honeybeeyy

We are traveling from SFO to HK on Singapore airline with a 1am departure time. We took this flight when our twins were two months old and it was a breeze because they were still in that sleepy newborn stage.

This time the twins will be 14 months old and they have been sleep trained to sleep from 8pm to 7am since five months old. I'm so worry and scared to interrupt their sleep for this travel. How should I do it to make this trip as smooth as I can for the twins?

Should I go to the airport early so they can settle and sleep on their stroller at the lounge ? Or just keep them awake as long as we can till we get to the airport in late evening but risk having both babies get very fussy from being overtired!

6rugrats

No one can predict what will work for your children. I'd just choose one way and hope for the best.

Eclipsepearl

I don't recommend messing with their schedules. I've seen too many overtired toddlers on aircraft (most, not done on purpose though). A lot of babies don't settle down in a strange place well and it will take awhile before the cabin is dark and quiet enough for most.

Generally, when traveling with children, it's best to forget the schedule and sleep and eat when you can. I think of travel as sort of a no-time zone. Once you land, then deal with jet lag and eating schedules. The secret to successful flying with toddlers is to keep them rested, fed and hydrated any way you can!

6rugrats

Confusing. You can't recommend both ways.

expatboy

I would let them sleep a little ahead of the flight. We took our kids (one of whom was 16 months, the other 3 and a bit yrs) on a 2am departure. We put them to bed as normal at around 7pm, woke them at around 11 and headed to the airport (it wasn't a long trip and we were in J). They stayed awake while in the airport and as it was a night departure we were able to get them settled fairly quickly once on board and it didn't take long after take-off before they slept again. About 4.5 hours into an 8 hour flight they woke up, but there's not really a lot you can do about that. Our home routine was similar to yours, 7pm-7am sleeping and according to their brains it was 7am where we had just left from, so time to wake up.

The sleep ahead of the airport will hopefully prevent them from being overtired at the airport where you'll inevitably have to wake them for security, boarding etc. At least if you're in J then it will be a bit more comfortable to help them settle onboard. Be prepared for the twins to be awake for the second half of the flight and pack your hand luggage accordingly

Good luck!

Anna Phor

If I were you, I'd take them to the airport in the early evening, before their regular bedtime. Get check-in and security over with while they are still on a reasonably normal schedule. Then once you are airside, do whatever bits of their normal sleep routine are feasible (change diapers, get into pajamas, etc), and let them sleep in the stroller until you are ready to board. That will give you the fewest disruptions to their actual sleeping time, and IMO is preferable to trying to get to cranky tired babies through security at 10pm.

She

We flew with my then 10 month old son from SFO-TPE on a similar schedule. I think the best idea is to try and get them settled at their normal bedtime and really just hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Unfortunately for my son it didn't work. He was too excited by everything new at the airport and wanted to stay awake for all the excitement. Not even walking him across the terminal in the Ergo (which he normally slept in at that age) worked. So yes, we were those parents boarding with the overtired baby. I think he finally settled a few hours into the flight. Hopefully that doesnt happen to you, but even if it does, you still make it there in one piece more or less

honeybeeyy

Thanks for all the idea! I will follow the plan of getting the twins to sleep early than their usual bed time at home and wake them up at around 11pm to go to the airport. That way they at least get 4 hours of sleep in before a long trip.

I think even I take the twins to the airport early, they probably will not sleep in their stroller because they will be too busy looking around.

rjque

Lap children or car seats? My biggest mistake traveling with a toddler was waking her to take her out of the car seat to bring her on the airplane. If they can fall asleep in the seats in the airport (or the car on the way to the airport), you may be able to transfer them directly to the plane without waking them. It depends on how big the car seats are and how well they can sleep in them.

Eclipsepearl

I'm not recommending both ways. You didn't read my post correctly or can't understand.

Try to not mess with their schedule as much as possible. If they sleep before the flight somehow, in car on the way to the airport, in the boarding area in the car seat or stroller, all the better. Don't keep them awake in the misguided effort to get them to sleep on the plane. This often backfires, even without a delay.

It's not fun when your flight schedule clashes with your children's sleeping and eating schedules but the trick is to survive anyway you can.

Please don't sleep train in transit. Wait for that once you're on the ground. I'm sure other passengers would not appreciate letting them "cry it out"!

Remember that if they're both lap babies, you probably can't sit in the same row so arrange your seating accordingly ahead of time. If they have car seats, make sure they're not about to outgrow them just before, or during your trip. 14 months is the age many outgrow infant bucket-style seats. They also might be more comfortable in convertibles on the plane (and in the car at your destination).

lost*in*cyberspace

Yes, you did. You said you didn't recommend changing their schedule, then you said it's best to forget about the schedule!

OP, I would like to know how you trained your twins to sleep from 8 pm to 7 am at five months old! Any parent who can do this can easily handle a plane flight.

6rugrats

I'm not going to argue with you; anyone can read your post and decide themselves what you said.

But, your wording and need to always be correct is really not acceptable for a forum moderator, in my opinion.

azepine00

+1. I pretty much gave up on posting here for that reason.

Eclipsepearl

Re-read my post (without getting insulting) but I talk about schedules before flying. Then;

"Generally, when traveling with children, it's best to forget the schedule and sleep and eat when you can."

Sorry you couldn't understand that. Hope the OP did!

Many parents try to keep children up before a flight in order for them to sleep and this often backfires. Overstimulated children often have trouble settling down. If there's a delay, things can really get ugly!

But once in transit, you have to go with the flow. Usually there's no choice anyway. Deal with jet lag and resetting schedules once on the ground.

expatboy

But we're talking about flying here, that's the point! The evening in which you travel to the airport is part of the trip IMO, and you recommend not messing with their schedules because you've seen too many overtired/overstimulated kids onboard, and then in the next paragraph suggest forgetting the schedule when travelling... I think the way you worded your post was confusing in the extreme for a relatively straightforward question from the OP.

honeybeeyy sorry for hijacking your thread ; I hope your trip goes well.