Flying With A Two Year Old

The first time Leo flew he was only 5 months old, a mere baby in arms he slept most of the way there and most of the way back. I had been worried about taking baby milk and water through security and panicked that the pushchair would get lost or damaged in transit.

I needn't have worried, the whole process of flying with a baby was a relatively easy and stress free experience.

So how did I feel about the prospect of flying with a 2 year old?

To be honest... I couldn't think of anything worse than a toddler who had ants in his pants for 4/12 hours.

I had decided ahead of the trip to leave the pushchair at home, but in hind sight this would have been a very welcome addition to just have around the airport to keep Leo where he was supposed to be at certain points.

Outward Flight

I took a number of steps in preparation to taking Leo on such a long flight. It involved a Trunki and lot's of his favourite toys, the idea was that he could ride the Trunki around the airport and then have all of his toys for entertainment on board the plane.

I even let Leo help me pack up the Trunki with things that I knew he would play with, things that would keep him happy. His LeapFrog LeapTop, His Thomas Train, lots of little cars as cars are the ultimate toy's right now, and finally... I invested in a portable DVD Player for him to watch a few of his favourite DVDs which of course included... Disney's Cars.

Arriving at the airport for a very early flight Leo was thrilled to be riding his Trunki around, I lost count of how many people I apolagised too as Leo rode over their toes like a lawnmower cutting the grass. But still it kept him entertained while we were lining up to check in, and kept me firmly on my toes in case he decided to gain some speed...

With check in now behind us the next stage ahead of us was tackling security, a point I really did wish that I had brought the pushchair along. Leo was just interested in everything going on around him and this certainly reflected in how busy and into everything he was. Lining up and waiting for things is just very apparently not in a two year old's mind set.

In my head I had already in-visioned how I thought the flight would go, being so early in the morning I had quite honestly thought that he would succumb to his heavy eyes and sleep. Leo seemed to have other ideas... Leo decided he detested being strapped in on the airplane, and kicked up such a fuss that as soon as the seat belt sign came off, he was free to climb all over me. Luckily everyone around us was incredibly understanding, and I guess they have all been in our shoes at one point or another. 

In all fairness to Leo aside from the initial screaming at take off (because of the seat belt) he was actually incredibly well behaved.

Leo spent the entire flight climbing all over the seats (and me...) playing with Thomas and watching Cars. Leo was thrilled that his cars had been included in his goodie case, so Thomas and the cars kept on being crashed into one another just so he could say 'Mumma...Crash'.

If you are planning on flying with a toddler then the more activities you can take along with you the better. We made the most of Leo having his own hand luggage allocation (as for a two year old you have to purchase a full price ticket) and this made so much difference in keeping him busy. I don't think I would want to attempt a longer flight with Leo just yet...4/12 hours was really quite sufficient,

My visions of Leo taking a nice long nap on board the plane were far from realistic, despite how tired he felt, there was no sign of him falling asleep... Well not until we were nearing touch down we had to try and strap him back into his seat... Yes that is when my little sleepy head decided to finally close his eyes.

Nice timing as always little man...

Inbound Flight

A week comes and goes pretty quickly, and all holidays have to come to an end eventually. The return flight departed Paphos at 21:00 and after reflecting on the outbound flight I didn't hold out much hope for a sleeping toddler. I was mentally preparing myself for a very long journey back home.

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare so that we could get some dinner prior to departing, Leo jetted around on his Trunki having the absolute time of his life. Passers by pointed and smiled at my little guy as he passed them by, as usual Leo reveled in being the centre of attention, performing for his admiring audience. 

Boarding the flight I knew the time was fast approaching where Leo would have to get strapped into his seat, I even apolagised to people before Leo began to scream in temper about the seat belt keeping him firmly in his seat. I thought maybe if he stayed strapped in then he may just drift off to sleep like last time... but it turns out all my little man wanted on this occasion was a cuddle with his Mumma.

Leo is not one to cuddle up and go to sleep, so I relished this moment. Leo proceeded to cat nap for the entire flight home. It was by no means a deep sleep but it kept him quiet for the most part, but when he did wake up he was more than happy to sit and watch Cars in the comfort of his seat. 

Leo didn't mind taking off or landing (bar the whole seat belt shenanigan) and really was exceptionally well behaved. It was lovely being complimented on how well behaved he was, and reassured even when he did decide to have a little cry.  I definitely think Leo's Trunki full of goodies was the secret to our successful flights, and I will be packing it full of treats for each and every future flight we jet off on.

Flying with a toddler was certainly more of a challenge than flying with a baby in arms, but it was not as daunting as I had anticipated. The whole experience for Leo has been so exciting and I am sure he would have no objections to doing it all again.

Trunki Visit London Zoo

Earlier last week I was in receipt of a very exciting invitation. This invitation signified my very first visit as a blogger, and the prospect of accepting the very kind gesture, was something I could not pass by. I have been excited at the prospect of meeting other blogger's for a while, so this opportunity really made my day.

I know...I am keeping you in suspense as you really want to know who the invitation was from and where was I going to be heading on this momentous day?

Well.... Trunki sent me the all important date for my diary, and not just any date. Trunki had invited Luke, Leo and myself to London Zoo for a day of looking at all of their new creations, and of course provided a great day out at the Zoo.

We started our day very early as we did not want to be late for our 10:30am appointment, we made our way from the heart of the Cotswold's to Uxbridge with sleepy eyes. It was here we caught our train into the hustle and bustle of city life.

Leo of course was true to form, and thoroughly enjoyed his first trip on the London Underground. His emotions were sky high and ranged from excited to hyper-active, he bounced up and down like a man on a mission, while staring out of the window in wonder. When having a little rest he was finding a helpless victim on the train to sit and relentlessly stare at, those victims had to succumb to his flirtation and were soon chatting away to him, making his cheshire beam ever brighter.

We arrived in London a little later than expected, and quickly found our bus ride which we hoped would get us to the Zoo in record time. Unfortunately after the bus terminated no where near the Zoo...We realised are grave mistake. We had caught the bus on the wrong side of the road...Meaning we were not around half an hour late...

It was here I lost my patience and got my little brood into a taxi. Luckily for us the taxi man saw us flailing on the side of the road, obviously standing out like a sore thumb. He could obviously tell we were country bumpkins and not accustomed to the way's of London travel. He even commented on the fact that we were not local to the area, but this amazing man was our saviour. He dropped us right at the Zoo gates, maybe worried that we could loose ourselves once again. I was so incredibly thankful even though it was now pouring down with torrential rain...

I wasted no time in trying to find where we were supposed to be, I was so gutted to be running late for my very first event and I did not want to miss a single thing. I have to thank Bex over at The Mummy Adventure for helping me locate everyone, and catching the lovely ladies at Trunki before they made their departure back to Bristol.

Trunki were set up by the Komodo Dragon's, hiding away from the rain. They had all their products lined up ready to present them to me, the blogger running late.

I was very glad they had waited for me so I could have a look at the fantastic range of products. The ladies were very understanding into my very apparent lateness, but still took the time to talk me through everything that I wanted to know. I am pleased to announce that I can now share all of these fantastic details with you all!

Trunki are launching their new product Snoozihedz just in time for the Summer months of travelling with your little munchkins. It is easy to see how this will soon be an essential for all of your little ones travelling needs.

Trunki Says...

SnooziHedz is the ultimate travel essential for the car, plane, train or even a space ship! The cute character simply unzips to reveal an inflatable insert for the pillow and a plush fleece blanket, ensuring little ones are comfy and warm from head to toe. The blanket also features a pocket for teddy to take some shut-eye too.

SnooziHedz features the unique Trunki Grip™ on both the pillow and blanket. This enables parents to connect the blanket to the pillow preventing it from sliding off in transit, leaving parents to relax safe in the knowledge their little one is tucked up and toasty!

Snoozihedz are available in Four Exciting animal designs! 

- Leeroy the Lion

- Dudley the Dinosaur

- Mylo the Monkey

- Pippin the Penguin

I was happy to learn that Leeroy, Dudley and Mylo are going to be donating to charity.  For each of these Snoozihedz sold, 50p of the product revenue will be donated to support their fellow species at London Zoo. I know...You are wondering who Dudley Dinosaur will be helping! Dudley is going to be focusing his charity work on the Komodo Dragons! As for Pippin Penguin...He is going to be focusing his donations a little closer to home. Bristol Zoo (near where Trunki are based) have an on-going Penguin conservation project in South Africa, and Pippin is going to be helping them along their merry way.

I was very pleased to hear all about thi,s and I am sure both London and Bristol Zoo recriprocate this feeling.

I have to say that my favourite Snoozihed is Leeroy, we always reffer to Leo as our little Lion. This fit's my boy down to the ground!

Leo and I have been kindly given a Snoozihed to review, on our next outing we will be making full use of our new friend and writing our glowing thoughts up very soon!

I have to admit I have always loved Trunki, not just for their exciting take on luggage for little people, but the company as a whole. It does have to be said though....There is just something magical about a suitcase a child can ride on, and I know that this is something we will be investing into, in the not so distant future.

The day did not end here, I was lucky enough to meet some of the lovely Mummy blogger's that I have become very friendly with over the past few months. Gemma at Always a Mummy and Bex at The Mummy Adventure.

All 3 of us brought our little bundles of joy and we all spent the day together enjoying the Zoo. I found the fact that none of us had ever met before hard to believe, as the conversation ran like we had known each other for many years. There were no need for introductions as I knew who everyone was the instant I laid eyes on them.

Bex's baby boy Dylan is adorable and has the most contagious smile, it was lovely watching Leo interact with him. Gemma's two little angels were just adorable, Kelz is at the age where she was loving the Zoo and made us all chuckle with her running commentary and little lady attitude, and Kai is just completely and utterly scrummy! It really was a pleasure to meet everyone.

I would like to thank Trunki for a brilliant day out at London Zoo, and allowing us to come and look at their upcoming product line.

A big thank you from....

Laura, Luke & Leo

xx