Traveling with an Infant Tips

FIRST - You have to relax. You must realize that there WILL be "bumps in the road" ... but you will reach your destination eventually. Stay flexible! If you can stay calm and relaxed, your child will be more likely to stay happy and calm as well. Remember that all of the adults you encounter were children once upon a time and if they appear unhappy or unkind -- it is THEIR PROBLEM, NOT YOURS. You can do your best to help your child be a pleasant traveler - and that is all anyone can expect ! Lots of smiles .. they are contagious!
I have not traveled space-A in years, so I can offer no information on that front. Just be sure to check the rules and regs for food and beverages. You both need to stay hydrated to stay healthy and happy on your journey!!

When we travel with our 4 children, I always bring more than we need ... but I always have what we need, if we need something! With one child, you should be able to get your "stuff" in a large carry-on back-pack. Crayola's mess-free color wonder products are perfect for travel. And you can always pull out a regular notepad and pen or marker in a pinch. If your daughter has absolute favorite things (and you can risk losing or getting them dirty) .. bring one or two small things to keep her comfy (thoughts of home). I usually have at least one new, exciting thing to pull out of my bag to grab interest. Quiet toys with lights are usually attention-grabbing. When you are in the US, look at Target for a an orb with spinning lights inside,$5 - Gadget brand, I think --- we have been through several of these, and I will keep buying them!!! You can at least have it for the return trip!
Bring ziplocs to stash leftover airplane food in so that you can consolidate your meal tray mess and get up and out of the seat fast if you need to - without wasting what you might need later. Sometimes the flight attendants have you wedged in for a miserable amount of time. You can also use the ziplocs for diapers.
I usually carry an empty sippy cup for filling up on the plane. Don't be afraid to ask for more drinks! Thirsty children are grumpy children!!
I have learned to change my children's diapers on my lap or while they are standing. It saves me from having to wait in line and keeps my children away from some of the germ-laden changing areas. I try to be discreet and mindful of others ... but clean bottoms make for happy children as well! Practice a lot at home before trying out and about. The font seat of your car is a good, cramped area that compares to a plane seat.
Safe and happy journey!

We have taken a HOP a total of 4 times. I can honestly say that I would much rather take a HOP than a commercial flight. One flight we were on, a mother had a baby who was right around a year old and she took her pack and play and set it up on the plane. It worked out great. I usually take a few sleeping bags and set them out on the floor and let my baby sit there and play with his toys. Just take some toys and lotsa snacks.

~Treese

The fisrt time I traveled and moved to Germany my son was about 19-20 months and we carried on his car seat and put him in it for the first part of the the trip and it worked for a while but then I found it to be a pain because he did not want to sit in it after a while and we never used it again and we have traveled back and forth quite a bit, my son too is very active so here are a few tips:

Crayons and paper are great but here is something else, the little drawing boards that have the pen attached and you can slide the eraser and it earases what they draw I think they are called doodle boards are great because they can be used again and again and your child cannot throw the pen or drop it on the plane like they will with crayons I personally use both.
Bring 2-3 small paperback books.
bring two change of clothes one shirt being a long sleeve shirt it sometimes gets cold on the plane and a pair of long wind pants or sweat pants in summer and for packing I find the wind pants to be better for the sake of space and weight, if you have the jacket that is great too.
A small blanket.
my son likes to listen to music so an MP3/IPOD player or whatever with her favorite songs comes in handy.
Laptop or video player to play kiddy movies is great make sure you have ear phones!
Have her play simon says right in front of her seat have her stand and ask her where are your toes, knees, and stuff so she is not sitting bored the whole flight.
My son is older now so we do puzzles and with my other son (10) we play UNO so any small games that will fit on the eating tray. Maybe dolls for your baby girl that she can brush the hair and change the clothes, new is always better don't let her see these toys until you present them on the plane that will make the experience new and will keep her busy longer!
I agree with the other M., stay calm, be prepared are the key elements, YOUR childs favorite snacks especially if she is picky, but remember anything unwrapped or fruit ditch in the garbage or on the plane before you enter customs. and the empty cup is a must! if she is sleep when they do drinks have them fill it when they come by and have it ready when she wakes up, don't let them skip over you!
That's all I can think of right now, if I think of anything else I'll let you know.
Depending on your child, take tylenol, you never know until you are on the plane if you want or need to use it or not, don't feel ashamed! Take the chewable ones, so you don't have to worry about liquids on the plane or measuring it out.

My friend just traveled back to the states while her husband deployed. She has a 1 yr old and 4 yr old. She loved it. With HOP flights they did let her kids get up and walk around, so they were not stuck in the seats for the whole time. She said that everyone was helpful getting on and off the plane with the car seat and her bags. She said that she would fly HOPs rather than commercial flights for how smooth and easy it was to fly by herself with her children.
Hop this helps.

If you can get the c-17 instead of the rotator do it. she can run around in the c-17 and will be much happier. Also if she will watch tv a portable dvd player can be a lifesaver

Check your car seat and gate check your stroller. There are vests that connect to an adult seatbelt that you can use for take off and landing. You can get them at onestepahead.com. For babies who aren't walking, I recommend using a baby carrier (like the Ergo) instead of a stroller or using the stroller to push your carry-ons and carrying the baby. At 13 months old, it depends on her size and the quality of your baby carrier what you want to do. They don't usually like to sit in their carseats and you will benefit from the extra room of the empty seat.

Check everything you can. Only bring the necessary items with you on the plane. With a little one, there are lots of necessary items, so you will have plenty.

1. Bring more than enough diapers and wipes. If you get delayed in an airport, you usually can't find them there.

2. Small ziplock with child medications like Tylenol, Gripe Water, and you can get these prescription ear drops that are used with children who have ear infections to numb their ears. You can give it to her about an hour before take-off. Or, you could give them to her only if she has a problem.

3. Nurse or give a bottle or pacifier during take-off and landing.

4. Bring a child back pack/leash type device. I don't know if the PX has them or you can get them on the economy, but you can get them at Target for about $10. The version I have looks like a monkey backpack and it has a long tail which you hold. Some people are offended by the notion of a kid leash, but if your 13 month old is walking and doesn't like to sit still and will not hold your hand, it is a good option to let her have some independence without running away or getting run over by suitcases and other travelers. My son was running by 10 months so when we took a trip at 15 months and were delayed in an airport for 8 hours, he was impossible. He kept wanting to run and went limp when I tried to hold his hand. I bought the back pack as soon as I got home.

5. Dress your child and yourself in layers and have an extra set of clothes or two for your child (like pajamas or something easy).

6. Bring a blanket, it will be cleaner and nicer than what you get on the plane.

7. Bring PLENTY of snacks. Things like cheerios you can play games with and they take time to eat. Crackers, etc. Accept that you will leave a trail of cheerios from Okinawa all the way to your final destination.

8. Bring a sippy cup for drinks.

9. Small amount/variety of toys/amusements. Legos are nice if she is doing legos, one piece of a car/train, whatever she likes to do. If she is really attached to a particular doll or stuffed animal than bring it, but just one. If she is not attached than skip the because they are big. A book or two. Check the volume on noise-making toys to make sure they aren't too loud, but something that makes noise with buttons is good as long as it is not too loud.

10. Pre-board if passengers with small children are allowed to pre-board.

11. Wait to get off the plane until the end if it is crowded. Less stress on you. Just take your time.

Good luck! Just be patient and move slowly but steadily through the airport and you will be fine.

The first time we were stationed in Germany our daughter was 13 months old also. I flew home MAC flight six times with her. The advice I can give you is walk around with your child as much as possible. I also took lots of snacks and books to read to her. I did not want to give her medicine like several people told me too. It is a little stressful but well worth it in the end. Also make sure your daughter drinks something during take off and when landing. I was still nursing so I nursed her during those times. Their little ears are more sensitive than ours. Good luck.

Hi A.,

You will do just fine! I see that you already have lots of valuable advice. Nothing to worry about. We recently took a "hop" from Guam to Tennessee. It was a great experience, even with a very active 2-year-old, and an overnight stay in Hawaii. The flight non-stop is 18 hours (commercial). I was also very skeptical about a huge flight (from the middle of the Pacific, no less!)

My advice is to check on what type of plane you'll be on. I'm not sure if you're AF or Army, but maybe the planes are similar. We took a tanker from Guam to Hawaii previously, and it was not very baby-friendly. Specifically, it was very loud, cold, and had lots of plugs, etc on the floor that made it difficult for her to run around. However, we had a C-5 on the way back and that was great! So, we made sure it was a C-5 from TN to GU and back. The tanker had "jump seats," which are pieces of netting like a basketball goal. The C-5 had real airline seats.....we were able to recline and everything...much nicer. Either way, the crew was very nice & helpful.

The portable DVD player was priceless! A new coloring book, and other new figurine toys, etc. made it easier for us. Take the least amount of luggage possible. Keep in mind that you will have the baby, diaper bag, baby's other necessities, your purse, etc.... and snacks, of course....I had the baby on my hip, a backpack, purse, and another bag, and I deeply regretted not being more organized. it should be easier for you with a shorter flight. I knew that milk wouldn't be available in-flight, so I had insulated bags and multiple sippy cups! Don't bother with a car seat unless you will need it at your destination. I dragged it along, but she wasn't interested in the least. Luckily, most rental places have car seats these days (bring your own Lysol...haha).

Hope this helps. Have a great trip!

The planes are pretty loud so I would use the wax ear plugs for your little girl. That's what I did with my kiddies and it works great; just watched out that it doesn't get in their hair! You may have to rip it in half since their ears are so little. Also, if you pack some new toys and surprise them on the plane they usually like that. Coloring crayons and a book is always good. Sometimes an apple or grapes is nice on a plane. Flying on hops is nice sometimes since your litle one can walk around. I would also pack a light set of jammies so in case she gets dirty. Portable dvd player is always handy and a blanket since it gets cold on board. Definately pack a jacket for her and yourself. Definately take her car seat onboard so that she's strapped in. The noise of the plane is pretty loud and since it's a white noise it'll probably help her sleep. Last but not least, if you feel like dragging it on board a sleeping bag is nice to lay on instead of sitting in their seats the whole way. Everyone is so nice though and i'm sure you'll have plenty of help with all your things. I hope this helps and have fun!