Traveling with Small Children??

How do you feel about a rented carseat? Do you want one for the plane? Some rental car companies to rent carseats, but you want to make sure that you are comfortable with it. Try to keep the 6 month old up before the flight so that s/he sleeps as much as possible while flying. As far as packing, will you have access to washer/dryer? Maybe buy bulky stuff, like diapers once you get there? You can also look at prices of shipping some luggage via ups/fedex, to see if that is cheaper than the checking charges. Sorry, I can't think of anything else.

I would take your own carseats and check them. i am not familiar with all airlines, but Southwest allows an extra 2 items per person when traveling with children. i would rather have seats i am familiar with and know are safe. just check the airline's website for their guidelines. if they charge, pack light, and find a place where you could do laundry. try to share suitcases. take LOTS of food. they don't offer much on the plane.

I would not get car seats from the rental agency. They are very expensive and you don't know what you will get. We got zippered car seat bags (you can get them for @$10) to protect our car seats in the luggage process. We did not bring the seats on the plane, but checked them. We found it very nice to use the extra space in the car seat bags (which are free to check) for some of our heavy items (shoes, books, etc) that might make our luggage overweight.

New toys/books/coloring books, videos, card games come in handy too! My kids have multiple food allergies, so we always bring on lots of food...esp. their favorites and healthy treats. The airlines will let you bring on sippy cups & bottles, but you should present them at security and they will test them with a vapor detector device to be sure they are not explosives.

I once had all but one "blue ice" pack taken from me, so don't bring a lot of those.

Get there on the early side so you don't have to stress about the bottle check, extra diaper changes/potty stops...because they will happen! Don't stress about what the people on the plane are thinking! I have had great experiences virtually every time I've travelled with my boys. Most people have kids in their life and know that kids are kids and are friendly.

Have a great trip!

Lucky you've got your husband to go along & help!
>wear the baby, sling or otherwise, keeping hand free for preschooler
>wait until the last minute to get on the plane.
>keep the baby awake so he/she will sleep on the plane, nurse during take-off & landing to alleviate ear issues.
>car seats aren't much good on planes (mine would never stay in it), if you can check it, do so; otherwise look for options in GA to rent one, or borrow from a buddy (tho' I know this isn't exactly on the up 'n' up, could purchase one from WalMart or similar then return when the weekend is over)
>snacks & sippies for sure, and I second the new toy idea, magnetic shape toys are awesome for travel, keep'em squirreled away until kiddo gets pretty bored
>also let the preschooler pack their own little backpack for the flight, allow them to be involved in the decision making, i.e. snacks; and talk-talk-talk about what it'll be like for the trip pre-, on plane, & post-plane, what you expect of him/her, get some plane travel books from the library to prep

>just understand that it's a LOT for them, and it's a LOT for you...if you need a break, take one, they're bound to have a meltdown at some point (they're little) but mamas don't have to take the same head trip...we're supposed to be the grown-ups!
Good job mommin'!

You can bring your own car seats or you can rent them from rental car agencies. We always brought our own, since car seats and strollers are free to check and I was worried about them being dirty or smelling like smoke, etc. We got a big bag with wheels from babies r us to put the giant one in for moving through the airport and protecting it from baggage handlers. I've also seen a thing from One Step Ahead that is like a set of wheels with a handle, that you put under the car seat and then sit the kid in it and just wheel them through the airport. Other tricks are to minimize the time on the plane for whoever is going to be the bigger challenge to keep entertained. So my husband would get on early (families travelling with small children board first) with one child (the more content one) and as much junk as possible, to get the overhead space and get situated. Then I would wander the gate with the "problem child" until the absolute last second...literally we were the last to get on the plane. Why make your trip longer by entertaining them for a half hour before take off? Also, for your 3.5 yr old...try to get help from the stewardess-this really depends on if you have a good one or not. A friend of mine was on a plane and the stewardess took her 3 yr old and had them "help" hand out pretzels to the other people on the plane...it used up like half an hour and the kid was thrilled! But I've been on planes where my husband was in the back by the bathrooms, where there was like a little area of space (not in the aisle) trying to let my son get some time away from his seat and the stewardess was a "you know what" and said he needed to get him back in his seat, even though the seat belt sign was not on. We flew last week, and our stewardess brought my son a little packet with crayons and coloring book right when we sat down, and little airplane wings for him which was nice. It was southwest. Bring a portable DVD player with a full battery and Disney movies also, if your kids sit for them. Also, snacks and drinks are good to have, also maybe a new toy they've never seen before to entertain them. Oh, and lollipops for take off and landing to help with the ears popping. Good luck and have a great trip!