Airplane Travel

I would suggest to step by @ Whole foods and ask their advise. They do have gentle remedies like rescue spray or dietary supplement "L-Theanine" that worked very well for me to come me down on the plane, but I don't know if it's ok for children.

Benadryl works great for my boys (3 and 19 months). They have been traveling since they were born. My 3 yr old gets motion sickness really bad so benadryl helps with that as well. I usually give it to them right before we board and they're usually settled down or asleep right after take off.

Good Luck

I'll try not to repeat what has already been said. I am pretty sure that the TSA (security) makes exceptions for formula or breast milk in baby bottles. I would take one full bottle for each and tell security that it is special formula or breast milk. It worked for me when my son was younger. Also I know you will be busy getting ready for your trip but try to play with them as much as possible before the flight. Wear them out. Let them crawl or walk around at the airport and then you can just clean them up with wet-ones. Better to get all that energy out before the flight.

Hi Heather,

I've flown many times with my son, now 15 months, but I imagine its a lot harder with twins! I encourage my son to be active and mobile in the airport, before boarding the plane, because it makes sitting a bit easier. If your boys are walking already, you might want to try backpack harnesses ... I find it makes me more secure in a crowded area. Then, when we are in the plane, I pull out a few toys, encourage him to play with the table, etc., and when all that begins to lose its allure, I pull out the cheerios. Those are great because they take a long time to eat, and don't have much sugar to make him more hyper. We often leave a trail of cheerios in our path, but I figure that's preferable to spending a long flight with a cranky toddler. Good luck!

We've put our son's carseat (and if we go now that we have 2, we'd do it for the younger) in the plane and had him sit in it. It makes it more like a car ride. If you are going by yourself with them, it may be the one thing you can do to keep you sane. We flew once and put the car seat under the plane and ended up waiting at the airport for about 3 hours to have it come in on a separate flight because it didn't make it on ours (even though we were there an hour and half early) and we couldn't go anywhere without his carseat. You may have to get something to help you carry everything if you do that, but the steward's and stewardesses should be willing and able to help you board the plane if you need it. We've also found that a stroller is helpful. If you are traveling alone, that may not be an option. If they walk, the little back-pack "leashes" would be wonderful. Just give yourself PLENTY of time to get through the airport and hold tight to them

GOod luck. I'd probably drive in your situation.

I have flown several times with my twin girls from the time they were 8 wks old. You're right that dr hasn't had to deal with his/her own kids on a flight before (or forgets). I remember my first flight with them they had horrible reflux and I was scared to death they would projectile on some poor person sitting by us! They hardest part is getting all their stuff through security and on the plane through the narrow hallway. Make sure to be organized! Number one...give them 1/4 tsp of benadryl and a dose of tylenol about 30 before take off. This will help them to relax and also help with any ear pressure. Number two...try to get them to drink their bottles during take off. I usually held off on their feeding a bit so they would be hungry. Also the DVD player always works great and some special candy they don't usually get that takes awhile (my girls favorite was a blow pop). Other than that it they aren't too mobile yet it should be pretty easy. It gets harder the more mobile they are and they don't want to sit anymore. Just a warning. Good luck. If you have any ?s about anything else let me know, I've probably dealth with it.

A big issue for flying with small children is the change in air pressure -- they can't clear their ears. There are different things you can take and have them use during take-off and landing -- depends on your child. For little ones, a bottle or a pacifier works for the sucking motion (or nurse little lap babies). As they get older, take gummy worms, gummy bears or regular chewing gum. The chewing motion clears their ears.

We traveled around Easter once and took the big plastic Easter eggs filled with small treats, like those tiny boxes of raisins and tiny stickers from the $1 store. My son stickered the in-flight magazine, the barf bags, etc. Every time he started getting bored, we popped out another egg. On the return trip, the eggs were great for waiting at the airport -- we would take turns hiding them around our seat area (not very crowded that day).

Another thing that worked well for us on flights and road trips was to buy a whole bunch of small things and wrap them up like presents. We got Hot Wheels cars, tiny board books, etc. Wrap each small item up separately. When they get bored, pull out another present. Unwrapping is 1/2 the fun and it's exciting to get something new.

Finally, we bought one of those portable DVD players and two sets of cheap headphones. We wait to use it until needed for my sanity -- it has been a lifesaver!

Heather when I travel with my little girl I take a small DVD player and movies that she likes. It really helps. I'm a Flight Attendant and see it alot with other Moms also. Colors help too. Good Luck...I know how difficult it is with one I can't imagine two. Although I know I would love it!!

We just traveled with our 18 mth old grandaughter and the benedryl her mom gave her seemed to work for the most part. If you have a portable DVD player or laptop, or can borrow one and bring some kid dvd's that might work for you to entertain them for a while. Our little one loves the baby einstein series and it really occupied her. Good luck!

If you are going to use Benadryl make sure it is for the reasons for which the medicine is made. My pedi suggested Benadryl not to drug my kid into compliance, but b/c it helps with the ears. My daughter was prone to ear problems and we used Benadryl at home as well as in the air to help relieve those symptoms. I would recommend, as others have, to try it at home first to see what side effects it may have. Learning the side effects thousands of feet in the air is a bad place to be.

I have traveled with both of my girls since they were tiny. Some days are better than others. Some times the flight attendants were great, other times not so great. Some of the things we did to make it a little easier:
1. We have a portable DVD player. We would take Baby Einstein shows at first and those were great b/c you don't have to have the sound on (or mess headphones) to still enjoy watching them. Since my oldest is a little bigger now (she's 5) we take a couple of Disney movies. S he gets to pick them out and they both have headphone to wear on the plane. This is a special treat b/c we don't use the DVD player unless we are on a trip (4+ hours in the car or on a plane).
2. Snacks. Lots and lots of them. I take them to the store and they get to pick their snacks for the trip (mind you my youngest just turned 1 and was able to participate at 10 months). These are special snacks that they are only allowed to have once on the plane and settled. It's fun to get special treats.
3. Magnetic puzzles. They are awesome. The pieces stay put and we don't have to worry about trying to pick them off the floor.
4. The Sky Mall magazine. We do a picture hunt in the magazine. We look for different animals, watches, a boy, a girl, etc. It's fun and it takes some time to go through it.
5. Crayons. We decorate the air sick bag and mail it to Nana and Pawpaw when we get where we are going.

I hope you have a great trip and that things go well for you! Let's us know how it goes!

When I took my son on an airplane for the first time my doctor told me to give him Benadryl. I twould of course make him sleepy and dry out his ears so they won't pop. That made since to me, but I had never given him Benadryl before. He had the opposite reaction...it made him so much more hyper! He has ADHD and that is common... So you may want to try it before you take them on the airplane!

I travelled from Germany to the United States with a one year old and she surprised me by being an angel.
With two, you will have your hands full. Alert the airlines when making your reservation to assist in picking out your seats with added leg room. Take an additional blanket to sit on the floor just in case the car seat (in the seat) makes their bottom sore or they are tired of sitting., takes lots of snacks, juice and little toys that they have never seen before.
Stay calm or they will know soemthing is wrtong! :)
You will do great as long as you are making an effort to keep a handle on things. People are pretty tolerant if they see that.
When my little was getting too wiggly in my lap or miving too much on the floor, I would just strap her back in her car seat and she was stuck there and she even liked it - gave her some security.
You'll be fine. Let us know how it goes!
Twin boys! How wonderful! C

Just a warning - Benadryl seemed to hype up my kiddo. We used when he was sick a couple of times. He didn't sleep a bit. I was certain he would since Benadryl conks me out.

I've flown with our 13-month old son three times so far. "Toys and snacks" is a good recommendation. Also, I would not hesitate to give the boys a pacifier or bottle to calm them down, if needed. You will probably find that they sleep for a good portion of the trip. The airplane tends to lull babies to sleep.

Another tip - use overnight diapers (Huggies makes them) or diaper doublers. We changed my son into one right before boarding and with the overnight diaper, he made it the whole flight. We then immediately changed him after we got off the plane. It worked really well.

Good luck - I know it's nerve wracking before the first flight, but it's not that bad. I've actually heard it's harder as they get older and really want to move around and don't nap. Enjoy your trip!

Hi heather, as I had traveled with my baby but the longest trip we had done is about one hour on airplane, she did fine, I just put her ear drops (the name is A/B ear drops qua, and was prescripted especially for this from the pediatrician), cause one of the causes they scream is cause they can not popped their ears for the pressure on the airplane , the toys and snacks are good idea also.
They wont be seat al the time, so its fine if you carry them for little while or let them move around one by one for a little while also. Ok I hope this help, bye.

Are you taking their carseats? My son does great in the car and when I strapped him in in his own seat on the plane it was like a big car ride to him. Of course I added some extra toys, snacks, books, etc. I do also recommend having them drink from their bottle on take-off's and landings to help with their ears and we've done the DVD thing too. Good luck with your flight.

One time we asked for the bulkhead seats (front row) and that was nice to have a tiny bit more room.
However.... one tiny note--- on a long long flight, we were bulkhead center of the plan and the movie screen was 5 feet from our faces!! oh well....

Hi Heather! I'm a SAHM to two sets of twins, ages 4 1/2 and 18 months. We just got home from a plane trip that had us riding 2 1/2 hours then running to a connecting flight for another 2 1/2 hours. I feel your pain! I've flown with the boys before when they were younger, so I had the advantage of knowing to plan the flights somewhere around naptime which helped with at least one flight. But other than that, what everyone says is true - you have to pack some special things that will capture their attention and their favorite snacks. This was much easier with the older boys because some new colors/books along with a portable dvd player worked wonders. With the babies, it was harder, and we had some stressful moments, but their ears popped fine (one uses a binky and the other sucks her thumb, and we had their sippy cups and a snack out to help as well.), they snacked, they glanced at their brother's movie, we played peek-a-boo and sang songs and read books. You name it, we did it. But you've flown with them before so you probably already know all this. It does change as they get older though, so I wish you the best of luck! Like everything else with twins, it's not easy, but somehow you survive.

I am not above drugging them with a little Benadryl, but everyone's right, you have to test it out first.

Also, I don't know what stroller you plan on taking, but I've found it much easier to just take two umbrella strollers and each person push one child. The airplane will beat the tar out of your double stroller, and it's harder to maneuver with all those people. Having just one child allowed each of us to also carry things over our shoulders and easily maneuver through the airport.

I hope you have a great flight and enjoy your trip! I hope you find an option that works for you and your boys!

I can't speak for traveling with twins, but my daughter has flown everywhere with me since she was 5 mos. old, and it's easier than you may think. Lots of toys and snacks, of course, but we also give a teensy dose of tylenol before takeoff and landing to pre-empt any pain in the ears. It works great and spares my daughter pain. The one time I didn't have any with me, she was miserable and screaming while we were landing. All of the suggestions here are good. (Well, I don't do the benadryl thing, but that's my personal choice, not a condemnation of others who do use it.)

I would add that washable markers are nice, because even little ones like your boys like to scribble. If the marker wanders off of the paper, you can use a wipe to clean up the tray tables, seat backs, windows, etc. We also love the Color Wonder products. Whatever you do, avoid Play Doh, because it crumbles everywhere. Crayola Model Magic doesn't crumble and it's sort of like Play Doh. And dvds are absolutely great.

Hope this helps. You and the boys will be fine.

Toys are good. I try and get the bulkhead area so they can go on the floor. When you are checking in,ask if you can be switched. Good luck!

I flew with my 2 when they were 2 months and 20 months old. THey both loved it! I did not and would never medicate them when they are not sick. That is not what medicine is for and its dangerous. Take toys and for sure their favorite snacks. If they use pacifiers, take those. Maybe a favorite blanket or something.

I would be very careful when it comes to medicating children to travel. I know many parents give Benadryl thinking it will knock them out, but there are other dangers to that. Many people don't realize that while antihistamines do typically cause drowsiness, in some people they actually have the reverse effect and cause hyperactivity. That's the last thing you need on a flight! I also have small children, and fly quite a bit to visit family out of state. It's always an adventure, but thankfully the flight always lands and we have learned a couple tricks- First of all, even though you likely didn't purchase tickets for 11-month-old babies, ask when you check in if there are any empty seats on the plane. They are usually very willing to move things around to accomodate passengers with children, because they want the children happy too! I've found that if my kids can be buckled in their car seats on their own seat, then it's just like we're in a car and they know they can't get out. Try getting a few new toys that they've never seen before to hold their interest. Do you have a portable DVD player? If not, invest in one! They are quite inexpensive now, and well worth the $$. I usually don't let my littlest one watch TV, but a little Baby Einstein, Elmo, or Little People DVDs will go a long way on a trip. Good luck! Try not to stress yourself out about it (easier said than done, I know!) but I'm a firm believer that babies can sense our stress and react accordingly. Happy Travels!

We fly a lot and I always have to tell myself that I bought these tickets and I'll be sorry if my kids are a mess on a flight but that's how life goes sometimes. I don't like it when I am stuck next to someone that snores, stinks, or is too big for their seat - so someone else might not like it if my kids are a little loud or cry a little bit.

A couple of things...DVD's do work great but they require head sets now and my 14 month old refuses the ear phones. Also, I don't know how your kids are with ear issues, but when my baby cries on a flight it's usually because his ears hurt more than just being bored. I think it's OK to give them something at that point to ease the pain. It's not that you're medicating, your helping comfort them just like we take meds for a headache.

Also...they LOVE the windows so if you have help on the flight it might be easier to split up and get 2 window seats so they can look out and play with the window shade :)

Good luck!!

Heather,
You didn't say if someone else would be traveling with you but if so, and if the twins are riding in your laps instead of their own seats, you will have to sit in different rows or across from each other because there won't be enough oxygen masks. We learned this traveling with our twins. I never gave mine benadryl but wouldn't have hestitated to do it if they got to be out of control. Mine usually fell asleep on the plane when they were that age. We flown with them many times and it was never unmanageable. I found it to be easier not to sit in an aisle seat because then they wanted to run/crawl in the aisles. People overall have been very nice and I think they are even nicer when you have twins. A few times the flight attendant even played with them and carried them around the plane. Good luck and have fun!
Cara

Our Ped prescribed numbing eardrops which really helped with the pain of take off and landing. LOTS of snacks...I mean GOOD snacks, the kind that they rarely get. I travel with my (now 14 month old) daughter alot and I have ound that buying 4-5 new tiny toys and books and wrapping them each in a krinkly bag and then giving her a new one every 30 minutes or so keeps her pretty entertained. If they are in the stage where they like to take things out of boxes or bags and put them back in bring each a ziploc bag with interesteing things in it (a block, a chewy toy, a cotton ball, a silk scarf and let them go to town. It has been the most effective entertainment tool (and smallest to pack) for my daughter on all of our flights at that age.

Good luck! Just do your best and don't worry what people think.

Yes, lots of toys and snacks are the key! Maybe a little tote with "new" toys and snacks??You can get them from the dollar store.

How would Benadryl make your trip easier? That medicine is for allergies/allergic reactions. Benadryl can both make a child drowsy or hyper..I'm sure you wouldn't want to make them hyper and I know, being the good mommy that you are, you wouldn't think of making them drowsy so that they are more manageable right? Your pediatrician, no matter what age, has been around more kids than you can imagine and knows what is going on when some kids fly,no matter what the child's behavior is. So, if it's your boys who "scream, don't want to sit in your lap and have big time stranger danger",,now would be a good time to try to learn how to change that behavior or learn how to deal with it...not drug it.

And I'm not trying to assume you meant to drug them, it's just with the given info from your request, it sounds like that's what you have in mind...to make them drowsy.

Maybe bring your laptop or DVD player also.

I have been flying with children since mine were babies, and that's what I did..movies, new toys and snacks, sippy cups and paci..and if you have to maybe take them to the back of the plane mid-flight, that's ok! People understand babies are scwermy!

The best advice I can give you. I always tried my best to make sure and put a pacifier in my baby's mouth through take off and landing. It helps them make the transition during the change in the pressure within the ears. As adults we can usualy yawn, blow our nose or chew gum and it is no big deal.

Although from very personal experience I now try not to even fly if I am sick. Of course, life happens and that may not always be realstic.

My experince on a plane ride:

My husband and I went on a plane trip many years ago (although it sees like yesterday). I was completely well when we got on the plane and the trip there was fine. However I got sick just before we left. I generally try my best to avoid medicine......but I had no idea what could happen. While I was on the plane; because, I was sick I could not adjust my ears to the pressure change. I have never endured so much pain in my life and I have had 2 kids one with no epideral until they had to do a c-section (after 2 hours of pushing) and a second child by c-section. I was crying and chewing on napkins...anything to stop the pain...until we landed I just had to deal with it...now I would take medicine if I were sick and had to fly :-)

Hope this helps!
E.

Hi Heather,

I am not sure if you have left or not, but I just got home from my daughter's first roundtrip plane ride. She is 13 months old and has an easy going personality. However, the plane trips were horrible. My friend's 24 month old did better, but he is old enough to better understand what is going on, take lollipops, etc.

HOWEVER, I do think that the trip went poorly because she has ear problems. She had tubes in April and they have been wonderful. I even went to the Dr. to have her ears checked and got the "ok" to fly. I think she was in a lot of pain and inconsolable. I was upset and stressed. However, the flight attendants were wonderful. They found a mother with some ear drops to help. I was not sure what they were, but after 30 minutes of pacing, swinging, rocking, etc, I was desperate, so I used them. They really helped. It is called Opticaine, and it is an Rx.

I called the Ped. after we landed and found out that she cannot have the drops because she has tubes (oops), but this one time should not be a problem (phew). Their only suggestions were everything I had done - packed a bunch of toys and snacks she had never seen before; try to get her to eat or drink during takeoff. She no longer takes a pacifier or bottle. She was mid-sippy cup when she started to get upset. For the trip home, I decided to give her the Benadryl. I felt bad about it because it was against what I would have preferred to do. Also, I did not have time to try it and was scared it would make her hyper, but could not imagine anything worse than our departing flight and tried it. Our trip back was better. She still got upset, but I was able to console her and get her to rest on the way home.

So, after that long story, my suggestion would be that if the boys don't have tubes, skip the Benadryl and get some Opticaine for an "in case of emergency, break glass" use to help with any ear pain. I don't know if you really need the Benadryl if it's just for the concern that they could be difficult to manage on the flight. It sounds like they will probably do great.

If they can fly without the ear pain giving them much trouble, I would go with the previous recommendations of lots of snacks and toys to entertain them. I went to the dollar store beforehand and really stocked up on toys and books. It was inexpensive, and once she was calm, they gave her something to do on the plane. In addition, my friend's son (who does not have ear problems) flew quite a bit before the age of 1. He was fortunate enough that his ears did not hurt and just needed to be entertained.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

If you're thinking about giving them Benadryl during the trip, give it a trial run a few days before you leave. We tried this once with my daughter when she was about three, and even though it had made her sleepy on other occasions (when she was sick and really needed it), it made her hyper that time! She's was a fairly cooperative little girl, but she was jumping all over us for hours after the rest of us were ready to sleep!

Do NOT DRUG your child to make a trip easier. It's WRONG!!! I agree with your Dr, bring everything and anything it might take to keep them occupied. Try to keep them awake as much as possible before the trip so maybe they will sleep on the plane.
I have two sons and traveled quite a bit when they were little to my parents. The trips were not always easy, but they were drug free.

Ours will be 11mo next week. We just got back from a long weekend plane trip. They did really well. We tried to get flights around their usual nap time, which helped a little. We packed some board books, which they love to chew on, and some snacks, which helped ease the taking off and landing. One still uses a pacifier to sleep so that helped him a lot. We didn't use anything the first time they flew (they were 7 mo) and they slept throught the whole thing! This trip they hollered a little but it was bearable.

ONE WORD.....DVD player or movies on your IPOD! I haev two boys it works like a charm!

Heather-
Don't give them Benadryl, I totally agree with your Dr.
Great ideas below.....new toys, books and get ready to become an entertainer throughout the flight.
I have traveled with an 11 month old from Germany to DWF before. That's a 10 and half hour flight!!!!!!!!!!!
Seems like I never shut up, singing, reading, talking just to have her occupied. It was all fine. If you are nervous, your babies will pick up on that and will be nervous too.
You all will be just fine.
Have a safe trip,
Agi

I am glad I stumbled across this message. We are traveling by plane in August with a 3 yr old and 7 yr old. I am more worried about my "just turned 3 yr old" than the boy. My thoughts are a little tylenol or benadryl would possibly help them in case their ears pop on the plane. I don't see it as drugging them at all. Good Luck!

Heather,
I JUST got off the airplane 2 days ago with my 14 month old twin girls. I know your fears. Unfortunately, mine came true. The reality of the situation is that your kids will scream and they will squirm in your lap. I brought a TON of snacks, books, stuffed animals. The only things that worked were the books and snacks. I did consider giving them benadryl, but we didn't wind up doing that.
If you have more specific questions, please feel free to send me a PM. I have to admit, it was much harder than we anticipated, but just keep in mind, the flight will come to an end, eventually! ;o)
Best of luck.

Ive got twins too (3 years old) and what I do is buy a bunch of new, but cheap, toys right before the trip. Keep it in a backpack and dont let them see any of the toys until you are up in the air. It usually keeps them busy for awhile. Bring lots of snacks too. We invested in a portable dvd player on our last trip and I got some new videos for them and that helped a ton too. Good luck!

We use my son's DVD player all the time w/o headsets. It works great!

Heather,

I just wanted to tell you that I was worried about traveling last weekend with my 13-month-old daughter. I was flying alone, meeting my husband for a family reunion. I was very worried and anxious (it was her first time flying, I was alone, etc.) but then my daughter did great! So the only thing I would say is try to relax and not put additional stress on yourself because the twins could surprise you. Main things I worked on were having her drink her bottle/suck on her paci during takeoff, as others have said, for help with the ear pressure. I was worried about her sleeping because she is hard to get down under good circumstances, but she slept during almost all of the flights!

In terms of logistics, check with your airline to see how many ounces of liquid they will let you travel with. I was on American and they said 3 ounces only. Since my daughter is now drinking soy milk (no longer nursing) I had empty bottles, would get past security, and then go to Starbucks and have them fill a bottle for a flight.

Also, the "umbrella" strollers are a lot easier to fold up. Not sure if they make those for twins, but I know the airlines prefer those to the large strollers.

And, finally, if you're going through DFW, I by chance happened upon a little play area they had. It was great! I let my daughter run and play before the flight and she conked out once we got going.

Good luck. I hope things will go well on your journey.

My little one liked to peel off stickers and place them on the airplane tray tables. When the sticker page was empty then he moved the stickers from one tray table to the other! This activity (which uses a lot of fine motor skills) took up half our flight time! Also board books and coloring books. Games like peek-a-boo, where's my nose (ear, eyes, hair, etc.), and patty cake are long-time favorites. You also might want to bring a couple paci's, blankies & sippy cups in case they decide to fall asleep. Have a great trip!!!

We are going out of town next week also and it will the first plane ride for our 22 month old. I asked my Pedi yesterday and he strongly suggested Benadryl about 30 min. before we board. Sounds like you have a conservative pediatrician. I would call and just ask the nurse to verify for you the correct dosage in the event you need it for "allergies" while you are out of town. That way you will know the dosage and can you use it if you feel it's necessary. I remember when my son was that age the dosage was 1/4 tsp. every 6 hours. I will be using it next week for sure because he is SOOO active and will not sit still for a minute. I don't want any of us to be miserable and esp. not the people around us. Sure don't want to be on the news for being kicked off a plane for an unruly child. LOL!! Good luck and have a safe flight!

We have traveled a lot with our twins and I know how difficult it is and how active they are! One time I called the nurse helpline at my pedi's office and she had some good ideas so you could try that. She suggested I bring small toys and wrap them. I got slinky's and those little plastic tonka cars. She said it would take a while for them to unwrap the gift and then there would be a toy to play with. But I'm not sure if your boys are old enough for this yet. Another idea she had was to bring tape for them to play with. I would also wait as long as possible to get on the plane. As far as food, maybe bring something new that you are pretty sure they will like b/c this could hold their attention for longer. Good luck!

I am surprised to see that people drug up their kids to stay calm in the airplane and think it is ok. I travelled with my boy since he was 6 weeks old and we had good and bad flights, that's just how it is. Every flight was different, but there are other solutions than giving your kid drugs to be calm. I always packed lots of snacks they usually don't get like smarties and also I bought some new toys for the flight, that would keep them occupied.
Sorry, but I read that all the time here that moms give their children Benadryl or Tylenol to be calm. I don't have any problem giving my children medicine when they are sick, but to give them something when they are not sick, so I have it easier has never crossed my mind.

Heather--benadryl works but I'd try it out before you travel with both kids. Sometimes it works to "hype up" children. When we traveled with my son I used the sticker idea and it worked. Also, you can find soft toys like letter puzzles that will helps with distraction and won't hurt a passenger if thrown. Buy a few toys--doesn't have to be expensive--and introduce one at a time. I assume your boys aren't walking yet but when they do, I bought the monkey backpack with tail. I know a lot of mom's don't like the idea but I believe it was more important for me to always keep my child close to me in the airport but allow him to walk and move--opposed to what it looked like. My son loved it and thought he was so "big boy" with a monkey on his back (helped with bathroom trips). I saw several other children with the backpack/leash. Good luck!

Our flight leaves tomorrow at 5:45 AM! Crayola makes large crayons that are triangluar for a tripod grip, I bought them so they won't roll away! I also bought Crayola markers that have a lid that slides around to the back slide because they do not roll and no lost lid. Just don't forget the paper. Target has small notebooks in the dollar spot right now.

According to TSA's website babies and toddlers can travel with formula, breast milk, and juice above 3 oz. (I am wondering about regular milk. I'm worried if any airport stores are open a 4:30 in the morning.)

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm

I just got off a plane Monday with my 14-mo-old (1 1/2 hour + 4 hour flights). We also flew with her at 12 mos and 11 mos (all our family is out-of-state). It's a lot of work, but you can do it! I second your pedi's recommendation--lots of toys, snacks, books, etc. Finger puppets are great at this age, since the kids want to figure out how they work. I'm usually pretty regular about feeding times, but all that's out the window on an airplane--my DD can have just as many goldfish as she wants, whenever she wants, as long as she's happy. Pack small things, and a lot of them, so you can change up activities all the time--you know 11-mo-olds have the attention spans of gnats! I'm also not usually a big one for electronic toys, but bring a couple of things with buttons to push that will makes noises and lights--that will hold their attention longer than most things (my dd has a fisher price "cell phone" that's a travelling standard). If possible, bring toys and books that are either new, or that your kids haven't seen for a while, to add to the novelty. Bring pacis and bottles to help with the ears--have them suck away during take-off and landing. Sing, play patty-cakes, head-shoulders-knees-and-toes, and everything else you can imagine. While at altitude with smooth going, my DD will actually sit on the floor at my feet and play--I'll sit cross-legged, or put my feet in my husband's lap. When the real itches set in, take them for a walk up and down the aisle. As for the benedryl, I've used it for older kids (3 and 5) while a nanny (I flew on vacations with the family), but DO NOT use it on your kids if you never have before--according to my BFF, who's a pedi, Benedryl knocks out about 70% of kids, but makes the other 30% hyper. You do NOT want to discover that your DS is in that 30% on an airplane! And finally, make sure that everyone is well-rested before you start the trip--my DD never sleeps well on a plane, but Monday did not sleep AT ALL. She fell asleep as soon as we got in the car, and I was sound asleep by 8:30! Good luck! It's a long day, but you'll be fine!

They will have issues going up and going down with their ears popping, so something they can chew that is chewy will help with that. We give my toddler Starburst for that. If they are too young for Starburst, get a sippy cup that makes them SUCK and make sure it is a beverage that they don't usually get so that they will be sure to suck it down. And if you have access to a DVD player from friends or family, movies are GREAT! Go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of new toys that you bring out at the top of every hour so that they are constantly playing with something new. And since it is the dollar store, it won't cost a fortune! That should keep them occupied.