Surviving a long haul flight with a toddler

Well we did it!

The post about how amazing Sri Lanka was is to follow, with a number of nauseating photos of gorgeous beaches and stunning surroundings. Firstly though, I must report on the flights; the part I was most dreading.

Outbound: London to Columbo – 10hrs night flight

I wasn’t too concerned about this one. It was the shorter of the two flights at 10hrs but the winner was that it was a night flight. We ran the children ragged at the Heathrow soft play area (stroke of genius having that there might I add!) whilst we sat watching… oh and drinking as many G&T as we could stomach!

Baby B is a good sleeper in the sense that he gets tired in the evenings regardless of where he is and will go to sleep. I figured that by the time the plane’s wheels had left the runway, he would drift into a peaceful sleep, to wake as the wheels touched down, 10hrs later, in Sri Lanka.

To be honest, that sort of did happen. What I didn’t envisage however, was that he would throw up and get a temperature of 39.5! This resulted in me sitting on the floor, staring at him for 10hrs, wondering how quickly they could land the plane if his temperature topped 40! In addition, Daddy A somehow found himself sat by the window sleeping soundly shortly after take off, until he woke up on fire with a temp and feeling sick! He returned from the toilet to tell me the news (he was sick!) then went back to his seat to  ‘sleep it off’. Wonderful. He’s a good fella but I didn’t need this!

So with both men sleeping soundly and the children spiralled over the middle bank of seats finally soundo, my dear friend Caela and I found ourselves sat on the floor wondering where it all went wrong! We didn’t even get a chance to see what films where on, let alone watch one!

Here is a selection of photos to sum up the flight:

The boys!

The sleeping arrangement

Musical plane seats

Inbound: Columbo to London – 11hr day flight (makes me feel a bit sick just writing it)

This was the one that filled me with dread. 11hrs trapped in the sky with 4, yes 4, children. Two toddlers and two babies. Hell on earth. Not helped of course by the time difference and the fact that half way through the flight it would essentially be bedtime.

What can I say? It was memorable. Not one I would forget in a hurry. Rather testing at times.  The longest flight of my life. All of those ditties spring to mind. I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t pretty. Between all of us we did what we had to do. There was crying, screaming, running, sleeping, den building, bribing, pleading and wine drinking.

I can only liken the flight experience to labour, the pain subsides and the memory fades, we will most likely do it all again next year.

So having done it and lived to tell the tale, here are the Up All Hours tips for surviving a long haul flight with children:

– Chose your seats wisely. If you can get the extra leg room seats do it. Having some space for them to stand/lie/build a den/throw a tantrum is invaluable;

– Load the iPad/tablet up with every episode of Peppa Pig ever created, including the bloopers and outtakes;

– If there is more then one child, buy two sets of headphones and a splitter , so they can watch the iPad together;

– Actually, just buy two of everything to mitigate against any potential sharing issues;

– Introduce new books/activities in stages throughout the flight. B must have thought Christmas had come again judging by the number of ‘presents’ he received on the flight home;

– Pack as many Calpol sachets that you can cram into that clear plastic bag;

– Don’t underestimate how many changes of clothes will be required. For you and the children;

– Pack nappies, lots of nappies, they know that the nappy changing facilities in aeroplane toilets are tight so they save up their poo’s. If your child is old enough, pull up nappies are a life saver,  and make a standing on the toilet nappy change possible;

– And finally, leave your pride and dignity at the plane door. It is about survival, not about worrying what the other passengers are saying about you under their breath!

*On reading this post my darling husband felt that he had been unfairly portrayed. On reflection, I agree that this is true. On the flight home, he was the backbone of the group. He made sure the milk supplies didn’t deplete, changed nappies, rocked babies and at one point, even scratched Caela’s nose for her when she was unable to move due to a sleeping child. Darling, honestly thank you 🙂 xx

Related posts:

An 11hr flight with a toddler A child free long haul business trip (Like the old days!) Packing for a holiday with a toddler.