Hello all, I wanted to report in about how our flight went. We flew HK-SFO on United.
Fortunately, the baby fell asleep before takeoff. Unfortunately, she only slept for about 2 hours and that was it for sleep. The biggest bummer of our flight was that we had the coveted bulkhead seat, which was good, except for the giant TV/movie screen right in front of us. It was so bright and distracting my kids had a really hard time falling asleep.
What worked for the 16 month old: stickers - yes! I chose big, puffy type stickers. A beloved puppet toy that I took out of the rotation about 2 weeks ago so she hadn't seen it in a while. Calculator for pushing buttons. Eating lots of snacks. silly fake ice cream cone where you push a little button and the foam "ice cream" comes flying off. A little puzzle with pieces attached by a string. And, while it kept us from sleeping, the tv screen did keep her sort of occupied for awhile just staring at the screen. LOL. And we have a Sit n Stroll carseat stroller and that thing was a lifesaver. Worked great.
Things that were nice but only held her attention for a minute: new books, a favorite book with a little finger puppet attached. I didn't get a chance to bust out the pipe cleaners.
Things that worked for the 5 year old: Color Wonders markers (available at Bookazine), the Ipod touch with apps (the Trace game is her favorite) and a few episodes of her favorite shows, her beloved old doodle pro pad.
Biggest challenges besides the flickering TV screen was the fact that it was dark for most of the flight and I needed toys that the kids could use in low light (I didn't want to have the super bright lights on and disturb the people around me any more than I already was.)
fortunately despite not sleeping much my kids were great, and made through the flight with no screaming or crying which I consider a gold medal success. several of the passengers around us complimented us/them on being great little travelers as we were getting off the plane.
I was worried about getting through customs in SFO with 2 kids, 3 carryons, 1 carseat stroller, and 4 big checked bags (we are moving back to the states). Fortunately I was able to ask a porter for assistance and he took care of the checked bags for me, loading them onto a cart and getting them to the area where you drop them off to continue onto your next flight.
Like I said we are moving away from Hong Kong back to the US after three wonderful years. This website has been a huge help to me starting when we first found out we were moving and all through my years here. Thanks to everyone for all their help and assistance along the way.
