We just came back from one month in Europe, and would like to share the experiences and tips about the flights. I wrote an article "Flying Solo with Baby" about four years ago, and most of the tips there still apply, but just a couple of more tips! We flew from Seattle to Copenhagen, and the shortest route is with Icelandair. It is a very kid-friendly airline. Kids get free meals and a welcome bag on EACH flight (there are four flights in total). And At Reykjavik Airport, kids under 4 years old do not need to wait in line to go through passport check, at least on our way to Europe. The way back was a bit chaotic. Flight to Europe is tougher than flight back to Seattle. It leaves in the late afternoon from Seattle, about 3 hours just when kids fell asleep for their bed time, it lands in Reykjavik. After 1.5 hours stop over and a couple of more hours on the plane, when they finally slept again, it was time to wake them up in Copenhagen. So it was a mess. And harder with the jet lag. But coming back is so much easier. It leaves in the early afternoon from Copenhagen, just the right amount of time for the kid's afternoon nap, and then we landed in Reykjavik. Time to run and snack. Onboard again, and soon time for bed. Both kids slept about 3-4 hours out of the 7.5 hours flight from Reykjavik to Seattle. The key to kids' sleep on the airplane is: carseat for the little one, and foot rest for the older one! We now bring our light travel car seats on every plane. Make sure that you have a car seat travel cart, so 1) it frees your hands and doesn't break your back, and 2) if the little one falls asleep in the car on the way to the airport, you can easily strap the car seat and him on the travel cart, and go through luggage drop off in peace, or 3)if the little one is still asleep after the plane has landed, just roll the sleeping angel in the carseat peacefully through customs and pick up your luggage! The car seat and its travel cart were the best things ever for our flights. For the older one and maybe even yourself if you are lucky to get some empty seats by you, buy one or two inflatable foot rests and you do not have to worry for the older kid to roll down the seats. Of course, if there's no empty seat next to you, the older one just has to sleep on you probably. Bring headphones for everyone. Icelandair does give out free headphones for the kids, even if they are not great quality and the ear buds keep falling out of kids' ears. I bought this for my older kid but I used it the most during the flights while they were sleeping. It's much more comfortable. For screaming, crying or kicking kids, I wrote four years ago: "If you are afraid that your baby might disturb the neighbors on the plane, it might be a good idea to warn them beforehand or prepare some small gift bags to distribute, like chocolates and a little note." Now I would simply say: stay calm and don't be afraid of anything or anyone. Others can be bothered or might even give you questioning looks, ignore them or stare back. Everyone was a kid before, including that silver-haired 60-year-old man who's trying to read a book elegantly in front of you but keeps looking back with raised eyebrows.
Last but not least, never forget: extra clothes , diapers, wipes, plastic bags and snacks for the kids. Now enjoy your flight! If you are lucky, you might even get to watch a couple of films on the plane while the kids sleep. I never got the luxury to watch a film ever since my first kid was born, but first time in almost 6 years, I watched three films and highly recommend them: Cruella, The Joker, and The Greatest Showman.
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