Seat Arrangement on 737 - Burbank,CA

It worked best for my husband and I to split up and each sit in separate rows completely Each of us had 1 child next to us. It seems easier to manage 1 individually then try and share managing the needs of 2.

I would take the row of 3 and the aisle seat across so you are 4 in a row. Put one in the row of 3 and one parent across. That's probably the easiest. Worst case do one parent with each child in separate rows but you want to be close in case you want to switch children or if one of you has to use the bathroom and leave the kids.

Good luck!

Traveling with kids? You are so LUCKY! I LOVE traveling with my daughters. It is uninterrupted US time! We moved from Canada to Los Angeles when the girls were just 5 and 2…that trip was a little bit more than 8 hours LOL! Then 3 years later, we traveled for 10 months from Western Canada, to CA across the south to FL, then back to western Canada.
THEN, just last year we drove from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to Miami, Florida for a 4 month vacation.

I have spent “some” time in the car and on planes with my daughters. Plan correctly and before you know it, you will be there.

Here are the things we do:

1. We play ARE WE THERE YET? I use poker chips. They get 1 for every 30 mins we will be travelling. I set a timer (so I don’t forget – got both the timer and the poker chips at the dollar store) and each time it rings they give me a chip and we change activities. Two things happen, 1, they don’t keep asking are we there yet and 2. I know how many activities to plan out.
**I usually have a book of jokes and I read a few each time the timer goes off...just something else to look forward to.

2. Name that tune. We play their CDs, but just until we know the name of the song. That way “elmo” doesn’t make mommy crazy. **Throw some of your fav songs in there, it is a great way to introduce them to the kids. (I make a mixed CD before we lave home.

3. For sure give them their own backpack travel bag. A few of their special things, teddy bear, coloring book, things for a few minutes of their own quiet time. They also keep their own HEALTHY snacks.

4. 20 Questions. Remember, they can only ask yes or no questions to guess who you are thinking of…animals, people you know etc.

5. Play the colour game, letter game or number game. Cut up pieces of colored paper, make small pieces of the numbers 0-9 and the letters A-Z. You can put them in different bags or all in the same one. Everyone picks one. When they find it they put their piece of paper in their own bag and pick another one. When they are all gone you all blow kisses to the winner the person who has the most pieces of paper. **for the younger one, you will have to adapt. She picks a colour and you get to go for a short walk or you hold her up over your head until 3 finds 2 people wearing that colour. For number, you help her count, for letter have her find the letter in one of her books

6. Treasure Bottle – Great for all ages - I use a plastic food container with a really tight lid for this one. Fill it no more than 2/3 full with uncooked rice or birdseed. Then put in about 20-25 small objects (safety pin, plastic bugs, button, M&M, nut, bolt, paper clip, penny, bead, piece of macaroni, tiny lego, and other misc. toy pieces or stuff that is probably rolling around in your kitchen junk drawer.) Keep a count of the items and write down the number of items on the outside of the bottle.

7. I Spy – an oldie but a goodie.

8. The rhyming game. Find a one or two syllable object and ask your kids to think of words that rhyme with it

9. Storybook--Begin with "Once Upon a Time..." and have everyone take turns adding something to the story. The characters and plot can go in very interesting directions. This game really lets your child's creative juices flow!

10. Snacks: PLEASE KEEP IT HEALTHY. Stay away from prepackaged snacks, they are sugary, and full of sodium, they are just empty calories that are more likely to make your kids fidgety then calm. HEALTHY CHOICES ARE: nuts, sunflowerseeds, dry organic cereal, fruit (grapes, apples, pears - something that can't get squished), granola, trail mix, fruit, WATER – no juice or soda, etc. NOT GOOD: cookies, fruit roll ups, dried fruit, chips, etc. The kids will find it "cool" to order something from the flight attendants, but please know that other than water there is nothing on that cart a child should have. You can pre-arrange with the flight crew to give them a special treat for your kids (you provide it of course) and when they come around they make a big deal of "something special" for the kids. That way everyone wins (and you get to keep it healthy)

BRING AN EMPTY WATER BOTTLE FOR EVERY ONE- SPORTS TOPS ARE BEST (or sippy cup of course). That way as soon as you are through customs you can fill their own bottle. AND there will be spills on the plane. AND you don't pay the $3 a bottle. AND you already have everything you need before you get on the plane, just in case there are delays.

PLEASE NOTE - just because they are on the plane DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE TRAPPED. The 6 year old will most likely be okay for a couple hours at a time ( personal DVD players are GREAT for this - buy some "only travel movies" and save them for the trip) AS for the 3 year old, fell free to spend a couple of minutes each hour talking a "walk". Feel free to walk up and down the aisle a fee times during the flight. It is not against the rules and trust me, people on the plane would rather have a 3 year old walking then fussing.

GET ON THE PLANE LAST – I never could understand why they said to put kids on the plane first. OMG! Trap them for longer…who’s idea was that???? Wait until you have to get on.

J., enjoy the time you have with the kids. It is rare that you get uninterrupted time with them.

B.
Family Success Coach

We are also a family of four. What has worked best for us is getting our seats as 2 and 2, in two consective rows. That way we can easily pass things back and forth, and if one of the kids likes kicking the seat in front of them, they are bothering their parent or sibling rather than a stranger.

We always tried to stay in the same row (we're also a family of 4). So the girls and I would sit in one set of seats, and my husband would sit across the aisle from us in the same row. We did two and two (one row behind the other) but it was bothersome to try to talk back and forth and I think it bothered our seat mates in both rows. It was easier to take up one set of three seats because then if we had to do bathroom trips we weren't bothering anybody but us. And then my kids weren't sitting next to any strangers.

I'd go with 4 in a row, with one of the adults (it's always my husband) sitting across the aisle. He's right there for help, bathroom trips, etc. You can choose whether you want kids next to each other by the window, or "trapped" as I like to call it, or you can sit between them to mediate, or you could take the window and have the two kids between you and your husband. Good luck and have a good trip!

i say 3 seats in a row (with window) and then 1 across the aisle.

you and your husband can switch duties by having one of you sitting with the kids and the other can get a little break across the aisle. the kids can also take turns sitting by the window.

the parent sitting across the aisle will have the duty of taking the kids for bathroom breaks.

We traveled a lot, but usually on stand-by as airline employees so we had no choice as to seat selection. From the other comments I agree with Karen C, with 2 seats on each side of the aisle (so aisle and middle) with the kids in the middles. I don't like sitting in front/back of each other because the seats are so high that it's difficult to see and talk to each other. And I must really disagree with EE -- DO NOT put a 3 and 6 year old alone in the seats behind you -- if you have to sit fore & aft, then one parent with one child. Also, if you are taking a car seat check with the airline as that may limit where you sit with the carseat. Enjoy your vacation!

Get one row for three of you and the aisle seat in taht same row, other side. We did the same, traveling with three little ones, one being a lap child. The kids had the whole row to spread out, take out their things, and as one of the other posts, my husband ended up with an empty middle seat next to him.

I SUGEST THAT YOU GET 2 rows 1PARENT SITTING WITH EACH CHILD THAT WOULD GIVE EACHCHILD THE SUCURITY OF A PARENTTO TAKE CARE OF THEM HAVE FUN A. NO HILLS

We just did this in Jan.! Our kids are 4 1/2 and 2 1/2.

I had us scheduled to sit 2 and 2 BUT that left us no window seats..... I just didn't want to be STUCK inside with a stranger on the aisle..... FORTUNATELY, they switched to a bigger plane (still same 3 row seating) and resat us 3 to one side and 1 on the aisle on the other for the flight down. My oldest LOVED having a window seat. And both kids did great with the 3 of us in one row. And it worked great because my husband ended up with an EMPTY seat in the middle of his row so our son went and sat by him for part of the flight.

For the ride home I had already had us sitting the same 2 and 2. We tried to switch to the 3 and 1 again but the flight was completely full. It was NOT as nice.

Go for 3 on one side with one of you (adults) on the aisle right across. Maybe you'll get lucky with an empty middle next to you!

go to www.seatguru.com

You can see any seating chart, on any plane.

that is easy :) 2 in front 2 in back. Put your kids in back of you so when they start kicking...& they will, they will be kicking you in the back instead of the next guy. Put your daughter on the Aisle so you can reach back and help her and so she is not sitting next to a stranger

l l you DH
l l DD DS

I would just get the three in a row and the fourth in the seat across the aisle so that the parents can easily switch places. I have a feeling the kids will dictate the seating arrangement at any given time and that it's not likely to remain constant throughout the flight.

Hi J.! I don't know if this will help since my other child was 12. We flew to Hawaii from L.A. and we did two seats in one row and the other two directly in front. We had to use a car seat because my daughter was 2 1/2 so she had to be by the window. It worked out because even though we talked to my daughter before hand about not kicking the seat in front of her, she did...constantly. I was grateful it was my son's seat and not some poor unsuspecting passenger. We also wanted to do three in one row and the other directly across the aisle. Good luck!

I would do 3 in a row and 1 across the isle. I sit with my kids and my husband sits across the isle. I tried doing 2 in front and 2 in back once. I can say it didn't go very well. The kids both wanted to be next to me and it is also easier to do activities with them sitting together. It's also nice to have a row to yourselves so you don't have to worry about bothering someone you don't know sitting next to you.

I haven't done this, but my inclination would be to try to get four seats in the same row, two on each side of the aisle, no windows. That puts you as close together as you can be - easy for both parents to help. So it would be seats B, C, D and E. Plan for one parent and one kid per side, but expect a lot of moving around.

Have fun!

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao - need entertainment for the plane? I have great travel toys!

I have two children as well and we like to take four seats across.....the three together and then the one across the aisle. The children sit at the window and the middle with the parents in both aisle seats. The parents can switch seats as needed. This has worked the best for us.