flying with baby

PAULENE - posted on 03/18/2010

i travelled to aust and found packing a couple of complete changes in a couple of plastic bags made changing nappies easy.

Michelle - posted on 03/18/2010

We flew with our son age 15 months at the time and our daughter who was 2 1/2. Our 15 month old was definitly the difficult one. The big problem was he was sooo tired but wouldn't sleep. Only pointers I can give you are
1.snacks (they will let you bring those on plane)
2. books if he is into reading
3 bottles
4. And an umbrella stroller (airlines prefer that one to the big bulky, they will take it and keep it for you until you get on and off the plane. A lifesaver for us.)

Good luck!!!!

Sara - posted on 03/17/2010

i always flying with my daughter from germany to the states and back. What helps to make her happy is to give her candy for little kids (for example gummibear or from gerber candys) She is just getting it when the plan starts and lands. So that is the my trick. Cause the bottle or paci are not helping so much. But when she is focus on eating candy like a big girl she is not crying. Some airlines are helping you but the most time they don't. I always get me 2 seats so we have more room. But that is just me. Enjoy flying.

Jenna - posted on 03/14/2010

I have flown with my 16 month old by myslef numerous times. I have always purchases him his own seat though so I am not sure if you are doing that or doing the lap. my son is pretty big so it would have been impossible to do the lap thing. We did fly once with him in the lap when m husband was with us and he was much more restless.

I use his carseat and I board last so that he can run around as long as possible. His carseat is a Graco my ride so it has the cup holders and I keep those full of cheerios s that helps alot. I have found that if I hold a blanket up on the side of the car seat he will fall asleep pretty quickly. There are raviolis that they sell on the baby food isle that do not have to be heated and those have worked when he has wanted to eat and they do not take up much space. Michael does not like tv so we have lots of small toys that he can play with.
If you are taking the carseat there is a attachment you can purchase with wheels and that way you can roll the child thru the airport without having to have the stroller.

Good Luck

Ada - posted on 03/13/2010

Bring a dvd player with her favorite movie or program, it work for few of my friends too. Unless your baby don't like to watch TV!! You can test her at home and see if she will sit still and watch it on the portable dvd player before you bring that on board. Good Luck

Laura - posted on 03/11/2010

Lots of snacks!



We have made lots of trips from Hawaii to NC (that can sometime equal a full day of traveling)! So lots of snacks, their favorite toys, books, a blanket and pillow is the best I can do for my son. He also wears his pajamas when we fly. Also, bring your stroller to the plane!

Anna - posted on 02/20/2010

I just flew 1300 miles with our 15 mo. old, my husband ran around the airport with her to get her tired. Make sure his/hers belly is full and you have toys and snacks. If you have a portable DVD player take that too.

Olivia - posted on 02/14/2010

We did a international to Germany. The flight over was a red eye so it was very empty, we took an extra row up so my little one could sleep laying down across two seats. On the way back, he was up most of the flight. No one complained about him running around the aisles when the flight attendants weren't running thru. I also took my Maya wrap it helped out alot you need your hands free to get passport out every 15 mins it seemed like. just bring plenty of snacks for your child and a couple of toys. My sons favorite ended up being the headphones they give you. He liked pulling them around on the tray. The flight attendants were nice to make your flight easier if they could.

Theresa - posted on 02/09/2010

I am always grateful to have my hands free when trekking through the airport, so our Ergo baby carrier is great. Any sort of baby carrier that works for you will make the airport part of your trip so much easier! Also look into the CARES thing to use as a five point seatbelt if you do have an available seat next to you, rather than hauling the carseat. Just check the carseat (usually doesn't count toward your checked luggage limit) and free up your hands some more. Baby on your back, diaper bag on your shoulder, ID and boarding pass in your hands. You'll have more energy for entertaining your toddler if you're not exhausted by the time you board the plane!

Paula - posted on 02/09/2010

I took a portable DVD player with us and had his favorite dvd's all ready to go. Our flight was only 3 hours so wasnt too bad. A lot of snacks and dvd watching. Sleep? Ha...too much for him to look at. Loved playing peek a boo at the people behind (if they are kiddie friendly and open to it). So hard trying to keep them on your lap. Empty seat next to you is just a god send. Good luck and hope it is smooth sailing for you!

Ashlee - posted on 02/06/2010

we flew with our son at x-mas and we were really worried, turns out for no reason he was a super great flier. I would not second guess flying with him I would do it in a heart beat. We were worried because when we left we had to be at the airport at 4 am we put him to bed like usual then got him up and went to the airport hung around for 2 hrs, pre-boarded (there was no charge for us as they recommend pre-boarding with small children) we were lucky and had 2 shorter flights 2 hrs each he fell asleep during take off and did great during the landing and was fine for the other take off and landing as well. We did not give tylenol or gravol as we did not want to drug him for the sake of drugging him. We had the whole row (3 seats) we just asked when we checked in if it was possible to block a seat and we were lucky enough that that was a possibility so we had to hold him during take off and landing but he sat between us during the flight and felt like such a big boy, he liked the kids cartoons on the tv but would not wear the headphones.
I think for the mosr part they pick up on what we are feeling so if we are worried and uptight they will pick up on that and act that way as well. if we are calm and relaxed it helps them achieve that mind set as well
Good Luck :~)

Kelly - posted on 02/06/2010

I flew a 3.5 hour trip when my son was 4 months and then when he was 13 months old. Wow! What a difference. Bring books, nontoxic crayons and throw in a few small "new toys". Good luck!

Nicole - posted on 01/21/2010

*third post in the same thread - sorry!!*

Someone told me about this blog the other day - it has a LOOTTT of info about flying with babies and kids - good stuff! Beware though, it's very long, so you might want to read it in a few sittings!

http://flyingwithchildren1.blogspot.com/

Katie - posted on 01/21/2010

I would advise if you have the funds to purchase a seat for your child then do it. They are able to sit in the car seat that they are used to. At this age I think that it is really hard to hold them the entire time, esp on a long flight. They are so mobil and not old enough to understand that they have to sit with you. My 2 boys rarely want to be held on a normal day, so the thought of them sitting on my lap for hours on a plane wasn't even an option. Also, if you take the carseat on the plane, I highly reccommend the Go Go Babyz car seat carrier. (the one that you attach to the car seat to with the wheels) It is pricely, but priceless! You can forego the stroller and just use this. I loved it and would NEVER travel again with out it. Good luck.

Valeri - posted on 01/17/2010

I second the "Good Luck!". My flight experience was very negative. My 14 month old son first flew at 2 months. Even though the flight took 3 times the normal length he was an angel. My last trip on a plane was when he was 10 months old. The 4 hour flight to our destination wasn't bad because it was an evening flight; the trip home was in the morning and the trip from hell. I swore I would not fly again until he's 4 or 5 unless I can book all evening flights. He is too young to understand that he has to stay seated. He wanted to play with the tray table. You cannot use your tray table because your child is on your lap so it will not go down. This is probably a good thing because you also have to watch your fluid intake or attempt to take them into the tiny bathroom with you. AND plane bathroom changing tables are a joke. Even if I travel while he sleeps - at this age his feet hang off one side of the seat and this head off the other. Other passengers do not appreciate this.



My inlaws live in Ireland which is an 8 hour flight. I wish we had taken him over when he was 6 or 7 months because as one mom mentioned on international flights you get a bassinet and sit in bulkhead rows. We have a wedding to attend in Ireland in June and we most definately will NOT be bringing him.



For shorter trips we love to take the train. He can move around on a train at all times; we can go sit at the snack car for meals, there are usually plenty of extra seats and the seats turn around so we have 4 seats for the 2 of us. He likes to stand between the seats and play with his toys or read books.



If the trip is "across country" you probably don't want to take a train. My advice - wear your child out and try to fly at night. Put your child in overnight diapers incase you get stuck in your seat for a long period of the time. It happened to my child in a regular diaper and was an absolute mess. Lastly, if you don't already own a portable DVD player now is the time to buy one (or a laptop).

Nicole - posted on 01/13/2010

Actually, I found it was best to board later because with an active child, you don't want to be sitting on the plane for 30 min waiting for everyone else to get on just because you pre-boarded! The ONLY benefit in boarding early (in my opinion) is that you get first pick of all the storage space. But actually, I would prefer to allow my girl to run around the airport for an extra 15-20 min and then board in the middle with everyone else, that way we're not stuck on the plane for as long. I would never pay to pre-board!

Although all the flights I've flown on (all international, from Hong Kong to various places around Asia and Australia) have had seat allocation already and we were placed in the bassinet/bulkhead rows with the extra leg room and the bassinet which we could successfully use up until my daughter was about 10 months - then she started climbing out!!

Sarah - posted on 01/13/2010

not all airlines will pre-board families any more. for a small extra fee, its worth it to do so you can pick a good seat without knocking people in the head with the diaper bag. otherwise everyone is very helpful when you are traveling with babies.

Nicole - posted on 01/09/2010

Good luck! I've flown a lot with my 14 month old throughout her life. Each trip gets harder and harder, especially since she is VERY independent and hates to be held for too long! But for safety reasons, she needs to be in that lap belt. We flew at Christmas time and she was very active on the flight. My suggestion is, do WHATEVER you can to try and get her to sleep on the flight (although personally I don't like the idea of giving medication just for the drowsy side effect) - keep her up, make her run around the airport before you get on the flight (many airports have kids play areas, maybe find out if yours does and where it is in advance?) because it's SO much easier with a sleeping baby!



Also, call the airline and request whatever meal you want for her if you can - we got a childs meal for our girl and it had sandwiches and raisins, as well as juice (and a bit of junk food which I mostly gobbled up!!). When you check in, ask them how full the flight is and ask them if they can block the seat next to you - the extra room will be invaluable!! And also ask them if it's possible to get express tickets on your baggage so that your bags will come out early and you don't have to be waiting for as long when you get there. A lot of airlines are eager to help but it really depends...



All the best!!