They say that The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and no better example of this is flying long haul with a toddler. We just got back from spending the holidays with our families in the San Francisco Bay Area, which involves a 10 hour flight from London Heathrow to SFO. We flew United, mostly because I am partial to them (I’ve been a Mileageplus member since I was 2 years old – thanks Mom!) and we were able to cash in some of my frequent flyer miles so Matt’s flight was free.
Ready for takeoff!
Things started off on a rough note when I completely mind-blanked on our departure time. For some reason, I was convinced it left at 9:40, not 9:20. Pregnancy brain? Though not a huge deal, it did cut our time checking in and going through security short, and when you are flying during the holiday season, every minute counts. This also meant that we had to skip my main toddler flying trick, there was no time to visit the play space! Big thank you to the staff at Caffe Nero in Terminal 2 who made sure we were caffeinated ahead of our flight. This is not in the main area, and near the gates… much shorter lines than at the Leon or Eat that are in the main terminal.
Prepping for a 10 hour daytime flight is daunting – I figured we’d have about 2 hours of napping, but did not want the screen to be on the whole time, so packed our airplane favorites, Peppa Pig Sticker Books and these cool magnet sets that Matt’s Aunt got for us. I also had coloring books (though at this age stickers are much easier!) and snacks.
But, because of the early nature of the flight, once we were underway the cabin crew made an announcement that the lights would be dimmed… and it stayed that way the first 7 hours of the flight. I think they do that to better acclimate you to California time – I’ve never had it on a daytime flight before, but we tend to fly around noon/in the afternoon when we fly back to the states. Maybe this is a new thing?
Because we had booked Matt’s flight with miles, I was upgraded with the kiddo to economy plus, but he wasn’t – the flight was full and we weren’t able to switch seats to all sit together, it was too hectic and no one wants to switch for a less desirable seat. This is the second time this has happened to us, so not the end of the world, though I did sit in Matts seat for about an hour so I could take a nap. I didn’t want to irritate the guy next to me who was clearly in his flying cocoon (headset set on – blanket up to chin) so kept the lights off. This meant that my hopes of reducing screen time were dashed. I think she watched Finding Nemo three times on repeat – she kept demanding “Fish! Fish!”
I don’t know what I would have done otherwise – it was really quite dark with the lights dimmed and Nemo kept her entertained.
One thing I had the foresight to do which really came in handy was request kids meals. Not only did they get bought out first, everything, even the snacks were more tailored for smaller appetites. You can request it at the time of booking, or just amend your reservation (but I recommend doing it a few days before the flight). This is an option available on most overseas flights with United and other carriers. I was actually really impressed with her dinner option on the flight home, I had a few of the rosemary and sea salt potato wedges myself!
After 10 fun filled days at home visiting family in the San Francisco Bay Area over Christmas it was time to head back. In the G Terminal (International), at the far end near the Joe and the Juice, there is a new (well, new to me – I haven’t flown out of SFO since June 2018 so might not be brand new) patio space where you can sit outside and see the planes take off. It was great to soak up the final rays of January sunshine before heading back to old Blighty, and was fun to see all the planes take off.
Getting the last few rays of sun on the outside patio at SFO before heading to London
One quick note about dining options at SFO – they tend to be expensive and aren’t necessarily kid friendly – it’s a foodie city and even the airport dining options reflect this. If you don’t feel like spending $18 on a burger, Joe and the Juice is a good option for healthy sandwiches and smoothies. Another thing to note is that as of August 2019 SFO no longer sells bottled water, but I was able to buy a water in a cool reusable container from Joe and the Juice for about $5.
For our trip home we were all in the same row (small miracle!) and settled in for our overnight flight. I figured we’d watch one movie and then settle our little one to lay down for the night… but that did not happen until about 6.5 hours into the flight. This overtiredness led to some crankiness, which included kicking the seat in front of her, but you can bet we shut that down real quick.
As we were reprimanding her, the old lady sitting in front of me turned around and started yelling at my daughter. I was a bit taken aback, though not as much as my daughter, and it probably made things worse. Usually people don’t join in yelling at your kids with you! I think in situations like this the best thing for a parent to do is say a firm “Thank you” and not to get involved. We’ve got another 5 hours on a flight together and I don’t need to get into it with an 85 year old. Have you ever had someone yell at your kids while flying? What did you do?
All in all, uneventful flights. No delays or flight cancellations which always is a relief. I got to watch “Yesterday” which I really enjoyed – it’s my idea of a perfect airplane movie. Happy that we landed back in London on a Friday and can relax and prep for the new year and going back to work over the weekend.
