(Advice, that is.)
Hell YES. I can!
Fellow Parents and/or Experienced Fliers (sp?), I need your wisdom!
The Hubs and I are flying to West Virginia Labor Day Weekend to visit his family (for a week), and introduce them all to the baby...and have a surprise party for Spouseface's grand-dad who is turning 80...and have O christened in the church where his daddy was christened...
We have never flown with a baby.
Who will be a little over 10 months old at the time of take-off.
We're a little apprehensive.
Traveling makes me nervous as it is, probably b/c I haven't really done THAT much of it.
I'm always afraid that I'll miss my flight/connection, that I'll get lost (I will get lost in a paper bag, it's pathetic.), that I didn't pack the right things, etc.
My Hubs-he's good at it. He lived overseas, he traveled a lot, he's pretty much got it together when flying...
BUT.
He gets nervous when situations involve the baby.
He's used to just worrying about me, (which he would do even if I was the most seasoned flier to ever have flown, that's just how he rolls) so I'm afraid he might get overwhelmed with anxiety when he adds our son to the worry list.
I'm anxious, and we're a month out. I just know my son. He's a sweet boy, but SUPER active, and he HATES to be confined.
[I have this picture in my head of him SCREAMING bloody murder throughout the duration of the 5 hour flight, culminating in our fellow passengers demanding that we poisoned to death by stale airplane food.]
So help a Mama out:
What's the best routine to get through check-in and security?
What do I pack?
What happens if he has a blow out in his diaper
How do I best combat the Screamies?
How do I help the pressure in his little ears?
What other things should I know?
Is there any hope for us at all?
8 comments:
Get to the airport early. If there is more than one security line, sometimes they have one that is for families... use that one. People in that lane will be more patient. Take your time. Don't feel rushed... getting through security is stressful enough with having to take off your shoes, place all your possesions on the conveyer belt, and then walk through the detector, let alone doing it all with a baby.
Check with your pediatrician about the ears. I am a pretty seasoned traveler, but continue to have ear issues on planes, and it is not fun. They might suggest giving him a bottle when he starts to get fussy 'cause swallowing is supposed to help relieve the pressure.
You, my dear, will be fine. When in doubt about where to go in the airport, ask. They can definitely be confusing when you aren't used to travelling.
You might want to ask Desiree Duskin about the whole traveling with baby... I know she's done it before, so may have more advice.
Where in WV will you be? Some places there are just a couple hours from me!
I've been a babysitter on a number of flights and this is the best advice I've got...
*Put him in jammies or something comfy, one-piece, and easy to get on and off. And pack about 3 extra of that same type of outfit. Spills, leaks and vomits happen and you don't want a baby stuck in wet clothes on a plane. Pack way more diapers than you think you need too, because we've ran out on 5 hour flights and that's not a good situation to be in!
*Pack a little stash of toys that are either his favs or new ones that will grab his attention and keep him occupied. Things that don't make noise and are soft if thrown are much more passenger friendly!
*Tylenol up before the plane ride. It's not horrible to do and it will mellow him out or make him sleep if its not during normal nap hours.
*Give him something to suck on just as the plane takes off and lands -paci or bottle are great.
*Only carry what you absolutely have to, check or pack the rest in a carry on to keep your hands free. Don't have a bunch of loose things all over.
*Bring an easy stroller even if its just a cheap umbrella one just for the trip that's easy to fold up and fold down. You'll prob use it the whole trip!
*Give yourself plenty of time (like extra, extra). The less stressed you are, the less stressed your baby will be.
* Board last. The less time you have to be cooped up on a plane - the better. Be at your gate, but don't rush to get on. They won't leave without you :) Or have one of you get on and get the stuff situated and have the other get on last with the baby.
*Bring bubbles. Pre-9/11 days when liquids weren't an issue we were delayed 4 hours in the airport going home from Hawaii. Everyone was exhausted from a long vacation and ready for home. Kids were everywhere and getting ancy. I had bubbles in my stash and the kids LOVED running around and popping them and it diverted them for a LONG time and got their energy out. Didn't damage anything, didn't hurt anyone, and their little laughs were infectious to everyone around. There was a band in the airport and they played Tiny Bubbles. Turned a bad situation to a great memory! You can get a tiny bottle and fit it in our ziploc liquid case.
*Take walks. Get up, be friends with the flight attendants in the back and the people in line at the bathroom.
*People can deal. There's a reason they talk about screaming babies on planes - because it happens. What can you do about it? Not much. You're not a bad parent and he's not a bad child if it does happen, just try to roll with the punches as best as possible. As long as you're doing something about it, people can't knock you for it.
Chances are - he's gonna do great and sleep right through and be a picture perfect traveler. So just be as prepared as you can be and give him some credit that he can make it through :).
If you haven't bought the tickets yet, leave the seat between you and hubby open so there's a possibility it won't get taken and you'll have an extra seat for the baby if he's gonna be a lap child!
Good luck and make sure to take pics of his first flight! :)
-Erin
I've flown many times as a babysitter and these are my tips:
- put him in a comfy one-piece (even jammies). no shoes or socks to fall off or get lost. bring 3 extras of said one piece. spills, leaks, vomit happens and you don't want a wet miserable baby. and LOTS of extra diapers. don't risk running out. same goes for wipes.
-give him something to suck (paci or bottle) on during take off and decent. that takes care of the ears popping.
-pack a couple new or favorite toys that are quiet and soft (if chucked people won't hate you).
- bring bubbles. they are a lifesaver in keeping kids occupied in airports during delays. trust me! quiet, non threatening and entertaining, and easy to add a tiny bottle to your 1 qt ziploc.
- give him baby tylenol. it won't kill him, doesn't make you a bad mom and might just take the edge off and chill him out or let him relax and sleep.
- keep your hands free. pack all but the essentials and check it or keep it in a carry on that's easy to transport.
-get a cheap umbrella stroller that's easy to put up and take down. might even be useful on the trip!
-board last. have one person get on with the stuff and you get on last with the baby. the less time on the plane the better.
-people can deal. screaming babies happen. as long as you do what you can to help it, people can't blame you.
- allow TONS of extra time. the more time you have the less stressed you'll be.
- give him some credit. he may just be totally great. soak it in, make it fun, take pictures, be excited and he will be too. good luck!
dang it, it acted like it wouldn't post the first time so i repeated myself. grrrrr! hope that helps!
I actually wrote a blog post about this! If you want to check it out, I hope that it helps. http://lildavismichael.blogspot.com/2010/06/seat-backs-and-tray-tables-in-up-right.html
I'm sure if you called Danielle, she would be able to give you PLENTY of ideas.
- Rhys
Changing the diaper on the seat vs. in the bathroom is a *minefield* for people (vitrol on both sides!) So be prepared for it.
May I suggest that you bring extra gallon-sized plastic bags for potential diaper blowouts, and please, whatever you do, do not put the used diaper in the seat pocket in front of you. :)
Yes, I saw a dad do that on a plane. With their personal diaper bag under the seat in front of him, he still chose to put the dirty, uncovered diaper in the seat pocket in front of him. I'm totally sympathetic to parents with young kids on planes, **OMG** that was just wrong! ;)
Have fun, and dont worry too much, I'm sure it will be fine!
Yeah, I'm not looking forward to the changing him in the seats, but often, that's your only option as airplane bathrooms rarely have a changing table.
But stuffing a dirty diaper in the seat? Heinous!
I promise NEVER to do that!
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