What to take on plane trip?

tiffanyirene

Ok ladies I will be traveling with DD for the first time during Thanksgiving.  We will be taking a 5 hour flight with one layover.  DD will be close to 9 months, she is still breastfed so I planned on getting a breast feeding cover for the flight and allowing her to eat/comfort suck during takeoff/landing.  Can anyone who's already traveled with their LO send me a list of things they brought for the trip? We will be buying a lot of stuff when we get there such as extra diapers, toys, wipes, food etc. to consolidate our luggage so we don't have to pay bag fees . *tia*

tiffanyirene

oh and if DD has a melt down would it be horrible to hide in the bathroom with her, lol

tokenhoser

On the plane:

extra outfit for baby and you (I brought yoga pants and a t - small, but a full change)

diapers, wipes, change pad

paci

1-2 small toys (cloth book, teething toy)

nursing cover if you want, but the seats were so close together is wasn't much of an issue. I was travelling w/ my mom, so she was always beside me and I had the window

stroller - gate check. My guy is small enough we did the snap-n-go with carseat.

extra snacks for you, water bottle (fill past security, ask for refills on the plane)

headphones to watch tv if LO sleeps

baby blanket (used on floor in airport, to keep warm on plane, as a cover)

Packed:

clothes, pjs
a few more toys
baby wash
whatever you use for baby to sleep (white noise, comfort item)

That's really about it. I kept it pretty minimal, as I knew I was bringing home shopping and needed the space. My LO cried like a maniac waiting for take-off, then passed out as soon as we got moving. 

StarJay

I think tokenhoser pretty much covered it all. My advice is to keep your bag as organized as possible, so that things are easy to find in the confines of the airplane seats. For example, I made sure LOs toys were on top and easy to grab, as was the changing pad. I went ahead and purchased a changing pad that has the pockets for diapers and wipes attached, it made changes so much easier to have all of that readily at hand.

mittensonkittens

I thought 9 months was the easiest age to fly with DS1 if that makes you feel better. On one flight the flight attendant gave him an empty cup and he played with it for an hour. Bring lots of things to distract her. A week or two before a trip I hide the toys we're bringing so the kids will be excited to see them again on the plane. On the plane, pull out one toy/book/snack at a time, and then swap it for a new one when she gets bored. It's exhausting to fly with LOs, but it's not that bad. Good luck!

chary412

I'm a very low-maintenance person, so on the trips I've taken with LO so far, I've kept the "stuff" to a minimum (though LO helps with the minimal-stuff thing by being a very easy baby who only poops every couple of days):

Ergo (haven't brought a stroller/carseat yet)

Small diaper bag with the least amount of diapers and wipes I think I can get away with until I get my checked luggage back (or until I can buy more if my checked luggage with all the baby stuff spends an extra night in Amsterdam while I'm in England, yay), a change of clothes for LO, and a good blanket to use as a changing pad or whatever else might come up

And then as many toys as I can easily fit in the diaper bag and my backpack.  I put a lot of thought into the toys, choosing ones that have a lot of different stuff going on, and that she hasn't seen for at least a few days before the flight.  

We haven't flown in a month, though, so now she's into BLW solids, I'd probably also bring a few bibs and a couple of her teething biscuits.  Eating keeps her really entertained for a long time, but I wouldn't want to give her the junk food they hand out on the flights.   

chary412

Oh, and FYI, nursing is awesome at dealing with the cabin pressure changes, but it can be a little tricky to time it right.  You can try asking the flight attendants when you board about when the cabin pressurization happens...  the last time I asked, they said that they do a little when the door closes, but most of it in the few minutes after the wheels leave the ground.  So I always try to wait until we're actually taking off to feed her, just in case we end up spending a long time on the tarmac.  Reverse is true for landing, of course, and I've found LO has a harder time with the landings (though at least by then the other passengers know they won't have to deal with the crying very long, so you don't feel as much stress about it at landing).  

DaisyLove01

My daughter loves the baby einstein videos.  I brought a portable DVD player and her favorite 2 videos just incase.  It was really helpful to provide her with a distraction while we were stuck in our seats.  It was better than her squirming around trying to grab the book out of the guys hand who was sitting next to me.  Nurse her during take off and landing of you can.  The list above seems to cover everything else.  Just leave extra time because you will really needs it and pack lots of extra diapers, wipes and baby food (if your LO is eating it) in case of a layover.  My sister was stuck with her daughter when she was 10 months old for 22 hours in an airport because of weather .  She ran out of diapers and they don't sell them in airports!  It was not a good experience for anyone involved .  Good luck and have a safe flight

tokenhoser

They do sell diapers in some airport bathroom vending machines... for a buck each! And I imagine if everyone is stuck, they would run out quickly.

I had my ergo on the way and checked it on the way back. My airline would not let me wear the baby for take off, landing, or if the seatbelt sign was on (so really, at all). We needed the carseat at our destination, so it made sense to bring it (and it didn't count as luggage).