We are planning a trip to a quaint resort in CO next month. Our DD will be almost 8 months. We will be flying there and staying in a cabin for 3 nights. She has been exclusively breastfed and has recently started some solids. Any advice for taking baby on a mini vacation that includes a plane trip is greatly appreciated.
The holidays really make time go by fast. I wanted to respond to those who provided me outstanding advise to assist with our trip. We had a great time and our DD did FANTASTIC!! I honestly think she traveled better than we did.
To the person who suggested the back pack...you are a Goddess walking around masquerading as a normal person!!! I purchased a mesh backpack and it is now our new diaper bag. In addition, I purchased a sort of "urban pouch" sort of purse. I now use the backpack and urban pouch purse as standard gear in our day to day adventures. Even when I'm in the store, urban pouch over shoulder hitting at about my left hip (I can easily get to phone, keys, wallet, etc even holding DD) and then the back pack with all her stuff. I don't have to stick a diaper back under the stroller and pull it out everytime I need something. Well, enough banter about the backpack.
During the trip she was able to nurse during take off, landing and most of the entire flight.
THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
I took my DD from Texas to Michigan when she was 8 months and b/f. It WAS HORRIBLE!! She was so distracted on the plane that she wouldn't feed. She would, however, take a sippy. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have taken a sippy of breastmilk. Bring NEW toys to occupy her and and have lots of patience. :)
We just came back from a plane trip/mini vacation with our 3 kids (4, 2, & 6 mos.)
What I learned this time around (we've probably flown with a baby about 10 times):
BACKPACK is so much easier than the diaper bag for getting on/off the plane (You can always pack an empty diaper bag in your luggage if you want it for use at destination--I didn't need it)
Wear your baby in a carrier to board the plane. I have an ERGO, which is super easy to put on, even if in a hurry.
Bring a clean outfit for her & a clean shirt for you in case of a spit-up or diaper blowout on the plane.
If you will be getting her a seat, she will have to sit next to the window. If you will have her on your lap, you will need to check her carseat, but can do it at the gate. You will get a bright colored "Gate Check" tag to put on her carseat and/or stroller, and then you leave it at the end of the hallway, just outside the door of the plane.
Bring her birth certificate (required by the TSA for all un-ticketed babies under age 2).
Bring her favorite blankets. If you use white noise at home, you might need it at the destination as well. I'd bring only 1-2 containers of solids on the plane, and buy the rest at the destination. Since you will only be there for 3 nights, I'd go ahead and pack enough diapers for her for the stay.
Ask the resort to have her crib/pack & play already in the room when you get there, so that if she needs a nap right away you can put her down.
The most important thing I have learned over the years is to be as hands-free as possible!! Backpack & infant carrier - I mention it again because this trip was the first time I used them, and it was by far, our easiest (even though it was with 3 kids.) Use the family-line at the TSA checkpoint. Have slip-on shoes for you, so you don't need your hands to put them back on again. You will have to pass her stroller & carseat through the x-ray at the airport, so you or your DH will need to carry her through the line.
Pack extra clothes for yourselves and for baby. I was really glad to have a fresh t-shirt when we de-planed.
Pack extra pateince.
Lastly, be sure to alert the staff at the gate that you have baby with you, they will try to accommodate you with a spare seat. If there is a seat elsewhere on the plane, most people would opt to take it rather than sit right next to you and your bundle of joy.
We went to the domincan for a week when DS was 7 months old. He was standing, but not yet crawling. It was way easier to keep him contained. If your little one is crawling, or a very wriggly one, a moby, or some other carrier might make things so much easier for you.
Try to make the most out of whatever food you get at the resort. Baby can easily eat mashed up eggs, potatoes, bananas, chili, cereals gone soggy, steamed vegetables.
Enjoy your trip.
When I flew with my son the first time it was from phx to Baltimore. And I had pumped in the bathroom and made sure I had a bottle for take off and landing. And we had a few new toys but was still very little and didt seem to care. But he slept most of the flight. He was a little messed up from the time zone change, but that was about it.
I would buy a Mobi wrap and put her in there a lot. You can have her close and carry her anywhere without straining your back. Wrapping her in a mobi wrap also allows you to feed her privately.
I traveled a lot with our son when he was 6 months. It was difficult, but we were fine.
On long car rides (22 hours), we had to stop a lot so he could breast feed. Traveling made him need the closeness a little more. That is another reason you need the mobi wrap.
I don't work for them or anything. I just loved mine.
When I traveled with our son, he was about 6 - 8 months old and it was SOOOO much easier than when he was 12 - 18 months old. As a baby, it is always easy to get him to feed and stay with you in your seat, whereas when he was older, he didn't want to be in our laps anymore...it was "down", "down", over and over (and tantrums when we couldn't) because he wanted to walk. So, travel a lot with your daughter NOW, because it will be much more difficult later (unless you buy them their own seat)!! :-)
That being said, here's my advice for traveling with your baby: IF you want to use your stroller/car seat/infant carrier combo at your destination, then take it all the way through to the gate and down the jetway. Not only is it helpful to use the stroller to transport everything to the gate, but you can gate-check it at the end of the jetway and then pick it up again as you leave the door of the plane and start back up the jetway at your destination.
If, on the other hand, you don't need that stuff at your destination, then you don't want to mess with it. I would use an carrier (I had a Baby Bjorn "active", which was great) or sling to carry your baby through the airport and get her on to the plane. We've done both ways and both are good dependent upon what you'll need at your destination (travel with as little as possible, since hotels and family members often have pack and plays/cribs for your use...sometimes even car seats may be covered by family members).
Get a seat toward the back of the plane (maybe 2/3 to 3/4 of the way down the aisle) by the engines, where it is loud...a reservation agent recommended that to us when we made our reservation and it was a godsend...the white noise drowned out other distracting sounds and helped our son to sleep.
Be ready to nurse on ascent and descent because the sucking/swallowing motions help their little ears to equalize. I sat against the window so that it was less distracting for baby and more private/cozy for the two of us. My husband sat in the middle seat, which also acted as a buffer of sorts. I also carried a receiving blanket to lightly covered him while he nursed. Besides nursing, he slept the whole time!! we didn't need any other food/snacks while he was at that age...although we did have to pack food and a lot of toys/distractions when we traveled with him later.
What you should definitely pack is an extra change of clothes for both of you and you may want to put your little one in an overnight diaper for traveling. It's REALLY hard to do diaper changes in those tiny airplane bathrooms!!
I hope this helps!!
Book the flight during a routinely scheduled nap time. Or, push her waking limits so she sleeps on the plane.
I think QueenoftheCastle gave some great suggestions. Let me 2nd: nursing on take off and landing. A baby carrier like and Ergo or Beco. Leave the stroller at home and use the baby carrier for the trip (but make sure you use it before hand so DD and you are comfortable with it. (Moby wrap will be a pain - you will have to unwrap and rewrap at security). Snacks for distractions.
If the place you are staying does not have a pack n play available, get this Peapod Travel Bed: http://www.amazon.com/KidCo-PeaPod-Portable-Travel-Bed/dp.... It packs in the suitcase and saves you having to check another piece of luggage - it is great!
Make sure you try to feed during take off and landing, the pressure on the ears can be bad and the sucking helps. I would use a blanket for a cover for your own discretion, but more importantly so the baby can focus. When we flew with my daughter at 9 months she didn't care too much about toys on the plane. She did love the Gerber Puffs. They kept her busy and for the trip I didn't care how many she ate. I also suggest getting an aisle seat so you can go up and down the aisle. At 9 months my daughter was just standing, but I would let her stand in the aisle and when someone came by I would pick her up and swing her back into our seats. She loved it. Also, you can take a stroller and a carseat through security up to the gate. We bought a carseat bag and checked it at the ticket counter instead of carrying it to the gate, but you can go to the gate and they are free to check either at the gate or the ticket counter. I wouldn't get her a seat as my daughter just wanted to sit on our laps anyway. If you are going to be near a store, I would buy diapers and solids when I got there as to not have to pack them. They take up a lot of room and weigh a lot. Also, my daughter loves to poop on airplanes, at 2 1/2 she still does so bring extra diapers on board, and definitely a pad to cover the changing table in the bathroom.
