I remember preparing for our first flight with Estelle. I was a ball of nerves (and still am before every flight), and the only thing that is helpful for me is reading other mother’s posts, tips and encouragement. Having a diaper bag packed with every possible need is therapeutic.
Here is a run down of Estelle’s traveling adventures in her first year of life:
- 6 weeks old, a 23 hour flight, Cape Town, South Africa to Houston, TX through Amsterdam (best airport, period.)
- 8 weeks old, 10 hour drive Houston, TX to Wichita, KS
- 9 weeks old, 10 hour drive Wichita, KS to Houston, Texas
- 11 weeks old, 21 hour flight, Houston, TX to Cape Town, South Africa, through Amsterdam
- 6 1/2 months old, 36 hour flight, Cape Town, South Africa to Houston, TX through Qatar
- 7 1/2 months old, 10 hour drive to Wichita, KS
- 7 1/2 month old, 2 Hour flight to Dallas, TX, then 4 hour flight to Seattle, WA
- 11 months old, Seattle, WA to Houston, TX (4 hour flight)- involving an 8 hour delay while they repaired the plane
- 11 months old, Houston, TX to Seattle, WA (4.5 hour flight)
1) If they are under 3 months, they are great travelers. Their world is already very small (you, you, and you). If you are nursing and prefer to do so in private (I am of that persuasion) you do have to get over that.
2) I actually found the changing tables in the airplanes to be dreamy. Everything is easily in reach, and you get to stand up. I like to bring one gallon ziplock bag with 2 diapers and the wipes and cream that I am using. Then all I have to grab is that ziplock, baby, and changing mat cover. Some moms suggest to strip baby down to diaper only before going. But I find that more stressful than just changing as one would normally do at home. Also, sometimes there is a line and baby might get cold.
3) Regarding the brilliance of the plane’s white noise along with the clogged ears most passengers experience- it drowns out the crying noise!
3) Bring your boppy! International flights should have a bassinet for your baby, but you never know how the baby will sleep in that. If you bring your boppy, the baby can sleep on that, with the sides each resting on the arm rests. This is extremely useful in the following 2 scenarios:
a) Turbulence, they will not be allowed to sleep in the bassinet, and will be required to wear the connecting seatbelt. The boppy allows them to lay comfortably on your lap and you to still have a bit of freedom.
b) The bassinet is broken. On the second 10 hour flight of Estelle’s first journey to Houston, the airline had a busted bassinet so there was no where for her to sleep. Luckily we had the trusty boppy and survived just fine (taking shifts, of course- picture pastel pink boppy with sleeping baby on Josh’s lap)
4) Visit your chemist/pharmacist and get all possible medicine. You are allowed to bring these when traveling with a child, so do it. The plane will not be stocked with infant tylenol, teething tablets, colic medicine, etc. So visit your pharmacist, and have them walk you through every medicine your child could take for any condition. Next, ask if any of the medicines interact with each other. Then ask what is the dosing timeline, if you need to administer the drug. We travel with the following medicines: Saline nose spray for clogged nose, homeopathic teething tablets, baby tylenol, baby Advil, homeopathic suppository to help with irritability (per recommendation of pediatrician), benadryl (pre recommendation of pediatrician, but only as a last resort, tested first at home to make sure it did not have the opposite desired effect and cause baby to become hyper), aloe gel for irritated skin, and when she was little colic/gas medicine.
I know that sounds like a lot, and it is, it is a giant ziplock worth. And no, we never used any of it, but tylenol once on the Dallas to Seattle flight when she was sick. But the peace of mind that we are prepared, and if Estelle got really sick on the journey, we could make her comfortable, is worth it. Also, I have looked and the vendors at the airport do not sell infant strength medication, so bring your own.
5) On this last flight we wrapped a gift for every hour of the flight to entertain her. Yes, she preferred the sky mall magazine and safety procedures pamphlet. But, we did need it on the unexpected 8 hour flight delay!
6) Which brings me to the unexpected delay point: do you remember hearing on the news the jet blue plane that was not allowed to deboard for 9 hours on the runway- what if you had a baby on board that plane?! Which is why I always pack 1 diaper for every hour of travel (incase of an upset stomach or longer journey) and also enough food for double the travel time.
7) And this is my final point, babies travel awesome. They are fantastic at it. All the preparing is to calm the mom’s nerves of “what if”. Yes, they may cry, but they will also stop. WORST case scenario you apologize to those around you, pace the aisle, and eventually get off the plane and never have to see those people again.
This concludes my traveling with a babe post. Next up, what this guy in my local grocery store is protesting:
