Really nervous about traveling

[MeredithK]

I think I need some encouragement. We are going to be going on a trip in a few weeks and I keep on getting more and more nervous.

DS will be 10 months by then. We'll be driving to the airport (45 minutes), taking a 2.5hr flight and then driving to my dad's home with is at least an hour from the airport. DS does not do well in the car for long at all. He doesn't nap outside the house (or in the house for that matter ) and doesn't nurse well outside the house either.

How on earth is this going to work?! I'm trying to remain optimistic, but it's really hard. I just keep on thinking about how difficult it will be.

Any suggestions for making traveling easier? Or any stories about how wonderfully surprised you were when traveling with your baby? I'd appreciate it. I'm freaking out!

[zmom2010]

I was pleasantly surprised!

I was really nervous b/c I too was going on a long trip with about 45 min trip to airport, a total of 7 hours on a plane (broken up 3 and 4) and then a 2 hour drive to our destination in the mountains. I would have never attempted this except it was for my sister's wedding. My DS was 5 months and still a horrible sleeper and not on any kind of regular schedule. And my biggest fear was him pooping on the plane b/c when he goes, he has blow-outs! But, despite my fears, he did great. I made sure to feed him during take-off and landings (I have to FF :-(, but I bet you could pump some bottles ahead of time if you don't want to nurse on the plane. The feedings kept him occupied, he never screamed from ear pain and he was great the entire time on the plane. The only time that was a problem the entire trip was when we were in the car and started getting higher in the mountains. But, again we gave him a bottle while we went up, and it calmed him down immediately.

Maybe you'll get a nice surprise like I did!!!! ON a separate note, if you do pump ahead of time, be aware that at some of the security points, they were wanting to chemical test my bottles. I had to demand they stop and request special screening instead. From what I have been told, this isn't supposed to happen, but I guess it still does.

[toughcookie]

it may just be okay. or better than okay!

we drove 2h to the airport, sat for an hour there, took a 7h flight, complete with 6h time change (london), then an hour's drive to my in-laws.... he was a gem, at 6 months old. i did feed him on take-off and landing, and we made sure to ask the gate attendant to give us seats with a free one in the middle. THAT WAS KEY! be sure to do that. it gives you a place to lay them down when the fall asleep (and he did, hard, just like he does in the car). otherwise you're holding them the whole way. there were only 2 unoccupied seats on the plane, and we got one in between us, for free, just because the gate attendant took pity on us.

the return trip was fine too. he was awake most of that one. my husband walked up and down the aisle with him lots, but not because he fussed, just to keep him busy.

sleeping in strange places (hotels, B&Bs, my in-laws) went fine. not great, but fine. he would start the night in a rented (or hotel) pack-n-play, get up around midnight, then we'd bring him to bed with us. (we don't normally do that at home, we try to keep him in his crib as much as possible.) it was nice, and he got enough sleep so that he wasn't a bear the next day.

a could not have dreamed for such a good experience with him. i was so proud of him. of course, next time might be a different story, but we'll see.

good luck, and don't overthink this.

oh!!! be sure to ask the flight attendant for baby's "wings"! it's a nice thing to add to any memorabilia you might be acccumulating.

[SunRise]

We flew when my son was 10months old and I remember having the bulkhead seat and he did a lot of standing and holding on to the seat in the extra floor space ... so maybe request the bulkhead seat.

It was a long flight, 9 hours there, 12 hours return (night time there, daytime return) plus a 1 hour flight to the bigger airport and then a few hours (5+) waiting for the long flight ... and then an hour busride in the city, a few hours waiting at bus terminal and 6 hour bus ride home then taxi ... Just me and my babe. Wow I cant believe we did that and then a few more times.

On the way there I had a new squishy little toy, which gave me and him something to do (for a few minutes several times), but he pretty much fell a sleep and slept most of the time and I was able to read a magazine (He woke to eat...). There was more entertaining / wake time on the way home but I have fond memories of traveling with my son, nothing horrific.

The engine noise tends to encourage sleep!

We did have a huge diaper blow out one time, but luckily my mom was with me (when we first did the trip when he was 7 weeks old).

Change your perspective and consider it an adventure! Don't worry about the drive... and dont worry about the other passengers. If your baby is crying at one point, I am sure it is not for as long as it may seem at the time.

Really, most people are friendly, kind and like babies.

[MeredithK]

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I need to remember these things:

Originally Posted by toughcookie

don't overthink this.

Originally Posted by SunRise

Change your perspective and consider it an adventure!

I was thinking of it as an adventure when we were planning, but now that it's really time to plan, I started to get scared. I tend to over think in general, but with a baby, I'm even worse.

I kind of keep on reminding myself how scared I was for child birth. I couldn't stop worrying about so many things. And, in the end, while some of my fears happened, they weren't as bad as I thought they were going to be. So, I'm trying to think about how strong I was for that and how I didn't have anything in my control and it still turned out awesome.

So, I'm going to try to plan for what I can but expect there to be things that I can't plan for. It will be an adventure, that's for sure!

[dislocator3972]

You could bring a couple of books or toys he's never seen. Or graham crackers or some other treat that is very likely to distract during a crucial moment. Something new will get my DD (10 months) every time, so we went to the used bookstore before our last trip and found a couple new favorites.

At least for the second drive you can plan to stop however long and however often DS needs to. Or, if someone can ride in back with him, that might change the whole equation too. If you accept that this might turn into a whole day affair, then you can be pleasantly surprised when it doesn't.

As far as nursing concerns, I was really worried about it too. I brought a bottle and a handpump (I was doing 3 flights over two days alone when DD was 3 months - went fine but I don't recommend it!) and reminded myself that if on this one occasion, DD had a bottle of water (as a worst case scenario) instead of milk, everything would still be fine.

45 minutes + 2 hours before your flight + 2.5 hour flight + 1 hr to get luggage and out of the airport + 1 hour home + 1 hour of just in case time. That's just over 8 hours. One work day. You can do the length of one work day. Even if DS didn't nurse at all the entire time, he would be fine. Lots of kids go the length of a workday when Mom goes back to work, and they just make up for it that night. (which might happen to you too) If it's been stressful, just tell everyone that you MUST settle with baby for an hour or so. Then you can go curl up in bed as SOON as you guys get to your final destination and give him a chance to relax and nurse with as little distraction as possible.

Besides, even if the plane ride goes terribly and he's unhappy, he'll have forgotten by later that day and you'll probably never see anyone from the plane again.

Each time I've flown with DD I've gotten all apprehensious before hand and each time I've been pleasantly surprised. You can do this!

[kismetbaby]

I am going on a similar trip next week with my DS who is nearly 10m. . .and DH isn't coming. So I am really nervous about it. DS doesn't ever sit still (he crawls and pulls up everywhere now) for even one hour, let alone the car ride, the flight, the next car ride. Ugh.

We have flown with him twice before and were always pleasantly surprised by how well he did, but that was before he was mobile. But in the past he never cried. . .never slept much either. .. but he was fascinated by the people, the seat belts, the tray table, the window, the safety cards. Basically, he wanted to see, touch and chew on everything. Which was a little exhausting for me (and I had to try and calm down my germ-phobic mind), but he was happy. I hope it will be the same this time.

I will also get him a new toy and not show it to him till the airplane--having one new toy really helped in the past. And I hate to even have thought of this. .. but I am thinking of bringing my laptop and playing him Baby Signing Time videos (which he loves but I don't let him watch more than a few time a week). I hate to use TV this way (as a "shush-er"), but if it works, it could save me! Especially since I'll be on my own with him.

[hakeber]

I'm just gonna throw this out there, to give a different perspective:

Even if he does cry the whole time and can't sleep at all...It's one day of his life. It won't scar him as long you are there beside him reminding him he is safe and you love him.

On my very long first trip with DS (over a day and half all in -- 40 minutes taxi to boat, 2 hour boat ride, 30 minute taxi to airplane, three hour flight to Chile, 10 hour flight to Miami, 4 hour flight to NYC, 3.5 hour drive to Pennsylvania) he slept very little and cried a lot. So did I. But then we got there and he slept like a log right through the evening and the night, and so did I. And on the way back he was totally chilled. Like: "Oh this old chestnut? BTDT!" and he slept or nursed and cooed at our neighbors almost the whole way. Since then he has been a great traveller (except he gets car sick easily on windy hilly roads or if we are driving for more than four hours).

I am flying to Bogota (from Costa rica so only about 3 hours, not much) on Friday with the 5 year old, and the new baby of 6mo. If the flight was any longer I would have booked the bulkhead with the cradle, but for a flight less than 3 hours I don't think it's worth it since they can't hook it up before the seat belt sign is off and must take it down before descending or if there is turbulence.

But if your little one is toddling, the bulk head can be a great space. Demand it at the ticket desk, or if you have the option before hand, ask for it NOW.

On my journey from hell with my 4 mo I did a lot of bouncing in the aisles and nursing. It helped and got me at least a few 40 min to 60 min naps throughout.

I also brought music for the car rides and played it LOUDLY which A) helped drown out the wailing and B) helped DS fall and stay asleep in the car.

In the end despite the horrible journey, I wouldn't have skipped it for the world. It was probably the only chance I would have had for my son to meet his great grandpa before he passed and there were a few wonderful memories on that trip that would never have happened otherwise. And it gave him a sense of security on the plane I think.

If you are worried about a blow out on the plane, take him to the potty before boarding, once up in the air, after a mid flight nursing, and just before landing, and you should be giving him plenty of chances to poop in the potty instead of in his pants.

It's gonna fine, and even if it isn't, it'll be fine. Yes people pay a lot of money for flights these days, but ya know what? A crying baby isn't the worst thing that could happen on a flight. I'll take a crying baby over a farter, or a seat-mate with halitocis ANY DAY!

ETA: My advice, Bring a sling or baby carrier and the stroller...you can use it as a luggage cart for carry on and gate check it. A little more hassle at the security desk, but worth IMHO. Bring a well stocked diaper bag and a carry on with changes of clothes or two for EVERYONE. Babies have a way of exploding in the air in ways they do not on land. Don't bother pumping if you nurse, as they may ask you to dump or contaminate the milk at security. Just nurse on the plane. If there is a special blanket that smells like home bring it to wrap around him for nursing, so he feels like he is at home.

Also if you can bring snacks, do. Otherwise buy some at the airport to bring on the plane and feel free to ask for refills on water throughout the trip. Warm tea can also help alieviate pressure headaches for the baby.

My sister also used rescue remedy for her LO when she flew to see me in Argentina, and she said it helped a lot.