Our Happily Ever After: Flying with a Toddler

We had the pleasure of attending a wedding in Salt Lake City Utah this past weekend. The missionary, Ashley, who found Aaron and taught him resulting in his baptism into the LDS church was sealed on Saturday. It was a special occasion for someone very special to us. It was Amelia's first time meeting Ashley, and a lot of other firsts.

I was a little stressed about flying with a toddler. I was worried about her ears handling the pressure, if she would be scared, would she be desperate to get out of her seat, would she use the plane toilet if needed. We had a total of 5 flights round trip. If the first one was horrible we would still have to endure 4 more. I tried to plan for every possibility as much as possible. I packed her some of her favorite toys (a stuffed dog, some hot wheels, crayons and markers, and paper). I also packed her kindle and a battery back-up. We brought lots of snacks and a sippy cup to fill with juice once we were through security. I packed a change of clothes, and dressed her in layers and packed a blanket for her. I decided to bring her car seat, one because we would need it for the rental car when we landed, but I also figured she would be more likely to sleep on the plane if she were in her car seat (since she sleeps so well in it in the car). This meant getting a special dolly made to wheel the car seat around (also great b/c it turned the car seat into a stroller she could ride).

On Thursday at 3:30am we arrived at the airport. Amelia was surprisingly happy to be awake and traveling. We got through security fairly easily and bored on time. We had been upgraded to first class for our first leg which was wonderful. Amelia and I sat in the first row. She loved watching everyone board and enjoyed entertaining the flight attendant. Taking off we said "Weeeee" and Amelia enjoyed the flight from then on. She was an excellent flier. Our first stop was in Philadelphia, PA. Amelia enjoyed riding the moving walkways, and we all enjoyed a yummy breakfast at legal seafood.

Our next flight was 5.5 hours. Thankfully Amelia and Mommy slept the first 2 hours. Then Daddy napped for a bit. Thankfully the flight attendants on this flight were pretty relaxed. We weren't in first class this leg of the journey and being cramped and seated for 5 hours was not in Amelia's ability. She stood in the isle for little breaks, and sat in both our laps. She loved looking out the window. When we finally arrived in Phoenix, AZ we were ready to stretch our legs. We had some lunch at some sit down restaurant that was also very good and then went in search of the kids play area. Amelia was so excited to play with other kids. They had some of the same mats and boxes that she uses in gymnastics class so she showed Daddy her cool moves. Some of the big kids were stacking up the gymnastics blocks and doing tricks off of them, and Amelia was right there with them jumping and diving fearlessly.

The last flight that day was a short one to Salt Lake City, UT. We were in first class for this flight as well, YAY! Flying in first class makes traveling with a toddler so much nicer. In first class her car seat doesn't overlap into my seat and we don't hold up the line trying to get our toddler, carry-ons, and car seat through the plane. In couch Daddy has to carry the carseat up above the seats because it doesn't fit down the isle. When we arrived in Utah at 4:30pm utah time (6:30 NH time) we were all tired and hungry. Amelia said "no plane" as we waited in line for our rental car. We got our car, made it to the hotel, and went in search of some dinner on foot. We ended up a fancy restaurant for lack of better discovery and by the time dinner came we were to tired to eat it. So we went home and went to bed.

Flying home we were in coach both flights, but at least we were in the second row so we didn't have to wrestle our stuff to the back of the plane. The first flight was a red-eye. We arrived at the airport at 8:30pm for lack of anything else to do and got some dinner. Amelia had fallen asleep in the car on the way to the airport and remained asleep until shortly before boarding the plane. We brought her to the airport in her PJs, which ended up working well. Aaron and I had dinner at a sports bar and she never woke up, but I saved her some just incase she woke up hungry. When we boarded she ate a few bites but quickly went back to sleep. I couldn't get comfortable so I didn't sleep, but Aaron slept some. At some point Amelia woke up begging to be held. I held her for what felt like forever, until my bottom was asleep and legs and feet were cramping at which point Daddy took over. She slept well the entire flight as long as we held her. We arrived in Philadelphia, PA at 6:00am, Amelia happy and energized, Daddy and Mommy very tired. We hit up legal sea food for breakfast again since it was so good the first time, but this time it was mediocre at best (I think because of the time). We had a long layover so Aaron found a bench and took a nap and Amelia and I played and talked to Nana for the first time in days. There was a little boy, less than 1 year old near by who kept trying to hold Amelia's hand but she wasn't having that and gave him dirty looks insead. When we finally boarded the plane to NH we were ready to get home. Amelia and I slept the entire flight and Daddy read the book he bought on our trip.

Overall, Amelia was a very good flier and did well in the airports. She loved riding the plane and the moving walkways, escalators, and elevators. She would run down the walkways and when Daddy would say "Back Against the Wall" she would immediately stop and leaning against the wall until we caught up to her again and Daddy said "Ready, Set, Go".

My advice to people travelling with toddlers is to be brave. Be excited and hopefully they will be to.