International Travel and twins when to do it when not to?

efhoping2010 · December 2010

Almost all of DH's family is in Hong Kong so we are being pushed to take the twins there to meet the family including DH's ailing grandmother. The thought of a long international flight with two active and nursing babies sounds just awful to me. I think the flight is at least 16 hours but likely even longer with connecting flights and possible delays.

Those of you who have braved international travel with your babies, when did you do it, what age? When do you think it is ideal to do it, before or after a certain age or stage in development? I am worried if I wait until they are walking it might be an even tougher time but maybe I am wrong?

Mine are both active and crawling right now, my little girl can stand and cruise a little too. My little boy is starting to talk and both are quite vocal when upset, lol. My babies just turned 8 months a few days ago too and they are eating solids and soft foods too.

I look forward to your comments and suggestions, thanks!

Tofumonkey · December 2010

I'd go for it. I haven't travelled with ours yet, but we will be flying to Canada ( from the UK ) next month and should be fine. One for me, one for DH. Good to go.

bellasmom27 · December 2010

In my opinion I wouldn't take my babies or my toddler to my country right now (which is Brasil) only b/c they'd be required to take a whole lot of vaccinations bc they would be traveling to another country. That and other places have different types of germs and such. BUT..I will tell you, my cousin took her son to Brasil when he was about 2-3 months old, the poor baby was tortured with a lot of vaccines before he went but he did come back safe and sound and he is a healthy 2 year old boy now!

That's awesome you guys are going to Hong Kong looks like a beautiful place to visit!

OrangeSmoke · December 2010

We have been invited to a wedding in Asia next May, which means the boys will be just 9 months.

DH says we go, I say no way in hell. I'll let you know what happens.

busybea · December 2010

I can't comment on the twins, but I went to France when DS1 was only 9 months old. I'm SUPER glad I did it when he wasn't walking. He would have been ALL over the place if he was. We wanted to fly AA, but ended up on Air France, direct flight, with a cheaper fair.....and thank goodness, as I found out later that AA didn't supply any bassinetes. AF does and will also provide you with baby food and bananas and toys, etc. Make sure you ask each airline what they accomodate for a baby. The bassinete was ideal for this long flight as although he was too big to sleep in it, he sure played in it almost the entire flight. It was kinda like his little "hiding" place. If you have any particular questions, please PM and i'll be more than happy to answer anything...

malex · December 2010

You should go now. We have flown with our girls at 7 weeks (California), 5 months (Caribbean), 8 months (Florida), 9 months (California), 15 months (Boston), and 16 months (Asia). So far it keeps getting harder and harder to fly with them. Boston was the exception, but that was such a short flight that I almost don't count it.

Our Asia trip was PHL --> 3 days in San Francisco --> layover in Hong Kong --> 5 days in Seoul --> 5 days in Hong Kong --> 2 days in San Francisco --> Philly. It was pretty grueling, but it was still better than I expected, and in retrospect I am very glad we went. We went to Seoul to visit my dying grandmother, and to Hong Kong to visit my brother and his new baby. I figured that no matter how awful the flights would be,it would feel worth it once we arrived, and I was right. Also I knew that the inconvenience of traveling would fade with time, but if we didn't go, I would always regret not being able to introduce my babies to my grandmother. Even though they are too young to remember meeting her, I know they will appreciate it when they are older. My great-grandmother died when I was just 2 so I don't remember her, but I cherish the photos I have of her holding me, and the stories of how much joy I brought to her.

Here are my random travel tips and recommendations, in no particular order:

-- Fly as direct as you can. We flew from Philly to San Francisco and spent a few days in San Francisco in order to visit my sister, break up the trip a bit, and start adjusting to the time change. In retrospect I wish we had just flown directly to Seoul - once you are in the air, the extra few hours seems much more manageable than the thought of landing, collecting your luggage, unpacking for a few days, repacking, going back to the airport, etc.

-- Buy seats for the babies if you can afford it. Even though you can hold your kids on your laps while they are under 2 years old, you will want the extra space. Assuming you do this...

-- Bring one carseat on board, and check the other carseat. This way you have a place to strap in one baby but you also have the extra seat so you have a little extra room for the babies to play and stretch out.

-- Do not get seats in the bulkhead row. Even though the extra legroom may be tempting, there are a few downsides: (1) Oftentimes, the armrests do not go up since that is where they store the tray tables. (2) You will have to put your carryons in the overhead compartments during takeoff and landing - and that is exactly when you will need access to them to soothe your babies with drinks or toys. (3) Often there is a lot of extra traffic, light, and noise around the bulkhead because that's where the restrooms are.

-- Don't be afraid to bring extra carryon bags. You get two bags per person, and if you buy seats for the babies, they get two bags too. Carseats don't count. Even if you can't carry everything yourself, you can get assistance from the flight attendants. I flew Cathay Pacific and the flight attendants were incredibly helpful in this respect. So I had my diaper bag; my rolling suitcase which held my laptop, camera, and one Peapod travel tent (see below); a duffel bag of toys, books, etc. for the girls; and a bag just holding food and milk for the girls.

-- Are your kids exclusively breastfed? If so then you may have an easier time with the food. Mine were on cow's milk and solids so I had to bring shelf-stable milk with me which was a major pain. Be warned that the milk in Asia tastes different than the milk in the U.S. (the cows must be fed a different diet, or they are a different species, or something) -- my girls did not like the taste. My husband actually came and met me halfway through the trip so I had him bring more milk in his suitcases.

-- Buy Peapod Plus travel tents for the kids -- they are around $70 on Amazon -- they fold down very small and pop open -- so much lighter and easier than a Pack N Play. Have your kids gradually get used to sleeping in them at home before your trip so that they are comfortable in them. Make sure to get absorbent cotton waterproof pads to put inside the tents. We had a 6-hour layover in Hong Kong and my brother arranged for us to get into the First Class lounge (sooo nice) where we got our own private cabana. I popped open the tent and let one of the girls nap in there for a few hours. I wish I had the other tent too for the other girl - I ended up pushing her around the airport in the stroller and she eventually fell asleep but only for an hour.

-- Buy a portable DVD player with a long battery life ($80 on Amazon) and some kids DVDs. My kids do not watch TV at home so I had them watch a few episodes of Wonder Pets and Elmo's World before we left to get them used to the experience. Then it was a real treat for them on the plane and it bought me hours of peace and quiet.

-- Consider using infant Benedryl. This is a very controversial topic. I talked to one pediatrician who was very judgmental about it, and to another pediatrician who said it was absolutely fine. I tested it out on the girls at home first to make sure they wouldn't get hyperactive, then I brought it with me on the flights just in case. I figured I should bring it with me anyway in case they had an allergic reaction to something during our trip. I ended up giving it to one of my daughters on two of the flights - one of which was a redeye flight where she was screaming for 20 minutes while everyone else was trying to sleep. It calmed her down and was a sanity saver and I have no regrets. But to each her own.

-- Bring at least 2 extra outfits for the kids on board the plane, and one change of clothes for the adults as well.

-- Bring lots of wipes on board -- including antibacterial wipes to wipe down all the plastic surfaces that your kids will touch during the flight.

Remember, it will all be worth it -- maybe not to you, but to your husband, and if he is 1/10 as grateful to you as I am to my husband for doing the trip with me, you will have a lot of power in the relationship for years to come!!!!

Good luck with your decision, and if you decide to take the trip, good luck with your travels!

Tofumonkey · December 2010

Wow - thanks!!!!!!!!!

efhoping2010 · December 2010

Wow, thank you so much for the amazing tips!

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