Advice on Travelling with 9 Month Old

Hello! I have two girls, 3 and 1.5, and we’ve both driven and flown to Texas…you can do it! I’m not sure if you’re traveling alone, but here’s what I’ve learned:

Do not get on the plane early…the less time you are trapped in that little seat the better. Absolutely be the last person to board! Hold them off and eat on the plane. Slow eating/snacking is a great activity for the whole flight. If they have ever been car sick, check with your Pediatrician for dosage and give them Dramamine! I ended up putting my two month old on the seat her sister should have been in because the older one had thrown up chicken nuggets all over and needed some love from Mommy. Never again. Usually a bottle/juice/water worked on the way up for helping them pressurize their ears, but the descent is much slower and the drinks never lasted long enough…grab a couple of small/medium suckers for the descent if the child won’t drink. They are GREAT for any other kind of “I am trapped and you need to sit still” kind of emergencies too. It takes them forever to finish the thing and their teeth are not usually strong enough to take bites. I prefer the “plastic” sticks vs. the cardboard ones because they don’t get sopping wet and break off in the child’s mouth. If that happens, just throw it out and give them another one. At that age, they usually let me hold the sucker, so I was able to monitor it very closely. They are messy, but nothing a few wipes can’t fix after the whole thing is over.

My girls loved to take their shoes off at that age, which is fine if they have SOCKS on. Inevitably they will want to stand up in the seat and I was mortified to see my little one’s feet afterwards. I can’t even think how dirty a plane floor can be. Socks but no shoes worked fine for me as they loved to climb/stand on my lap and those shoes can start to hurt after a while. Which leads me to…wear Capri pants, not shorts, not a skort, and not a skirt. Bring a back up shirt in your diaper bag for yourself because you are likely to be as dirty or more than the child. Where slip on shoes…getting your shoes on/off and the child’s on/off in security will be tricky enough without having to tie laces.

Books and finger play were the best distracters for me. Brush up on the itsy bitsy spider, little bunny foo foo, five little mice, etc. A NEW toy is also helpful to keeping interest. Keys, cell phones, wallet…all those things you might not normally let her play with and will already be carrying can be one-time exceptions while traveling. Peek a boo over the seat is usually not too bothersome for the person behind you.

Not sure if you’re still nursing or if your little one insists on warm milk, but you can’t take any liquid through security, so just buy bottled water on the other side BEFORE you get on the plane. Don’t chance that he flight attendants will have time to get you anything. I was able to get “hot” water at a restaurant like TGI Fridays…I just asked the bartender to fill up my bottles with 6oz. and then I added cold water from my water bottle to even out the temperature before adding formula.

I was super lucky not to have to mess with car seats…it is certainly worth reaching out to friends, having them reach out to their play groups, etc. so that you don’t have to travel with one. The one time we did travel with one, it got lost when we checked it at the gate and the car rental place/airline lent us one. It may not have been a Britax, but it was just fine for those few days. The same goes for a packnplay. Anything you can borrow from someone at your destination is worth the effort of reaching out and asking for.

I think successfully traveling with kids is more reliant on your attitude than anything else. If you’re flexible, patient, and look at the whole experience as a big adventure, you’ll be fine. If you’re stressed, everyone loses. Things will go awry, things will be messy, at WORST, you can remind yourself that you will never see these people again.

Hope I haven’t come across too bossy…I just didn’t want to mince words!

Good luck!
L.

We just got back from a FL to visit my in-laws (they're snowbirds) and I couldn't even sleep the night before the trip. I was so nervous about being that "crying baby on the plane". Luckily- my daughter (8 mos) was perfect for both flights. We brought her car seat and stroller with to the gate and checked it there. You have to take the baby out of the stroller and send that through the x-ray machine when you go through security. I didn't know that and I wish I knew that ahead of time. So be ready. The flight was packed (both ways) and we didn't buy her a seat. We had to let the airline know we had her- she had her own boarding ticket and was considered a "lap" baby. There was even a small fee for this. My husband asked what this went to and they couldn't answer. But- it beat paying for a full price ticket. So she sat in our laps. I had changed her diaper right before boarding- I just didn't want to have to do this on the plane and the flight was short enough that I didn't have to. I am still nursing so I was able to nurse her during take off and landing. I was a little freaked out about doing it in public, but I brought a big sheet to cover up and you are so tucked in to your seat so I don't think anyone around me even knew. My sister-in-law is a flight attendant so I asked for her advice before we left. She just said that some people start to feed their babies too soon after they taxi away from the gate. She said sometimes it takes forever to take off and then it takes quite a while for the air pressure to regulate and for the plane to get to cruising altitude. The best thing we did was bring along hershey bars that I had wrapped in our own labels. I thought that chocolate could cure everyone's bad attitude. The labels on the front said "SO SORRY" (in Hershey's font) and on the back it said: Please accept this small token from our family. We hope the flight is relaxing & peaceful. Usually our daughter is as sweet as chocolate. In case she’s not, we are so grateful that you understand that sometimes . . . babies cry. We handed them to the row in front and back of us and the person sitting next to us as soon as everyone was settled. It was such an ice breaker and made everyone relax a little bit. The row in front of us actually gave them back to us as we were landing because our daughter had been so good. The others had already been eaten! We brought books and toys in her diaper bag. I kept it organized and put it on the floor in front of my feet so it was easy to get to.

Best of luck. Don't stress as much as I did. It is much easier than it seems!

Hi K.! My family is spread all over the US and in Mexico so I've been traveling with my daughter since she was three months old and certainly have taken advantage of the "infant in lap" airline policy until she turned 2 (she's 2-1/2 now). I think you've gotten some great advice already. When Siena was around 9 months, I was still requesting aisle seats (so that I had bathroom access in case of diaper changing or any other emergency). Once Siena got older, she loved to look out the window so I switched to window seats - that all depends on your child's personality. He or she might be entertained with a window seat at this age. If you have the option for purchasing additional leg space (like they do on United), I highly recommend it - it's worth the extra money. Also, try to schedule your flight to coincide with your child's nap. I've found that is helpful when they are little. Nowadays, I try to do early flights so that we arrive at our destination in time for my daughter to take a good nap. Finally, pack some new toys that your child has never seen as well as her favorites.

I find that flying with babies, it's all in the attitude! As long as you don't lose your cool, you'll be OK! And be prepared to make a fool of yourself too! One time I was flying with my daughter and husband and was singing this ridiculous song - my husband asked me if it was really necessary to sing. I turned the question around on him, "Stupid song or crying baby? Your choice!" Just make flying fun - if your child sees that you're having fun, he or she will view travel as fun :) Good luck!

I can definitely help you with advice. I am an only parent since my daughter's birth and I've flown with her every 2-3 months since she was 2 months old. She's now 4. I have it down pat!

First, since your son will be a lap baby, let me tell you that you need to contact the airline and find out which rows have an extra oxygen mask and make sure you are seated in one of those rows. Depending on the plane (737, 747, etc.) depends on which rows have an extra mask. Otherwise, in a worst case scenario that you need the oxygen mask, there will only be one for you and your son to share.

Second, make sure you are giving him something to drink (even just water) during take off and landing. This will force his ears to pop, so that it is not uncomfortable.

Third, my pediatrician recommended children's Benedryl. HOWEVER, that was ONLY for a flight to Europe. I gave it to her when they served dinner, so that by the end of the meal, she was getting drowsy. By forcing her to sleep on the flight, it helped her adjust to the 7-hour time difference.

Fourth, take your time at security. The TSA people are very good about putting other people in different lines, so they don't back up behind you. They know you have your hands full traveling with an infant and they are almost always patient and helpful getting your through security. Just stay calm and take your time.

If you are going to be flying with your son a lot, I highly recommend buying a Sit N Stroll. It's a stroller, car seat and booster seat all in one. It was a life-saver for me! You can steer it with one hand and can convert it between the stroller and car seat or booster with the child in it. Thus if they have fallen asleep, there is no need to wake them. Mine went everywhere with me. It made life MUCH easier traveling alone with an infant/young toddler.

I am happy to talk to you more about flying with your infant if you'd like. Just email me back :-) Good luck!

You *can* bring expressed breast milk and/or formula on board.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm

I recently did a round trip to Australia with my (then) 4 1/2 month old, and had no problem bringing a cooler bag with cool packs and 30+ ounces of expressed milk on board.

I don't know about Rx, however, try timing his naps for a couple days prior so that his sleep time is during the trip. Keep him awake when going through the airport, if flying, and have a nice warm bottle, or nurse him, on the airplane. Just hope he's not ready to walk, in which case his little leg muscles will be sending him messages to move, move, move.

Hi K.-

Ooh, I see in your profile, that you have a pug! So do we, awwww, they are so cute.

Now-as for air travel, we have flown a lot with our daughter. She has taken a 4.5 hour flight to Jamaica, that was the longest, then just shorter flights to the east coast (NY) from Chicago.
I even flew alone with her to NY earlier this year.

The trick is to just be ready for ANYTHING! Pack books and toys she has never seen. Pack little finger foods she can eat. Nurse her or bottle feed as you take off and land, and you never know, she may sleep. Oh, and we always just dress her for travel in pj's, and pack an extra pair. That way if they have feet you don't have to fuss with socks and taking off their baby shoes at security.

I have never given Maddie medicine to make her sleep but my sister in law has but she flies from Alaska to NY with her two boys so that's a little different.