The following is a list of advice I have compiled from others and is meant to help any other mothers soon to be traveling or with future plans to travel with a baby in tow, specifically by plane. It is also meant to serve as a place for any readers to tell me what I have not thought of. Please please please tell me if you know something I have not thought of.
At 4+ months old, we hear that Mason is a pretty good candidate for travel. He is not nearly as fragile as he use to be, and he can't run around yet and get into trouble. Once he starts scampering about, travel becomes a far greater challenge. Here is what the "Internet experts" have to say about bringing baby boy with us:
To prevent upsetting your baby's schedule, take steps to fight jet lag by shifting your baby's sleep hours for the few days leading up to your departure and exposing him to sunlight once you reach your destination.
Luckily we are only 2 time zones away, so only a 2 hour difference. I don't think this should need any major adjustments.
Travel with a blanket so that when you're stopped in a park, a hotel, or an airport, you can offer your baby a nice spot to lie down, crawl, roll, or otherwise stretch his little limbs.
I don't know how much time we will have in the airport, but I can foresee needing a blanket for the beach, etc.
If you'll be staying in a hotel, request a crib when you make your room reservation or you may be out of luck when you arrive.
We have already reserved a crib and a refrigerator in our room for storing milk.
Pack at least 50% more diapers than you think you'll need, and extra wipes - air travel has a way of clearing out little guts. Wrap them in plastic bags and throw a bunch of rubber bands around them to save room in your carry-on.
Get to the airport early. Allow at least an extra 45 to 60 minutes for last minutes feedings and diaper changes- plus, getting through security is a time-consuming nuisance, especially with a baby.
As far as the ears go, offer your baby a feeding during take off and landing if he is crying, but some experts suggest letting him cry. Crying is his way of trying to relieve the pressure, it opens up his ears and often will cause them to clear. If your baby's sleeping soundly, leave him be and he might get through the takeoff or landing without any trouble. (He'll wake up and show his discomfort if he's bothered.)
I would love to hear any experienced travelers' thoughts on this.
Bring your car seat to the gate, ask if the flight is full. There is always a chance you can get your baby in his own seat. Also, this way if you don't manage it, they will "gate check" your seat, sending it down with the strollers and wheelchairs. This is gentler than checking it in at the desk.
Roll up a cloth bag, the kind they sell in grocery stores, inside of your carry on. Once on board, remove what you need for the next few hours such as wipes, a couple of diapers, perhaps a few toys, and put them in this cloth bag, then get the rest of your things out of the way (overhead bin).
Be prepared for leaky diapers and baby spit-up on the airplane: Tuck an extra outfit or two for your baby and an extra shirt for you into your carry-on bag.
Take the phone number for your baby's health care provider in case you have questions while you're on the road.
In a "prepared emergency landing", the parent is suppose to wrap the baby in a blanket and place the little ones on the floor. If you are flying a U.S. registered company and your child has his or her own seat and you brought their FAA certified car seat, it is your right to use it on board which is protected by law. Please note that if a car seat is FAA approved, it does not automatically mean that the seat will fit on all aircraft seats. If you are worried that it will or won't fit, measure the bottom, or at the widest point, and call the airline. Have your exact flight number and they can look up the width of the airplane seat.
Keep two diaper pins attached to your diaper bag. If you can get a window seat (most people will trade you) you can take a blanket and attach it to your seat and the seat in front of you for a privacy screen. People may even help you attach the pins when you're flying alone.
Call the airline and request the bulkhead seats on the plane. These are the seats at the front of each section of a plane and have more leg room, so you can spread a blanket to change baby there.
Checklist:
Car seat, diaper bag, blankets, plastic bags for storing soiled diapers, diaper rash cream, wipes, disinfecting hand gel, baby wash, baby lotion, nasal aspirator, saline, q-tips, extra pacifiers, a few of your baby's favorite toys, clothes, socks, shoes (one to two outfits per day is a good guideline), bibs, burp cloths, sun hat, sunscreen, swimmer diapers, bottles, bottle warmer, bottle brush, breast pump, pumped milk, formula (in case of an emergency), First-aid kit, baby pain reliever and supplies for treating minor injuries, wrap or front carrier, inflatable baby bathtub?, collapsible stroller (gate-checked), camera, charger, cell phone (verify service where you are going), charger, electric outlet adapter.
I found the following website especially helpful:
Flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
After all of the planning and reading, I still have some questions:
- How do I wash the bottles in a hotel room?
- If our baby is a "lap baby" on the airplane and falls asleep, how long will I be able to hold my full bladder?
- If my baby is crying on the plane and the "fasten seat belt" is on, will the stewardess allow me to walk my baby around to avoid pissing off the entire plane?
Anybody else planning a trip soon or been on one recently? Any advice? For all of you without kids are you suddenly incredibly grateful you can plan a trip right now and leave today without having to worry about A, B, and C mentioned above?
I just saw your post on traveling and had to offer a couple more tips based off of traveling with Peyton by myself multiple times and recently with both of them over to Saudi.
ReplyDeleteAs for the carry on...make sure all liquids are already in an easy to access ziploc bag so you can grab and put it through security without digging for stuff. Also, if you are traveling with your husband make sure you assign bags/stuff to each of you so you don't lose something or leave it at security. When I travel with John, I am typically in charge of kids, diaper bag and Peyton's bag. He is in charge of the stroller (folding for security etc), our bags, computers, camera etc.
On the plane I very much agree with the suggestion to have everything you need in a smaller bag to fit under the seat. Typically I make sure my diaper bag is stocked and then have all extras etc in a larger carry on. Even on really long flights (17 hours) your diaper bag really should suffice for all your supplies and if you have a break during a layover or on the flight or once you land you can always restock and go.
Bottles in hotel...bring or buy when you get there dishwaher soap, bring your bottle brush and clean by hand. I also bring the Medela steam bags that you can use in the microwave. If there is not one in your room many places are more than happy to let you use one somewhere. Just have all your bottles cleaned and ready to sterilize. The bags can be used up to 20 times and are tiny so they are easy to pack.
Best advice I ever got (from my mom who traveled all over the world with three young kids) was to just laugh, go with the flow. Every trip I make sure to think through every stage of it and plan how I am going o handle things and remember that schedules go out the window on vacations. If your baby is screaming and all that will fix it is feeding him (even if you fed him two hours ago) then just go with it. You will have time when you get home to get to back to a routine.
Hope you have a wonderful time! Traveling with kids can be stressful but so much fun and you make such wonderful memories as a family!