Tips for a Successful Short-haul Flight with a Toddler (and a baby):
1. Prep him by HYPING IT UP! About 3-5 days before flight:
-Tell the oldest child what amazing fun it is to fly.
-Tell him the window seat is the best seat EVER!!
-Tell him that you get really cozy with blankie, take your socks off and have your choice of 2 stuffed animals.
-Tell him that there's a snack bag with all his favorite items (e.g., yogurt raisins, granola bars, baby gourmet tetra food packs, and cookies). Feed him a sample just to whet the appetite...
-Tell him he gets to wear his own headphones, watch his own TV with two channels of cartoons for the whole time.
2. Follow through with everything in whatever sequence and commit to anything goes!
3. Forget the potty- Hell embrace the fact that he's not interested. With baby in arms, and a toddler with poor aim- it's a blessing that Pull-Ups exist!
4. If things start going sideways: Pull the juice card (gasp!), Say: "Soon they're going to bring juice and cookies and bits and bites". Then cheer and shout with excitement to get this really engrained for the next 10minutes. Then practice how to ask for what he wants from the flight attendant (another 10seconds).
Don't forget the baby: Your easiest accessory the whole flight and trust me there are a lot!! Three bags and you need to know where everything is in order to reach the right item successfully at a moment's notice.
And at the end of what feels like the longest flight ever, applaud yourself on a job well done. After all they were little angels, and then throw them at the grandparents as soon as you can and have yourself an extra long toilet break. Celebrate with an early night and a tall glass of water as you're so dehydrated and exhausted from taking care of others.