Baby's About to Go Flying ... Mommy Is Getting Nervous!

Hi R.,
I have flown twice with my son. first time he was 4 months old, by myself. that was fine-he slept most of the way.
You can bring liquids on the plane for a baby.
I fed him at take-off and landing, to help the ear pressure.
He was cranky for the first couple of minutes then he fell asleep. Second time me and hubby together when he was almost a year and teething, do not go alone bring hubby your flight is too long to do it by yourself. my flights were short first to st. louis and then to Geaorgia, so I never had the bassinet.
He slept the second time around also. I was worried because of the teeting and him becomming more active, crawling, cruising, etc...
Honestly it was fine, he ate and slept when he woke up he was in a good mood because of the wonderful nap and entertaining everyone around us!!
So good luck and have fun!!
N.

Hi there,
We travelled to Holland with my son when he was 10 months old. I was also very anxious about it beforehand but it turned out to be much better than expected. I had an ergo carrier with me and also a baby harness , just in case , though I didnt use it. The flight attendents gave me a baby seat belt and I used it to strapp him to me under the ergo during take off and landing. Make sure you either nurse her or give her a bottle during take off and landing to prevent her ears from hurting. It worked like a charm. Insist on it even if the stewerdesses tell you to stop. You have the right as long as she is strapped in properly. We didnt have a carseat with us, but we did reserve the bulkhead seats ahead of time ( more leg room) , there was a bassinet on the wall and yes..to my utter surprise, I was able to transfer him there for most of the flight, he slept like a rock even though we were by the bathrooms and the drink cart and the Dutch passangers kept talking loudly and having little cocktail parties practically on top of us . My child is also not a great sleeper, but I think the motion and the white noise helped.
You may want to try baby motrin for the teething , give her some a it before the flight.
The only truly hard part was the time difference , since my som was up for several nights until midnight once we got there.( his usual bedtime is 7:30pm) but we just scaled it back 1/2 hour each night and eventually it got back to normal.
Good luck with your trip.
Julia

Hi R.,

First of all, don't freak out, it will only add to the baby's stress level. Above all, stay calm once you are in flight - it really makes a difference :) As far as I know airlines do not provide much of anything for babies on the plane, so anything you need you will need to bring with you. However, you should check with the airline about their specific guidelines for infant seating. Some allow you hold your infant the whole time, some requrie that you use a car seat, or a special strap. I find the car seat is the easiest bc they get the idea that they need to be the seat in this particular setting, and when you need to comfort her, taking her out of the seat goes a long way. You don't want to leave her in the seat for too long of stretches without taking her out bc she will get very gassy, which will a problem for both of you :)Don't get on the plane early - it just means more time for baby. Get on when you are supposed to and just take your time getting settled, so you have everything handy and are comfortable. If you can, bring a small cooler bag with whatever drinks you may need for several hours (in bottles, etc) , but you can likely get at least water or maybe juice on the plane, but they don't often have milk. Make sure you give her something to suck on during take-off and landing, for her ears - pacifier, bottle, breast; whatever she likes and is best for you. Also, put her in very soft, comfortable clothing with light layers to prevent overheating or getting chilly. Bring a few small toys that don't make lots of noise, and any special blankets or stuffed toys she may be very fond of for extra comfort. Other than that, you just have to hang in there and see how she does. Most babies enjoy all of the white noise and zonk out for most of the flight. But don't be distressed if she cries, she is a baby and they cry. So forget about all of the other people on the plane and just keep the two of you in mind and you will be great. All the best. A.

We just took our 2 1/2 month old to Israel (along with his 3 siblings, 9, 6 and 4) and he was awesome! Your age is a little more challenging and you didn't indicate what time your flight is. Ours was a night flight and he slept the entire time. I will say that the bassinet is great and I would just try to stick to your usual schedule in terms of her eating and sleeping. Bring an extra blanket to line the bassinet because they give you that gross airline one.

They will let you in first with a baby and don't panic and overpack - it is only 7 or so hours so don't pack 40 diapers. The usual amount plus a few extra - a couple of changes of clothes and a little extra food. I am nursing so I didn't have the issue of bringing milk but I hear they are fine with milk for babies.

Once you get there, since they are ahead in time, just try to stretch out her wake time so that she is eventually getting to bed for her nighttime sleep when it is actually nighttime.

We have flown all over the world with all our kids (in laws live abroad) at various ages and while they aren't always perfect, they seem to surprise you. The flight attendants are helpful and most passengers are sympathetic. Good luck and stay calm!

Hi R., before anything else, relax yourself, take the trip as an adventure, that will make it more bearable. A flight can be tiring, but it is definitely doable - I've travelled with my 2-yr old boy from the time he was 3 months old, about 6 times on overseas trips (Brussels-Raleigh, Brussels-Cabo San Lucas, Brussels-San Francisco, etc), a few of those times I've flown alone with him. We live in Brussels so the trip over to the US is always easier, although we get there tired!!!! The trip back, the overnight, is a little trickier, especially now that Edouard walks and talks and runs...but when he was a baby, he would be very excited to be in the plane. Here's a few things that worked for me:

1) Just be ready to walk along the plane, up and down, up and down. Your girl will enjoy that, seeing other people, and will eventually fall asleep, although later than you'd like to.
2) You'll probably have to give her a couple of bottles more than normal.
3) I always carried a few little toys, enough diapers and changes of cloth, as well as food/milk in a carry on back-pack to last me a day (it came in handy if Edouard wanted more milk, or the couple of times when we've had delayed flights). 4) Be sure to pack the food and powder milk in containers that you place in plastic bags; juices should be in sealed containers. In NY security check they are understanding if you are travelling with a baby, but do NOT take any water with you, they'll just make you throw it away, as well as any prepared milk you have in bottles. You can buy water once you're inside the airport.
5) Take a few pacifiers with you. If one falls or gets lost, you don't have to fuss about it. But be sure to have one always on hand...if your girl responds well to them.
6) Have her suck on a pacifier or a juice/milk bottle on take-off and ESPECIALLY during landing to avoid getting pressure in her little ears.
7) I gave Edouard a spoonful of a medicine that has either paracetamol or ibuprofen sometimes, especially when he was teething or had a cold. It helped tremendously to calm him down. AND, bring along chewy toys or baby-brushes so she can chew on them to help with her teeth. There are homeopathic teething tablets as well, sometimes they work.
8) We boarded in at the very last minute, that way Edouard could play outside and I could do a last diaper check/change if necessary.
9) Ask for the bassinet as soon as you can have it so your girl can sit in it and play with her toys and get used to it. Edouard did not like them past 6 months because he was too big for them. So, he would play in the bassinet and then he would either sleep on the floor at our feet (on top of blankets and blankets) or on my lap.
10) Follow her cues. Follow her rythm. You'll all be tired when you get to the UK. What works for us is to take a nap as soon as we land if we get in the morning (8-9-10 am) for 3 hours or so and then get up and do an afternoon, get really tired and try to get to bed by 11pm....That's the ideal world. You'll have to follow her cues, but you'll get the hang of it.

Hope you have a great adventure.
Good luck and have fun!!!!
Ana Luisa