In my last post I discussed how my mindset when flying alone with Grayson and Sawyer helped most in having a smooth flight to California. In this post I wanted to share the specific things we brought with us that made life easier and how we planned our trip in order to make it a success. I am going to make this blog post a two-part series. In the first part I will share about the things that helped on the flight and sleep during our stay. In the second part I’ll dive into Disneyland and things we will do differently next time.

If you have twins or you are a mama with multiple children and you are contemplating a trip, I would encourage you to do it. Traveling with small children can be tough but it is worth it. There are things that you can bring and ways that you can plan your trip that will make it easier and smoother. By sharing my tips today my hope is to empower you to travel with your babies!

Before I go on, I think it is important to share that Garrett and I believe in setting up our kids for success. What I mean by this is that we can’t have unrealistic expectations of them, and we need to work around what helps them be their best so that they can be happy and have a positive experience. It is a balancing act, but Garrett and I try to set up our days so that our kids can thrive. If they are happy and rested, then so are we, which in my book is a win-win for all of us!

Alright, lets get to it!

Plane

On the flight I brought our UPPAbaby G-LINK 2 double stroller. We have the UPPAbaby Vista stroller and we find that the G-LINK 2 is much better for traveling. UPPAbaby sells a travel bag for their strollers so that they are protected from damage during travel. We highly recommend getting the stroller bag because if the stroller is damaged during travel then UPPAbaby will take care of the repairs or the stroller for free. Folding the G-LINK 2 stroller is easier, it is much lighter, and it is easier to put it in the bag compared to the Vista stroller. You do not have to remove the tires, adjust the seats, carry an extra seat, or adjust the height of the handle, you just lay it right in the bag and zip it up. If you are traveling alone, I would highly recommend a lightweight stroller.

On the plane I brought all the things the boys sleep with in their cribs.

• Skip Hop Greenwich Backpack
• Bunnies – Jellycat
• Teddy Bears – Douglas
• Blankets – Milkbarn
• WubbaNubs

I wanted to make sure they were comfortable and that they had what comforts them at night. I explained to the boys that we were going on a plane and that they would sleep on my lap. When the time came, they knew what was happening and they laid down on my lap and fell asleep.

I traveled at night because it was the only direct flight to California from Alaska and because I thought it increased my chances of them sleeping on the flight. It wasn’t perfect, but they slept three of the five hours and that was better than no sleep at all.

I dressed the boys in their jammies and brought an extra pair just in case. I also packed an outfit for when we arrived. They had sweaters over their jammies and were wearing UGG booties which kept their feet warm. In my bag I also packed an extra shirt for me, a blanket, and a neck pillow. Although this seems excessive, you never know when your baby will vomit or have a blow-out. I would highly recommend bringing layers and warm clothes. We were all cold on the flight even with what we brought.

Grayson and Sawyer have severe type 1 allergies to 13 foods which means I must pack plenty of food in case a situation arises that is unexpected. Buying food at the airport is not an option. I packed dried fruit, fruit snacks, cereal, bars, and chips. Since I breastfeed, I basically have the same diet as they do so I brought myself a couple of bars in case I needed something for myself. I packed ZoLi straw cups for the boys. These are our favorite cups when it comes to being spill-proof. We have tried many and these work the best for us. At the airport before boarding I bought water and an orange juice, so I had options on the plane and just poured some in their cups. This way I avoided some major messes.

I also needed to pack epi pens and breathing treatments in case my boys were to have a reaction on the flight. I pack Zyrtec for a mild reaction and Tylenol.

I had two bags on the flight. I had one larger bag that held all their bedtime things, extra clothes, blankets, and the medicines. Then I brought their diaper bag which is the Skip Hop backpack with diapers, wipes, snacks, and entertainment. Having a backpack is very convenient when traveling. I honestly feel that a backpack is for the most part more convenient than a side or cross-body bag when you have twins because it frees up your hands and arms and it is stable on your back.

For entertainment I packed:

• Stickers
• Books
• Coloring Books
• iPad with children headphones

I read books to the boys on the plane several times since they love them. I brought their favorites on the flight. The boys have never watched TV on an iPad which is why I brought them. I knew that this could save me if things were going downhill. The boys did watch an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and it worked out great. We had the episodes downloaded and saved on our iPads before traveling. They sat with their headphones and were entertained for about fifteen minutes; after that they fell asleep.

Garrett and I prefer that the boys don’t watch TV at this age, but we also feel that there are times when it is reasonable to do so. Flying is one of them. I want to be clear that I believe that every family should do whatever works for them and I by no means judge if TV is part of your life. This is just what we feel and what we want to do with our boys.

Overall the flight went smoothly. The boys slept, ate, listened to me read, and asked a lot of questions!

Sleep

When we travel or stay anywhere outside our home, we try to recreate the same sleep environment as the one that they are accustomed to at home. Like I have mentioned in the past, we struggled big time with sleep the first year of the boys’ lives. Sleep was essentially nonexistent. I am not joking when I say that Garrett and I both have PTSD after our experience.

For this trip we decided to get a two-bedroom villa. In order to travel with our twins, we need to have a kitchen. We cannot trust restaurants with preparing their food because their allergies are extensive and life threatening.

The boys had their own room and we setup their room like their room at home. We brought with us all the things that help them sleep:

• DockATot Grand Dock
• Sound Machine – Marpac Dohm
• Monitor – Infant Optics DXR-8
• iPad (for the sound of the waves)
• Night light – Skip Hop Moonlight & Melodies Elephant Nightlight Soother
• Bedtime Books
• Portable Cribs – NUNA SENA Aire Travel Crib and Graco Pack N’ Play

The boys put themselves to sleep after we say goodnight and leave the room. When we are in a new place, we typically stay with them while they fall asleep the first night and for the first nap so that they get familiar to the new place. Once we feel they are comfortable, we go back to our regular routine. Bath, books, and hugs and kisses. The boys usually sleep solid all night and do well when we stay consistent. Our boys quickly fall back to old  patterns when we stay in the room with them while they fall asleep. We only stay with them when we feel it is necessary to so that we don’t have to break bad habits again which makes it tougher on all of us.

As far as our schedule goes, the twins went to sleep between 7:30 and 8:00 at night and woke up at 8:00 AM. Nap usually was around 11:30 AM and we would let them sleep 1.5 to 2 hours. The boys napped every single day in their portable cribs except the last day which they napped in the car because we had to check out by 11 AM. Every child is different, but we find that the boys do much better when they nap so we plan our days around nap time. Even if we push bedtime later, we feel that having their nap makes a huge difference. When they fall asleep in their car seats, they don’t stay asleep longer than an hour which is not enough rest for them.

Next time I’ll post about Disneyland and what we would do differently! If you have any tips of your own or any questions, feel free to leave comments below! I would love to hear from you!