Diapering/EC and plane trips?

[mrzmeg]

I will be flying down to visit my family later this month---eeek! How the heck do you deal with diapers on an airplane? Do you just change them in your lap? Or do planes have some kind of changing table?
Also, has anyone practiced Elimination Communication in a plane? It would really confuse ds if I didn't try to EC him when he needs it, but I can't imagine how hard it would be in those tiny bathrooms.
Any ideas? Please? Any...????

[USAmma]

When we were ECing I would take her periodically on the plane by putting one of those folding Graco seats down, then sitting her on it while I sat on the back of it to support her. We did a similar thing at home with the toilet. I think with a little boy it would be easy to use the sink. But if all else fails, you just have to use a diaper.

As far as changing diapers, most planes have a folding down changing table above the toilet in the middle and rear bathrooms. We often changed Abi in the empty seat next to ours for wet diapers but for poopies i did the other passengers a favor and took her to the bathroom.

Darshani

[HeatherSanders]

I have a short 2 1/2 hour flight in 2 1/2 weeks. I've thought through it and I'm going to try to pee Kenny right before boarding and then, if he starts wiggling while we are on the plane, I'm going to pee him in the sink (toilet is too low for my comfort) or sit on the toilet with a prefold in my lap and pee him there (he's used to that as well).

I don't want to stop just because we are flying either - although most young babies I've had experience with sleep a good amt. on planes - so I'm anticipating that.

[Trishy]

I don't know anything about ECing but I have cloth diapered on a plane. What I did was change ds just before we boarded and then we had a layover where we did not get off of the plane. I just grabbed an empty row of seats and laid down a blanket and changed him on that. I know Heather has a "Leaving on a Jet Plane" article on her site and abigalvr (sorry if I got that wrong) just returned from a trip to Europe.

[aravinda]

flying ec

i actually meant to post right away but it slipped ...

When dd was age 11 months (in May) we travelled to Austin for 1 week and though i packed my diapers (all kinds) - guess what? Didn't need 'em!! We used our little potty on the plane, in the airports, at the conference, everywhere! In fact, this is when I realised she did even better there than at home. At home she can get easily distracted, to the point that I often have to give her a toy or simulatenously use the toilet myself to persuade her that this is in fact the happening thing right now. And I also suspect that she somehow knows it will be more hassle to have an accident outside the home. Throughout the week away from home, she signalled well, waited patiently and I also used timing in addition to signalling to ensure that we didn't miss.

ON THE PLANE- I took dd to the tiny airplane restroom, placed the little potty ontop of the toilet lid, and let her sit on it. She did fine. In public restrooms sometimes I just put her potty on the floor while I used the toilet or if there is any kind of counter space I just stand up and put her potty on the counter. But if it is a large / crowded restroom she may refuse to go.

I have done the same thing on the AMTRAK train - of course the restroom is bigger and it is a single so it is even better.

aravinda

[lizabird]

I enjoyed reading all those replies. We'll be doing a big crosscountry plane trip when DS is 11 months old and I'm wondering about EC on the road. We did a big driving vacation a few weeks ago (DS was 6 months old) and we'd use the little potty while traveling (at rest areas) and first thing in the AM, but during the day we generally relied on a diaper. I wish DS had very clear potty signals, but he doesn't, he just goes about his business and pees at the same time so I almost never know when he's going. Oh, well.