Hi, Q about flying with LO

MrsIH

Hi ladies,

I know this has come up a bit lately with those of you that have been traveling.  We want to go back to HI in the spring time and we were thinking April (for our anniversary) and J will be 8 months old.  Is is better to go when they are 5, 6 or 7 months old instead or does it really matter?  Just curious if you can share your experience and how you kept your LO entertained on the plane? TIA  

MauiWedding08

not really sure that the slight month variation will really make a difference.  I am not looking forward to the 2-3 year old age when they want to be more mobile and may not want to listen and sit still. haha.

basic things - be ready to breastfeed or have a bottle for take-off landing.  I could tell Jack's ears did bother him - he would start to tug at them around the same time mine were popping.  I either BF'd him (easier to do when I was traveling with DH, rather than by myself with a stranger next to me) or had him sip from his straw cup.  I have carried him through security in the ergo in 3 different airports no problem.  I have also had no problem with various amounts of breastmilk in bottles and storage bags.  Seatac did some tests on the cooler but that is it.  I think Jaime mentioned it's good idea to not only pack a change of clothes for the baby but also for you.  I didn't need it but came close, J had a blow out just minutes after takeoff coming back from the ILs (darn disposable diapers) and if I had been holding him rather than having him in his seat I would have been changing too. ick.

I had some books and various toys to rotate to keep him occupied.  He LOVES eating puffs so I had some of those and would hold a couple in my hand and have him face me and work on picking them up and eating.  Other than that - I'm lucky b/c he is just so happy all the time, I would let him "stand" in my lap and look at the all the other travelers.  On the most recent flights the flights were not full so they let us bring our carseat on board and he got his own seat.  We sat over the wing and the white noise made him conk out.  Yay - I actually got to read and DH napped.  

MauiWedding08

oh I did think of one thing about age - it's certainly fun to have a mobile baby but recently I have started to think hotel stays were a little easier when he wasn't mobile.  Now I worry about the cleanliness and all the cords/sharp stuff in the room but also don't want to limit his movement since his favorite thing to do is crawl/climb.  So in theory it might be a little easier and more relaxing on the 2 of you if YS isn't so mobile but that might just be personal preference

sanae78

I think it really depends on your LO's temperament.  For us, flying at 6 weeks was the easiest because she nursed and slept the whole time.  When we flew to Seattle (she was almost 7 months) it was hard because she wouldn't sleep.  But she's just a very active kid and can't sit still, even at home.  Usually she's good in her carseat but she didn't want to be in there on the plane for some reason.  (We were lucky that the flight wasn't full and we got to bring her seat on both ways.) 

I agree that between 5-8 months, there won't be that much difference.  I kept hoping that things would change and that she'd mellow out but she's just not a mellow kid!  She has tons of energy.  

So, I think you can probably already tell what his temperament is like and he'll probably be the same way when he's 5-8 months old.  HTH...and good luck!

inamra

For us, we have and are continuing to avoid flying until LO is closer to 6 months old...our pedi had suggested that after 6 months (the 6-mo vaccinations) is better, since the whooping cough had been going around (at least here) and babies aren't fully vaccinated until their 6-mo shots...

I think the only other thing I'm taking into consideration for flying in the months to come is that flu season is almost here (or already here?) but I'm not letting it stop me completely...

So we have a trip planned for when he's 6.5 mo. There's another possible trip when he's 5.5 months but I'm still on the fence about it...

Married2MrWright

We flew with Libby in August, right at 7 months and she was great!  We fly again later this week and I am a little concerned because she's mobile now and I am not so sure how'll she handle all the sitting.  I'll report back after Thursday!

In August she was entertained by the plane itself, the people on it, looking out the window, playing with the tray table.  She slept about an hour and played with some of the toys we brought on board too.  It was one hour from Tulsa to Dallas and then three hours from Dallas to Burbank, so we didn't have too much time to kill with her.  She cried for about 5 minutes because she was tired, so I rocked her to sleep.

MrsIH

Married2MrWright:

We flew with Libby in August, right at 7 months and she was great!  We fly again later this week and I am a little concerned because she's mobile now and I am not so sure how'll she handle all the sitting.  I'll report back after Thursday!

In August she was entertained by the plane itself, the people on it, looking out the window, playing with the tray table.  She slept about an hour and played with some of the toys we brought on board too.  It was one hour from Tulsa to Dallas and then three hours from Dallas to Burbank, so we didn't have too much time to kill with her.  She cried for about 5 minutes because she was tired, so I rocked her to sleep.

Way to go Libby!  Do you bring her car seat along as well?  I'm assuming yes?  And you bed share so you don't need a crib... I wonder if most hotels provide cribs?  I don't think we can bring our PnP to Hawaii with us along with a car seat and stroller. 

mrspresley

MrsIH:

I don't think we can bring our PnP to Hawaii with us along with a car seat and stroller. 

you'll have to check w/your airline. american told me we'd have to check it as a bag and pay the fees and it was not a "freebie" like the stroller/carseat that you are allowed. you could bring it on as a carry on but then you get one less carry on.

that's part of the reason why we got the bjorn travel crib - it's small enough to count as a personal item so we still get a carry on bag for our belongings

i think it's hard to say when traveling will be easier. we flew w/her at 6 wks and that was the easiest time of all - she slept the whole way. then she flew again at 6 months and that was easier than when she flew at 8 months...just b/c she is more awake/active/mobile the older she gets. she wasn't bad, i just had to keep her entertained the only time she was REALLY fussy was when we had an evening flight and she couldn't fall asleep and got super cranky. i recommend AM flights over PM flights for that reason. i thought the evening flight was good b/c she'd sleep but that was a mistake and i have heard other moms say that too