Traveling in airplane with baby

[wirewendy]

I am flying to San Francisco with Ranjana, and am so excited for her to actually be outside (it has been too cold to expose her to any air whatsoever here in Minnesota).

But...I am afraid of flying! I am trying not to get freaked out about it. Has anyone traveled by plane yet with their little one? Or for a long time? We will be there for 10 days.

I can't wait to show her the ocean, and the redwood trees, and for her to be exposed to the outdoor air. And for all of our friends to meet her.

[MamaTaraX]

I've only flown with myfirstborn actually and he was older (10 mos his first flight), but my biggest piece of advice is very true for the tiny ones too: Nurse baby on takeoff and landing! With a wee baby like this, you can stick 'em in a sling or carrier or hold them the whole time and it'sjust like getting to sit in your comfy chair all day long. Someone even brings you food! If baby gets fussy, walk the aisles. Need a hand? I have yet to meet a flight attendant who wouldn't hold a baby while you went to the bathroom or got a bag out, etc. The cool thing about a baby this small is thatyou don't have to bring snacks and games for them, just for yourself.
A few things to remember:
--if you have abbay iun a carrier when you go through the metal detector things, they will most likely make you take baby out and show them the carrier as well (especially with a ring sling because of the metal and wrap slings they want you to unwind)
--with children, you can pre-board (board before anyone else) or at least board earlier. I've had good luck doing it either way
--since baby is tiny, you don'thave to buy a seat for them...so you can gate check your carseat and not have to worry about it. A flight attendant will stow it in the airwalk for you and haveit ready for you to pick back up when you get offthe plane. If you plan to rent a car or use a carseat ou there, you can just leave yours at home. If you're really worried, y ou can put it in a bag and put it under the plane with other luggage
--bulkhead seating: ask for it. Most planes have it. It gives you extra leg and body room. If you are on a flight that's not really fully and can get a seat with an empty one next to you, that's extra awesome. Change baby on the food tray or a seat.

I can't think of much else (plus I have a toddler in my ear begging to see trains) Happy Traveling!!

Namaste, Tara (yeah, I know, I"m a Jan mom but I loved your DDC so much I felt like posting *grin*)

[spiralmg]

I was freaked out about flying and germs when we started air travel with DS. Normally I am not at all like this - but I actually carried a ziplock bag with some alcohol soaked washcloths, and swabbed down everything in touching distance on our seats. I didn't want my precious baby to catch anything! (this obsessive behavior became more intense when he was old enough to start touching everything in sight, but then abated at some point).

The nursing advice above is really good. Make sure to nurse on take-off and landing. And then I guess the rest is just an odds game. We have had some fabulous flights (the flight attendents even said they had never seen such an easy going easy traveling baby before)...and we have had some real bummers. Not much you can do, just like at home.

Oh another thing that might be useful: try to learn to change your baby's diaper on your lap. That way you don't have to worry about doing anything in the bathroom or on the floor etc. If you manage to get an extra seat in your aisle, halleluia. But otherwise I have found it much more easy all around to change a small baby in my lap.

Also, if your DH is anything like mine, try to have a well organized baby bag that makes sense to him too. Mine was just a tote bage open at the top and I knew where everything was, but he ended up rummaging through it and getting both of us frustrated...

[xmasbaby7]

I just got back last night from my first flight with my babe!

I went down with DH but had to fly home by myself. I was so anxious and terrified, even though I am a former REALLY frequent flyer until the pregnancy.

Here is what I learned.

When everyone says nurse during take-off and landing, they are missing a few points. Few babies and people are bothered by take-off, but nurse anyway to make yourself feel better if your babe is awake. if not, let her sleep.

On landing, timing is key. An average flight's altitude is 35,000 ft. About 30 minutes prior to landing when the plane starts to descend is when to nurse. By the time you can see the shape of cars easily, you are closer to 10,000 feet and you don't need to keep nursing anymore unless they want. I think most parents wait too late and get really unhappy babies and kids.

I am still not a seasoned sling wearer (but want to be!) and brought it plus the stroller. I tried using it but it was awkward so stick to what is comfy for you.

I didn't dream of changing a diaper on board but changed diapers when I changed planes nad had an extra outfit in the diaper bag if needed.

If you use a pacifier for situations like these, I rec tying it on a string around YOUR neck. My dd spat hers out and it went lost behind our seat and I couldn't get it. I pulled out the back up and was prepared on the way home.

Security was surprisingly helpful, much more so than airline employees on both flights.

Have fun!

[Panthira]

Oh, I live in SF... well in the suburbs surrounding it anyway. It's very beautiful here right now, sunny and almost too warm at midday. Be sure to bring baby layers.