first flight with babe

[xmasbaby7]

nak

headed down to florida to my in-laws in Feb and dd will be 6 wks old. any advice on making flights easier, packing gear, or finding sane nursing spots in airports, etc?

Also, is dd old enough to take into a swimming pool? does it need to be a certain temp?

don't have a clue about this stuff...

[IncaMama]

make sure you nurse/feed her during takeoff and landing
call ahead to see if you can get extra help loading up into the plane
check you stroller in at the gate so it'll come off the plane with you and be waiting at the gate for you
do you have a sit & stroll? those are fabulous and easy for traveling w/a baby
as far as finding sane nursing spots - i know that at my airport there are little hidden spots behind the phones where i can be sort of hidden.

if i think of other stuff i'll let you know :)

[coloradoalice]

With a newborn I would skip the stroller, use a sling or carrier, and put all your essentials in a backpack. Just pack plenty of diapers, a change of clothes for her (or even 2), a clean shirt for you, and some water and snacks for you. You will have your boob and your lap, what else does a 6 week old need?? Getting through security with tons of gear and a stroller is a real pain, I would avoid it!!

[Attached Mama]

With a newborn I would skip the stroller, use a sling or carrier, and put all your essentials in a backpack. Just pack plenty of diapers, a change of clothes for her (or even 2), a clean shirt for you, and some water and snacks for you. You will have your boob and your lap, what else does a 6 week old need?? Getting through security with tons of gear and a stroller is a real pain, I would avoid it!!

I agree!! I brought a stroller with us one time and didn't make that mistake again. Difficult to fold it and unload everything from it and put it on the security belt and still hold baby. Then repeat the reverse process a few minutes later. Plus you will have to bring a carseat. I recommned checking it as a piece of luggage or else you will have to cart that all the way through the airport too. We fly SW and they just stick the carseat in a bag and check it. They don't guarantee it's safe delivery but we have never had any problems.

A backpack would be easier than a diaper bag for sure. I told DH I"m going to get one b4 we fly again. Hard to carry DD and the diaper bag. And I second the extra clothing for you espec after DD pooped and it leaked all down her leg onto me. I thought I got it off but when i got up my crotch felt all gooey - thought maybe my period had returned. Went to the bathroom and found the poo had soaked thru my pants to the *inside* of my underwear. UGH!!!!

And nursing a lot is really important espec during take off or landing or anytime you feel pressure in the ears. If you are flying on an airline with cloth seats you can bring a flannel receiving blanket and 2 diaper pins and sit near the window and pin a barrier wall by pinning the blanket to the seat in front of you and to your seat. That was nice when DD was really little and I wasn't so comfortable with BF yet. I still prefer a window seat 'cause you can sorta turn your back on the passengers to BF. A middle seat would be rotten and aisle is scary with the fligh attendants coming by with hot water etc. In the airport, just sit in an out of the way seat - always plenty of them.

On occasion if DD hasn't wanted to nurse, I have given her a tiny sip of water or put my finger in the water and let her suck it etc - just important that she swallow frequently. I'm not a proponent of anything but BF but it's better than bad pain in the ear. Just make sure it's good pure water - not garbage from the plane.

And FYI - they don't allow you to carry a baby in a sling thru the security devices. Sling has to be off and go thru the xray machine. Also some airlines want you to have a birth certificate - call ahead.

Well, we have flown prob 5 or 6 times and DD is 6 months now. This is just what we have learned. Hope it helps.

As for swimming pools, it's kinda cool in FL right now at least in the central E portion of the state. But if it doesn't bother her it's probably ok. I'd be more concerned about the chlorine exposure to such a young baby. Chlorine is'nt healthy and it's highly absorbable thru the skin.

Have a great trip!!

[xmasbaby7]

Alice, that was how I envisioned this all before the brith, but dd doesn't take to slings yet.

I keep trying her every week to see if it clicks, but so far, not working.

I was going to take the car seat with stroller wheel base to attache,not the full blown travel system stroller.

Great tip about window seats! I will check with the airline.

[IncaMama]

i use my stroller to carry all my crap...much easier than carrying it all plus baby, imo

[MinnieMouse]

We never flew when Beth was this young and I think our first trip w/ Ben will be December of 2006. BUT...We have flown w/ Bethany 5x between 1.5yo and 4yo so here are my recommendations FWIW.

1. USE A CAR SEAT ON THE PLANE - That is partially my car seat techiness coming through. We generally fly from Philly to Orlando (MIL lives there) and the flights are packed...so we always paid for a seat Bethany. If it was a less popular flight I would possibly see if there was an empty seat available.

Having a baby on your lap or in a sling puts them at risk to be used like a human air bag in serious turbulence (much more likely to happen than you realize) and a car seat is the safest way for them to fly.

Here is some good info about flying w/ carseats

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/airplanetravel.aspx

And.. about using rear facing seats whenever possible

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/airplanetravel.aspx

My best friend just flew w/ her 4mo and found it much easier to install the infant seat on the plane WITH the base. Helped w/ the angle of the seat. (She flew there w/o the base and used it on the way back).

Also if you didn't buy a ticket for the baby, you can still bring the seat to the gate in case there are any empty seats available. This is becoming more and more rare these days, but worth a stab at it.

As a CPS tech I can HIGHLY recommend NOT checking the seat/base with general luggage. Those things are tossed around way too much and there is an extremely high probability that they seat will arrive broken ...or be lost on the way there.

I would gate check the car seat...it will be one of the last items on the plane and one of the first off. (Same w/ strollers...always gate check em).

At this age I MIGHT forgo the stroller but Michele has a good point that it is ideal to haul everything around in it (especially the car seat). We've always taken a stroller w/ us.

2. Backpack - We have a backpack diaper bag from Land's End and it is ideal for traveling. Leaves my hands free to deal w/ Bethany and carry any other stuff and holds everything I need.

Remember the baby gets a carry on and one personal item too!

3. Pack snacks and WATER. That way you aren't dependent on the lame airline snacks.

I'm sure I'll think of more...but HTH for now.

[ljpmom]

We are flying in a couple of weeks too. DS will be about 7 weeks. We are taking a car seat for him on the plane, ds #1 too. Dh didn't like the idea of lugging 2 carseats through the airport, but I am too scared to fly without them. We got Leyton's seat 1/2 price so it wasn't too bad. Some great tips, I will have to remember.