Plane Trip with a Baby

A mom at my "mommy and me" playgroup just gave us all the best advice for traveling (she has made 5 trips with her 6 month old so far) -- dress them in the cutest outfit you have -- apparently, passengers and flight attendants respond much better when the baby looks adorable - who knew!

I flew to California with my daughter when she was 16months, and that is a 4 1/2 hour flight from IL. She was pretty good. I made it inconvenient for us by booking a 5am flight, but that kept her sleeping most of the flight there. I had her in her own seat, with her carseat so it was familiar to her. Brought lots of toys, snacks, drinks, etc. for her. As long as you keep her well entertained, I think it'll be fine. My biggest suggestion is to give her a bottle, sippy cut, etc for taking off. It definitely helped my daughter with her ears popping. I also tried a dose of benadryl for the flight home, and it did NOTHING!! The flight back was harder, but we were also on a connecting flight, so that 2 hour gap was a pain for her.
Hope this helps!!

It may be fine or it may not go well even if you do all the right things. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go. I think of it like labor...at the end you get a beautiful baby. In this case you get a lovely vacation. Go for it! Its only 5 hours of your life (well 10 if you count the way back). Have fun!!!

I flew alone with my daughter when she was a breastfeeding, crawling 8 month old. It sucked. Big time! She wouldn't nurse, kept throwing her sippy (thank God for the band I put around it to keep it from the floor), and she was overtired and crying through the last hour. She fell asleep as we were landing, lol.
Pick a flight that is near her nap/bedtime and make sure she's well fed, keep lots of snacks available and new toys (silent ones). I'd get her her own seat for sure!! Squirmy baby in your arms for 5 hours is NO fun!!

Like others have said buy her a seat and bring her car seat. It is much safer for her (and everybody else) and you don't have to worry about holding a squirming baby. She should be more comfortable in a familiar car seat and less likely to fuss. Definitely bring a sippy cup for her to suck on, you are allowed to bring milk/juice/formula/breast milk in quantities larger than 4oz through security for infants and toddlers. Check out http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm

Hi. I actually love travelling with my son. I posted a list on www.happyhealthymom.com of all the best travel essentials. Its under newsletters.
If you are calm, she will be. Kids follow our lead.
Go and enjoy yourself!

It's a tough age, but it can be done. If you really want go I'd say go for it. Schedule around nap time if you can - get her her own seat if you can (a bit pricey however). Bring a new movie for her to watch, new toys to entertain her that she won't see until you are on the plane and hope for the best... The more relaxed you can be about the trip - the better she'll behave. Good luck!

Florida is beautiful in April and it is only a 2-3 hour flight direct. I flew last year with a 17 month old and he cried for an hour on the flight. He finally cried himself to sleep. I had toys, DVDs and food and nothing helped. Go with a shorter flight if possible.

If you can buy a seat for your daughter, it is worth it or take her car seat with you when you fly just incase there is an open seat. They can store the car seat below if there are no open seats. Try and schedule around nap time, doesn't mean she will sleep, but it always worth a try. don't fall for the Benadryl trick, give it to her so she will sleep, she may become more hyper.

I would buy loves of little things and keep the a surprise for her after the plane takes off. A new book(a lift the flap is fun at this age), a new toy, little easer top stampers(target has them in the dollar bins), stamps, color wow books are great, because you just need water. Lots of snacks, anything that you know she will enjoy. Don't forget anything that comforts her, blanket, toys, a favorite stuffed animal. If you can stay happy and calm, that will help her relax. Don't foget to talk about it with her a couple of days before. Tell her for much fun she is going to have on the airplane.
Good luck!

My husband and I (and 2 children) moved to Japan 6 years ago when my second child was almost 20 months. From the time we left my in-laws house until the time we arrived at our new home in Japan, we were traveling for a full 24 hours. Let me tell you, it was a long day! My kids did fantastic though. We packed lots of toys, coloring books and crayons, movies, touch and feel books (my DD fave at the time), snacks and anything else I could think of to keep her entertained for our long trip. Since there was 4 of us we were allowed 4 carry ons and I used all 4. Each child had their own bag of goodies to entertain them, one bag had an extra pair of clothes for each of us and 2 small blankets (airlines don't always have enough to go around) and the other bag had snacks, diapers and other misc things in it. I'm so glad I packed an outfit for each of us, my daughter ended up throwing up when we landed so I ended up having to change both her and I.

Also, my pediatrician told me I could give both my kids Dramamine for the flight. They didn't have a child's version then, maybe they do now, so my doc told me what dosage to give my little ones. Of course, my youngest got a very small amount. Luckily the medicine made her a little drowsy so she slept for awhile on the plane which helped pass the time for her. (Helpful hint in case you decide to use the Dramamine, mix it with a little bit of juice in a medicine syringe, squirt into the inside of her cheek. It'll go down much easier if it tastes like her favorite juice.)

Hope this helps and good luck!

All good suggestions. For my kids when we fly I actually book the flight when the kids will be awake. My kids don't sleep well outside of their beds, so I knew I would end up with a child who wouldn't sleep on the plane and was overtired, which did happen the first time we flew. Some things we have done are bringing stickers. You can get 100 at the dollar store and they don't stick great which is good. You stick a sticker on a kid that age and all they can think about is getting it off - it worked great for us. Also, I don't know if she watches any TV at all, but a portable DVD player has been a life saver for us many times, with new cartoon videos to watch. Good luck.