FLYING WITH KIDS Doesn't Have to STRESS You Out
Just ask me. I have triplets plus an older child all born within one year and I have not only flown with one or more children under 6 months of age domestically, but have also taken older 3- and 4-year olds on multiple transcontinental flights in the U.S. and have been happily flying ever since with our four children, two girls and two boys ever since, both with my husband and alone.
YES, believe it or not, you CAN fly even with young children without losing your sanity! And where there is a goal in mind, if you think you can do it, you will accomplish it. I know because for the last seven years I've taken my kids to The Triplet Connection Convention in Chicago, St. Louis, Orlando, Washington, D.C., Phoenix and other cities in the U.S. http://www.tripletconnectionconvention.com
Maybe I should write a book about my secrets of flying success with my kids so the world so doesn't just take my word for it that it can be done. But the good news, is I don't have to publish a book, since luckily, there is a great guide that already exists for families flying in a post-September 11 world with children titled, "Jet With Kids," by Anya Clowers, RN, and traveling mom http://www.jetwithkids.com
How I wish this book had been around when I started taking my own children on plane trips a few years back to help smooth the travel experience for my family. Perhaps, I would have decided to have more kids (maybe even another set of triplets) after having my first four in such quick succession.
I couldn't agree with Clowers more, this book really will take the fear out of flying with your kids and the chapters inside cover it all. Traveling by plane during pregnancy or with a newborn, for example? That would have come in handy for sure, when I was pregnant with my triplets and the first time we took a commercial plane trip for the day from Los Angeles to San Francisco for a family celebration and we had to buy an extra adult plane ticket just so we could bring our nanny to hold one of our triplets, while my husband and I held the other two on our laps since they weren't old enough to sit in their own seats yet. Good thing our our "older" son, born just a year before the triplets, did get his own seat on that flight!
But, I digress. "Jet With Kids" also gives great advice for dealing with toddlers teething, booster seats, and all the other things you need to know for children for which airlines do require you to buy a seat. It even gives tips on breast feeding on flights when you may find yourself sitting next to a lucky not-so-friendly stranger who is already irritated that your child is climbing over him to look out the window since this unhappy adult wasn't smart enough to ask for an aisle seat when he found out that your child would be in the same row.
Traveling with kids on American Airlines, US Air or any other commercial airline doesn't have to be a trip you wish you had not taken. Without a doubt, this handy guide will be a life saver and is worth far more than you will pay for it. You might even be able to sell copies to other passengers with kids during the flight to offset the cost of your own copy, so you might want to buy extra books to sell and give as gifts to others.
After all, what price can you put on piece of mind while traveling on a long flight with kids?
Enjoy the Friendly Skies WITH YOUR CHILDREN!
