1St Plane Ride

I've taken my daughter on 3 plane trips and none have been too fun. She doesn't sleep well and gets cranky... anyway... Bring a DVD player with some cartoons. That helps pass some time and hopefully holds his attention.

We commutted a lot with our daughter b/c we lived in NJ, but my family was in Texas. Buy a plane seat. In the event of loss of cabin pressure or a very bumpy ride, you need to have a seat and a car seat to buckle him in. Children can and do get injured during these times, and your arms aren't a substitute for a proper seatbelt and safety seat if that occurs. (I have a sister who is an insurance adjuster who's had to work on cases with babies that were literally accidentally squeezed or shook to death by their parents during airline problems, deaths that wouldn't have occurred if they'd bought a plane seat- it's rare, but so preventable- why take the chance?) That said, expect to hold your kid the whole time if there are no problems during the flight. Bring snacks and drinks, a change of clothes for you and him (the air pressure on the plane makes lots of kids poop explosively, so don't be surprised if there's a blowout), favorite toys and blankies, and if he's a pacifier kid, bring it- if not, maybe a pack of child safety lollipops for the ears. My pediatrician recommended tylenol 30 minutes before takeoff to help dull the pain of ear pressure. And, you're going to get dirty looks, even if he's a perfect angel the whole time. Some people just really resent babies flying on planes. Ignore it, and tell yourself, no matter what he's doing, he's a baby and his behavior is age-appropriate. Grown-ups being ugly to a baby or to a mom who is trying her best to soothe him- not age appropriate. Bring lots of hand sanitizer, and, b/c airplanes are such traveling germ tubes, watch him about 24-48 hours after you hit your destination- any fever, take him to a clinic- our daughter got an ear infection or strep after every plane ride for the first three years of her life.

You've gotten some good suggestions, DVD, Benedryll, & nap time flights. I also wrap one small toy for each hour we will be on the plane. Like a puppet, a car, a small doll, and wrap it in tissue paper. My kids love the surprise of a new toy plus unwrapping it. We've taken 10 airplane trips now and I've only had about 5 minutes of crying - TOTAL. We also don't pre-board as a family, my husband goes to get the bags on and get the seats ready, my kids and I board pretty close to the end. This gives them more time to run around and less time belted in their seats. Good luck!

If possible, try and arrange the flight to correspond with one of his sleep periods. My daughter flies back and forth from Kansas to Florida with a 5 month old and usually he just naps through the whole thing. You are probably going to just need to be flexible during his waking hours. Come prepared with some snacks that he loves, maybe some dvd's on a laptop if that sort of thing maintains his interest for long. I would dress him in layers since it is sometimes rather cool on a plane and you definitely want him to be comfortable. Whatever you do remember that SPACE is always an issue, keep the toys small and easily stored, I would try to keep everything to "entertain" him in a backpack...so that it will fit under your seat and you don't have too much trouble getting to it.

I agree wholeheartetly with Ameila. She raised several good points about having a couple blankets(makes a great play space that is clean), a few good toys to play with, snacks to eat, and make sure if you are bringing liquid to go to the www.tsa.gov/ website and view the rules. You may have a 1-quart ziploc bag containing 3.4 ounce containers or less... etc. You may opt to use Benedryl as it helps make them sleepy, and once the planes starts moving they usually zonk. If your baby is a car sleeper, he will probably be a plane sleeper too. Just don't forget bottle, pacifier or sippy cup to relieve pressure on the ears. Good Luck!! It will go more smoothly thank you think :)

And I must say WOW Barbara... What are you trying to do, advise her, scare her, or what? "accidentally squeezed or shook to death" "kids poop explosively" "And, you're going to get dirty looks" I think you could have done a better job or wording any of this. Shame on you!

Here is a list of things to entertain your child on the airplane.
http://www.bigbluetrunk.com/ourcorner/550

We took my 12 month old on a plane to Hawaii (6 hours) for his first trip.

By the time we got through security, he crashed out on take off and slept quite a bit!

Make sure you bring a carrier, so you can carry him and have your hands free when getting on and off the plane.

I bought a number of toys just for the plane that he had never seen before..and some special treats to eat....the airline was also great about putting an extra seat between us to give us more room.

I also asked to be fairly far back in the plane so he could crawl a tiny bit once we were up in the air.

Good luck!

Ask the airline if you could get seated in the bulkhead area - it gives u a little more room or once the flight is underway they may be able to put you where there are 2 seats together (unless you opt to pay for add'l seat) . We didn't pay for the 2nd seat on my daughter's first flight, but it worked out. Be sure to have a pacifier for take off that way the air pressure doesn't affect your baby's ears & just bring lots of drinks/snacks, books, toys, etc. Depending on how long the flight it......just pray you don't have to do a diaper change in the bathroom of the plane - kinda difficult! Oh and don't be all stressed out b/c your child isn't being perfect and you may get looks and remarks if they are less then an angel - we've all been there & it's just the crotchety one's that don't understand! And if they get really annoying, offer them a parachute! Good Luck!

Take some favoured toys, and a new one.
Make sure you have a sippy bottle you can fill and the babe can drink from during take off and landing to help with ear pressure changes.
Have snacks.
Keep your child engaged and include cuddle time.

1. Assuming you haven't bought a seat, bring your carseat to the gate and ask if the flight is full and whether they have a spare seat for a lap infant. If no, gate check your seat (it will be less abused than if you check it at the curb). If yes, you have seat for free, which is always helpful. If not, all you've cost is the hassle of getting the seat there, and if he's still in the bucket, that's really more useful anyway. (Regardless of where you check your seat/stroller, it should be free.)

2. If he still eats baby food, bring enough for the meals you think you will need plus one, in resealable jars. You have to be able to open them for security (or have all of your bags searched and swabbed) and the plastic containers don't reseal well enough for airplane pressure changes. By the same token, bring water if you need it for formula or for him to drink on takeoff, but don't be surprised if they make you chuck it. These things are discretionary with the TSA, and we have mixed luck at PHX.

3. Watch for the family/medical liquids line at security - a green circle - that contrary to the stated purpose, serves only to get you through the line before ID check quickly (you're then with everyone else going through the machines). This can be a huge timesaver in Terminal 2 and in some parts of Terminal 4 that I know of.

4. Bring several blankets, even (especially) if he doesn't have a favorite one. Handy for covering him or you while's he's sleeping and putting on the floor if he wants to stay in one place to play.

5. Let him crawl around in the airport before you get on the plane. Work up a good sleep before getting on the plane. And it helps to charm your fellow passengers. (Just wash hands afterward ;-))

6. Similarly, if you have a reasonably social baby, stand up when you're on the plane and let him watch all the people, or just play around on your seat. Less time he's stuck in a seat, and it's been known to generate some smiles from fellow passengers.

7. If you run out of entertaining toys, ice in a cup is always good for at least a little while!