Air Travel with 7 Month Old

Hi M.!

I absolutely dreaded my first plane trip when my daughter was born. My mom lived in Seattle at the time and I had to lay over in Phoenix. My daughter was an angel the whole time even after we were delayed for 4 hours due to snow in Seattle!! I was so scared she would cry and fuss the entire time since we were confined to such a small space for so long, but to my delight, she seemed happy and content. I was afraid of people around me not wanting to sit next to the lady with the baby, but suprisingly the people around me helped keep her entertained by talking to her and playing peek-a-boo with her. Although she was nursing, I made sure she had a fresh bottle prepared to suckle on for take off and landing (along with her binky), but she really didn't seem to be in any discomfort. I would also recommend taking a CHEAP umbrella stroller with you. I've tried every way you can think of including a strap-on baby carrier, carrying a car seat(disaster) to just carrying her and the stroller was by far the easiest way for us. You can push the baby right up to the airplane door and an attendant will take the stroller for you then someone will bring it right back to you as you are getting off the plane. I started flying with my daughter when she was 3 months old and now she is a seasoned traveller. I would also recommend bringing on a few favorite little toys or books to keep her entertained. Make sure the toys don't have liquid in them. You can always call the airline or check the web for the most recent list of banned items if you're not sure. As for sunscreen, my kids have very fair skin so our pediatrician said use at least 30 spf if not higher, but he said it's more important to worry about reapplying it every so often especially after drying off. And if your baby isn't wearing a hat, make sure to apply sunscreen to the scalp and ears. I made that mistake once with my daughter. She was wearing pigtails and she burned something terrible right down the part in the middle of her head. I felt so horrible and she wouldn't let me comb her hair for days because it hurt too bad. Good luck and try not to stess. I bet your baby will do just fine!! I hope you both have a fun vacation.

I flew to India from Memphis when my son was two and a half months old. I was also worried how he would react to the flight and traveling through the airports, but he was wonderful!

Since I was tavelling alone, I took a Snugli carrier for walking around the airports. This was great, and I was still able to carry a rolling suitcase, large diaper bag, and a small diaper bag.

I was breastfeeding, but had a couple of bottles with me just in case. I had one that was already mixed up when I went through security and one with just water in the bag. Everything was fine taking it through. I made sure to give him a bottle while we were taking off and he didn't have any trouble with his ears. And for a couple of flights, he didn't want the bottle, but still didn't have any trouble with his ears.

One other thing you might want to look at is if you can get a bulkhead seat. I had one by chance for my flight on Delta, and some of the planes have a spot where you can attach a bassinet to the wall. They say you have to request the bassinet up front to make sure it's on the plane, but my flight already had one on there. I didn't know about it, so it was a very pleasant surprise, especially for a 16 hour flight! He was great through the flights, but at his age, he slept a lot of the time. I just let him look out the window and talked to him and he was fine. A lot of the other travellers and the flight attendants kept coming and talking to him, so he was never without attention.

As far as the sunscreen, I'm not sure which level is recommended, but I would think the larger the better. Hope you have a great trip!

I recently flew with my son and it was so much easier then I thought. They wouldn't allow me to bring a bottle of water but if I had a baby bottle with water in it they allowed that. I just bought water as soon as I got past security. I made sure that I had a bottle ready for take off and landing as I had heard that sucking helped with the ears. I made sure I had plenty of quiet toys for my son to play with on the plane. He slept most of the time though. In the airport there was so much to look at we just strolled around till it was time for out next flight. Good luck and have fun!

I have not traveled with a baby with a bottle since 9/11, BUT I do know that it would be alot easier to get through security if you just buy a bottle of water once through the security line. I have also heard that sucking will help with little ears so having a bottle ready for take off and landings might definitely help. I grew up in Florida and that sun can be fierce with out you even realizing it...so I suggestthe following: when I took my daughter to the florida beaches when she was 6 monthes old I used the highest SPF that I could find. I think I used the Water Babies brand and they had SPF of like 50 or 55. My daughter is a red headed blue eyed child with extremely fair skin so I was terrified of a possible burn. You may also want to take a beach umbrella for some shade and definitely a bottle of water for her to be drinking while she is there. You probably thought about all of this...but just in case...Have fun on your vacation you are going to LOVE the sunshine state!!