Airplane Tips for a 9 Month Old

Hi; We just came back from St. Maarten. My pediatrician had me give her liq benadryl 12.5 mg the night before and the morning of the trip (it dries up secretions and lessens the pressure buildup. it also made her drowsy so she was not as active as she usually is) Then she was given bottles on take off and landing.( if asleep wake him up and give him the bottle) I also found ear plugs that decrease the pressure. rite aide has them. My little girl is a "singer", (loud singer) when they perform just ignore any negative comments or glares if anyone gives you them. though no one complained i was prepared with a comment( thats what headphones are for!!!). Do carry a sling, moby or any other carrier because your arms will get tired holding them. and for bathroom use. Do call the airlines to find out directly what assistance and allowances the make for infants. You will be surprised. diaper bags are not considered carry ons i was even allowed to bring bottled water on with me. and do bring a toy (one that will not cause harm when Thrown) lastly do not hessitate to ask for assistance. Most everyone likes to help a struggling mom and infant. And use your family! have a safe trip!

Hi R.,

First I wish you a good flight. I fly oversees with my son since he is 6 months old. So far he made 5 flights and he is going to be two next month. My experience is that you should ask for a seat where you can have a basinet (if they provide) so you can put him to sleep and your arms can get some rest. Otherwise I remember that I could not even go to the bathroom for hours,nor I was able to eat. I prepared my son's food before and put everything I need for a single feeding in a ziplock and labeled it. The idea was to have evrything I need (during the flight) easy reachable, because while holding the baby it is hard to find what you need out of your bag. SO I could have a breakfast or lunch ziplock. In each one I put the food, a spoon if needed, napkins and bibs. I also prepared a diaper change ziplock ( I used the big ones). If I was going to change I would simply grab it and go. Other than that, I wish that people around you are child friendly.If for any reasons they are not, please simply ignore them. Oh, also, make sure that you have something (water, formula or brestfeed) to drink for your son during landing and take off. Swallowing really helps their ears. I remember ones my son was pulling his ears and was crying but because he was busy with crying he did not drink anything. So get ready with the bottle before anyhing happens and offer him to drink.

If the flight does not go as you wish, try not to concentrate on how much time is left to land, but the things you will do when you are in Italy!

Sounds like you already received some great advice. I would just add to put all your liquid stuff in a gallon ziploc back to make the screening process easier including things like diaper cream. They should allow a bottle of formula for the baby too. That way it's easy to pop the one bag out of the diaper bag and put it on the belt and hopefully will avoid having your bag hand screened. I have had my diaper bag hand screened and it helps to have things compartmentalized in ziploc bags so they can see it, but don't have to touch everything. Then if I have garbage or wet clothes I can pop them in a bag too so the rest of the stuff doesn't get dirty. My daughter enjoyed lift-the flap books and she had a little purse that she could put things in and take things out that held her attention. I've found books to be great for the plane. We flew to Poland with her when she was 12 months old. We were stuffed in the middle of the plane and had seats reclining on us, and it was a bit more uncomfortable, but not too terrible. Getting a bulkhead seat would be ideal. Good luck with your trip!

HI R.,
My infant son flew several times in his first year. We did not have any problems because I breastfed him during take off's and landing's. This helps with any potential ear discomfort and keeps baby quiet.
Have fun!
N.

This is all good advice, and I have a couple other suggestions. One is to bring/wear a baby carrier, like an Ergo or a Bjorn or whatever you're comfortable with, so that you can actually go to the bathroom and stuff, bringing your son with you, and have your hands free. Also, you might consider purchasing a Baby B'Air safety vest -- this is something to protect your son from turbulence while he's sitting on your lap (little children can fly off your lap and be injured if you hit turbulence, since they're not seat belted.)

I would definitely be prepared to breastfeed on the plane, since that will be soothing to him if he gets upset.

One other tip that my husband and I used when we flew with our baby twins... We brought ear plugs to give to the passengers sitting near us. It was sort of as an ice breaker, and to get them on "our side" right away, since people can be a little standoffish about sitting next to a baby. Most people just laughed and refused them, and said that a little crying wouldn't bother them. So then we didn't feel so bad when one or the other of the babies got upset.

Enjoy the trip!
A.

Hi R.,

My family lives in Europe, so I've done this kind of trip many times since my son was 10 months old, about half of the time alone with him in the plane. I actually wrote an article summarizing my tips and strategies a couple of years ago (you can find it at http://www.dailymastery.com/articles/PlneTravel.pdf)

Before you even go, if I were you I'd try to get a bassinet for your baby during the flight, he should still fit in one and it'll make things a lot easier, since he'll be able to sleep comfortably - and it'll place you in a bulkhead seat, where you have enough room to have him play in front of you. Airlines usually will change seat assignments to accommodate you if they can, it's in their interest as well. For the rest (take-off, landing, during flight) check my article, it'll be much faster and more complete than my repeating it here.

Also, make sure to have only 1 piece of luggage, if possible an oversize packpack as your checked luggage, and a smaller backpack as carry-on. This way you can carry one on your back, the other one in front, and your hands will be fully available for your baby, and the stroller.

At the end of pretty much every flight (every 8+-hour flight), I've been commended on "how well behaved", "how nice" my son is, because he barely cried during the flight. It's not a miracle, it's the result of planning, work, and coming from the perspective that my goal during the flight is to keep my son entertained and calm (i.e. not crying), and I'll do whatever I need to make it happen. It's tiring for the mother (you have to always be ready with a new toy, finger food your child likes, a bottle, and can sleep only when your child sleeps) but it's worth it.

Good luck! If you have any other question, let me know.

K.

I just took a flight to Italy with my baby myself. What I did that I found helpful (though it was a bit of a pain) is I got to the airport and checked in as soon as the counter opened for my flight (4 hours in advance, ick!). This way, I was assured a seat in the bulkhead row... no one was in front of me to recline their seat in my face and i was even able to sit my 11 month old on the seat and sit on the floor in front of her and play. My daughter is a bit older than your son, but i found that it didn't make a difference to her ears if she was breastfeeding or not during take off and landing... she was fine in both situations. Still, I would recommend that you breastfeed him then to aide in normalizing the pressure in his ears. If you have any specific questions just let me know as I would be happy to share. Have a great trip!

The first thing I would say is to take your car seat if there is room on the flight you can use the car seat. Your son and yourself will be much more comfortable if he is sitting in a car seat this will cause him to sleep most of the way. Make sure he has a bottle or your breast to nurse on for take-off and landing.