Flying with kids is always an adventure!  You never know if they are going to enjoy it and be angels or hate it and be monsters.  I tried to prep as much as possible before hand to increase my odds for success.

I was so nervous to go on an overnight flight with Addy who is 7 months old but she did fairly well.  We upgraded to extended leg room (an extra six inches sure makes a difference around hour 5) and chose seats behind the center bathrooms in hopes of getting a bassinet that hooks on the wall for Addy.  We got it…and she slept in it for a total of one hour.  This should have been obvious, but sitting by the bathroom is not ideal.  People pee…a lot and they well, uhm…stink.  Gross.

We flew from DFW to Charlotte (4 hours) and then Charlotte to Heathrow (7 hours overnight) and the boys handled it like champs.  They watched several new movies on the plane and then I had to make them turn of the TV and get some sleep so they weren’t grumpy zombies when we landed.  Kids are much more adaptable than grown ups and slept really well on the flight to London.

Here are a few things I did to help the flights go smoothly with the boys (5 and 8)

• Snacks, snacks, and more snacks because I knew that no amount of convincing would get them to eat the meals served on the airplane.  I took granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, cookies, and water
• Headphones to hook into the airplanes TVs as soon as we boarded
• Notebooks, coloring books, crayons, and colored pencils in gallon ziploc bags to keep them from getting scattered
• Handheld video games that I found for cheap at Walgreens
• Their own backpack to put their things in as well as a few of their favorite toys

For the baby I had no idea what to expect so here is what I packed for her

• A warm blanket because the plane is always cold
• Snacks like puffs and crackers that easily dissolve
• New toys and rattle to keep her entertained

What actually made the flights a success?  Dad’s access to VIP lounges because of his airline status.  Snacks, food, TV, computer games, and desserts made for very happy travelers!