View Full Version : Advice on Airplane Travel With an Infant?
Hello All,
We have a three-month old and are planning an airplane trip cross-country (LA to Boston) at the end of July. We are wondering what we can do to ensure our little one, who will obviously be four and a half months by then, doesn't scream the entire way.
I have not been able to breastfeed exclusively (not enough milk) but have heard nursing her or giving her a bottle on take-off and landing will reduce the chances her ears will pop so we are planning on doing that, though I have to track down bottles of formula that are less than eight ounces so they will get through security.
We are also thinking of taking a red-eye in hopes that will increase the chances she'll sleep.
Do any of you parents out there have any advice for us?
Thanks in advance,
Elizabeth
I traveled with my daughter when she was 3 months old, on a 3-hour flight.
On the way to our destination, she was happy and then sleepy. No crying at all.
On the return trip, she cried for 90 minutes until she was exhausted and then fell asleep. I was unable to do anything to make her happy or even distract her during the crying time. She did not want to nurse.
My suggestions are probably things you've already thought of. Bring some things to distract her. Whenever we traveled with DD when she was young, a few weeks before the trip I put away the small, portable toys and books I wanted to take along, so that they would be somewhat 'new.' Bring a blanket, and dress her warmly enough; often, airplanes are chilly compared to the outdoor temperature. Maybe bring an extra sweater and even a hat. You might offer earplugs to the people adjacent to you if there is a lot of crying.
On most of the flights we took when she was young, she was in her usual carseat which was strapped into a seat on the airplane, and she slept the whole way. The noise of the plane plus all the excitement leading up to getting on the airplane probably helped.
On our last hellish overseas trip (you know, one of those deals where you stay on the tarmac in Europe and then miss your connecting flight to home so you sleep in the airport because otherwise you'd be going to a motel for 3.5 hours) there was a wiggling toddler next to me and you know what?
That child slept practically the entire time. I think they drugged her. She was NO bother at all.
So drugs are always an option.:D
Actually, when we live overseas I did have a back up bottle of benadryl for the flight. This was from South Africa back in the day before you could fly direct between the RSA and USA. So it meant flying to Europe then flying to Africa. Urg.
if possible, fly during normal sleeping times.
make sure you have something for the child to suck on (pacifier, etc), and then you want to have a method to remove the pressure from the ears. two cups with a paper towel wet with hot water in the bottom of each one. hold one cup-with-paper-towel over each ear. This will help alleviate the pressure.
the stewards should be able to organize this for you, if nursing or the pacifier do not work.
Miss Cellane
6-12-11, 8:10am
While some people do give their kids Benadryl to make them sleepy while traveling, with some kids it can have the reverse effect and make them really, really wired. If you decide you want to go that route (if your kid is even old enough for Benadryl) try it out before you get on the plane.
Forty years later, I still have the memory of my dad singing softly to my baby sister on a trans-Pacific flight--the same song, over and over and over again. But if he stopped for a second, she would start crying again, and most of the passengers were trying to sleep at that point.
Bring extra clothes in the carry on for you and for her. My oldest got air sickness the first time she flew. We had an extra outfit for her, but not for Daddy. He arrived in Minneapolis in January completely shirtless until we got our bags.
My advise? Don't do it, unless it's absolutely necessary. Actually , I'm only half kidding. As someone who has logged a LOT of airtime, a screaming baby is the worst! You can't reason with them, or distract them if they are very young. Flying can be pretty painful for very little ones so if you can avoid it at all, try to.
But if you still want to , I would advise not flying a red eye, or evening flight. All the other passengers are pretty tired by that time from traveling and they just want to sleep. If your baby is going to cry, and you can't really predict if she will or not, at least during the day not many are trying to sleep. And really, for one that young, any time during the day can be sleep time. Oh and the hot cloth in the cup trick really does help. Maybe bring a pacifier and something sweet to dip it in cause it's the sucking action that helps, not the milk.
If your baby has any ear issues at all, or a cold, I wouldn't do it.
I second bringing the car seat. It's worth the extra money to get a seat for the baby! The child is used to sitting in it and being strapped in, so it's something comfortable and easy for them. And it gives you another option if she just doesn't want to be held the whole time. Sometimes they just want to lay down and if you don't have a seat for them you're out of luck.
Have a fun trip!
Ejchase. Just wanted to say that I envy you (to the nth) for having what it takes to fly with a baby! :)
rodeosweetheart
6-14-11, 9:04pm
Please don't give your child benadryl unless your doctor recommends it.
To put it out there, it is possible that your baby will be amazingly awesome like mine. :)
For his first flight, he was 8 months old. Over his normal nap time, we flew from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. We got on the plane, he flirted with some passengers, he nursed during take off, then he fell asleep. He slept for about 2.5 hrs (of a 5 hr flight), and then we took him to the potty. That took about 30 minutes all told, because it was new and exciting and he got to campaign for mayor (flirt) with people in the aisles. Then, we spent the last two hours playing with him. He was happy the whole time. He then nursed for the landing.
We then had a 4 hr layover in LAX. We went to our terminal, and DH went and rounded up dinner. We pottied DS, nursed him, played with him, and he campaigned for mayor. He was particularly taken with young (teen) girls at this point, so he often crawled over and flirted with them. Most of them were quite happy to coo at him for a bit.
We then boarded an over-night flight to NZ. This flight took off at 9:30. We were boarded around 8:45/9, and we used that time to change him into his PJs. We pottied him before we got on the plane, then would again after take off.
During take off, he nursed (this helps equalize their ears), and then fell asleep. We were able to rest him in the seat between us, no problems. I had my meal, watched a few movies, and had some sleep myself. As per normal, DS woke up about 5 hrs in, and then went to potty and nursed himself right back to sleep thereafter. He slept 12 of the 13 hr flight. He woke up just half an hour before landing, nursed during the landing, and then we got off the plane.
Once in Auckland, we had a two hour layover before heading to Wellington (a 1 hr flight). So, we changed him into his day clothes, pottied him (of course), and then he just crawled around. Now, part of that layover was going through customs -- and NZ has beagles. The off duty beagles were allowed to be petted, and so DS enjoyed him some beagle time. :)
Then, we got on another plane to Wellington, and he nursed, pottied, nursed, and we landed down and met our friends here. :) It was great.
Now, a few weeks later, we reversed it -- no crying, no problems, nothing. And then, about a year later, did it again to come here. Since then, he has also flown to Nelson (45 minutes) and Christchurch (1.25 hrs) and back. He loves him some airplane time. :)
Perhaps the whole success is based on EC? ;) (that's a joke, seriously. :D )
...OR to FL - going was a piece of cake. DD was the star of our little area - "ah isn't she cute". yadda yadda yadda. What great parents we were.
...return flight - TWO blow out diaper messes. Crying. Longest day of our lives. Had to change diapers in our seat area. I have not read previous comments but they say sucking on a bottle will help their ears. There is just much disruption with their schedules when you travel, extra stress, etc. that I think it translates to the kids. You can't have a bag big enough of NEW things to look at, read and snack on. GOOD LUCK!
ZOEBIRD, did you actually potty train your 8 month old? That, to me is the amazing part of your story! And how do you potty train a kid who isn't even walking?
As Gregg pointed out, traveling with an infant is a crap shoot. Good luck!
peggy:
technically, it's not potty training. it's called elimination communication, and you can start it at any age. essentially, you observe when the child needs to go, and instead of letting them go in the diaper, they go over the toilet. the babies (i started with my son at two weeks old) learn that they go in toilets, not pants, and then will give you more advance warning over time. So, by the time we got to 8 months, we would have a wet (urine) diaper once a day or less, and have a blow out less than once a month. I would say that we would average 5-10 "misses" a week, most of those urine.
he became completely potty learned by about a year to 15 months, and then is now potty independent (and has been for about 3-4 months?). he'll be three in august. he's thrilled that he can now go entirely on his own -- even wiping and getting his pants sorted.
He told me today that we used to sing "row your boat" to him when we put his diaper on him. which is true, but I don't think we ever told him that. he just remembers. (we used diapers as EC back up. There are lots of ways to EC. some people do it without diaper back up, but i preferred having that. :) ).
Back to your regular scheduled programming regarding children in airplanes.
Originally posted by Peggy.
traveling with an infant is a crap shootROTFLMAO! Yes, quite literally!
Zoebird. I love the "row your boat" song idea.
One of my favorite radio bits ever:
http://whosthebarber.blogspot.com/2008/03/screaming-baby-airlines.html
Check the TSA website, but I think there is an exception allowing you to bring formula/baby food in containers bigger than 3 ounces.
Also, bring a LOT of extra clothes, and plastic bags. Boarding an airplane suddenly turned DD into the poopmonster.
I traveled a lot with my son, and he's always been a dream.
Be prepared to nurse or bottle feed. Huge help.
DEFINITELY buy a ticket and take the carseat. Make sure it is rated for an airplane and says so right on it, or they won't let you take it on.
Bring extra diapers and clothes. Stuff's gonna leak. Bring extra for you too. I never had a problem, but one of my friends told me a story of getting pooped on 2 hours into a 15 hour flight, and she had no spare clothes.
My kid was not a crier. That said - go to a store and buy about 10-20 pairs of disposable earplugs. I have never ever needed them. But sometimes when other people's kids were crying, I'd pull them out and offer them up. Nobody ever took me up on them, but I think they appreciated the offer.
TVRodriguez
6-23-11, 6:41pm
I haven't read through all the replies, but I will say this: I think that it's easier to travel with an infant than any child until they hit about age 3. I've traveled by air a lot since my oldest was born, and the easiest times were when it was just me and a single baby under 15 months. I did the nursing for takeoff and landing, singing to distract and entertain if he didn't sleep (although at a young age, he usually slept most of the way), etc. I always "packed my patience" and reminded myself that commercial flights are not private planes for anyone--myself or the other passengers. So that meant that I would do what I could to keep the kid quiet and happy but that if he was having none of it I wouldn't beat myself up.
I've traveled by myself by air with two little ones and am about to try it with three little ones (ages 4, 2 and 4 mos), and I am lucky that it's only a 3 hour flight, but I think the best advice is to just try to be in a calm yet excited mindset and realize that it won't last forever--meaning, try to keep your own attitude positive and fun and the baby will likely pick up on your vibes and be calm and happy. Doesn't work 100%, but it sure helps get through what can seem like a long day, even though it really only has the same number of hours as any other day!
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