Need Suggestions for Traveling by Airplane with My 4 Month Old Son.

You may have to walk up and down the aisles to keep him quiet, but one good thing is that the plane is quite loud, you know the white noise and babies love that. Hopefully he will fall asleep due to the sound. It's like the sound babies are used to before they are born. I flew with my son from NC to CA when he was 6 weeks old and he was perfect other than throwing up on my hair...hehe. But when we were home he was difficult to entertain. I hope the plane ride will be what I expect...sleepy time for baby!

M.:)

Hi T.,
Have you considered a baby carrier? Personally, I do not recommend a bucket seat, I am thinking more along the lines of a pouch or ringsling. Babywearing helps so much with babies fussy times. Not only is is soothing for them to be close to mama (or daddy!) but it will bring you peace of mind too- If you have any questions email me! ____@____.com

L.

T.,
I have flown a lot recently with my 5 month old, and she is exactly the same (doesnt' like to sit, gets fussy in the evening, etc). I would recommend doing the following:
- When you get to the airport, ask if you can bring the bucket (the baby seat) on the plane with you. Even if you have not purchased a seat, many airlines will allow you to do this if there are open seats.
- If they say no, bring it with you and ask again at the counter. Gate check the bucket at the gate and pick it up if you cannot bring it on board. Try not to check it if possible, as it's nice to have when you get off.
- Bring a sling with you. I have a moby, and it was wonderful for putting my daughter in when I didn't have the bucket with me. She could eat and then just fall asleep, and I had both hands free to read, get stuff out of the overhead bins, etc.
- When they call for preboarding, get on the plane, put your stuff where your seat is, then head to the back in the galley. If your son is like my daughter, he will really enjoy looking at all of the people coming on the plane, and the flight attendants usually love playing with the babies. Sit down as late as possible.
- He will cry, and it's ok. Just remember that the people that may get upset are just jealous because they aren't with their children :) If he sleeps in the car, he will probably fall asleep pretty quickly on the flight.
- If he is sleeping on the descent or ascent.. DON'T WAKE HIM TO FEED HIM! He will just get fussy and his ears will bother him. If he is asleep, he should be fine. However, if he wakes up then give him a breast/thumb/pacifier/bottle to help with his ears.
- If you are bottle feeding, you can bring pre-mixed formula with you, but you cannot bring powdered formula wiht bottled water to mix. You will have to buy water inside the terminal, and it's EXPENSIVE. You may want to think about buying some of the pre-mixed stuff (like enfamil) so that you don't have to worry about mixing lots of bottles, etc.

Dear T.,

You have the perfect deal there for traveling with a young child. He is completely under your control, so tell youself that you can do it. And if he does cry, then after all, he is a BABY and do not be embarrassed - the older people will just have to deal with it. They cried and made a fuss so long ago when they were babies.

Call your doctor's office and ask if they have any suggestions about traveling with him. I can only think of the regular stuff that you already know. Warm bottles of milk, juice, water, , um I just don't know. All I can do is encourage you.

Good luck, and do call the doctor's office they know lots of things that can help us.

Have confidence. The noise of the airplane may lull him to sleep eventually. C. N.

If you have a sling bring it. Also I traveled on an airplane with my son when he was 2 months old and I just nursed him the whole time it helps equalize their ears. I don't know how long your flight will be, but your best bet is to walk to isles when possible wearing the sling and nursing. Good luck. ~V.

I would talk to your pediatrician and see if you can give your baby a little benedryl. My pediatrician advised that I do this with my son and it made it so he slept 90% of the flight. I would do a trial at home to make sure it will make your son sleepy and not hyper. I used to always book red eyes to make sure he would be sleepy anyways. Good Luck!

I first flew with my son at 2 months old to Florida from California. I made sure I was feeding him a bottle on the way up and on the way down for starters. That will help with their ears getting plugged. I also had quite a few of his favorite toys and music to keep him entertained. The music I had on a headset and had the volume down very low and slipped them over his ears...he went right to sleep.The Flight Attendant didnt even realize there was a baby on the plane until nearly the end of the flight:)I hope this helps. I know that it worked for me.

Hey T.,

My pediatrician suggested baby Tylenol right before the plane takes off and right before you land. This will help with any ear pain he may experience from the pressure in the cabin. It will also help him sleep. Ask your doc how much you should give for his weight. You might know this already but make sure you give a bottle or breast during take off and landing. This will also help with the pressure in the ears. Remember, if he does cry and you start getting dirty looks from other passengers just smile sweetly and ignore them. Until they invent flights just for children they're just going to have to live with it. Good luck!!!

A.

Hi Trisha,

I started flying with my daughter when she was 3 weeks old. The best thing is Triaminic. It loosens the ear drums. Make sure you have something for him to suck on on take off and landing. New things, new toys, and you need to relax- he will be able to feel your stress. Gate check your stroller and carseat (if you are taking it.

Hi!
I have a 6 month old girl who sounds JUST like your little boy: she is restless, fights sleep tooth-and-nail, and doesn't like to sit in one place for bery long. My best advice would be to bring a bottle to keep near by, even if it is just full of water. The sucking will help with the ear pressure during take-off and landing. My little girl was fine on the airplane. Also, I had a friend who's pediatritian recommended benadryl because it makes them sleep. I'm not sure if this is safe for a baby so young, so ask your doc. Good luck!

If he starts out being fussy don't be worried that it will last the whole time. Once the plane gets moving and he engines start it will calm him and probably put him to sleep. The first time I took my son on a plane he was 3 months old then again a year later at 15 months and both times he was just awed by the plane engines and slept the whole 5 and a half hours we were in the air. I know how stressful it is though :) Just make sure you have all his comfort Items including Binky's, blankys and well if you breast feed be ready to. Also if you need to take him for a stroll down the isle, but more than likely he will sleep :) Good luck and just remember you will never see those people on the flight again :) Don't worry to much or stress to much because your little guy might pick up on that too. Oh also another thing we do is take the red-eye. It sucks but naturally baby wants to sleep....

Hey T.,
Good luck flying! I have heard that ifyou breast/bottle feed during take off if limits their ear pressure so maybe that is one way to help. Also, you should bring some easy toys to travel with. If you don't have any, I do sell Discovery Toys (educational and durable, and more) at www.gotfuntoys.com. There are some great and easy traveling toys on there- not to mention awesome boomering links!

Sincerely,
B.
P.S. Have fun, and if you are ever intereseted in hear more about working from ( I do two things at home) DT and Melaleuca which is all about wellness, please let me know! Melaleuca products would be great for you to have in your home, esp. now that you have a little one. ###-###-####

Does he have a hard time sleeping in your arms? Will he be a lap child? My daughter and I have flown alot and she nurses while we take off (best for her ears) and falls asleep nursing. Also I try to get a direct flight and maybe buy the seat next to me for more room. 4 months old seems a little young to feel like he's going to miss something. Bring a couple of his books or quiet toys and something he can suck on if you arn't breast feeding. Good luck!

How long is your flight? I have been flying every 6 weeks with my two year old since he was 9 weeks old. Make sure you bring a bottle/Pacifer(you might want 3 or 4 of these because they will fall often and sometimes end up at the rear of the plane) or breastfeed so that during takeoff/landing he does not get an ear infection. Bring a book for him and some small toys and you can read to him while holding him on your lap. If you keep him close to you he will feel more comforted

Hi T., I have been traveling with both my little ones since they were 6 weeks. They are both awesome! I read all the other comments and they all sound great. I breast feed my babies but I also kept a bottle on hand. With the new security restrictions I found a way to get lots of liquid on board for both kids. I use the bags for storing milk and put 3 oz of juice and 3 oz of water in each bag for each person traveling. Everything goes into a quart sized zip lock and scanned. Worked great on our last trip. Have fun!!

T.,
I took my little one on an airplane a month ago and she was only 3 months old. Does your son sleep in a moving vehicle?? My baby slept on the plane or she too was into what was going on and that kept her entertained for the longest time. Other people will want to talk with your son and that might keep him entertained for awhile. My daughter would then fall asleep on me when she was tried and ready. She hardly ever cried. If there is no wind then you can sometimes get up and walk around with him too. Bring some of his favorite toys as well, and he will play with them.

I took my son when he was 4 months old on his first airplane ride. It was about 5 hours. Along with all the other great suggestions, if you could, also bring a pillow to make him more comfortable for sleeping. Good luck!

There are so many things you can so, weather your nursing or bottle feeding, feed him on teh way up and the way down to help with his ears, even if it means utting off a feeding for up to an hour to make sure he'll drink. Also I have been known to "steel" my kids nap, which ever one comes closest befor the flight so they will sleep for the flight after tehy fill thier tummies.

Or you could also ask your doctor what the appropraite amount of benadryle is to give him to take off teh edge and make him sleep. He's 4 months oldso as far as entertainment, your it. But you shouldbeable to hold him the whole flight and that should confort him enough that if he wants to sleep he can...

Good luck, I have flown several times with both my kids, and I have tried allt eh things I suggested and found they all work, it's up to you what you are more confortable with..

Hav fun on your trip,
H.

Hi, T., when my oldest son was born we traveled alot, i remember him being on a plane about 3 to 4 times by age 1. I gave birth to him in Michigan, cause my family lives there, then flew back with him at 2 months. This is what i recall, at take off, make sure hes sucking on something such as his pacifier or a bottle, this will help him with his ears. I also use to ask if i can take his car seat carrier in with me, if there was an empty seat next to me, usually they would let me. This made it very easy, cause he would sleep through most of the trip. But my best advice to you is this, he may cry, he may throw a fit, and you are gonna think, oh my god, what are people thinking, thier thinking nothing, hes a child and chlidren will cry, it will bother you more then it is bothering others, always remember that. Therefore, just keep your cool, dont get frustrated or nervous, most likely your baby will feel relaxed when you are.

Hi T.!

I took my son on his first airplane trip when he was 3 months old and I too was very worried he wouldn't do well. We were going to Nebraska to meet my family, and we actually had a connecting flight in Vegas and the flight to Nebraska was 3 hours...but he did fantastic!!! He cried a little when we were taking off because he was so tired, but I just kept rocking him in my arms and singing to him and he drifted off, on the way back to LA, he stayed awake the whole time, (rare)and played with his rattles, my water bottle, his hands, and just looked out the window while sitting on my lap...I wouldn't worry about the crying, people may be annoyed, but you have just as much right to be there as they do. Also if you are nursing, doing that during take offs and landings or using a bottle or pacifier may help with the comfort, and his ears...anyway, that was my experience, don't worry though...it will probably be easier than you think!

i have flown several times with my boys. first thing is to make sure that you have a bottle or breast readily available during take off and landing to help pop baby's ears. if baby has a few favorite toy bring them! maybe get another small rattle or something else baby has not seen yet to hopefully keep him entertained. if you can choose your seat, i suggest the wing or the back. older people tend to sit in the front. they will be the most irriated with crying. just try to stay as relaxed as possable because baby can read your mood and will stress out if you do. good luck!

Make sure to bring an extra change of clothes for yourself in case of any accidents.

Give him an anti-histimine or decongestent 30 minutes before flying. My doc recommended this so they don't have ear issues. It also has the bonus of putting them to sleep for a few hours. Feed him wtih a bottle on take off and on descent also helps avoid crying. other than that, just remain calm and if he gets fussy walk him around and apologize a lot to your fellow passengers.

Hi T.. I have taken my son on many long flights since he was 1 month old. i breastfed and made sure i had his binky. he has always slept for most of the flight and the rest i just read his favorite books. i have yet to sit next to anyone that was not kind and who didnt enjoy playing with my son. i have even had him accidently kick the tray with my sprite on it and spill it on the lady next to me! she just laughed and said it was no big deal, that stuff happens! relax and enjoy your trip and just like someone else mentioned, "you will never see those people again"!

I always find that the ear problem is worse on the landing for me, so be prepared if even after "handling" the flight, he is suddenly screaming as you drop through the clouds!

I flew with my son at about 3 months and then 5 months, and I wasn't prepared for the landing the first time--he was pretty upset (and my head hurt too!) during the 5 month old trip I tried something new: juice. My son had just barely started on solids, but to drink he had never had anything but breastmilk (I pumped at work), and once in a while formula. So juice was a brand new experience for him. Right about the time we started to descend (BEFORE the descent would begin to bother him), I popped in a bottle of pear juice. The novelty of the new flavor was such a kick that he sucked like a guppy, which a) distracted him immensely and b) kept his ears from hurting because he was constantly sucking.

You may also want to ask you peditrician about using a light decongestant or antihistmine a little before the flight. It may help minimize the problem with the ear pressure. I usually take one myself.

My first flight with my son, he was @ 5 months old.
A Mom in the row behind me asked if I had dimetapp, and if I would like some for him. It helps with ear popping etc.
I gave him the dimetapp and he slept most of the flight. During take off and landing I gave him a bottle and he was wonderful. I highly recommend dimetapp infant! It was a true lifesaver for me on many occasions.

Talk to your pediatrician about your concerns. They might be able to suggest something to help your son rest. One of the best things I leanred when my son was a baby was to nurse him (or bottle feed) right at take off. This helps them with the ear pressure and helps ALOT with screaming. Good luck!

Hello T.. (My sisters name is T.!)
I was very nervous when we flew with our daughter who was 2 months old at the time. I thought I was going to have a heart attack from the stress of it. I just held her in my arms the whole time. You have to hold him against your body on a diagonal during take off. It's also a good time to breast feed because of the pressure in their ears (I'm sure you've heard this). Anyway, our daughter slept the whole time because the sound of the plane lulls them to sleep. The woman sitting on the aisle didn't even know we had a baby with us when the flight was over. They have a great change table in the bathroom that flips down if need be. Also, they seat all the babies together (around row 26) so they can amuse each other. I brought little material baby books and small baby toys in the diaper bag in case she needed them, but she really slept the whole time. You may be surprised. Don't be stressed. The worst part is getting through security. You have to put a stroller/car seat everything through the conveyor belt at security. They will ask you to carry your baby in your arms to go through the check point. Just make sure you're organized before you go through security. Keep the diaper bag/your purse organized and efficient. and relax. Baby will know if you are stressed. It will be easier than you think. Good luck.

T.,
What I have found that helps is feeding the baby at time of departure. I don't know if you are nursing or if he is taking a bottle, but try to work your day around the time of departure. I mean, if he usually takes his nap in the late afternoon, try to keep him awake that day. Also, if his usual feeding time is in the afternoon, feed him a little earlier that day so he is hungry by departure time. Feeding the baby when you depart is good in two ways: the baby remains occupied and quiet while eating and since he is eating the elivation upon take off will not affect his ears. If you succeed in delaying or changing his nap time, then after his feeding he will go to sleep on the trip. This worked for me when my son was 3 months and when my daughter was 4 months. Hope you can work your schedule around it. HAVE AN AWESOME TRIP!

I was really nervous the first time I took my son on a flight. He was about 5 months old and full of energy. I made sure that he would be hungry enough to eat once we got on the plane. As soon as we got ready to take off, I gave him his bottle and he fell asleep within 10 minutes of take off with no crying or fussing. Just make sure you have him sucking on a bottle or binky to help relieve the pressure in his ears.

I was a flight attendant for 10 yrs and I also have traveled with my daughter on at least 40 flights in the last 4 years.
Hopefully I can give you some advice. At 4 months, I feel that the easiest way to travel with your baby is to buy an extra seat and put them in their carseat. Not only is it the safest way to travel, but they will most likely fall asleep and you can be more comfortable and have free hands to read or eat. Once you are on the plane and take off, it will be dark and pretty quiet. Hopefully no distractions to keep them awake. Feed them, give them a blanket or favorite item to hold. If they start to cry, just hold them or walk with them (if the seatbelt sign is off), sometimes the motion will calm them. You can also bring a Baby Bjorn or baby sling that you can use if standing up on the plane or walking through the airport. Sometimes I carried her in the Baby Bjorn in the airport and then carried the empty carseat with my empty hand (not so heavy that way). I traveled quite a bit without my husband, I got used to doing it all myself. Im not sure what your baby plays with right now, but it wouldn't hurt to bring a few soft toys with you, especially the ones with that crinkly material in them. Those can keep them entertained for a while.
The airplane engine noise usually helped my daughter sleep. I drowned out other noises from people nearby. There is not much you can do about the crying. Sometimes my daughter would cry because she was tired, or her ears hurt from the pressure. Feed the baby on takeoff and landing. That is when the altitude will effect their ears. A pacifier always helped too. Good luck!

Hey T.,

What I did with my daghter when she took her first flight at 3 months old, is timed her feeding to take off and landning. Babies cry when their ears are clogged and you cannot tell an infant to hold his nose and blow or open his mouth wide to pop his ears. So in order for him not to have clogged ears he needs to have the sucking motion at take off and ESPECIALLY at landing becasue you decend quicker than you accend at take off.

As far as keeping him occupied, bring a goodie bag with stuff he can play with. Familiar toys...books (not too heavy, you are flying after all). Let him stand on your lap let him look at the magazines and safty card. If you have ear phones plus them in and maybe he will listen tot he music they offer if you hold the ear piece to his ears. Maybe he will even like the inflight movie. Bring plenty of snacks for him too. Like those gerber puffy things that melt in the mouth. And hopefully since it is a night flight, he will sleep.

We tried the red-eye thing thinking she would sleep....bad idea. She wanted to see what was going on too and we were so exhausted the next day that we had to miss a full day of vacation just to recooperate!

May I also suggest that if you are carrying him on your lap, request an extension lap belt and loop it through yours and put it around him. Most people put their child on their lap, and put their belt around both of them. Bad idea, if you are forced forward, your weight will crush him. PLUS he may decide to play witht he buckle clasp and open it up. So if you put yours on first and tighten it then put the extension through your belt and around him then put the buckle part to his back, so he can't play with it.

Have fun on your trip!