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Parenting after a Loss
vintagegirl5
member
Flying with 5 month old...
vintagegirl5
member
Tips/suggestions for flying with a baby? It's a really short flight, and I also plan to car the airline (Northwest) to verify, but what is your experience? My questions are:
- I didn't purchase her a seat, but if the flight is not full, can I bring her carseat onboard and use an empty seat? If the flight is full, can I still bring her carseat on board and shove it under the seat?
- I can gate check the stroller, right?
- Any issues with bringing bottles thru security?
- How did your LO handle the takeoff? I've heard giving them a bottle during takeoff/landing will help so that they don't have any popping of the ears (simulates gum chewing that adults do).
- What else am I not thinking of?? THANKS!!!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Flying with 5 month old...
This doesn't answer all of your questions, but should address a few: https://www.babycenter.com/0_breastfeeding-and-pumping-while-traveling_10313897.bc
We're going to Boston in two weeks. So I'm interested too.
I'm assuming that you can take your carseat on if there is room. If there isn't, you'll probably have to check it but you can do that at the gate and it will be pulled out when you land and be at the door to the plane. I just don't think a carseat will fit in the overhead bins. We're taking our snap 'n go, so we'll just plan on checking it at the gate.
I have only flown Southwest (4 times) with DD, but here are answers based on our experiences:
-We've never purchased a seat for DD and have brought her carseat on board with us all but one flight. That particular flight was full, so they gate checked the carseat. The rest of the time, we were able to take her seat on board and put her right between us. We had no problem gate checking it the one time, and it was there waiting for us with her stroller at our connecting flight.
-We gate checked her stroller and it along with the carseat were free to check. The flight staff was really helpful and had it all set up for us when we got off each flight.
-I had absolutely NO problems bringing bottles through security. There are always security lines for families, which allowed us to take a little more time getting through. I just announced that I had bottles, formula and baby food in the bag, and they let it go right through each time.
-DD did GREAT at take off and ladning...I let her eat at the take offs and just suck on her paci during the landings and she never had a problem.
-DD was 5 months old when we flew and I underestimated how bored she'd get. Bring plenty of things for your LO to be entertained by! We ended up asking for a cup with ice and a lid so she could shake it around. She slept a lot of the time, but the times she was awake, I had a hard time keeping her entertained. The flights after the first went a lot smoother because I was more prepared with things to entertain her!
We just got back from a 2-week trip with Allison that included 4 flights!
- I didn't purchase her a seat, but if the flight is not full, can I bring her carseat onboard and use an empty seat? If the flight is full, can I still bring her carseat on board and shove it under the seat?
We didn't purchase a seat for her and just checked the carseat. It's free to check it and it was much easier to just hold her. I don't think she would've wanted to be apart from us - she was a little freaked out by all the new stuff.
The carseat is MUCH bigger than you think it is! It can be a pain in the @ss to carry around. If you do check the carseat, I highly, highly suggest getting a heavy duty bag to store it in. We put it in a carseat travel bag and the bag ripped. The bottom of the carseat was scuffed up a bit. I don't even want to imagine how bad it would've been without it.
- I can gate check the stroller, right?
We didn't bring the stroller and I don't regret that decision at all. I put Allison in a sling and wore her around the airport. It left both of my hands free to help carry luggage and kept her close to me (something I think she liked).
- Any issues with bringing bottles thru security?
I'm BFing, so we didn't bring bottles through security, but I did bring a sippy cup of water through. They pulled us over and did a little test with the water and sent us on our way. It wasn't an issue at all. In retrospect, I should've just bought her water when we were on the other side of security.
- How did your LO handle the takeoff? I've heard giving them a bottle during takeoff/landing will help so that they don't have any popping of the ears (simulates gum chewing that adults do).
I started BFing Allison before we took off and she fell asleep and slept through takeoff on all 4 flights. I also BF'd her when we landed. She didn't have any issue with any of the takeoffs or landings.
- What else am I not thinking of?? THANKS!!!
1. You won't need as many toys as you'd think. Allie wanted to play with my stuff - the mp3 player, the water bottle, etc.
2. Change the diaper right before you get on the plane - that changing station is TINY and very difficult to maneuver.
3. We brought the Boppy and I'm so glad we did. It made everything more comfortable.
4. The diaper bag is not considered a carry-on.
Good luck! Have fun!