We land in Rome e-a-r-l-y...where to go with kids before hotel check in?

Where is your accommodation for a start?

I have to say however that there is unlikely to be anything to do with the kids other than try and find breakfast somewhere nearby.

Breakfast does seem to be the obvious answer. What neighborhood are you staying in?

Breakfast isn't big in Italy but it's a start. Piazza Navona, early in the morning, is a great place for dog walkers - the kids might enjoy that. Also, by the time you get through customs and passport control and get into the city, it will be later than you might expect. A nap will be in your near future!

Count your blessings, things could be a lot worse.

I've never heard of an AirBnB that allowed a check in at 9 am...my experience aligns more like noon to 3 pm. You might want to double check with them to be sure 9 am is OK (honestly, the people staying there the previous night are going to vacate at 5 am and the cleaning crew will be done for a 9 am check-in? Hmmm...)

Anyway, assuming your flight arrives on time (pray for a delay?), you probably won't be out of the airport until 5 am (maybe check a bag, even if you don't normally, pick a non-critical bag and check it...that'll kill another 30-60 minutes). You'll burn a little time getting into the city center. You'll probably be there around 6 - 6:30 am. That's actually a lovely time to get your first look at a big city (full of tourist crowds and residents the rest of the day). Savor the relatively empty streets. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Make your way to that AirBnB. And don't be completely shocked if they're not quite ready for you to move in at 9 am (a 9 am check-in...in Italy?), so have a Plan B in your back pocket just in case.

Are you planning to go to sleep then and there, or try and tough it out and stay awake until after dinner (recommended to get over the jetlag, but hard for anyone, especially little kids).

With little children, I would book a hotel room near your Airbnb that can guarantee you a very early arrival time that same morning.
You can pick up your Airbnb info and keys later in the afternoon, and move to there at your leisure; even staying overnight at the hotel, and going to the apartment the following morning.
What if it's pouring rain?
You don't want to be wandering about in a daze, in the rain, with two babies and luggage.
Bad start to your trip.
Or, check if your Airbnb is available the night before, then it's already yours when you land.

bpcarlson - Here are some activities to do with kids when in Rome

https://blog.rome-accommodation.net/indoor-fun-kids-rome-winter-2016

https://www.romeing.it/visit-rome-with-kids/

We land in Rome (Fiumicino airport) at 4:30am

My curiosity is getting the better of me. Where are you coming from that you have an arrival at that time?

Car your landlord store your luggage until check in time? Perhaps just find a cafe near your lodging, have breakfast and wander around the neighborhood.

If you are stuck with your baggage, it may be easier to find a place to eat at the airport and leave FCO around 8AM

I second Joe's suggestion to find a cafe or restaurant at FCO and wait there until it's time to leave for your Airbnb, hopefully by taxi or shuttle. My guess is that the children will be content to nap while you have breakfast.

I've never heard of an AirBnB that allowed a check in at 9 am...my experience aligns more like noon to 3 pm. You might want to double check with them to be sure 9 am is OK (honestly, the people staying there the previous night are going to vacate at 5 am and the cleaning crew will be done for a 9 am check-in? Hmmm...)

That's assuming the accommodation is occupied the night before. I suspect it's rare that an AirBnB is fully booked throughout the year.

I second Joe's suggestion to find a cafe or restaurant at FCO and wait
there until it's time to leave for your Airbnb

Make that a third vote. Although you'll probably be getting into central Rome later than you think you will, my guess is that you won't want to go aimlessly wandering in search of breakfast with really small kids and baggage. Hopefully someone has a suggestion of an easy place for FCO arrivals to have an EARLY breakfast after they've collected their checked items?

Sorry, but you need a place to lay your heads when you first arrive. If there is a hotel in the airport, I would reserve a room there. If your Airbnb is not ready at 9, you could be wandering around for 8 hours. I don't know who I would feel sorrier for in that situation-the parents or the children. If all 4 of you don't sleep on the plane on the way over, that will increase your difficulties-either energetic children with tired parents or fussy children who just want to sleep. The flight to Rome is significantly longer, than London. We took our 15 mo old to Rome and our 4 yr old to London, but when she was 15 mo we went to Paris first and were staying with friends who met us at the airport.

Is it at all possible to pay for the AirBnB beginning the previous day, so you can get into it as soon as you arrive? That may be money well spent. We had a 5am arrival into Iceland with our kids, and we had paid for our room the night before so when we got to the hotel at 6:30am we were able to crash and sleep for 5 hours. Worth every penny.

Airbnbs don't usually work like hotels. The OP may have to meet up with the host for keys and a rundown of how appliances and whatnot work, if it's an apartment. If they've been told 9:00 A.M. by that host, why would they be left wandering around for 8 hours?

Also, the tots may have slept on the plane and so not need an arrival nap even if Mom and Dad could use one.

This is tricky because there are a lot of unknowns here. Do the kids not only nod off, but actually get some good sleep on the plane, and arrive in a decent mood? Just like lots of adults, lots of kids don't. Adults (usually) have better control over themselves and can power through the grumpy sleepy jetlag on arrival day, some kids can't or don't, even when everything else goes perfectly. Parents may also be pretty wiped out upon arrival even under the best of circumstances, but after schlepping a toddler and a one year old across the world? A lot to ask of everyone.

AirBnB also throws more wrinkles in. As pointed out above, it's probably not like a hotel experience. And even though it sounds like OP was told it's theirs at 9 am, things can and do go sideways (and with AirBnB, things can go sideways more often and in ways that may throw a big wrench into plans).

Not a parent here, and obviously do not know these kids (or parents) but...I see a lot of fragility in this plan, and many ways it could become an epic bad movie. Coming up with a way to be more sure of a soft landing - hotel at the airport, or whatever - seems like a smart plan to me.

As far as 9 AM check in, I have an AirBnb (guest room in my house) and I am very flexible as to check in times. So, it is very feasible that this person does have a 9 AM check in.

I know it feels like wasted money to rent your accommodations for the night before you arrive, but all the timing and mystery will disappear if you can pay the extra night and know your accommodation is guaranteed available to you whenever you arrive.

You must fly from Ethiopia to come at that time.

Unless you are willing to pay for a hotel room on the day of arrival, I would stick at the airport because if you take a taxi to town then you have the issue of where to leave your luggage. If you stayed in a hotel, even if the room wasn’t ready that early, you could at least drop the bags with the reception, but with AirBnB accommodations you might have to wait on the sidewalk till the person comes.

We're coming from Ethiopia. Obviously it's not ideal but better than swimming there. If you've been to Ethiopia at all you'll understand arriving this early is the least of my worries. It may be a rough first day but we can deal (we live in Ethiopia after all).

We actually booked the Airbnb for the day before we arrive so we can get in earlier and the renter agreed to let us in at 9am as opposed to 3pm.

Sounds like airport is the best option. I just wanted to see if there was anything else available which I was unaware of. Thanks for the help!

We had an early departure from Fiumacino one morning, and stayed at the Hilton at the airport the night prior, to make the experience as easy as possible. Left the hotel at 5 AM ( I know, you’ll already have landed by then), and walked the short walk into the first terminal. We ultimately had to be in a different terminal, so kept walking.

Seems that even at 6:00, places for coffee or breakfast weren’t all fully open, and were just in the process of starting their service that day. We found a place to park ourselves and our luggage, have some coffee and hot chocolate, then made our way to security. Maybe bringing something with you on the plane for you and the little ones to eat in the morning might help, until you can find a place in the airport to get a proper breakfast.

Yes, I think with kids and luggage it will be easiest to find somewhere to sit in the airport until something opens up.

Those overnight flights from Africa are tough, but it is what it is. So glad you thought to pay for your AirBnB the night prior so you can get in early on your arrival day.

Have a great visit!

With kids this young, you can readily access the nurseries or play areas that are in airports.
If accessible while walking to customs and immigration, stop to play in any structures at a gate. There also may be some on the non controlled side of C & I.
I like this website for airport details - not just about sleeping in the airport - it has information that doesn't always get included on the official airport guide.
https://www.sleepinginairports.net/guides/rome-fiumicino-airport-guide.htm#more