Hello Mama's! My father wants to see his first grandchild and wants me to fly to Los Angeles (from Sacramento). The thought of this overwhelms me. I am wondering if any of you have taken your almost newborn on an airline flight and what advice you can give me? I dont even know if this is a good idea to begin with. Will the flight hurt his ears? Do I need to buy a 2nd airline seat for him? I know I will need to bring the car seat base so we can take the baby home from the airport in LA. In addition, we will need to bring the stroller and port a crib. We will be flying Southwest Airlines. I am wondering if it would be easier to drive? If I drive, I see the trip taking twice as long since we will need to make several stops. Any advice or experiences you share would be helpful as I am struggling with this. I dont want to deny my Father the chance to see his grandson but I also dont want to stress myself or the baby out. Thanks in advance for your help!
flying with an infant is always easier than you imagine it to be the younger the better, although with the amount of stuff you need to bring for a new born I would probably drive. Although driving will take longer you won't be on such a strict schedule.
have fun whatever you decide, try not to stress.
I flew from Sacramento to North Carolina when my first born was about 3 months old. He did great. The change in air pressure and altitude didn't appear to bother him one bit. He just ate and slept and wasn't difficult to fly with whatsoever. I didn't buy him his own seat. I carried him on my lap. So if you have a wrap I would highly suggest bringing it on the plane so you won't have to hold him onto you the whole time or if he's sleeping, you can have your arms free. We checked our stroller and car seat in at the gate. Just be sure to have them tag it for you. And then the stroller and car seat will be brought back out for you when you exit the plane. It worked out pretty well. I made sure to bring a bottle of breastmilk and pacifier to give during take off and landing. They'll let you fly w/milk for a baby. Just give yourself plenty of time at the airport and I'm sure it will all go smoothly.
If possible, could you just fly your dad from LA to Sacramento to see you both here instead?
Hi! I flew to Maui with my baby at 11mths. I think it may be a bit easier because you have a young baby. If you breast feed I think you have nothing to worry about:) And no - last time I checked you don't pay for children under 2. I would take caution as far as the news reporting the swine flu epidemic. Hope this helps!
Hi S.,
I drove with my son at 5 weeks from San Jose to LA (then on to Phoenix), and flew to Missouri with him at 12 weeks. I would definitely go now, while he is young; it is so much easier. My son did fine in the car; needed to stop quite a bit to feed/change, and he didn't like his carseat when he was awake for long. But the trip was only about 2 1/2hrs longer to LA. The plane was great! He slept probably b/c of the plane noise, and it was real easy to feed him (breastfeed with blankie over him). I've seen other people use a baby carrier to walk them around on the plane and let them bounce a little. I'd fly again though if I had the choice. It is a short flight to LA, and the main thing that is a pain is just bringing all the stuff. Good luck!
It's almost easier to fly with him now than at any other time. You don't need a second seat, nurse or give him a bottle during take off and landing, check the pack & play (or portcrib)and carseat base with your luggage and gate check the stroller and infant seat. He'll likely sleep the whole flight. We took our son to Colorado from Sacramento when he was 7 months old and it was no problem. Good luck!
I flew with my three week old to WA from CA and it went well. I nursed her on take off to help with the air pressure in her ears. Can't you just check your stroller and play pen? Or can Grampa borrow or buy a play pen? That's what my mom did. I believe I bought a plane ticket so I could put her in her car seat in case of an accident. I was a very paranoid mom. Traveling with her was easier as a baby then as a toddler. I don't recommend the drive because it will take forever to get there and it will be too stressful to deal with a fussy baby and a hungry baby and diaper changes and the need to cuddle and be with you. Flying sounds like your best bet. You'll be just fine. Enjoy your trip!
Can your father come to you? That sounds like the easiest solution. I flew with my son when he was 3 months old from Sacramento to Florida. We carried him on our laps and checked his carseat. Traveling with an infant is much easier than flying with a toddler. For his ears I nursed him for takeoff and landing, except for the time he was sleeping. The flight didn't seem to bother him at all. He was actually really good for the flight out there. We didn't bother checking a pack n play either, just had him sleep in the bed with us at the hotel. I know there are now a couple of tiny portable beds that are great for travel that are supposed to fit in your suitcase. I think one of the brands is phil & teds. You may want to look into that since if you have bags, carseat and pack n play you are most likely going to have to pay for excess baggage. Just make sure you include in your carry on several spare outfits for baby and at least one for you since if you get spit up on you don't want to have to smell it for the rest of the flight. I brought a nursing cover to use while I nursed and also the bjorn so I could strap him to my chest after takeoff. For such a short flight though I wouldn't think you would need to have too much gear.
I flew with my 6 Week old... Let me tell you I was stressed out about it, It ended up being a wonderful flight. He slept the whole way there. On the way home he was wide awake and happy as could be. He will be just fine in your lap and you can check the baby items as luggage and they shouldn't count it as your luggage (check with your airline about how many "baby Items" they allow. As far as his ears as long as he hasn't had a cold in the last little while, the best thing to do is nurse/feed or pacify him. If it is a short flight I would much rather fly than drive. Other than that all I can say is deep breaths and ignore the sideways looks from people that are baby cranky!
YOur son will be fine. It's a matter of what to bring and how to juggle everything.
1) Don't buy him a seat. You can carry him in your lap as a lap child. Just make sure to get an infant boarding pass at check in.
2)Bring a copy of the birth certificate just is case. I haven't had to show my children's certificates yet, but you never know.
3)Gate check your stroller and infant seat unless you are planning to carry him to the gate. The stroller and infant seat should be "free baggage" If you are planning to carry him (wear him) to the gate, then check in the stroller and infant seat with you luggage. Either way, try to have a bag of some sort to protect the stroller and seat. Some airlines can be rough and your stuff can get broken. This happened with me on a trip to Hawaii. Thank goodness Hawaiian airlines reimbursed me for the broken wheel. Only a few airlines will.
4) On take off and landing, nurse or feed your baby. If he is asleep, don't wake him up. The feeding will help his ears.
5)If you don't want to haul everything, there are travel sites where you can rent the equipment that you need. One such site is http://babiesaway.com I haven't tried them but I heard that they are good.
Good luck!
