Traveling with Twins: How Do I Get Everything and Everyone on the Plane?
Welcome to TwinGo Carrier's Traveling With Twins Series, where each week we will answer new questions about the logistics of traveling with twins. We'll help you coordinate everything from stroller storage to in-flight baby soothing, and everything in between. Heading on a trip with your twins this summer? Fear not! We've got you covered.
Traveling with your twins, triplets, or more can be overwhelming and there’s usually a lot of questions about logistics going through a parent’s mind. Summer is coming and I’m getting lots of questions about flying as people plan summer vacations. It can be very stressful taking babies on a plane and that intensifies when you have more than one child to worry about. Many of these tips are general tips for flying with a baby and some of my adapted tips that are particular to flying with lots of toddlers and babies. We regularly fly domestically and internationally with my now 1-year-old twins and 2.5-year-old singleton. Hopefully these answers will help you understand some of the regulations and choices you have when flying and some extra tips to make it as easy as going to the park for the day.
#6 How do I get everything and everyone onto the plane?
This was an unexpected hurdle the first time I flew with all three of my little ones. It was more stressful during the 20-minute boarding process than the whole flight. It’s worth planning ahead how you will handle boarding. We take a similar approach to security. I take the kids, which includes picking up our older toddler because he refuses to board, and my husband handles all the gate-checked items. Here are some of our tips for the boarding process:
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Get everything ready in the terminal. Have all the bags for gate-checked items already on as many items as possible. If we have a lot of gate checked items (usually car seats) then we bag our stroller at the end of the jet bridge and use it as a luggage cart. If we can carry everything we bag our stroller and carry it/pull it all the way down to speed up the process. Don’t forget that all gate checked items need a tag from the gate agent. They’ll likely remind you but it’s easier to get at your convenience rather than as you’re walking to the plane.
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Have the kids ready to go. This is where my TwinGo is essential again. If we use a stroller because of a long layover then I put them into the TwinGo with plenty of time to help my husband get everything else together to board. I have a double travel stroller that I can collapse and carry while I have them in the TwinGo if I’m by myself. You cannot take a stroller on board the plane and stowed overhead.
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Be sure to ask early if it’s possible to take any lap children’s car seats on board. They’ll probably tell you to come back 10 minutes before boarding but it’s worth asking early. They’ll tell you how likely it is and you can adjust your boarding plan.
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Have a way to get all the car seats you’re hoping to take all the way to your seats. We had to lift our old Britax car seat over the rows and you could only carry one per adult. We can wheel our smaller car seats in-between the seats and one adult can get two or more to our seats.
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Have anything you want for take-off ready in the terminal. When our girls took bottles, I would always make two (out of sight) right before boarding and stick them in my bag. It was one less thing to worry about in the cramped space while holding a wiggling baby. Then they were easy to pull out if one or both were fussy during take-off.
- Don’t forget about the flight attendants. It depends on your flight attendants but most of the time they offer to help us with bags or even carry a kid to our seats. Being friendly with them always makes our flight go better. We try to sit near the back of the plane where it’s easier to get their attention if we need something. Since we’re slow, we almost always get their help with getting off the plane.
Be sure to check out our other Traveling with Twins tips!
Q: Can My Baby Sit on My Lap?
Q: Should I Take My Stroller?
Q: What Should I Do About My Stroller?
Q: What Should I Bring on the Plane?
Q: How Do I Get All This Through Security, and What About Liquids?
Q: How Do I Get Everything and Everyone on the Plane?
Q: How Do I Survive the Flight?
Aja Harris is a mother of three toddlers and the wife of a US diplomat currently residing in Moscow, Russia. She frequently flies with her 2.5-year-old son and twin 1-year-old daughters around the world and throughout the United States. They have taken their children to over 15 US States and 4 countries via planes, trains, and automobiles. She hopes that this article encourages families to be adventurous and eases the worries of parents getting ready to fly with their little ones for the first time. You can follow the Harris family’s adventures on Facebook at The Wandering Chaos.
