First Airplane Trip

I just saw this online!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/traveltips/06/06/flying.wi...

Hi, J..

We've been traveling with our daughter since before she was a year old. You'll be fine!

Give her a bottle during take-off and landing - the sucking motion will help her ears, although they may not bother her at all. My daughter never cried over that. Now she chews gum.

Ignore anyone that gives you the "oh no, a baby" stare. They don't have kids so they'll be snotty no matter what! I got stuck once in first class next to a completely snotty guy who was OBVIOUSLY disturbed that there was a baby in first class, and my daughter slept the whole trip. He commented how good she was and how it surprised him. Most people around you will want to play with her, so it is not as bad as you think.

As for the car seat and stroller, we never take a car seat. We rent them from wherever we are going. I see people checking them at the gate. We also never took a stroller, but most people I see with them check them at the gate right before boarding, so you have it all through the airport. I assume yours will be the carrier carseat attached to the stroller, so just check it all at the gate.

You should be able to go through security with powder formula. Don't take any pre-mixed bottles, though. That can't go through security. Either mix a bottle right before getting on the plane (after security) or they'll give you water on the plane to mix the bottle. No drinks and no liquids above 3 oz. can go through security. Make sure you put 3 oz. liquids together in a Ziploc.

Just get to your next gate for your layover, you'll be fine there! She'll be looking around at all the sights!

Relax and enjoy your trip!

Hi J.!

I took my 4 yr old on a plane at about the same age and the pediatrician suggested that I take a bottle of water for him to sip on during take-off and landing to help with his ears. You could just take the empty bottle and buy water on the other side of security. I guess formula would work as well. You should be able to take the powdered stuff in. I would check with the airline to be sure of any specific way you need to bring it in. Hope this helps!

C. M.

This may have already been posted, but I don't have time to read thru all the responses. You can bring as much formula as you want thru security, you just have to put it thru the xray. The car seat & stroller aren't bad, especially if you have the carrier that sits in a stroller. My doctor recommended baby Tylonol about 30 mins before take off. We did this once (we've flown 7 times with our little one) & I don't think it was any better or worse. Make sure she is sucking on something during take off & landing, breast, bottle, pacifier, etc. Grab an aisle seat if possible so you can get up & walk easier. Have a change of clothes for yourself as well as her. That's all I can think of right now. Good luck!

I wish I would have asked these questions before I took my son on his first airplane ride. You can take powder formula in through security. You just have to take formula (liquid or powder) ir any baby food out of the diaper bag and put on the security belt. For the ears, try feeding her or have her suck on pacifer during take off and/or landing. I took my stroller and carseat to the gate. Going through security was interesting since my son and I were traveling by ourselves. You have to put the carseat and stroller on the security belt. When I got to the gate I asked the attendant if I needed a tag, so I could put the carseat and stroller on the plane. The attendant gave me a red tag which I wrote my name and destination on. When we went down to the plane I left the carseat and stroller at the door of the plane. The flight attendants put them on the plane when it was time to close the doors.

I travel with my 2 kiddos frequently to San Diego and back. They are now 1 and 3, but I have been doing it since my youngest was 3 months and oldest was 2. You definitely need a stroller, especially if you are having to change planes and have a lay over. If you are feeding solid foods, then the stroller serves as a highchair for feeding.

Formula is permitted (even liquid fomula is) through security. Have something to suck on for up and down, but if your baby is sleeping for either one, you do not need to wake her up. Both my kids had ear infections, tubes you name it and I was told by flight attendants that I do not need to wake them, and the kids were fine.

Taking a carseat on the plane is up to you. You can only use it if you bought a seat for your infant. I have bought seats for my kids even though I didn't need to, because I could lay a blanket down on the seat and let them sleep. Some parents bring their carseat on the plane and their kids sleep in that. My kiddos did not like the carseat. You are probably using an infant carseat still and the easiest stroller for that is the Snap n Go stroller. It is basically a stroller frame that the carseat snaps into. Very easy and durable for traveling. You can look on Craigslist for them or they have them at Consignment stores or new at Target and Babies R Us.

Good luck.

jsut call the arlines and ask but the let u car on the diaper bag and milk and bottles check every thing but thut the stroller give that to them right before u get in the plane i used a singgle and my baby was hang on the who time but she was bout 3 wks she slept the who time and i was by my self

Hi,
Everyone advice is pretty much true to form with traveling with a child. I will say this that no one really mentioned. Take way more than you need in diapers and formula. I have never had any problems while traveling with my two kids and I always travel alone. But you run the risk of your plane being delayed with a layover. There is nothing worse than not having enough diapers or formula. (my sister-in-law found that out) So plan for more bottles and more diapers changes than you would normally for your flight. Then you wont be stressed if your flight does run a little late. Also just try to remain as calm as possible. There are some ear drops that you can get. I always travel with them in case my kids have problems. All they do is numb the inner ear. Im sure your dr can prescribe them for you. (they work great when your kids are sick and have ear infection also!) The name of the drops are Auralgan. Good Luck!

I adopted my daughter and was able to bring her home at exactly 5 and a half months. Here is my advice.

First, use drop in bottles and just bring a couple of bottles and lots of nipples and liners. That takes up less room. Yes, you can take your powder formula. Take it in the bottle and add the water after you get to your gate or once you are on the plane. You can ask the flight attendant for the water once on the plane. I found them to be very accomodating. Mix it as you are ready to take off. The water is luke warm, but that was ok with my daughter. They could also probably get warm water from their coffee maker. I had my daughter suck on her bottle as we took off and that worked fine. That unplugged her ears.

Also, you don't have to have a seat for your baby until she is 2. Take advantage of that. I took my daughter in a Baby Bjorn. I had her facing me and she just fell asleep against me. I did not have to hold her that way or be afraid of dropping her if I fell asleep. We both slept most of the way that way. The Baby Bjorn is also great for making your way through an airport. You have use of both of your hands that way. I did not take my stroller with me. I checked it but if you have lots of other bags, then take it to haul your bags. Also, I had a backpack baby bag to put our other stuff in. I did not take a purse at all. I was a little afraid of pickpockets down in Guatemala, so I took a money belt to put my cards and money in and tucked it inside my pants. My arms were totally free the entire time. That made two flights totalling 7 hours and the layover painless for both of us. The Baby Bjorn also makes going to the bathroom a lot easier.

Good luck.

I am a single working mom too. My daughter is now almost 2.

Hi J.,

The first and only trip so far on a plane I have taken with my son was when he was 2 months old. We live in Hiroshima, Japan. I'm originally from Richmond, Indiana. It was tough, but do-able. It is a very long journey that takes about a day and a half. (30 min. car ride, 2 hour train ride, small layover, another 1 1/2 hour train ride, check in at the airport: international flights require at least 2 hours, a 12 1/2 hour flight from Osaka to Detroit, a small layover, and 1 1/2 hour flight to Dayton, 40 min. car ride + a 14 hour time difference) We had the car seat/stroller checked at the gate and it was waiting for us when we stepped off the plane. You get the option to board the plane first which is wonderful! You have to check with the airlines on what you can take on the plane with you. I had powder formula and got hot water on the plane. During take off and landing, I let my son nurse or take a bottle. I tried the pacifier too, but he wasn't interested. Warning: Take a change of clothing for you in your carry-on. I had an extra shirt. I truly regretted that I had taken out my extra skirt. My son got me badly. I was sitting in wet milk throw-up for 12 1/2 hours. I would take some baby blankets to cover you as well. The baby blankets saved me from having my extra shirt messed up. Oh and don't forget to take a couple changes for your daughter. Take more diapers than you think you will need! I also took a couple of soft toys for my son to play with during the flights. I know that travelling with a small baby can seem overwhelming at times, but a 2 hour flight with 1 hour layover must be easier than what I did. If I can do it, you can do it. I am an extremely nervous person, and I also suffer from motion sickness. I got sick on the short flight. I hate those little airplanes. Hope that was helpful! Good luck and have a safe trip.

D.

A little about me:
36 yrs old, first-time mom to a very strong boy who just celebrated his first birthday!

Great advice from all the moms! My 4 y.o. is a frequent flyer (silver elite status actually) and I have been traveling w/her since she was an infant. One thing I did not see mentioned is the All in One Car Seat Stroller. This thing is AMAZING!!! Its a car seat that converts to a stroller. As you take the car seat out of the car you simply pull on one thing, push on another and viola! You now have a stroller! Its so smooth to convert that you won't even wake up a sleeping baby! And, when you arrive at your destination you have your own car seat. Its for kids 5 to 40 lbs.

Its a little pricey but for those that travel a lot its well worth it! Here is a link to it (via the Sky Mall magazine) but I'm sure there are other places to buy it for less cost.

D.

http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=101887706&...=

Hello J.!

I took my Emily on her first plane ride when she was about 3 1/2 months old. Here's the skinny:

You can NOT take water through security. So, water for bottles is a no-no. However, you can buy bottled water on the other side (or water fountain if you prefer) and take it on the plane. You CAN take powdered formula. I had it all pre-measured with her cereal and in plastic baggies (this was for my convenience so I wasn't trying to juggle the baby and measure everything out on the plane). Everything was in her diaper bag so we had no trouble at all. I saw someone post that you can mix it early and just take the formula in the bottle through security. Reminder if you do this: a bottle is only good for 2 hours once made left out of the fridge. As far as car seat & stroller, the car seat is easiest to check as baggage at the ticket counter before you ever go through security. I recommend taking the stroller all the way to the plane. Neither of these items count against your alloted baggage (pretty sure). Once you get to the plane, the attendant will take the stroller from you and put it under the plane. When you land they will bring it right up for you so you don't have to carry the baby through the airport. It's very simple & organized. As far as Emily with taking off & landing, I made sure she was due to eat and to take a nap when it was time to get on the plane. Once seated on the plane there's usually at least 30 minutes til you actually take off (time for others to board & get seated, check luggage compartments, finish loading luggage to underside of plane, emergency procedure overview & taxi). During that 30 minutes, I fed the baby and started working on getting that nap in. If the baby is too restless, try giving her a pacifier. The sucking on that will help with the ears popping.

That's about all I can share with you. Good luck J.! I'm sure it will be quite the eventless flight.

-A.

You can take breastmilk on the plane now. Just have this separate from your other items when you go through security. They've laxed on the liquid rule for breastmilk. if you are just using formula, then of course you can bring it dried and rehydrate as needed, you just can't have any bottled water going through security. There's plenty of places past security that will sell you bottled water.

The Snugli/Baby Bjorn is a great idea if she is going to sit on your lap. We checked our stroller and used a GoGo Babyz Travelmate to wheel our carseat around.

http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html

Our little one is just such a spaz I could not imagine her "sitting" on my lap for 4 hours, so I bought her a seat on the plane and therefore needed a carseat. But everyone is right, you can get carseats with rental cars. Only take your car seat if absolutely necessary.

Don't worry about flying alone, the flight attendants can be very helpful and don't be afraid to ask them to help you get everything on and off the plane (it's their job).

When we traveled, she was 6 months old and we had no problems at all on take-off and landing with her ears. I did not give her a bottle or anything. When they are really young, their ears are still "open" and the pressure doesn't build up. (This is also the reason why little ones are more prone to ear infections FYI)

Also an FYI, there is a diaper changing station in the restrooms above the toilet in all planes.

If you can get a crib or pack-n-play at your final destination, don't take one with you. they are heavy and a lot of airlines are now charging you extra for each of your checked bags (which is ludacris!).

I fly solo with my 2 kids all the time. Yes, you can take powdered or prepared formula as well as bottled breastmilk through security. (It is NOT dependent on the airline. It is a TSA regulation and infant formula is waived from the liquid restrictions. Check this link http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index...) Feed during take-off and landing because the change in cabin pressure may reek havoc on her ears. Change her diaper before boarding. It's really tough in a plane lavatory! You can gate check the stroller (and carseat if necessary). Even if you haven't bought her a seat, ask if there's an extra and take the carseat onboard with you. At that age, my kids went to sleep after take-off nursing and it was nice to snuggle them down in the seat instead of being cramped with her in your arms for the whole flight.
Good luck! And don't worry, MOST people are more than happy to accomodate a young mom traveling alone.

Hello,
We've been traveling with our son since he was 9 months! Everything went fine. When going through security they will need to look through your diaper bag. Not a big deal. If you log onto the airline website they will tell you what you can and cannot bring in your diaper. We flew continental and were able to bring liquid formuala, tylonel ect. However every airline is different. The stroller will be checked at the airplane and will be available to you when exiting. I don't know about a carrier we did not bring one. You will also be the first to board on the plane which is wonderful. Good luck! Enjoy your trip! everything will be fine.

My daughter took her first plane trip at 5 months. Make sure that you pack a couple changes of clothes for her and at least one for you) and more diapers than you think you'll need. Also make sure you pack lots of toys to chew on and books to read. A blanket is also great as the planes got chilly. We took powdered milk with us, but it was over a year ago, so rules may have changed, check with your airline. We took our car seat and stroller (we had the set that snaps together)with us and just checked it at the gate when we got on. It was always waiting on us when we got off. It was a life saver as we made the trip from one gate to another on layovers. It was a great place to put all our "stuff" and not get tired of carrying it all.I would definitely recommend that you take the car seat! A cousin of mine tried renting one from their car rental agency and when they got there, they didn't have one that meant all safety requirements! They wound up having to go buy one and bring it home with them.

I recently took my 5 1/2 mo old son on a plane for the first time. Happy to share some tips/tricks with you. It was easy breezy! Getting through security was no problem. You can take formula (or breastmilk) already made in a bottle through security. You just need to let TSA know that you have it and it must go through the x-ray on its own (like your shoes, coat, etc.). Powder formula is fine to take in it's original container and can stay in diaper bag. Again, just let TSA know you have it. Stroller/car seat can go to gate w/ you and can gate check those items. I did that and it was nice and convenient. With all the other things that you need it was nice to push my son plus he could hang out there and I could rest once I got to the gate. Again, the stoller and car seat need to go through x-ray like anything else. If you choose to have your child wear a coat or shoes, those items need to come off and go through security separately just like for yourself. If you didn't buy a seat for your child, make sure that your boarding pass has "infant in arms" on it. If not, you need to declare your child at the gate so that you are seated in the area of the plane where there are extra oxygen masks (should you need it). Don't need to board early. There is plenty of time to get situated during the normal boarding process. Ears. That is tricky. Best thing to do is to coordinate a feeding with take-off and landing. The act of swallowing is the best way for your child to equalize pressure in the ears. Pacifiers work ok but sucking on the bottle and swallowing liquid (even if it's water) is best. Also, my son was not bothered by the altitude change when sleeping so if he was asleep, I left him be. Good luck and happy travels!

Hello! I flew by myself in March to Florida with my 2 year old daughter and 5 1/2 mon old son. I took a direct flight and I only had my double stroller and 2 small carry on bags. Both kids did really well. I carried on a sippy cup with juice and a bottle with breat milk on to the plane with no problem. Just put them in plastic zip lock bag and get them out at security. I had absolutely no problems and they didn't even check the contents. My kids did great at take off and didn't really have any ear problems but I would suggest having a pacifier just in case. I believe if you stay calm and relaxed so will your child. Good luck and have a great trip!