Plane rides with LO....

GraysMama104

xp-ing on a few other boards too.

We are taking the baby to see my Mom in Florida next week.  He'll be just a day over 9 months.  It'll be a 2 1/2 hour flight.  Our flights to and from are both around 11 a.m.  meaning a 9 a.m. arrival at the airport. 

Any friendly advice, ideas, concerns to share when flying with a baby for the first time?  Some co-workers recommended giving him children's Benadryl to get him to sleep on the flight.  Not sure how I feel about that!  Anyone else ever do this??

amandaleigh1

I am not into drugging babies unless you just know they are going to be screaming the whole time. with you flight being so short and direct (I assume), I think it should be pretty easy.

I took my first trip last month when my lo was almost 10 months old.

Here is my advice: Wear your baby through security and onto the plane. gate check your stroller and car seat if you are bringing them. I also brought baby food in pouches and my bottle prefilled with water to mix up formula. They just test the liquids to make sure they are not explosive, and let you go along your way. The whole security thing was remarkably easy.

When we got to the airport in the morning, we all had breakfast. Luckily the first morning bottle/nap coincided with the earlier part of our first long flight, so we got him to sleep a little bit.

I would suggest changing the diaper right before boarding the plane. Our flight was so long, I did a diaper change towards the end of the flight as well. The bathroom had a changing table in it luckily. 

We kept LO entertained with books and letting him look around. He liked the window seat best, so grab that one if you can. 

Enjoy your trip, and good luck! 

GraysMama104

Yes, I was very surprised people were so eager to suggest drugging him! We are going to bring a few new toys and a few familiar ones to keep him happy. I can't wear him though because he's too big for the carrier we have He's 25 lbs and that's the limit....I guess we could still shove him into it just for a bit. Thanks for the advice!

LuckyLucy10

I just travelled with my son who is nine months. The flight was a about three hours. He had his own seat which made the flight to our destination pretty easy because he slept for half of it. On the flight back he did not want to be in his carseat and he did scream during the last 30 minutes. We made it though :. Like the previous poster stated, bring lots of snacks and toys to entertain baby and change diaper before boarding. I had to be manually searched by security on my trip home because I had breastmilk that had to be inspected but I know they were just doing what was required. I gate checked stroller and carried carseat onto the plane. I took my son out of the umbrella stroller at security and carried him through then put him back into the stroller. Just allow yourself plenty of time and know you will make it to your destination! :

Empireceo

We just traveled from Connecticut to Cabo.  We gave him a bottle during takeoff to help his ears but that was really it. He did great the rest of the long flight. Please don't unnecessarily drug your kid! Good luck!

linzeek44

Just flew this week with my 9ish month old. NC to Denver then Denver to CA. Better than expected.

I wore him in the carrier, put a diaper bag backpack on my back, and then pushed his umbrella stroller with his car seat on it and gate checked them.

I packed old favorites for books and toys, plus new little ones he had never seen before. I also let him eat the Sky Mall magazine. haha. I brought an empty straw cup and he spent a decent amount of time on the flight drinking water and eating cheerios and dried fruit.

We were on SW so we didn't have a seat assignment ahead of time. Someone was in the window seat, I took the aisle, and no one wanted to sit next to a baby so the middle was the only free seat on the plane... Filled it up with toys and things.

Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable giving him medicine unnecessarily.  

Starbear06

I just flew with my 11 month old on a 14 hour international flight. We didn't need to drug him but brought it just in case we needed it. I used the carrier through security and gate checked the stroller. Brought jars and pouches although the airline provided food for him as well. The hardest part for me was trying to hold him while the plane took off and landed. He doesn't like to be held since he's wants to be on the move so I had to bring a lot of distractions for this time. I brought his fav books and some new ones too. I brought his fav snacks to keep him still. And he didn't seem to be too bothered by the air cabin pressure change as we were ascending. He used a paci during take off and landing. He slept maybe 89 hours of that 14 hour flight so I think he did pretty good! Dealing with jetlag was a whole different story though!

desertmouse39

It all boils down to distractions, food and toys, and planning as much as possible.  This also means planning for the unlikely - last time I traveled with LO she ended up having a stomach virus which emerged on the the way there (projectile vomiting for the last 20 minutes of flight) and explosive diarrhea on the way back.  This was a short trip, an hour each way, but both flights felt like FOREVER.  Poor baby, poor mommy.

Bring a change or two of clothes in your carry-on, for baby and at least a clean shirt for yourself.  You just don't know!  I think having a seat/ticket probably helps, too, because as much as my daughter just wants to move these days, she is usually happier in her own seat than on my lap. 

jnnfrrose6

GraysMama104:

Yes, I was very surprised people were so eager to suggest drugging him! We are going to bring a few new toys and a few familiar ones to keep him happy. I can't wear him though because he's too big for the carrier we have He's 25 lbs and that's the limit....I guess we could still shove him into it just for a bit. Thanks for the advice!

 Look into babywearing.  You can buy about 5 yds of fabric (way cheaper than a carrier) and there are videos online about how to wrap him on you.  I've been doing this for about 3 months now and find it so much easier than the carrier we bought before he was born.