Traveling with 6 1/2 Month Old

You can bring him a snack s/a the little fruit puffs by gerber i believe, I do know it's in the baby food section. It's whole grain so it's ok to let them indulge. I let my daughter do it when she was one because she had ants in the oants as well.

Definately try to get the bulk seatting (near the exit). This way you can have him sit in the floor with his toys and he won't be in the way. Except for the line to the bathroom, but can't they just hold it? (just kidding)
Good luck,
L.

I know you don't like TV - however home movies of himself might be entertaining. My son and others I know have had success with this tactic. Good luck :)

I've flown several times with my son, once at 4 months, once at 18 months, and most recently at 22 months. So, based on those experiences, I've learned that snacks and a couple new toys that he hasn't played with before always helped. I also requested from the flight attendant, if possible, an empty seat row, so that I would have a little extra room and not disturb other passengers. My child is also very active, but I was suprised how well he sat on the flights, so yours may surprise you as well.

We recently traveled with our 7 month old internationally. She is also very active and not a huge fan of laps since she has become mobile. I am not sure how long your trip is, but our doctor and many other mothers suggested Benadryl. Our daughter slept 75% of the trip and was very happy for the remainder. I took along a few of her favorite toys to keep her entertained while she was awake. If you use Benadryl, consult your doctor, as mine told me the exact amount to give her based on her weight. Also, do a trial run before you get on the aircraft. Some children have the reverse effect and become hyper not sleepy with the medicine.

We found the vibration of the aircraft helped soothe her, similar to car rides. Just be sure you have extra bottles and be sure to give him one on landing and take off, as it helps with their ears.

I used to bring a photo album with pictures of people my baby knew, pictures of herself, animals. My daughter always loved that. Sassy makes a photo album that babies can handle and chew on without ruining the pictures. You can get it at Target etc..

Good luck!

books, toys and a sense of humor. I think you'll find that there will be plenty of people willing to entertain him for a spell...that's always been my experience. And if you're nursing try and nurse as much as possible on the plane...it helps with the pressure build-up in the ears not to mention it might coax him into taking a nap :)

M.
mother of 2 has done lots of traveling with my litle ones

I am editing my response, because hopefully you read it already. As I read the response before mine, I came to remember that I had connecting flights (i was trying to save money too! LOL) And, while I'm sorry she had a bad experience, mine was very good. The airport people were friendly and courteous. I didn't have to walk anywhere, they have airport personel who offer to take you on their golf carts. Accept this and any other kind of help offered, because their kindness went along way. My five year old loved the airport experience. It was a good learning experience. Whether you take a seat, or sit him in your lap, just keep in mind he may become unhappy with the whole situation. Just remember to be understanding, loving, and supportive.

I flew accross country with my son when he was 8 1/2 mo. I agree with trying to get a red-eye flight so baby will sleep more. I also reccomend trying to be seated next to an empty seat if possible. I held my son and nursed on take off and landing and let him play in the seat next to me during his wake time. We took lots of fun snacks and a juice cup, books, and even noisy toys too. Don't be afraid to take noisy toys - the plain ride is kind of loud so the noise from the toys doesnt really carry anyway. And if its a long flight get up every now and then and stretch your legs and give baby a change of scenery. When the seat belt sign is turned off, walk up and down the isles. I know its not the best place to go, but I took my son to the bathroom to change him and we ended up spending like ten minutes in there just playing in the mirror. It was fun for him and it got me out of my seat.

I wish you all the best of luck, and hope you have fun on your trip.

Biggest advice I can give is to let him nurse or drink from the bottle during take off and during landing. That will help his little ears adjust to pressure changes. That can cause a great deal of pain to little ones and make them fussy. So, let him drink and he will likely sleep. I know with my first he slept. Didn't fly with the second when she was little and the 3rd one kept the pacifier in his mouth and looked out the window and at the people in the seats behind us. Played with his favorite little toys. You could bring a CD player and put head phones on him so he can listen to children singing songs.
And most importantly, stay calm and relaxed. They pick up on your stress and react accordingly.

I see a lot of good suggestions below. Decongestants worked well, both for its' sedating effect and the decongestant to help with ear pain/pressure.
I also highly recommend a car seat that converts to a stroller and fits in an airplane. I had the Sit and Stroll.
Good Luck. Oh, and when they get to be mobile, get the cute little monkey backpack that has a harness and a leash (a monkey tail) so you can keep them from running around the airport (found one at Walmart). What a nightmare it was when I didn't have it!

We actually walked our daughter around and visited with other passengers. The ladies loved visiting with our little girl! We even passed her off to a few of them. It's not like they're going anywhere with your child, you're on an airplane. They looked a magazines with her and played peek-a-boo. When she started fussing, she just went to the next person who wanted a turn. Our daughter isn't too shy and we had a great group of passengers on our flight so this worked great. Otherwise, a few new toys or picture books, and several bottles work well. You might try music. Just some soft classical lullabies. I suggest baby's best music box (3 CD set).

what's wrong with a couple hours of tv entertainment to sooth an active child on a plane? there are a lot of very educational dvds out there. I'm the mother of 4 daughters, and i believe that there is nothing wrong with a little video entertainment or you will be miserable on that plan as well as a couple hundred other people. you didn't say how long the flight was. does he enjoy riding in his car seat? does he enjoy books?

I took my 7 1/2 old from FL to Vegas when she was 5mos old. She did much better than I expected. First, get him sucking on something during ascent and descent (we used a pacifier). This will help with the ear popping from the pressure changes. Bring as many small toys as you can, and lots of link-a-dos so you can link the toys to you or something else so he isn't dropping them all the time (tight areas to be picking up toys all the time). My daughter loves people, so she kept busy talking to all the people around us. Also, I scheduled the flight to be in the evening, right before her dinner / bed time. Eating dinner helped take up some of the flight time, and then after a bit of playing, she fell asleep since it was her bedtime. Good luck!

When I traveled with my daughter at that age I always booked flights close to her nap time. The best thing is for your son to be sleeping during the flight. If he doesnt sleep the entire flight, bring toys and books to keep him busy.

Hope that helps

Try a car seat. It’s WAY easier than lap flying. And safer too.

It’s an extra item to carry, but if you check the rest of your bags it shouldn’t be a problem, and folks are always ready to help if you need.

Lavender essential oil helps to calm anyone. You can put a few drops on some cotton balls and keep them in a bagging for easy assess. Then when needed just place the cotton ball within smelling distance. Also during take off and landing be sure he has something to drink so his ears will adjust with the pressure changes. You could try to arrange his day so he will be tired for the flight and then he may sleep it for you.

I seriously suggest giving a bottle at take off and landing because the sucking motion will help with the ears. I have flown with my son who is now 9 months but the bottles help. As for keeping your son occupied...bring toys, any kind. Offer one at a time so he plays with each one...that way the toys last longer.

Hi L.,
I have been travelling with my 11 month old since he was 4 months. I find the best distractions are small toys and snacks. I usually have a few soft books he can chew on and look at as well as some rattle type toys. Also I hold him off from napping prior to flying, and he usually falls asleep during the flight.
Also, make sure you have a bottle or pacifier for take off and landing. The sucking helps regulate the pressure on the ears and keeps them from popping and discomfort.
I hope this helps. Have fun on your trip!

E.

How does he do in his car seat? I recently traveled by myself with our 11 month old and purchased a seat for him (most airlines will charge you half the cost of a regular seat for an infant. I brought his carseat along (a Britax Roundabout with a cool attachment called go go babyz so I could push the carseat with him in it through the airport). He did great since he naps real well and travels general very well in the car. I palnned our flight around his nap time as well and gave him a bottle during take off and landing.
Hope that helps!

Hi L. I traveled with both of my boys around your sons age and both were very different. I would definately suggest having a bottle and if you breastfeed, pump first and have the milk with you to make a bottle. This helped with my sons ears as they can not chew gum. Also it just depends on how long the flight is. I also had snacks for him in my bag. And then I just tried to make them comfortable and they went to sleep. They definately cried and I just tried to console do not worry about the ever watchful eyes of the other passengers most understand and if they do not oh well.

Good luck and have a safe trip
N.

The gentle rocking motion of the plane will also help to put your son to sleep and calm him down. We recently went on a 2.5 hour flight with our son who was 7 months at the time - I was worried he wouldn't want to sit still, but he fell asleep by the time the plane took off. It was great! :)

Oh, and yes - definitely put a paci in his mouth (or feed a bottle) to help with the altitude.

do you have a relative that has like a leapster or pixter?
they have sound+sight to keep him entertained it isnt exactly t.v. it's a learning tool,but he would probably love the music and lights etc..plus even if you bought it for the trip you could keep it for his future use.beleive me for peace on the plane it's worth it,I have two little girls I know lol! he may have some trouble with his ears adjusting to the cabin pressure so maybe ask your pediatrician if you can give him something and how much "just in case" that problem arrises
happy flying!

I have 2 kids, both girls, both extremely active. I know that this sounds terrible, however, this is what I've had to do....
I have to plan my traveling around bedtime schedules, so we normally travel at night. Works out great, since my husband loves to drive and works nights. So that is his normal time to be awake.
I've given my kids a small dose of benedryl before they fall asleep to help them stay asleep. Now keep in mind, they both suffer from allergies. Benedryl is safe and works great for mine.

Hi,
My daughter and I traveled quite a bit when she was younger. I found it easier to fly around her nap and meal times. Eating at take off and landing helps with the ear pressure. She was a big sleeper too and slept through most of the flights. When she wasn't able to sleep we had picture books and lots of singing. She loved the kids songs.
Hope this helps

here is some tips; bring the washable markers that are big and paper. My youngest was fascinated with these. There are also these new paints by crayola that are see through and when the child marks the page then they take on a color. So your son could also finger paint. You could always test it out at home and see if it interests him. If it doesn't, you will still use it later.

Lots of finger foods that are allowed on the plane. (most do not allow fruits to go across state lines.)

My husband learned a tip from a stewardess; (if their ears bother them) two dixie cups from the bathroom. Take a papertowel or toilet paper. Wet these and squeeze them out and place one in each cup. Then place the cup over each ear. Somehow this helps the pressure that can build up in the ear.

That is all I got, good luck.

D.

Hi L.,
We just flew with our 5 month old. She doesn't mind being on our laps though, so that wasn't really our problem. But, what we did was make sure she was tired when we got on the plane, then I fed her during take off (to make sure her ears adjusted). She slept the whole trip and I fed her when we descended also (for the ears again). It worked pretty well. Good luck and if you can't arrange to have him sleep through the flight maybe you could take some new toys for him. Oh, one other thing, the airline asked us for our baby's birth certificate to prove that she was under 2. We didn't have it and they almost made us buy an extra seat for her! So, you might want to bring that also.
Jenn

I concur with Leslie. Benadryl or Dimetapp is a good thing to consider as well as providing activities. I flew from Fairbanks to Seattle with my 16 mo son. It was a nightmare. He screamed the entire trip. I tried nursing him, playing with him and pretty much anything I could think of. Nothing worked. The flight attendant suggested Dimetapp for the next flight. When we hit the airport at Seattle, I went to one of the newstands and got some decongestant. It worked like a charm. He slept the entire flight from Seattle to Minnesota. I do suggest you check with your pediatrician for the correct dosage. Blessings to you.

I am not sure if anyone mentioned this or not, but they just changed the FAA rules about bringing liquid on the plane. If you have formula or breast milk with you, you HAVE to have the baby with you (of course you will) when you are being checked, or else you will not be able to carry it onto the plane. I have heard a *rumor* that they make you taste it also.

Try traveling at night, and a little benedryl never hurts! Good luck!

We just took a trip which consisted of 2 1/2 hour flight. My 5 month old did rather well. She took a nap, ate, & played with toys.

Hello, with my daughter what we did was to either purchase the tickets very early or around her bedtime to promote her sleeping on the flight. You can also bring the car seat with you and if the flight is not packed they will allow you to put it in a seat so the baby has less opportunity to try and "get away" plus its familiar so they are usually comfortable. Flight attendants are usually very nice so they should be able to find you an area where he is able to move around for a little free time also. Enjoy the trip! Oh, my daughter also loves the window seat.

Try bringing something that entertains him. Something like the bath books or teethers. Just try things that you know he likes, I understand you don't like the tv thing, but sometimes in a situation like this bending the rules sometimes helps.

S.
Mom of 3 boys
11 1/2, 4 and 14 months.