Going to Aulani, tips and helps please

[CEK40]

Good Evening Everyone...hope all are well after Sandy's passing...Now for my questions. My daughter is getting married on December 9, 2012 at the Aulani Resort. We will be traveling from Norfolk VA to Hawaii 6 adults and 2 children ages 1 year and 2 years old.

I am wondering if anyone has any tips for traveling with children on a long flight and if anyone out there has made a trip similar which airline did you use. Since it is December I would prefer not to travel to any northern airports for a plane change due to the possible winter weather. From Norfolk International the two most direct routes is Norfolk to Atlanta and non-stop to Hawaii or Norfolk to Dulles then non-stop to Hawaii. The other concern of mine is making the LONG flight to Hawaii with the little ones. Some say to make an extra stop on the west coast to break up the flight the others say it is easier not to have to get off the plane until you arrive in Hawaii. I am so lost. We have never traveled that far with little ones. If you were to break up the trip would where would you suggest LAX or ???

Also what type of "goodies" would you take for the little ones for amusement? We are probable not going to get a seat for the 1 year old since there will be so many adults we will pass her around. Have any of you not purchased a seat for a little one as well.

Well this is quite long so if you have any other information that may help us PLEASE we would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

Thank you so much in advance,
CK in VA

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

We've done 5 and 8 hour flights with our son when he was little. I think I was way more anxious and stressed about it than anyone else!

He's always had FAA approved carseats, and we bring ours and strap him in that rather than just using the airplane seatbelts. That way 1. He can't unbuckle himself even if he's having a fit or just goofing around, and 2. He's in a seat that he's used to being in and hopefully he's more comfortable. I know others have successfully done trips without their carseats, and it is a pain to get through the airport (we attach a go-go Kidz travel mate wheels thing to it and turn it into a stroller of sorts), but for us it's made me feel more relaxed once we're on the airplane.

My other trick is that I wrap absolutely everything I bring with us to keep him entertained. Packages of crackers, fruit snacks, etc. all get wrapped in wrapping paper. Books, crayons, coloring books, matchbox cars, finger puppets, flashcards, everything gets wrapped. He loves unwrapping everything, and we make a game out of it. (I also bring a bag to collect all the wrapping paper in so it's not a huge mess.) About a month before our trips, I quietly pull small toys and thin books out of rotation and tuck them away in a closet, and I wrap those plus some new things and pack it all in one "keep this kid occupied" bag.

I have also resorted to using my ipod touch, DH's ipad, a portable DVD player, and now DS's leapPad. We bought special kid headphones, and I make sure we have plenty of batteries and extra chargers for everything. The only problem is that window of time at takeoff and landing where you can't have electronic devices on - that always takes a ton of time to warn him and prepare him to turn stuff off and put it away. That's where the wrapped things come in handy for distraction.

The other thing that DS now loves is buying the snack packs on the airplane. They're way overpriced, but he loves picking one out and getting the box with all the little packages of snack foods. Kind of funny, but it does keep him occupied for a while.

Changing diapers on the plane is just awful, but oh well. I learned to bring a couple changes of clothes for DS and at least one change for myself after his diaper leaked on one trip. ugh. This Dec will be our first long plane trip since he was completely potty trained last year. I'm a little nervous about that...I'd feel better putting him in a pull-up, but I also don't want to make him feel like he's a baby.

Anyway, HTH! And good luck - it's rarely as bad as you imagine it's going to be!

 

[Rglos]

I can't comment specifically about that itinerary. However, I have often taken my kids to Europe and costa rica. I always find non-stop the easiest. I swear by portable DVD players. Multiple headphones if you have more than 1 child! I try to avoid play-do at home because of the mess. But, this is one toy that has saved me on planes. Floam is a similar messy, moldable toy. I pack lots of PB&J - hungry kids on planes are a disaster! Also, the restrictions on liquids are often waved for small children's bottles and simply cups, so I will bring a bunch of juice boxes and sippy cups (they sell irradiated milk in boxes as well - it works in a pinch). Finally (don't everyone freak out on me) at night I give the kids a weight appropriate dose of Benadryl. It keeps them from having as much ear pain and the sleepiness is a real plus. On that note - try Benadryl out before the trip. A small number of kids get hyper from it! During takeoff and landing I give the kids "sour patch kids" candy. The chewing of sour candy helps with the ear pain. In the past we didn't buy the little ones their own seats. It worked out fine, baby wants to be on my lap all the time anyway! But, if you can afford it - the extra space is nice. Hope that helps

 

[CEK40]

Thank you all for the information for traveling it is greatly appreciated and a great help. It is nice to have "friends" out there to help when you need it.

CK in VA

 

[erikawolf2004]

I second the portable DVD player, Kindle Fire, IPad idea-they are great to have!

Band Aids are great instead of stickers because they can be restuck to things with out leaving the sticky parts on the back of seats, etc. Washable crayons and paper are great also.

I wouldn't stop more than you have to! The less on and off the plane and less waiting in a airport the better.

Good luck! We have done very long flights with both of our girls, they are both adopted from China...you just get thru it and if you are lucky they sleep alot

 

[ACDSNY]

The resort will be a beautiful location for a wedding, you love it.

We'll be there from Dec 8th to 13th.

 

[saintstickets]

You're going to LOVE Aulani!! DW and I celebrated our 30th anniversary there the week after Labor Day (TR link below) and DD is going there on her honeymoon from 12/14-12/20/12. There are plenty of activities for kids. As for your travel plans, the flight to Hawaii is not so bad but the flight back for us was longggg. We flew from Jackson, MS to Dallas, TX to Honolulu, HI. The flight from Dallas to Honolulu is about 8 hours. We only had a 1 hour layover in Dallas and it was tight. I think the next time we go we will stopover in California somewhere to break up the flight a bit. Good luck on your trip and congratulations to your daughter and future son-in-law!!