Vacation/flying with 3 Kids for 1St Time

I flew when my daughter was 10 months old and nursed going up and coming down and it worked wonderful. You can take the stroller to the airplane door and then they will gate check it and you will get it back right after you step off the plane. No need waiting for the luggage to come around. For liquids you can take them. As long as they are for the children. I took juice boxes when I flew with my 3 year old about a month ago. Just declare them at security and they won't question you. They might question you if you have large quantities but I had no problem and I had 3 boxes of juice for a 3 hour flight.

You will need to check them. Since you did not buy a seat on the plane for your baby there will be no place for the car seat. Every plane that I have been on was incredibly small & there was no room for anything but lugage. I would suggest nursing for the ear popping. Hold tightly to your baby - I have experienced different pilots & the ones who have served in the military turn sharply & quickly (plus it feels like they are going straight up).
You might look into the air plane harnesses for baby's who sit on a lap instead of a seat - They hook onto your seat belt (for those fast turns).

God bless!

Does your baby take a pacifier? That might be easier than trying to nurse. My kids always had a harder time with the landing than the takeoff, so you might want to "save" the nursing until then.
You can gate-check the stroller, meaning you can keep it the whole time you're at the airport, and then you leave it at the end of the tunnel thing (I know there's a name for that, but it escapes me right now) right before you get on the plane.
From our experience, we have started leaving the car seats at home. They're not very expensive to rent at the rental car companies, and they are such a hassle to travel with. It's hard just getting through the airport with all that stuff, and car seats are so bulky.
We also always have our older kids take a small backpack with their stuff on it for the plane (games, snacks, books, etc.) They like having their own stuff and there's no reason you should have to carry all of it. Plus, it can give them a little extra room if they want to bring home souvenirs, seashells, etc.

You can take the stroller to the plane door and they will check it to the luggage compartment. Then when you get off the plane it will be at the door again to use in the airport. I did this when I flew with my twins and had no problems. I would recommend getting a large duffle bag to put the car seat in. When we flew I lost the locking clip for the seat belt off of one of our carseats. Luckly we did not need it at our destination.

I have travelled with all four of my boys when they were babies and often alone since my husband had to work so I know a lot about this! I even took twin infants more than once!
I say take both the stroller and the carseat. Some kids like only their carseats and if you check them under the plane, they can get lost and that is a REAL hassle! Take an umbrella stroller and place the infant/toddler convertible carseat face forward in the stroller and take a trap strap or an old belt and literally hook the belt/strap through the car seat and the stroller. Then, place your baby into the carseat. This way you have both the carseat and the stroller (and the baby!)and your hands are free. You can hang the diaper bag over the handles of the stroller and then your hands are free to push the stroller and watch your other children. You can gate check both the carseat and the stroller. It works great! Just be careful when removing the baby from the carseat or the stroller will tip over if the luggage or diaper bag is still over the handles when removing the baby. Good luck!
Also, breastfeed or offer a bottle during takeoff and landing. IF the baby is asleep, the baby rarely has a problem with takeoff and landing if he takes a pacifier. You can do this! Have a great vacation!

You will have a great trip and it's wonderful that you are thinking of these items ahead of time. The car seat can be checked in as luggage, the stroller can go on the plane with you as long as it's not a real big one. Car rental places will also rent a car seat as part of a car rental if you are renting a car when you get there, therefore not having to take a seat with you. Gum for the kids is great, but if they just open their mouths wide and say ahhh...that helps going up...hold the nose coming down and blow very gentle and it will equalize the ears. Most kids never notice or have issues unless they have ear infections. Have fun and take coloring books or activities for them on the plane and they may not notice anything. Also take ear phones for a movie (save you from buying them)because s for each seat allowing you to watch different movies. They have kid movies if this feature if offered. It's common on long flights, depends on the airline and plane. Hoep this helps..have a great time!

I flew with my son last year when he was 8 months and it was so easy since I was nursing. I did nurse him at takeoff for his ears, but the altitude didn't seem to bother him. I also nursed him if he seemed tired or fussy. Another thing we brought was a bottle full of apple juice. They will let you bring it on the plane. He hadn't had juice before so it was a big hit. As for the carseat and stroller, we checked the carseat with our luggage and gate checked the stroller. That way we had the stroller at the airport. Good luck - I am sure you guys will have a blast!

I have 2 kids (3 and 1) and we've flown a bunch of times. Check the car seat! Some airlines let you check it for free (Delta)--others count it as a checked bag. Most airlines charge a fee for checked bags (Delta is $15 for first bag/ $25 for second). TAKE THE STROLLER! I have a cheap $15 umbrella stroller I usually take in case it gets lost (this happened on the way to Hawaii). It's very handy to have in the terminal and you give it to the ground crew right before you get on the plane. They will give it back when you exit the plane. I would NOT risk carrying a car seat. Whether there is an extra seat on the plane or not, you will have to carry it around the airport. Do you have a lay-over? Carrying a car seat would be super inconvenient. Plus, the last few flights I was on were overbooked, so there were no extra seats for my lap child.

You will be able to board early--because you will be a passenger requiring extra time. Also, go to Walmart and buy a 1 oz Lysol spray and some sani-wipes. I flew 2 weeks ago and completely wiped down the seats, arm rests, trays, etc. The planes are full of germs and you don't want your kiddos getting sick.

Have fun!!

I have had recent experience with flying with a 9 month old. First, you need to nurse him during take off AND landing to keep his ears popping. I also had bottles of pumped milk just in case he was not wanting to latch well. You could also use a binkie, if he takes one - just needs to be some sort of sucking motion.
As for the stroller and car seat, you cannot take them on the plane. Some people choose to check them. I did not. I GATE CHECKed them. That means you take them to the counter next to door where you are going to board the plane. They will put a label on both items as to your name, flight number, and destination. You take them with you down the tunnel and leave the items FOLDED up outside the plane. Those are the last items put with the luggage. When you exit the plane, wait just outside the plane in the landing area. The stroller and carseat will be brought to you there. That process is so much smoother and easier than checking them with the luggage and it's really not as complicated as I am describing. You will think it's a great service!!

When I took my baby on a plane for the first time, he was 9 months also. I nursed him on the way up (he went to sleep) and nursed him on the way down. It worked well, he didn't seem to have any issues. I also gave him a small dose of tylenol after we landed - just incase.
I've taken strollers, but it's difficult with all the people and having your other kids. My front baby carrier worked the best. I strapped him on and I could have my hands free. I could also sit/stand without taking him in and out of a stroller.
I'm sure you have portable DVD player for the older ones or video games...I always buy a new movie that they've never seen. It's keeps them occupied for an hour and a half. I also have a portable glow station from crayola. You can draw with a light wand and don't need paper or pens. I also took a ton of fruit and the drink packets (since you can't take liquid). The fruit keeps them hydrated and their blood sugar level.
Good Luck!

We've been flying with our 2 yr old since she was 5 months. She was bottle fed, but yes, plan to feed her (if she's awake) on take-off. If she's sleeping, let her be.

Check the car seat (it's free) and gate-check the stroller. I highly recommend getting a bag for your car seat (at BRU, around $15) and if you have an umbrella-type stroller, a bag for that too. Stuff gets really dirty in the cargo hold.

See if you can pre-board, and let the flight attendants help you! They have been a great help to us when flying. They do this all the time and they know the easy tricks.

Certainly, nursing at takeoff and landing always helped when we traveled with our kids. I did that with our infant too. Don't worry about those around you, just use your nursing cover and your baby will be very happy you did! You can take your stroller and check that before you board (they stow it for you), however, you will most likely have to check your car seat (if it's the big bulky kind). If you did not pay for an extra seat, there is no purpose for it since you won't be able to actually put it on the seat. But, defintely call the airlines ahead of time, the rules change constantly! Make sure to brush up on rules if you have not flown for awhile either (such as carrying on liquids, containers, creams, lotions, etc.) as they all have to be under a certain weight if carried onboard, or they will be tossed before you board. Happy traveling!

Definitely nurse on take off and landing. Maybe your baby will even fall asleep! My son has flown four times before the age of one, and I always nursed him on the plane. You can bring the stroller and car seat to the plane door, and they put it underneath for you. It will be there waiting for you when you get off. Very convenient. Good luck!

I have a 3 year old and a 15 month old and they have each been flying all over the country since 8 weeks. I breast fed them as we were taking off, and i made sure they were really hungry beforehand. They usually fell asleep and if they were awake i fed them as we descended. We usually check the car seat (it is free) and gate check the stroller. Good luck

When we flew last, my daughter was 6 months old. We had the stroller that the carseat sat on. We took the stroller/carseat to the gate. If there were seats still available, they let us but the carseat in the empty seat. That was nice, if we had checked it in, we wouldn't have been able to do that. It was nice. As for nursing while taking off, you could do that or if they take a pacifier, you can use that.