Flying with a Busy 8 Month Old Boy

I agree with not sitting in an aile seat. The last time we flew with my son was last year when he was 1 1/2 and it went very smoothly! We brought a portable DVD player with his favorite baby einstein movies and bought him a new kipper dvd. We brought a diaper bag packed with snacks and other toys. I bought a small doodle pro and that kept him entertained for a bit. He also fell asleep for most half of the flight. I think that if he could see the aile he would have wanted to get down. Get a window seat and have a nice trip!

Hi, I recently flew with my 7 month old, and I was nervous about the same thing. I brought all kinds of new toys, but I never ended up using them--I gave him the inflight magazine to tear up, and it occupied him for hours. It's different on a plane, it's not like sitting on a couch and trying to hold him for hours--there is so much to look at and people to flirt with, it makes the time go by really quickly. Hope this helps, good luck!

Good luck, H.! Good for you for not putting off travel because your kids are small. Travel is a great skill to teach kids. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and we've done a fair amount of flying, esp. in our oldest's first year. Here are some tricks:
1) Organization is key. With two kids, I pack two bags in case our seats end up not being together. (The airline will try to help with this, but if the plane is packed--and they all are now--this might be the case.) So we have a Riley bag and a Meagan bag with their own toys, books, snacks, diapers, whatever.
2) Be armed to the teeth with books and toys. It doesn't take much with an 8 month old, but you probably want a good combo of old favorites and some NEW toys. Novelty is great here.
3) Airplanes can be the best white noise so my kids tended to sleep LONGER than their normal naps on the planes. BUT the 3 year old now tends to NOT sleep on the plane at all...very frustrating. The best thing you can do is just hang loose and be willing to throw the schedule out the window on travel days. It'll be what it'll be.
4) SNACKS! Esp. if your baby is into finger foods now, bring a variety. It's a great activity and a full tummy makes all of us more patient with flying.
5) Bring a magazine and a nice snack for the grown ups too. You might luck out and have a 3 hour nap window. Unlikely, but nice to have a treat for yourself just in case.
6) Put everyone, including you, in comfy clothes--as close to loose sweats as you can and remember back up outfits in case of spit up or spills or evil long layovers.
7) Check the security stuff for going thru the airport with kids. If you have connecting flights esp. and are bringing snugglies/backpacks thru the airports. When you go thru security, the baby will have to come out of those and the equipment will all ahve to go on the belt. I HATE THE SECURITY PART with kids--it's just this massive unpacking. But when everyone gets reassembled, it gets a lot easier.
8) Remember to rely on stewardesses and kind strangers. They are there to help--give yourself a 3 minute break to go to the bathroom alone on a long flight.
Hope this helps. Take care and happy traveling. Peace, G.

Hi H.,
I just traveled with my 8 month old daghter all i did was give her a pacifier during take off and landing, during the flight all i did was let her look out the window and give her toys to play with, we traveled around her nap and we rocked her a sleep if she didn't fall a sleep I gave her, toys Hope that helps

J.

H.,

I just flew from VT to FL last week and I packed two back packs which I kept under the seats we occupied: one with all the diapers, wipes, dry finger foods & snacks & toiletries that have to be in 3-1 ratio that the TSA requires (http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm) and one full of nothing but new little toys that my 11 month old had never seen before. I put in books, finger puppets, a puzzle, a magna doodle, etc., and that kept her engaged for most of the trip. I also tried to schedule the flight for times when she'd normally be napping anyway so that she'd rest on the plane. And, because I can't keep her still in my lap for five minutes, much less three hours, I purchased a seat for her & took her car seat for her to ride in instead of holding her in my lap. She had a window seat of her own and this was a lifesaver! If you don't have the funds to purchase an extra seat, you can always show up with your carseat in the hopes that there's an empty space on the plane that they'll let you occupy for free upon taking off. If not, you just have them take your seat below on the plane and it'll be waiting for you when you get off and then you'll have to hold your baby instead.

The other thing that made my life a MILLION times easier was this contraption that hooks up to the back of your carseat called the GoGoKids Travelmate. I couldn't have made the trip without it & can't say enough good things about it. It's kind of pricey, but worth every penny. I'd never travel without it. You can probably find one used on ebay or at http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html.

Oh, the other thing I did was save her liquid feedings for take off & landing and had a passifier handy if she didn't want to eat to help equalize her ears with the changes in air pressure. That helped a great deal too.

I think the biggest thing that made the trip easiest for her was just being able to be wheeled around in her car seat and then having the car seat be directly put into her seat on the plane. It was comfortable and familiar to her and there were not a lot of transitions for her to make from place to place or person to person. She went right from our home to her car seat and basically stayed put in her car seat until we reached our final destination. There was no need to bring a stroller or pull her in and out of anything constantly, which can really wear on some babies. Our flight was three hours long and she slept some, snacked some, played a little and I sang to her and played games with her. The other thing I did was pull out new, unfamiliar toys sporadically throughout the trip there and back, so things were more engaging for her. I didn't show her all the toys right away, nor did I show them to her back to back if she wasn't interested in one, that way I had something new to give her if a meltdown ensued (which thankfully, DID NOT!).

Good luck!

R. J.

No matter how much you plan, it will be what it is. I, too, used the tips like...use new toys, picture albums, snacks, bottles, car seat, books. Be as prepared as you can and then try not to worry about everyone looking at you and judging you and your child. There are many, many people out there who can relate and understand that he's a baby...that's how babies are. One time my two year old had a huge tantrum in the airport after landing and going thru the airport. I was struggling to get her into the stroller with all her antics....what do you know...another mom came right up and offered to help with the buckles. Together we got it done and once I got moving, she calmed down. One of the beautiful things about being a mom is that we're everywhere...and we can relate, understand and help. Good luck!

When we traveled with our daughter for the first time on a plane -she was 9 months-we used a portable DVD player so she could watch Elmo and Baby Einstein. It worked wonders with her older brother when he was a baby too. I also packed two "new" toys in my carry on-but they lasted about 5 minutes each. The DVD player held all the power. Have fun on your trip.

Hi H. - just make sure you feed him when the plane is taking off and all the way through the descent. I will help with his ears, and takes up time!
I was just on a plane 2 weeks ago with my 6 month old, and the hum and the motion of the plane made her sleep.
Bring a couple of his favorite toys, and I ditto the DVD player!

I have always packed new unopened toys to bring out every 45 minutes that you know your baby will love. Small ones that fit in the diaper bag. As well as have a bottle ready when you get on .. It is good for the babies ears to swallow when taking off and landing..

HI H., I flew with my daughter when she was 6 and 9 months. Both times I did not buy her a ticket, but the flight had a few extra seat so they let me take on her car seat and I was able to have her next to me buckled into her car seat. Both times, my flights were less than 2 hours, so she stayed buckled in for the whole flight. Maybe you can ask if they have any extra seats that you could bring your sons car seat on the plane and keep him buckled in so he can nap. I hope this helps, happy flying! M.

Are you having him sit on your lap or in a car seat? If you are worried about him not sleeping, he might be more comfortable in a carseat as at this age they are reclined back a little. So it will be more like his crib than sleeping in your arms. Though if he sleeps just fine when you hold him, that should work too. Definitely feed him (and your 3 year old) on take off and descent as they don't know how to "pop" their ears at this age and it will hurt. The movement of the jaw helps keep the ears from building up pressure. In addition to the others' ideas, I would make sure you have a favorite toy or something. When I flew with my kids about the same age at the time, they were the most comfortable in their own seats and slept most of the time. I know the airlines all say they are plenty safe on your lap with a restraint that ties into your belt, but they are safer in their own carseat. Some airlines will offer discounts for using your carseat on the plane. Sometimes you can even get it free if the plane isn't full.

I just took our 10 month old overseas by myself and was very nervous (my husband stayed home with the other two.) It is a lot of work (I won't say otherwise), but kids will amaze you with their ability to behave when it truly needs to happen. I did not overload on toys (too many things to carry and drop on the ground), but I did bring some that I knew he loved. I also bought a Baby Einstein photo album/teether filled with pictures of his brothers and dad which he loved!! This was a huge success. Good luck! If you want any other ideas let me know! I am more than happy to share!

H..

ps. I also got a really cool backpack to carry him in...it folds down to a regular backpack...but expands to hold a small baby...it kept my hands free while in the airports and he loved looking out over the crowd...it kept him happy even while jetlagged and standing in line for over an hour at immigration!

I've flown to Europe twice now with my little one. Once at 10 months (crawling) and once at 16 months (walking). They were big planes with bulkhead rows which helped. I'm not sure if your plane with have these rows, but ask at check-in for space. If you don't have a seat for him, ask if you can be placed to any available empty seats. A little room to move and play really helps. I found that a mix of favorite toys, food, etc and new ones helped. The other advice we were given, is don't let your child know that they can move around until necessary. While my husband got our seats settled and we waited for take off, he was either in his car seat or I held him. When it was okay for passengers to move around and he was restless we let him walk the aisles or stand infront of the seat and play.

Portable DVD player with Baby Einstein DVD's! New board books-
his favorite blankie-Big animal pictures(I cut them out and make a little book with an album brag book).
Have fun, relax....it will be fine.

Good Morning to you,

I recently flew to England with my 8 month old daughter, we took two flights each way, with the longest being 7 hours. My little one is not crawling so I entertained her in her car seat with lots of books, toys, took her for walks up and down the aisle so that she could look at everyone. One invaluable tip for heating bottles of formula - ask the flight attendant for a travel sickness bag to be half filled with hot water (that they use for tea) and put the bottle in there, close it up and voila, in a few minutes the milk is nice and warm.
Good luck........if you ask me the flight is the easiest part, it's all the security that's hard work, be prepared and put all of your premade bottles in a clear shoulder bag.

Hi H.,

We flew to Hawaii with our son when he was 8 months old. He did not sleep very well on the flight since he was not in his crib. We have traveled with him several times and I would suggest not getting an aisle seat. If they can see the aisle and people walking around they just want to get down. Babies are surprisingly entertained by the window, even though there is not much to see. I would suggest bringing plenty of books and snacks and if he has a favorite toy or a lovie. He loved to put the books into the pocket on the back of the seat. We kept him entertained by having his lovie dance around the seat and playing peek a boo with it. We just acted really silly and made the best of it. Good luck and have a safe trip!