Traveling with Baby - Cerritos,CA

I have traveled frequently with my son since he was 5 months old. Honestly, it is way easier to travel with an infant than a toddler. I suspect he will be fine. I would NOT break up the trip - just get it done. And have fun :)

We've traveled with both our boys, 3 and 5, since they were babies and never had any problems, did not use car seats, and they slept very little. Make sure to bring a bottle/sippy cup to drink on the take off and landing to help with the ears and any toys and/or food he likes. We get a few new little cheap ones as suprises every time we go on a flight which is at least once a year since they were born. You will probably have to walk up and down the aisle more than you want but it will help to pass the time. As for the car ride, make sure you have a break in between of at least a little time so he can get some energy out and walk around. There may be some crying but if you can sit towards the back of the plane it helps not feel so self conscious about it. It will be fine and IMO, now my boys are little expert travelers and know how they should act and what is acceptable and unacceptable. We also fly JetBlue only since they have your own TV's, which helps more now than when they were smaller. Good luck, it will be ok :)

How about wearing him in a sling? That way he will be at eye level whatever you do and be part of the action. Plus he will be close to you at all times instead of at ground level or stuck in a stroller. When we went on an 8 hour plane ride to Europe with our almost 2 year old we bought her the seat but did NOT put the carseat in it. This way she had much more space to move around, and when she got tired she laid across her seat into my lap.
If you are really worried, ask doctor about giving him some Benadryl before the plane ride - it makes MOST kids sleepy but not all, so try it beforehand.

It sounds like you've got the right idea - a bag full of new toys. I've traveled with my boys (5 and 2) since they were infants (including several plane rides with both boys on my own) - the key is preparation. Their attention spans are short, so pack light for yourself (you're going to be workin' the whole trip) and have lots for them. For the baby, pack a spare set of lightweight clothes, diapers, wipes, snacks, new toys...but don't forget to take advantage of the things around you, too. After using bleach wipes (then wiping off the bleach with regular wipes - yes, paranoid, but my kids didn't get sick from any of our traveling and we able to enjoy our vacations) I let my toddler open and close the window blind and tray table - more entertainment value than anything I packed. Plus, a clear plastic water bottle with a little water in it makes a great sound, is interesting to shake and move around...you get the idea. Hide and seek with a small plastic person/dinosaur etc - hide it under a cup, in a blanket, on your head (never fails to make them laugh)...and Richard Scarry books make excellent travel books for toddlers. There is so much going on in those pictures that you can describe for them, have the child hunt for the cat, the pickle car, the blue hammer etc, have them point out what they see, play eye spy, make up stories about what each character is doing... Something else I found invaluable on flights - I preloaded my phone with oodles of photos of my kids. They loved looking at themselves over and over, which killed lots of time. One more tip - get an Ergo Carrier. It's so comfortable, easy to use and scrunches up into a backpack. Good luck! You'll do great! Plus, once you get there, you'll feel amazing.

Good answers! My boys were seasoned travellers very young. They are 22 mos. apart. Making sure they are comfortable is KEY. Be sure to pack baby's special toy or blanket in carry-on, along with a sippy cup or bottle for the landing (swallowing so their ears don't pop) and a lollipop for the older child (to keep swallowing saliva). Snacks for both (healthy, low sugar, no caffeine). Will a portable DVD player keep either/both their attention? A special bag of 'new' items will keep the older one's interest. Mine loved Legos and Matchbox cars or coloring books. Don't let them see/have these till you are in flight. We never thought of the boys as a hindrance to travel - maybe a small challenge! Have fun!!

I think you worry too much. I had to fly with my son from Germany to Denmark for an audition when he was 6 weeks old. He has also flown to US twice to see his grandparents, and he has so far lived in two apartments in Germany and then moved to the Netherlands, and he only just turned a year old. If you travel they just get used to it. He loves being on trains, and seeing new places. Your baby will be fine too!

You never know how your son with travel until you do it. He may surprise you or he may do exactly what you think he'll do but your daughter shouldn't miss out on a vacation because of her brother. The more you start traveling with your son, the faster he'll get used to it. I started going on plane rides at least twice a year (LA to NY) when my son was 6 months old. He would fall asleep as soon as he heard the engine noise. He did this until he was about 3. After that we would watch movies and read books. I always bring the portable DVD player but many airplanes now have TV's in the back of the seats so you can watch just about anything. Bring plenty of toys and snacks and something for him to suck on when landing. Staying overnight before beginning the 3 hour car ride is a good idea. It will help break up the trip and you should look into places to stop along the way to give everyone a break. Bring CDs for the car ride of songs your kids like to listen to. Or use the portable DVD player to play a movie while you're driving.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

If he sleeps in his car seat, then I'd pick an early flight.

We don't use media much, even at home, we have a TV, but no cable, so it's very limited. We put movies on the kid's laptop and bring it with us. We also have educational games on the iPad. We wait as long as possible to pull it out. We do snacks, toys, books and when those are exhausted, it's usually 1-2 hours after take-off...and THEN we pull out the media, which takes us to almost landing.

We've travelled with all of our children from 3 months old. In fact, we flew from LAX to Miami (5 hours), then a layover (2 hours), another flight to St. Thomas (2.5 hours) and then a car ride (45 min) and they did just fine. They were 7, 4, and our daughter had just turned 2 the day before we left. The 7 year old had the hardest time with nausea on the plane flights, which was unexpected. We also bring blankets, so they can lie on the floor and not touch anything, but they can lie flat. We wash them as soon as we get to our destination....so we can do it all over again. :)

We've taken our kids to the east coast, Seattle, Mexico, Colorado multiple times and this next trip is Hawaii next month with a 9 month old.

We have another trip planned with 4 kids this time, the youngest will be 11 months old. We will be flying to the east coast with 2 weeks of travel there before flying home.

PS: A sippy cup to suck can help with equalization for his ears....or a bottle.

I know they are cost some $$, but I find a portable DVD player to be worth every penny for travelling with kids. They can watch on the plane, and also in the car (make sure you take the car charger, don't just rely on the battery).

Other than that - snacks, toys, books. My younger son doesn't sleep much when travelling either, but we've done ok on recent flights/car rides. He didn't sleep on the plane, but then did finally pass out in the car when it was dark out during the driving leg after we landed.

I'd plan for an early flight. so, he isn't tired.