Unexpectedly Flying with Infant

MJamison1020 · May 2014

I'm sorry, I'm really rattled so this post is coming without searching for previous posts/answers, but if you know where to find them, please just link me and I will go from there. I appreciate any help.

My husband's grandmother (who raised him for most of his life) passed away this morning and they will be holding a service on Saturday. We are flying from Pittsburgh to Corpus with one stop with our almost 4 month old in tow (on lap). Luckily, we will be staying at his dad's house and they have everything we might need (pack n play, crib, swing, bouncy seat, etc.) so I don't have to worry about transporting everything, but I am seeking tips and tricks for keeping baby happy on a plane or for protecting her ears (mine always pop, so this is giving me extreme anxiety right now). Also, what to pack in the diaper bag! We are flying United, if anyone has specific experience with that.

Tips on handling a sad husband that doesn't show emotions and trying to not be selfish about missing my first Mother's Day are greatly appreciated too.

ETA: I am feeling inwardly selfish, but not saying a non-supportive word outwardly.I know his loss trumps everything.

somewierd_person · May 2014

Something to suck on will help with the ears, they don't have the tube that can pop yet so swallowing motion will help ease discomfort.
Hopefully your H will be able to do something nice for you when he is grieving less.

katags · May 2014

I've heard having a bottle ready to feed during take off and landing helps with the ears. You might also be able to use a pacifier, but I'm not sure about that. I know you can bring some milk on the plane, but you might want to look at United's specific regulations for it. And I'm sorry for your husband's loss. That can't be easy. Maybe you can celebrate Mother's Day the next weekend? It's just a random date on the calendar anyway. I'd mention it after the service and y'all are back home. Maybe a simple request like "let's go for brunch next Sunday so we can celebrate a belated Mother's Day." Then he can get the hint and get you a card or something. I know it's disappointing, but try not to hold out too much hope that he remembers about it on the actual day. You'll have a life time of Mother's Days and he'll never see his grandma again.

mrsbeers · May 2014

Download Flying with Baby by meg Collins from amazon. It's a very quick read and so so helpful for flying with baby.

Use overnight diapers (pampers baby dry and Luvs come in size one and two). They will save your life.

Before it's time to board, ask if there are any empty seats at the gate counter (not ticketing!!). If so, they'll rearrange people so that you can use baby's car seat instead of holding. She talks about this in the book. You'll kick yourself if there are empty seats and you didn't ask.

Use your pack and play for the bed. Don't worry about needing the swing, rnp, all the other baby crap.

Diaper bag: diapers, wipes, changing pad, bibs, two outfits (think about how your dressing baby and how that will work out), pacifiers, enough formula/bm, a blankie, extra burp cloths, a small toy if baby is into them yet, and a travel neck pillow (works awesome as a boppy for nursing or propping while feeding).

amt0312 · May 2014

It's definitely a nerve-wracking experience. I second what other pp's have said. Plan for the worst case scenario and hope for the best. I just recently flew with LO by myself when she was 8 weeks and then 12 weeks old. The first time went off without a hitch, but the flight home....well, she screamed bloody murder for a good 45 minutes. I was so embarrassed, but what finally helped was putting her in a tight swaddle and gave her a pacifier and she fell asleep. No one around me got upset and a couple offered me assistance when I was frantically rummaging through the diaper bag looking for her swaddleme. The stewardess let me sit in a jumpseat away from other passengers during a turbulence time when I wasn't allowed to stand while she was screaming her head off. I don't know if her ears were bothering her or what, but I fed her during takeoff and she was fine for the first half of the flight.

Prepared Formula and breastmilk will undergo additonal screening, so pack them so they are easily accessible and in a ziploc bag. They don't open it or anything, just kinda swish it around and make sure nothing looks suspicious.

Don't fly Delta- they don't have changing tables on their planes.

If at all possible, if you haven't booked your flights, try to book it for when you know LO will be at his/her happiest. I think I made the mistake of flying home in the evening during DD's witching hour and that did not help whatsoever.

Good luck and if all goes wrong, the flight will end and you'll be ok!!

ETA- I wore her in the moby through security and they send you through the metal detector and not the back scatter. They don't make you take the baby out.Both times they then checked my hands for residue. Not sure why? But I saw a couple other moms wearing babies also get their hands tested, so be prepared to be pulled off to the side after you go through the detector. Wear easy shoes to put on and off if you decide to wear LO.

mrsbeers · May 2014

Oh also, if you ff, just buy the prepared stuff. Don't even give yourself the headache of messing with powder. We use similac for supplementation which comes in the little 2 oz bottles which was awesome. Just make sure you have enough nipples (medela fits). Also for security, if you just take your bm or formula out and let them know it's baby liquids, they'll take it for a little test but they really don't give you a hard time about anything. Just give yourself extra time and you'll be ok.

MJamison1020 · May 2014

This is all so helpful. Thank you all so much, I'm still really nervous but a lot less so! Thank you also for your thoughts - really appreciated.

jms08746 · May 2014

I recently flew from CA to Chicago, a 4 hour flight, with my 3 month old infant. She did excellent, and slept for 3 hours! The best advice I can give is to bring a bottle or nurse your baby when the flight takes off and when it starts to descend. Sucking helps to open up the ears so they don't pop on the flight. If you bring a bottle, the flight attendant will warm the bottle for you. We took an early morning flight, so she would sleep well (she tends to get cranky in the evening hours). The loud engine helped her to sleep through the majority of the flight, almost like white noise from our sound machine.
In terms of things to bring in the diaper bag:diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, blanket, wipes in case a pacifier falls

mswings1 · May 2014

I've heard you should make sure to carry on a change of clothes for yourself also just incase

amt0312 · May 2014

Not all airlines require birth certificates. I didn't need it for Delta or Jetblue. With Delta, I had to call to tell them I was flying with an infant. There was no way to book a ticket online and indicate I had a lap infant. They make you call, even though it didn't say it anywhere. Check with your airline- You said you were flying united so here is the link to their rules for flying with infants.

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/Content/travel/specialneeds/infants/default.aspx

MJamison1020 · May 2014

Thanks everyone for the advice - we went and are now back. DD did amazing and never once even fussed. We gave her a bottle for take offs and landings and I mostly wore her in my K'tan wrap. However, just the sheer amount of STUFF and planning that goes into traveling with a baby is pure insanity. Looking forward to not going anywhere else anytime soon!

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