Tips for flying with a 9mo old

Sweetrose664

DH, DD and I are flying non-stop to MN on the 27th. Any tips for a smooth flight with DD besides keeping snacks with us?

 TIA!

allieoop80

Maybe I just have a huge wiggle worm, but I would say that mentally preparing yourself would do you some good.  I think they feed off of your frustration if you are frustrated (like I was last flight).  But you will be fine.  Ask the flight attendant for cups, bring some toys that you have hidden for a while so they are "new" to her.  Bring something for her to suck on so her ears won't hurt.  We always got up and went to the bathroom 3 - 4 times so he could stretch his legs.  I think also if they are crawling and mobile it is harder.  All  Collin wanted to do the whole time was get down.  Snacks worked the best.  Good luck!

RikaNTim05

Have a bottle (or something else to suck on) handy for takeoffs and especially landings to help if her ears bother her.  No other real tips, except to say that they might make you open any jars of baby food you have in a carry on so be prepared for that.  I didn't realize they considered jarred baby food a liquid but they do.  They made me open it up so they could wave something in front of it to test for something.  It sucked because I basically wasted a jar of babyfood since I was just packing it and not going to feed him right away.  Good luck and have fun!

MrsG2B07

Definately let her BF or have a bottle at take-off and landing for her ears.  I did this on the way up on our flight home when DD was 9 months and she fell asleep for half the flight...which was wonderful!

Bring some new fun toys that will keep her interest on the plane.  I also wore a colorful beaded necklace that kept her content on my lap playing for awhile.  

Make sure you change her diaper right before boarding to avoid having to do it on the plane.  

Try to have her well rested and not tired and cranky before flight.  I got DD to fall asleep in her stroller before boarding then had to take her out of it to go through security.  But, if you wear her in a carrier, you don't have to take her off to go through metal detectors.

mavs_girl07

I just flew with DD for the first time this week and it went so smoothly!  So try not to stress too much.  Everyone was so nice and kept offering to help me with things.

I wore her in the Baby Bjorn when going through the airports.  It was easy and I didn't have to take her out to go through security.  I took a couple of small new toys, but the snacks were what kept her happy mostly.  I also took a bottle and her sippy to help with her ears during take off and landing.  I sat in the aisle seat of the very last row, so we were out of the way and had easy access to the bathrooms.  She was pretty content to stand in my lap, she loved looking around at all the people.  She napped on the way to the airport, which was huge because she was happy and refreshed for the flight.  There was once when she got fussy and didn't seem to want anything...didn't want a toy, no snacks, no sippy...I gave her the ziploc bag that I use to store her paci and she loved it.  That baggy kept her entertained for a good 10mins.  GL! 

Smores730

The best advice ever given to me: ask for the bulkhead seats. We just got home from being OOT yesterday and got those seats for both flights. DD was on the floor in front of our feet the majority of the trip surrounded by her toys just playing away the time. Another great "toy" was we brought a straw for her to chomp on and she also played with a cup with a few ice cubes in it. Also don't be afraid to bring toys with sound. You can't really hear them over the noise in the plane anyway.

chapelhillgirl

Ditto a lot of what PP's said...

I just flew with DD by myself last weekend.  I gave her a bottle at takeoff and scheduled that first flight for her morning nap time.  She slept 1.5 hours of the 2 hour flight.  

I mostly BF but since I was going to be alone with her and wanted to make things easy I bought some of the pre-mixed formula individual bottles (Similac sells them in a 6 pack) so I didn't have to worry about mixing powder, etc. or trying to stay covered up to nurse.

 I brought some new toys to keep her busy which we used on the return flight.  DD loved the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn purse set.  It plays some tunes and she had fun opening the purse and pulling out the different things (mirror, keys, "lipstick", etc.).  I was also able to toss a board book in there.  

https://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2341&e=storeproduct&pid=42920

 

mommyofmiles

We brought a few new books and that actually kept him entertained quite well. We brought the books meant for the bath tub because they are much lighter than board books which helped us not have to carry the extra weight in the carry on.

D's_Wife

One tip that helped me was packing a ziploc with a diaper, wipes, disposable changing pad, and hand sanitizer.  Bathrooms on planes are tiny and you won't want big diaper bag in there.  Also, on planes you have to hold down faucet to get water, making it almost impossible to wash hands while holding baby.

The MSP airport has a nursing moms room.