1 : Motherhood - What’s it like to fly internationally with 3 kids
Ever since my kids were babies, Diogo (my husband) and I have made it a priority to visit our family in Brazil every year. Most of the time we’d fly together and then he’d fly back some 10 days early for work and I’d stay longer. This meant I had to travel internationally back home with all the kids by myself.
Here’s a true story:
That one time when there was no one to hold the baby:
Once upon a time, Sarah was 4, Beatriz was 2 and Victor was a few months old. We were travelling back, just me and them. We had priority boarding so we were the firsts in the plane, and I had just found our seats when both toddlers expressed a dire need to use the bathroom, Victor had a wet diaper and I might as well should pee, too.
Good news: the bathroom was free.
Bad news: who would hold the baby ?
There were no flight attendants or friendly strangers to hold baby Victor while I helped Sarah and Bia…and I wouldn’t trust them by themselves while I helped one at a time. SO….
All four of us entered the minuscule bathroom. Holding baby Victor on my lap and having Bia stand up glued to me, I assisted Sarah with her business. Next it was Bia’s turn while Sarah held my legs. Then I changed Victor’s diaper and FINALLY I could use the bathroom. But again…
Who would hold the baby?
I am the type that avoids touching anything in public restrooms, so while holding Victor in my lap, I squatted, get the job done and PHEW!
We did it!
…all while I held the baby.
I will say, flying with kids gets easier with time and this is just one of the several stories and learnings I got from experience. Mothers are mama bears and they will do anything to go from Point A to Point B with their children.
Flying is just another of those things.
1 : Photography - What to photograph before a flight with kids
There are always 2 things I’d recommend photographing before hopping on a flight with kids. Here they are:
1-When checking your luggage, take a casual photo of all your kids together. This way, if you happen to lose them in the airport, you can remember what they’re wearing and show helpful strangers what they look like.
(Fortunately this has never happened to me, but I’ve heard stories of toddlers wandering off and the mom not remembering what clothes they were wearing when looking for them).
2- Before you check your luggage, if you happen to be taking several with you, take a photo of all of them, so that you remember what they look like and how many you have. Just like you might not remember what your child looks like , you might not remember all the luggage you brought.
For instance, this time we flew back home with a couple extra suitcases (cue in LOTS of cheese and 3 handmade hammocks). We ended up borrowing a couple of suitcases from my in-laws so I just wasn’t familiar with what they looked like.
So…do you think we bought enough cheese?
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Stay beautiful,
Camilla Myrrha
Photographer and mother of 3