9 Hours Plane Ride with 2 Kids??

For the 3.5 yr old: Portable DVD player, 5-7 favorite movies, favorite toys, cards like go fish or memory...you or dad can play game together, non sugary snacks...fruit, pb&j...things that will not backfire on you later. Try to tire him/her out a bit before the flight.
For the 4 mos old: diapers, bottles with water & formula/breast milk, binky, entertaining toys.

The kids will adjust to the time change, just as you do. Be prepared for a bit of crankiness. There;s really nothing you can do about that.

I recommend taking the car seat on for the 3 year old...much easier to sleep in. Also...bring a front pack/baby Bjorn for the baby. So nice to have your hands free for a while.

we went to singapore when my daughter was 2.5 years old. we brought lots of movies tons of snacks and a backpack full of sticker books, coloring books, the dollar store marker book-thies, etc. she did not sleep a lick on the flight from chicago to paris, but the next leg she did about a 2 hour nap which allowed me to nap. it will be tough, but you will get through it

The younger one will be easy (most likely). The baby bjorn/ergo suggestion below is great. This will make it much easier in the airport and on the plane. One note, you can't have them in the baby carrier during takeoff/landing. It's an FAA rule.

I would beg to differ on the issue of a carseat for the 3 yo. Carseats did not work well for us. My oldest has a tendency to push/kick on the seat in front of her. We put her in the seat. During the flight, she could even lay down a little bit (loosen the seatbelt) and put her head in my lap to sleep. Much easier.

No suggestions on time changes. The most I've dealt with is 3 hours, and we only adjusted it down by an hour or so. That would be much more difficult with a 5 hour difference.

Well I highly recommend a DVD player for the 3.5 y/o old! In fact, I guess most of my suggestions are for the older one. Hopefully you can keep the younger one entertained a little easier!

Balloons for the airport terminal
new and different snacks
magna doodle, color wonder markers, Crayola stamper markers
stickers
silly bands...my kids love to just put them on and take them off, plus you can look at the shapes and talk about what they are, etc. Since they aren't as cool as they once were you can find them cheap for like $1.
CD player with kids songs CDs...seriously my kids LOVE this activity and they will listen to their music for at least an hour.

I would also probably bring on a blanket and a favorite stuffed animal. For the baby, I would bring some things that shake and jingle and that can be chewed on. Plus of course a change of clothes because you just never know!

Good luck! I hope you have someone helping you!

I did the same thing once too. I had 2 nine hour back to back flights with an almost 3 year old and a 4 month old. One thing I would say is don't hesitate to ask the flight attendants for help. You need to go to the bathroom go ahead and hand your baby to them for 2 minutes. The best part about being on an airplane is that no one can take your kids away if you are not watching :)

Make a couple of packs with a diaper/wipes/a onesie or change of clothes so that when you go to the bathroom to change the baby, you are not dragging everything or digging through stuff - just grab a pack and you have everything to go.

Your kids are also going to fall asleep at usual "bedtime" so you will probably be able to get a break then. Make sure they are eating/drinking/chewing something while taking off and landing.

Carry a few new toys for your 3.5 year old (non noisy) or some new apps if you have an Ipad or smartphone. Most international flights have an individual entertainment system in the headrest so you should be able to find cartoons for your child. Don't take things that have small parts - kids drop stuff and on the plane you are not going to find them or be able to hunt for them. Put a few crayons in a ziploc bag and a coloring book/paper and lots of stickers from the dollar store and let your child go to town.

Any activities that you are going to be doing on the plane - don't do them for a week before you leave. So it will be "different" when you get on.

Don't overpack - that was a big mistake I made. Too much stuff will only make it difficult for you to carry.

I just realized you said - we are going - I thought you were traveling alone. In any case - its not a great thing to be with 2 little kids on such a long flight, but honestly its not that bad either.

Good luck and have a fun vacation!!

NEW toys with moveable parts. Action figures that can jump, hide behind/under a cup; cars that load up things (dump truck or trailer hitch) then dump them out and do it again. On your phone: movies (Rio, Kipper, Peep and the Big Wide World), family photos the 3.5 year old can flip through on his/her own...lots of their own face, they'll love it! For the baby: after all the toys, rattles etc I packed, my kids at that age each loved the bottled water the best - it makes a neat sound when you shake it, it makes bubbles, the water moves...it amazed me how entertaining a plain bottle of water could be!

Pack LOTS of diapers...and a change of clothes for each child (spills etc).

You have one to one defense (one child per adult)...you'll be fine!

The hardest part of plane rides? The anxiety the night before! lol

I've done international flights (13+ hours) with babies and toddlers. Not the most fun experience but totally survivable. I agree with the DVD suggestion, take short movies. I had a lot of half hour movies so when my daughter got bored, I could quickly switch it. If you have time, get child sized earphones. The adult sized ones don't fit small heads and you don't want to have to crank up the volume so they can hear. If they can hear it, everyone can. If you don't have time, I used a small piece of foam and sewed it to the top of the headband so the earphones sat over her ears correctly. Looked funny but she could hear the movies without any problems. The ear buds didn't work either.

If you have time, go to an independent toy, boork or travel store . They tend to have small versions of many games and toys. I stocked up on things that I knew she might find interesting and pulled them out as needed on the trip. We also wrapped small toys so that she could open them and then play with them. She loved the excitement of getting something new.

Travel in separates. That way if one piece gets dirty or wet, you can quickly change it without having to totally strip down. Carry extra food that you know that your child likes. If you haven't call the airline and order the kid's meal. It's not the best but chances are your child will like it better than the adult meals. If not, then you've got your supplies.

I put my almost 4 year old in a pull up for take offs and landings. We talked about it a lot because she was fully potty trained at the time but there can be delays where you can't get up to go to the bathroom. I figured it was a bad way to start a long trip if she had to go to the bathroom and couldn't get out of her seat. She never used it but I was happy that we had taken the precaution.

If you can, get the bulkhead or fly in the seats with extra legroom. It was so worth it because my older one could stand up and move a little and I was actually able to put the baby on the floor for a little while. It's tiring holding someone for 9 hours. Plus there isn't anyone's seat in front of little feet.

Jet lag is just painful. Don't push yourselves too hard the first few days. I used the stroller with my oldest even though she had pretty much outgrown it. She was good about it. The baby just won't understand. It will be a lot like those first weeks of life when they are adjusting to a schedule. Try to sleep as long as possible. I set a time for my daughter when she could get out of bed and watch some quiet TV while I tried to sleep. We tried to get on the time zone schedule as quickly as possible so we ate breakfast on the new schedule rather than when our bodies thought it was breakfast time. Get as much sunshine as possible.

Just make sure Husband is helping too!
You have the baby to tend to.
And let them sleep/nap when they need to.

Snacks and suckers for take off and landing. Let the 3.5 year old watch videos.

Do not take the car seat. We did that in Dec and decided it was a giant pain. Since the carseat is so big, our 2 year old was on top of the seat in front of him, so he spent the entire flight kicking.

Carseat for younger kids, yes, it helps them to sleep, but for bigger kids? No thanks. Get one of those attachments that turns the carseat into a stroller, though, so your 3.5 can sit and be pulled in the airport. Love those things!

We just did a 6 hour time change. What direction are you going? It's always easier going east. West is a nightmare. Expect really tired and grumpy kids. Lots of candy and treats, and lots of prep for transition talk. Clear your schedule for the full week of your return. Jet lag is a real pain in little ones.

Pack light and do not bring a car seat for the older child. Too hard to handle while at the airport. I had an 18 month old and 5 yr old to Japan by myself. Very hard. I had a DVD player - it was invaluable. Flight attendants are NOT helpful. Gate check your stroller. Bring snacks. M&M's are good. The worst part might be customs at the destination. It certainly was for me. I had a stroller with child, that stupid car seat, and our diaper bag and 5 YO. Too much to handle.