Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Flying

Does anyone have any advice for flying with a baby? I will be flying non-stop from Charlotte, NC to SLC, UT this weekend (A straight shot, yes. But a 5 hour one at that). I'm pretty sure it would be unethical for me to tranquilize the little bundle of joy...so I'm not sure where to go from there. I'm planning to check all of my baggage except the diaper bag. Is there anything I can do to make things more comfortable or more enjoyable for both of us? I'm freaking out about this.

Here's hoping there won't be much screaming (From the baby AND the mom) on the plane.
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8 comments:

Liz said...

The first time I flew with my baby, I was alone and she was 9 months old. A few of the things I learned:
1. Take an umbrella stroller, then you don't have to carry ALL the time-you can check it at the gate, which leads to...
2. when you have a baby, most people let you get away with a lot! You get a stroller, carseat, bag, all as carryons without a second glance, stuff like that; you get to board early-take advantage of those things!
3. Nurse or give a bottle as you're taking off and landing to help them suck and ease the pressure on their ears-this bombed on me, we taxied for so long, we ran out! :)
4. There is nothing wrong with a little tylenol or benadryl! Especially if they're prone to ear infections, colds or other things.
5. If they take a pacifier, have a way to attach it to him! Mine would spit hers out or take it out and throw it on the floor and then it's dirty and usually rolling away out of reach!

Sorry, that was a lot! Our first trip was an adventure but the good news is, it will be over!

April 24, 2007 at 2:17 PM
Liz said...

Also, don't worry too much even if he's unhappy or even screams the whole time. People understand and expect it when they see babies and there's so much noise on the plane anyway, they won't hear a lot! I was so worried the first time because it was 9 at night and everyone said after they couldn't even hear her wails-i'm pretty sure they were lying but it made me feel better!

April 24, 2007 at 2:23 PM
Bethany said...

I've flown alone a few times with my now 5 month old. liz&meg covered most of the important things. I always take the carseat with me to the gate and check to see if there is an extra seat on the plane. Usually they'll let you have it for the carseat which is nice. If not, they'll just check it for you at the gate. I don't know about your baby, but mine falls asleep almost everytime she goes for a long ride in her carseat and the plane seems to have the same droning effect. A friend of mine asked her pediatrician what to do to make flying comfortable for her baby and in all seriousness the doctor told her to put a little scotch in the baby's bottle. Isn't that outrageous?! Pretty funny though. So, I'd carry an extra $5 bill in case you need to purchase some scotch in flight.

April 24, 2007 at 2:43 PM
Linz said...

I JUST did this with my 7 month old. She was super squirmy and had some big time fussy moments and refused to sleep until like the last 15 minutes of the flight. The good news...no one seemed frazzled by it but me! My advice: Don't worry about what others are thinking. It's a couple hours of their life that they will soon forget. Good idea about the pacifier thing Liz&Meg! I walked the baby around in the Bjorn as much as possible before I got on the plane. On the way there, I got on the plane like first and wished I hadn't. The less time sitting the better for me! For my wiggly worm, it was helpful to get up to go to the bathroom once or twice (she loves mirrors), walk the aisles once or twice, have a bottle and nursing available (and I even fed her like bananas and applesauce to occupy her), and some toy options to play with. Chewing on the bottom of an empty waterbottle helped my teether for a good 15 minutes or so. My baby has done fine with the pressure changes when sucking on a bottle or pacifier, but our friends told us to give the baby a dum dum sucker if they won't take anything else and they are really sensitive to that. I've not done it, but I've kept some in my pocket just in case!! You'll do just fine...especially if your baby is really young...they will sleep!! The white noise of the plane is helpful for that.

April 24, 2007 at 3:40 PM
Rural Dee said...

Ask for an aisle seat if you don't get to have an empty one next to you--that way you can stand up whenever you need to without inconveniencing anyone. My son did not sleep well on the plane so I ended up locking us in the bathroom and bouncing him until he fell asleep. (Don't worry, it wasn't as bad as it sounds!) Once you're actually doing it you'll be amazed at how much you can handle and still be in a good mood. It's actually quite invigorating once you've done it--you feel like you've accomplished something!

April 24, 2007 at 4:15 PM
Liz said...

Bethany, we've gate checked our carseat but I've never asked to use it-i figured they'd charge us! what a great tip!

April 24, 2007 at 5:42 PM
Skipper said...

You are all so fantastic! I've heard a few of these things, but it is SO reassuring to hear them again. And I'll definitely keep some cash handy for the scotch :)...maybe I'll spike my own drink.

April 24, 2007 at 7:25 PM
marian said...

If you haven't already left...

After a LOT of flying with my son in the first 2 years of his life, I found that I needed to nurse him or get him to suck on something (even if I have to wake him up) as soon as I feel the plane start to descend. Otherwise, he wakes up about halfway through it with pain in his ears and is absolutely a mess. If I catch it before it starts, it's so much better.

I've heard from many doctors that a little benadryl (or something else that helps your child relax) is totally humane and ethical - so much more comfortable for baby and mommy. The baby isn't screaming because she knows it drives you nuts, it's because she's uncomfortable! So it's not something to feel guilty about.

April 26, 2007 at 8:40 AM

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