flying w/1 and 3 year old

[maptome]

I can't decide Which is better:
1) short flight, stop, long flight

or

2) two equal duration flights?

[spughy]

Whichever ones overlap nap/sleep time more :)

[LightForest]

Originally Posted by spughy 

Whichever ones overlap nap/sleep time more :)

I agree! It's all about scheduling the flight(s) to coincide with nap(s)!

[4evermom]

I'd go with equal flights rather than starting with a short one. There is less patience/novelty with the second leg so it's better to have that be the short one (or at least not significantly longer) if you can.

Scheduling for naps can be tricky. If a flight is late you might be stuck at the airport with a child in need of a nap. Or your child might not nap anyway, even after the flight is underway. That's a "know your kid" kind of thing, whether they sleep easily in unfamiliar surroundings or not. 

[meemee]

i will go for layover times. the longer the layover the better. gives them the chance to play and see and stretch their legs. 

while on flight naptimes might not matter. they might not usually follow it. 

long short flights or equal time has not made much of a difference for me. what has has been the layovers.

also how short is the flight? an hour or two? i mean if its that short by the time they settle down, if they do, it might be time to get off - which might cause some grumpiness. 

honestly thought just go for what is convenient for YOU. the kids will fall into place. if you are flying alone with them, it might be a bit of a challenge. if there are two adults, then it wont be that bad. 

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Movinng to toddle years.

[sageowl]

Depends on how long the flight is.  Generally though, two equal legs mean less consecutive time on the plane.  I like having layovers so you can stretch squirrely little legs and change up the scenery (novelty keeps kids distracted).  And if the behavior deteriorates, it's easier to deal with in a huge airport than the confines of a plane.
 

[dejagerw]

How long are these flights? If they're not too long, I personally would prefer a short flight followed by a long one. I feel I'd have the best chance for my kids to get a decent nap this way. Two equal flights would likely give my kids just enough time to fall asleep only to be awaken for the landing. However, hands down I'd take any sort of arrangement that has you not change planes if you'll have car seats on the flight. Also, keep total travel time in mind too. Long layovers might give kids a chance to stretch legs, but they're a pain when all you really want to do is get to where you are going. But too short layovers are almost impossible with kids and carseats.