Flight to Europe with 2 Toddlers

As I was gearing up for this 9 hour flight to visit Chris, I started to get a little bit anxious about how I was going to keep two toddlers occupied for that long in a confined space. It did ease some of my anxiety that we were going to be traveling over-night. But there is still a chance that kids won’t sleep if they’re not in their beds at home. (And there’s always a chance that Hunter won’t even sleep in his bed at home, as you all know haha.)

I do already have a blog post about traveling with small kids or toddlers, if you want to visit that, please feel free. There are a lot of great items in that one that will make traveling anywhere easier! I’ve learned a lot about do’s and don’ts when traveling with kids, so I always like to share my experiences.

But this will be specific to long plane rides and airport situations. To start this off, you need to know that our flight was supposed to leave at 9:45pm, and we didn’t board until about 11pm. But we didn’t even take off until closer to midnight. And by that point, everyone was having a meltdown, because my kids usually go to bed between 7-8. My in-laws did travel with us, so they were also a big help with the kids!

Before Your Flight

To be honest, the trip was relatively easy. But I wanted to walk you through what it looked like for me, and tell you what I might have done differently, in case it can be helpful for anyone that is traveling long distances on an airplane with kids.

Hunter is potty trained, but he’s still little and has to use the bathroom often. This was the case when we left for the airport. So, if you have a little one that is newly potty trained, or currently potty training, I would strongly suggest that you give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport, in case you need to stop on the way to use the bathroom somewhere.

In this case, I would also suggest bringing pull-ups for your child that is new to potty training, because the lines at the airport can be long, especially traveling internationally. We had to get out of line to run to the bathroom to avoid an accident, and that’s when I realized this tip might be one of the most important ones. You also need to think about how long it will take you to get where you’re going, so pull-ups might be a good idea in case you can’t leave your seat to use the bathroom mid-flight (or car ride).

Another important rule of thumb is probably don’t give your kids water bottles before you reach the airport. I would wait as long as you can to give them anything to drink, to cut down on bathroom emergency situations.

Checking In For Our Flight

I did check my stroller at the gate, so I could use it through the airport. So they loaded it on the plane for me and I was able to use it when we got off the plane.

Long Flight Essentials

Once we got on the plane, Hunter went to sleep pretty quickly. Again, we were traveling at night and it was WAY past their bedtime. But, Gracie had a harder time going to sleep. I think she stayed up until about 2:30am (yikes). Thankfully I had her magnetic blocks, and her iPad, which kept her pretty occupied until she dozed off. I would make sure that you download shows on Netflix and Disney+ before-hand, because the airplane tvs didn’t work for us very well on the way there. So having shows pre-downloaded was a lifesaver!

I really loved these airplane sling seats for this trip! They were so helpful getting them to fall asleep. These made attempting to hold Gracie so helpful for me! I also thought the airplane window cupholders were a good find for this trip, too! I do feel like they’re more ideal for like a plastic water bottle or cup, but they did the trick for our Hydrojugs!

To Avoid Jet Lag

In London we stayed in the King’s Cross area, which was a slight drive from the airport. We did keep the kids awake when we got off the plane and throughout the day to help with the jet-lag situation. The first night I put Gracie to bed at 7:30, and she slept until about 9 the next morning. I put Hunter down at about 7:30, too. But he was up at 6am, per usual. Haha. So I do recommend trying to keep them up, depending on the time difference, just to keep from melting down throughout your first couple of days. I was really surprised at how well the kids did with the jet-lag situation, but I do think all of the stroller naps helped a ton, too!

The Flight Home

Coming home wasn’t difficult either. I was stressed before the flight, because we had some late nights/busy days leading up to flying home. And Chris left basically in the middle of the night (3am) before we did, so I expected really big emotions and meltdowns. Plus, the flight was in the middle of the day. But all in all, the kids did great!

We arrived at the airport at 8:30am for an 11:50 flight, and it was perfect! Security really didn’t take long to get through, either. I feel like it was because of the time. There was barely anyone there that early in the morning. Checking our bags did take a while, though. So I still think getting there 3 hours early, to give yourself plenty of time, is a good idea! We were able to get all checked in and settled, then eat breakfast there. So I do recommend flying early for your return, if you can.

In-Flight Meals

I did want to add in this great tip, that I didn’t know about until my travel agent, Jordan, told me about it: Before your flight, you can actually select a kids’ meal or vegan meal option in the Delta app! They have different options that you can choose from there, which was great! So I made sure to do that ahead of time. There is usually a more adult option, then a kids’ option that will be more appealing for them. It also occupies them for a little bit.

The Journey

Our flight left at noon, and the kids did great until about 3! I was honestly surprised at how well they did. They fell asleep around 3, and it was pretty smooth flying after that. We did use the sling seats again for their naps, because they really were amazing to have! Before they fell asleep, we used their iPads a good bit. The magnetic blocks and kinetic sand were great items to have, as well! They help keep their hands busy, and kept my sanity intact. We also played with these sticker books that I found on Amazon, and the Mini Voyager travel kits, which were a great find!

Another good recommendation is an Airfly bluetooth transmitter for your bluetooth headphones or whatever you choose! I used it for my Raycons and was able to connect them to the airplane tv!

Everywhere in Europe is small. So, too much stuff is NOT ideal. Lol. So just make sure to pack according to your destination. It was just a little tight everywhere we stayed. And I thought I packed light!!! Strollers and car seats are one of the bigger (literally) issues here, because there really isn’t anywhere to store them anywhere you stay. But more on that later…

When we arrived back in the States, getting off the plane and getting ours bags took a little while. So I wouldn’t stress too much about getting off the plane in a hurry, because our bags hadn’t even made it to baggage claim by the time we got there. I don’t know if that is the case for all international flights, but it certainly was for us. I just wouldn’t add too much pressure to yourself over it, to save on stress.

Overall, the travel day wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated before-hand. I am grateful that my in-laws were traveling with me. But still, there can be so many challenges to traveling with small kids, so I hope this eases some of that for you, if you’re planning a long trip!