Flying / Traveling with Baby

Reserve seats on the "bulkhead" aisle. There is extra room; we did this when flying with our 8-month old and we laid him on the floor to sleep (smooth flight).

Don't listen to people who tell you to give your son Benadryl or anything. So wrong....

Just pack a bit more diapers and snacks (PLAN your carry-on as though you will get stuck on the tarmack for 6 hours).

Good luck- not to worry, I'm sure it will be a smooth ride.

I flew with my ds at 2 months, 6 months, and 7 months. I brought a couple bottles and pacifier with me along with toys and books for the later flights.

I always tried to make sure ds would be hungry (but not too hungry so he cried) and as we were getting ready to ascend, I nursed him. You'll be told to hold him in a position from sholder to your hip anyway (if you're holding him), so nursing works well. This helps with the air pressure. I had the bottles and paci in case ds did not want to nurse as I wanted to make sure he had something to pop his ears both ascending and descending.

In regards to the bottles, if you want to bring one, just note you may be pulled over to have them tested at Security. Also, you should be allowed to keep them in ice through the security checkpoint.

During the flight, ds slept most of the time, but I tried to make sure my dh or I were in the aisle seat so we could get up and hold him/walk with him if needed. We also sat in the middle/near the back as it's louder back there and I worried less about ds bothering anyone if he cried. This also helped on one flight when he had a VERY poopy diaper. I ended up having to hand my husband three diapers in the bathroom b/c every time he got one on, ds went again!

The last thing that seemed to work well is that after we were up in the air, I put ds in my shoulder sling one or two of the flights. Being tighter against me seemed to keep him calm and sleepy. At 7 months, DS would sit up in the sling, but his lower half was kept tight as if he was swaddled.

Beyond that, try to stay calm about things. As long as people see that you're trying, 95% of them will be very patient.

Good luck!

Order a couple drinks and pretend you don't know your husband or the baby!! hee . . . hee . . . good luck!!

You've already gotten some fab ideas! I wanted to give an idea for pumping...when I was nursing, I took a frozen bag of milk in a tiny soft ice chest (like the one that maybe came in your pump?) with an ice pack. This way, I had a "feeding" to give her within 24 hours so that I could pump a feeding to have "just in case" while we were gone. I also brought a bottle of refrigerated breast milk that was freshly pumped. We flew the same distance as you, and the milk was still cold, and semi-frozen when we arrived. I think I put the milk in my checked bag, although they should let it on the plane.

Hope all the "milk math" makes sense! ;)

If your sister can borrow a carseat, stroller, pack-n-play, etc., it will be super helpful!! The less you have to take the better!

Hi K.,
I flew with my baby to Hawaii and our Dr. recommended a little bit of Benedryl to help the baby with the flight. It helped keep the baby calm for the flight, we didn't have an uncomfortable crying baby etc. You might want to check with your Dr. to see what dose they recommend.

I hope this helps... good luck!

A.

I flew a lot with my son from the time he was an infant. When he was a baby I flew red eyes or at night so he would sleep and not disturb the whole plane. There is nothing worse than flying with a crying baby. I also made sure he skipped naps and was pretty tired by the time we got to the airport.

I just did this with my 5 month old from LA to Philly and I highly recommend the red-eye. My daughter slept the entire flight. Though I did have expressed breast milk in bottles ready for her which they say is good for takeoff and landing. If he is awake at those times, the sucking helps with the ear pressure. We got her a seat (I know it's expensive but SO worth it) and she sat in her car seat the whole time. We gate checked the stroller which was the easiest thing in the world. Drop it off and it's right there when you exit the plane. When you get to security, just inform them that you have breast milk in bottles. They'll pour a drop out to test it and give it back to you.
I was worried about our first trip but it was wonderful and effortless. We were even able to get her bedtime regulated. Prior to the trip, she was going to bed around 11p or midnight and we couldn't break that habit. Once we got home, we just kept her on east coast time and now she happily goes down at 8:30-9p.
You will do just fine. I would just recommend giving yourself a lot of extra time to get through security... we were officially "those people" that everyone hates being behind in line... :o)
Good luck and safe travels.

Look how long the flight will be and see if you or your husband will want to hold him in your lap for that long. It might be better to have a seat for him that way he can sit in his carseat and you both can be comfortable. But that might not be cost effective for you. I have always traveled with my daughter in her own seat so much better for us.
I want to warn you that if you do hold him in your lap the flight attendents might not let you nurse during take off or landing and say that the baby has to be upright. Also you might not want to because if either take off or landing scares him he might bite you! Ouch! You might want to use a bottle or pacifier. You can take breastmilk through security just take it out and tell the TSA agents and they will scan it separetly. They wipe down the bottles with a special small piece of cloth to test for bomb residue. Take the pump with you on the plane too just in case your luggage gets lost. Feel free to message me as I travel with my child to and from the US to Central America often.

I flew across the country when my son was 6 months old, and did shorter flights when he was 2 and 8 months old. This is a great time to fly, since they still sleep so much.

We took a baby carrier and carried him around the airport that way, you can even wear it and the baby through security normally. Most airports have special family security, it is faster, and they are ready to allow breastmilk through.

I had my boppy and used it for him to sleep on, and nurse. He pretty much just nursed and slept the whole time, with a very short amount of time awake. We also wore him out at our stop, watching people and I think even crawling on a blanket. Take a pump with a battery or that is manual, but you can probably just get him to nurse every couple of hours (or whenever he wakes up), and he will go back to sleep. Also, try to get a seat by the window so you have some privacy while nursing, people will switch with you if you tell them why. Also, if you are taking your carseat, we just attached ours to our rolling luggage (just tie it on) and gate checked it. We also do that with his convertible car seat (although I got one that folds up for easy travel).

Hi K.. My brother-in-law is a pilot for American Airlines. His #1 advice: Feed your baby during take-off and landing. Let him drink his milk from a bottle or breastfeed him. This will help alleviate the baby's discomfort with the ears. Also, try to keep him awake before the flight. We do this for our two toddlers and it works perfectly. We let them run around/play and tire themselves out before the flight. As soon as they get on the plane, they are knocked out. Don't worry too much. Enjoy your trip!

Have a bottle ready to take off and landing to help with the ear pressure. A few favorite toys/books. Stroller can be gate checked and is really handy to get thru the airport. You can also check the car seat if you want to bring your own, although if you will have a rental, they usually have them, but check with the agency. Extra clothes,diapers, wipes for the plane ride. We have taken both our sons on plane rides since they were 6 months old or even younger and both have always done really well. That young you don't really need much, he will probably sleep hopefully half the time and then you just have a few hours to entertain, eat, etc.

We flew from the west coast to Ohio last summer with our 4-1/2 month old twins and 5yo daughter. I bought seats for both babies...one at the last minute because I was starting to get stressed just thinking about the trip. My husband is disabled and the thought of me dealing with all three on my own was too much. If you feel comfortable enough (i.e. that your baby will be safe if not secured during take off and landing), then make sure to breastfeed at those times. I made sure both had either a bottle or a pacifier...a bit stressed about that because my daughter wasn't real big on the pacifier and trying to time the take off and landings (plan for unforseen delays!) with their feeding schedule was a bit worrisome. My fears were totally unfounded. Neither made a peep on the flights there (we had to change planes in Chicago) and one made a tiny peep on the way back until I woke my husband and had him give the baby a bottle. Just FYI, on Southwest they made us put the infant carriers in the window seats for safety reasons, so one was next to my husband and I had the other two kids with me. At 7 months old you should be fine. I think it's a little tougher once they are walking and used to being up and about. Have a great trip!

Here are some hints for travelling including a packing list.
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http://www.bigbluetrunk.com/ourcorner/454
http://www.bigbluetrunk.com/ourcorner/550

We traveled with our 4.5 month old to the East Coast and for sure, breastfeed at take-off and landing. She slept for 2 hours or more. Then we traveled with her again to East Coast when she was 9.5 months old...I rec. getting new books, toys...things they have not seen, heard or played with. This really keeps their attention.
Good Luck!

Hi there. I've lost count of the amount of times I've traveled with babies and young children. So here are the fruits of my experience.

Make sure to nurse him on take off and landing. The swallowing motion will equalize the pressure in his ears. It's actually easier to travel with a baby if you're nursing. That way you don't have to carry around anything like water bottles and formula, clean and dirty bottles etc... It's all right there, just the right temp, already perfectly mixed and "on tap" for baby.

In September your son will be more mobile and better able to feed himself finger foods, so take along a lot of wholesome snacks, in a small cloth cooler, that you can keep him busy with. My favorites include dry cheerios, fruit bars, dried fruit (you can soak it for a minute in one of those little plastic cups of water they give you on a plane to make it easier for him to chew), pb and j sandwiches (if he's eating peanut butter by then), string cheese etc.. Remember the string cheese because kids get cranky when they're low on protein.

Ditch the purse. Put your important items (wallet, phone, tickets etc.) in a backpack. Fill it the rest of the way up with diaper bag stuff. Pack your purse in your checked baggage and leave your diaper bag at home. Use the backpack as both. Pack extra diapers in your checked baggage or just buy a new pack when you get there. You'll probably also have room in the backpack for books and toys. I recommend taking one old favorite of each and all the rest should be new ones that he's never seen before. Don't forget his comfort object if he has one and a light blanket.

If you have a Boppy, take it with you! This will make you and baby sooooo much more comfortable when nursing on the plane and he can take naps in your arms without putting strain on you if you have this to keep on your lap under your arms.

Don't stress about anyone seeing you nurse him. You're never going to see those people again, so who cares if they watch you nurse. Don't make yourself and your son more uncomfortable by trying to find a private place to nurse. Relax and do what you need to do. Use his light blanket to cover yourself if you feel the need.

Make sure you're both wearing comfortable clothes. I personally travel in warm-ups, t-shirts and flip-flops (a must to make security easier) with a simple pony-tail that I can pull out so it's not in my way when I need to take a nap and can throw back in easily when I'm ready. Make sure that baby is in equally comfy clothes. Take off his shoes before you even go into the security check-point and get all the way to the gate before you stress about putting them back on. Baby's clothes should be soft and comfy jersey knits (t-shirt/sweatshirt material). Nothing binding and everything easy to move around in.

Don't forget that airline travel is dehydrating, so take an empty water bottle that you can fill up from a water fountain once you get through security.

Take a notebook of regular paper and a pen. This can entertain a little one for hours, especially if you are willing to draw silly pictures for him also.

If you have one, use a baby carrier for the airport, instead of a stroller. I always found that my trip was easier if I used my hiking baby carrier backpack and slung my diaper bag/purse backpack off my front. This way baby was on my back and all of the things I needed access to were in front of me and within easy reach. It's a bit of a pain getting through security, but no more so than a stroller and you can gate-check it just like a stroller.

When you go to change him in the airplane bathroom, there is a changing table that comes down from the wall, but it's really hard and flat, so take the blanket (folded up) with you in there for a little bit of padding to lay down under your waterproof changing pad. Don't take the whole backpack in there with you either. It's difficult to maneuver in the aisle with a lot of stuff, so just take baby, one diaper, blanket, changing pad and the packet of wipes in there. Don't forget plastic shopping bags to wrap up stinky diapers in before throwing them in the garbage.

Let the baby's schedule go out the window. If he wants to sleep more on the plane then let him. The more time he spends sleeping on the plane the less time he'll spend awake and needing attention.

If your son is walking by that time, then don't be afraid to stand up with him and let him walk up and down the aisle (hold his hands though for balance, you don't want him to hit his head on the armrests). At the back of the plane is the area that the attendants move around in when they're getting service carts ready. Most attendants are very tolerant of moms/dads taking small children back there to stretch their legs a tiny bit as long as they're not using the area at the time. If he gets restless, take him back there and let him walk around.

Well, that's all I can think of right now... I'm sure you'll get lots of other good suggestions and tidbits of advice. Here's to hoping your flight isn't full and you guys get an empty seat next to you! :)

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Edit: Just wanted to add something about the bulkhead seats. This is no longer an option unless you want to pay more. Most airlines now have three zones in the airplane. Economy, Economy Plus and First Class. Economy Plus includes the bulkhead seats and it costs more. These seat are placed a little further apart for extra leg room. This zone usually includes the first several rows of the coach cabin. JSYK.

These are all fabulous ideas! My 18 month old has flown 9 times including 2 trips from LA to Boston. Here are my suggestions for those long trips:
Security: I carry a back pack for all her clothes, diapers, toys etc as well as my wallet. I have a smaller insulated bag for all her liquids/food/medicine etc. Having liquids separate makes going through security a breeze. However, they will insist on looking through your liquid bag so make sure you ask them to CHANGE THEIR GLOVES BEFORE THEY DO SO! They go through all kinds of bags/dirty laundry, etc. with the same gloves all day! One TSA started going through her bag before I go to the end (which they are not supposed to do) and I saw her grabbing her spoons and nipples of her sippy cup with her "dirty" gloves! Argh. Now I just know they will look through her bag so I ask them to change their gloves straight away.
Carrier: I love the Ergo, it's comfy and easy and can even wear on your back. It also has a wonderful zipper pouch and that is where I keep my ID, credit card and money as well as identification for her (even though you are not paying for her seat, airlines require you get a boarding pass for your little one and Southwest requires identification with their name and birthdate on it, vaccine card works for that). You will have to take the little one out of the carrier for take off and landing but hopefully you will be nursing at that time anyway.
Seats: If you are booking seats, book an aisle and a window. Most likely if there are other seats available, no one will book a middle seat. If the middle seat is booked, we just ask them if they will switch with us and they are usually ecstatic so it's worth the shot of having that extra seat available!
Changing table: Bring disposable changing pads, that way you don't contaminate the rest of your diaper bag/back pack. Bring extra diapers and clothes for you and baby because babies tend to have "blow outs" on the plane from pressure changes, etc. I also bring lots of antibacterial wipes to wipe down seat, buckles, trays, etc.
Comfort: The boppy is wonderful!
Toys: Bring favorite toys as well as a few new ones. My daughter was more excited about watching the TV screen in front of her and also everyone else!
Just remember going to down is harder on their ears then going up. If the baby is sleeping during these transitions let them sleep per my PED's advice. HAve fun!

I didn't read the other responses so I may be repeating. My first plane ride with my son was at 6 months old from LA to NY. We didn't buy him a seat but we managed to get 3 together so we could put him down in the middle. After that we bought him a seat every time (1/2 price until the kids are 2 - or that's what it used to be). Many airlines don't let people with babies pre-board anymore so you have to check with the airline if they will let you do that. The diaper bag, car seat, stroller - are not considered extra luggage. You can check the stroller at the gate when you get on the plane and it will be waiting for you when you get out of the plane. We never took a car seat on the plane - we always rented one on the other end or my mother-in-law would borrow one. She now keeps a booster seat for us.

When my son was that age he fell asleep as soon as the plane took off and he'd sleep 2 - 3 hours. I think it was the sound of the engine. You just have to hold the baby on take off and landing and he needs to suck on a binky or bottle for take off and landing to keep his ears from popping. If he is eating solid food, bring some with you to feed him on the plane. Bring some toys and books to read to him. We also bought a portable DVD player with some videos - it's been a life saver on the plane many times.
We always changed our son's diaper right before we boarded so we would hopefully only have to change him once on the plane. Bring lots of antibacterial wipes with you for cleaning the seats and seatbelts and anything the baby drops on the floor. This is basically what we've continued to do since then. We just bring more snacks and activity stuff now that my son is older. When we're on a plane with movies/tv screen he'll watch a movie or cartoons.

Hope this helps! Have a great trip!