Travel Tips: Ages 1-2yrs
I’ll try to be as least redundant as possible. Some of these ideas go for all ages, so they’re probably listed in more detail in the first post “Travel Tips: Ages 0-12mos.”
1. Give yourself extra time. No explanation necessary.
2. Buy an extra seat. If your kids are getting “independent,” it may be worth the extra money to buy them their own seat. Personally, it’s not worth it to me, but my children did hate being on my lap for an entire flight by the time they hit about 15 months. Some airlines will offer an even more discounted ticket for children under 2.
3. Check Strollers at the Ticket Counter. Only if it’s more convenient, check the stroller before you go through the Security Checkpoint. They won’t count towards your number luggage pieces you can check. Once our girls could walk, they enjoyed being out of their stroller, and it gave us less to worry about. (Except for running in the wrong direction). It was worth not putting a stroller through the X-ray machine.
4. Packing: The Lighter the Better. Since you might be carrying your kids without a stroller, you’ll want less weight to carry on the plane. At this point, you shouldn’t need as many things, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Here are some more packing ideas.
* Diapers/Wipes: Bring enough for a change every 2-3 hours. That’s TOTAL travel time, so make sure to consider how long you’ll be in the airport, layover time, etc. Don’t forget the extra clothes for blowouts.
* Pacifiers/Blankets: If you babies are still taking them, pacifiers will still be good for take-off and landing, and if they’ll take a nap, they might need both pacifiers and security blankets.
* Food: You might still be breastfeeding/bottle feeding, so check the tips for 0-12mos. But most likely they will want to eat. So bring snacks, (as least messy as possible). Stay away from Gerber teething biscuits. Most likely, they’ll be able to eat some of the snacks offered on the plane. (Pretzels, crackers, etc). And don’t forget sippy cups.
* Toys: This will definitely be more important than before. So, bring lots of different toys, books, and activities. Keep them small, though, you don’t want them weighing down your bag. Some airlines offer coloring books for kids, so if they’re into scribbling, that might be an option. (Very appropriate for ages 2+)
* Proof of Age: This is most important at this age, if they are going to be on your lap. And if you twins are bigger than most, you’ll need proof that they are under 2.
5. Entertain while Waiting. Since you’ll be there extra early to Pre-Board, your twins will probably be pre-bored. So, moving walkways and escalators are an option. Help them learn sounds and counting as you look out the window at the planes. Some airports even have play areas. They’ll really need this time to run around since they’ll be sitting for a while.
6. Pre-Board. They are still under 5, so take advantage when possible.