Tips for Plane travel with Kids

We are getting ready for our next 6 hour plane ride in a couple of weeks and I thought I would share a few things that have really helped us survive our trips in the past.

• Drop the luggage (and your spouse and children) off at the curb.
    Unless you are taking a cab to the airport or getting a ride, you have to figure out a way to get all your luggage and all of your family onto that plane before it takes off.  I remember (before Ethan) when Derek and I each had a roller carry-on bag and his and hers laptops.  We made it from the front door of the airport to the plane in under 20 minutes without fail.  Then we had a baby.  Now we have 3 huge bags, a car seat and whatever else we manage to find that we just HAVE TO HAVE with us on our trips.  From our first trip after Ethan's birth (when he was 7 weeks old), our policy was that the driver dropped the passenger, all the luggage AND THE BABY off on the front curb.  The driver then drove to the parking lot that seemed to be miles away.  The dropped-off person can either choose to transport said child in a backpack or a stroller--dealer's choice.  When it's me, I prefer the backpack because I like to have my hands free.  A stroller means you are going to get stuck pushing with at least one hand.  Either way, this is better than the alternative.  On my last trip I watched a family of five try to get their luggage onto and off of the parking lot shuttle bus and it was not pretty.  That's a lot of carrying that you wouldn't have to do if you had just swung in front of the terminal before going to the parking lot. 
• Pay the nice porter for curbside check-in.  At $2 a bag for cheap people such as ourselves, that $8 can really put a dent in the old wallet.  Of course, instead of trying to lug a baby, 3 bags and a car seat into the airport, you never have to pick up your luggage again until you reach the other side of your journey.  Well worth the $8 to me.
• Leave a little extra time so you can make your children walk.  If you are going on a long plane ride, there is going to be plenty of sitting time.  We always try to get to the airport early enough so that after we pass through security, we let Ethan walk the rest of the way to the plane.  We need to leave more time because Ethan is the slowest walker in the world and is easily distracted.  It may take a while to get to our destination but he is guaranteed to be all tuckered out by the time we get there.  It certainly raises our chances that he will take a nap at some point on the plane or that he will be content to just sit.

These tips have saved me either lots of time or lots of stress.  Hope they can do the same for you.