggage. So if it makes it more convenient to walk the terminal with babies in car seats/stroller, take it to the gate, and check it as you board. You’ll get them back immediately as you get off the plane. We always took our Graco Duoglider, which snapped in both car seats, and we checked all 3 items as we boarded.

5. Pack Efficiently. This is the age where you’ll need to pack more than usual. So, try to consolidate your carryon items into 1 bag, or 1 per adult. If you aren’t able to sit near each other, make sure each person has all the necessities. Here’s a quick checklist of plane items:

• Diapers: Have enough diapers for each baby to have 1 change per hour. So, if your flight is 4 hours, I would bring 8 extra diapers. You most likely won’t need that many, but this is one area that you don’t want to underestimate. And don’t forget those wipes!
• Change of clothes: While we hope that your trip is never this bad, you never know when those blowouts will happen, so have an extra change of clothes, or even just a one-sie to tie you over till you get your luggage.
• Bottles/Formula: Even though my girls were breastfed, they still had a bottle every once in a while (to get used to it when I couldn’t be there). So, if you bottlefeed, make sure you bring clean bottles. (2 sets if a long flight without layover). We would put warm water in the bottles just before we got on the plane and add formula when they were hungry. If they take breastmilk from a bottle, it will stay good for about 4-6 hours at room temperature. Otherwise, you can certainly breastfeed on the plane. And that might be the most comforting thing for you babies. However, we found that it was best to feed them at take-off and landing (to help ear-popping). So, bottlefeeding was easiest so both my husband and I could feed at the same time.
• Pacifiers/Security Blankets: If your babies take them, pacifiers are also good for ear-popping and comfort. Our girls wouldn’t fall asleep without them. Make sure you have extra in the diaper bag, or get the clips that keep the pacifier attached to their clothing. Our girls also needed their blankets, so those were a must.
• Tylenol: You never know how bad the pressure changes will be, so we would give our babies tylenol before getting on the plane. (As directed by our pediatrician). It will help them relax, sleep, and feel less discomfort as the pressure changes. Usually a regular dose or less will work, but talk to your pediatrician first.
• Toys: This will depend on the age. Obviously you won’t need very many toys for your 3-month-old. But by about 9 months, those toys are more important. So, bring their favorite ones, and entertain them by looking at all the people, out the window, and at the magazines.
• Snacks: If they are old enough to eat solid foods, bring enough snacks to keep them happy. (I.e. teething biscuits, crackers, fruit snacks, sippy cups, etc).
• Proof of age: Although this is more important for when your babies start looking older, some airlines require proof of age, even if they’re 2 weeks old. So, bring a copy of a birth certificate, or other information card that will show their birthdate, and prove that they are under 2.

6. Don’t Stress! Are you worried about what the businessman sitting next to you will think? Chances are, he had a baby once too, and possibly has grandkids that age. So if your babies cry, there’s nothing you can do about it. Try to comfort them, and most of the people on the flight will understand. If they don’t, that’s their problem. If you stress, it will only make you feel worse.

7. Bring that Sense of Humor. As you’ve already experienced with twins, sometimes you never know what to expect. So, have a good attitude. That will go further than anything else. Things will probably go wrong, but, man, it will sure be easier to handle with a sense of humor.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 28th, 2006 at 10:21 am and is filed under 0-12 Months, Travel. You can follow responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your site.