Traveling with little kids
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Does anyone have experience traveling by air with little kids? I have an 11 week old baby and will be doing some travel soon. What precautions should I take? Anyone want to share stories of how their kids did on first flights??
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Also - does anyone know at what age it is safe to take an infant in a swimming pool? I know it sounds strange, but I'm a new mom and not sure if the chemicals are too harsh for them before a certain age?
i'm not sure what is earliest you can take your child in a swimming pool. i seem to recall hearing that you want your child's immunity to build a bit before you take them into a pool. has your baby had the first round of immunizations?
we took our son for the first time when he was 6 months old and he did fine.
hi,
congratulations on your first 11 weeks!
we took our son on a flight for the first time when he was about 4 months old. it was a one hour flight each way between washington national airport and toronto pearson airport.
the air pressure changes when the airplane takes off and lands does not impact children under 18 months of age as much as it impacts us. this is because the plates in their heads have not fused until about 18 months of age. if you feel the top of your baby's heads, you'll see what i mean.
if your child likes using a pacifier or a bottle, the take off and landing are the times to offer these items. just as chewing gum helps us, a bottle or pacifier can help your child adjust to the changes in air pressure.
hopefully, the pilot will be gentle with the take off and landing, and their won't be any awful air turbulence. when the airplane goes up too quickly or comes down too quickly, this can really hurt our ears. even though the plates have not fused in their heads, this can be an unpleasant experience for them. on a more recent flight, we experienced some turbulence and a harsh landing. i wanted to throw up, and my son did throw up. this can be a bit freaky, but kids usually feel good after they've thrown up because they've gotten whatever was bothering them out of their system. and that is what happened to him.
back to the first flight, he did fine going to toronto. actually, he slept part of the way. it's wonderful if they nap for at least part of the flight. this is easier when they are younger because they take more naps. as he's gotten older, we've scheduled flights so that we are airborne during his nap time and he can nap.
he did fine with the air pressure changes also.
on the return flight, there was a child next to us who was very upset and started to cry loudly. seeing the other child crying, our son also was upset and started to cry. i picked up my son and walked back and forth down the isle until he calmed down.
regarding airport security, we have found that the security personnel at the airport are generally very helpful and accommodating when you have a child. when you go through security, let the security officer know that you are traveling with a baby (it'll be obvious with the bundle of joy you'll have in your hands) and that you are carrying liquids. take the liquids out of the bag, or pack them in a bag within your larger bag if you can. this will ease the process of going through security.
the only liquid we have found to not be allowed is yogurt. this is one of those items that is banned, regardless of the quantity.
we took a 4 hour flight with our son when he was about 18 months. we were able to get a seat for him one way because the flight wasn't full. but on the way back, the flight was full and he was on our laps. he slept kind of between us. we had some books to read and we played and had a good time. but i think that if we had done that flight again around that time, we would have purchased a seat for him. even though they can travel in your lap until they are 2 years old, for longer flights, it's a good idea to have a seat for your child.
good luck and let us know how it goes!
Thank you so much for the advice and your story - I will let you know how it goes next week. Since I'm breastfeeding, I will try to nurse a little in flight (if she doesn't sleep) and see how that goes. Also, now I know to take out an extra burp cloth or two - just in case. :)
New Mom in Chicago
I agree with everything maverick posted. I traveled with our son for the first time at 9 weeks old, again at 5 months old and again at 6 months old. I can tell you that the easiest travel was when he was just 9 weeks since he just slept the whole time. I nursed him during take off and landing (we even had a connecting flight), and that seemed to work out just fine with the whole air pressure thing. I would also recommend carrying him in a sling or bjorn in the airport. It'll make things much easier for you and your travel partners. I also found that most families with young children seated near the back of the plane. I ended up doing that too, and I hardly got any "annoyed" glances if my boy would let out a whimper or cry. Most everyone was very helpful when traveling with a small baby... but beware of ignorant/hurried passengers who seem to have no regard or courtesy for us traveling with such fragile packages. I was always on guard, and it was a good thing too, otherwise someone may have mistaken my baby sling for a bag and might have knocked me over simply to get their roll on put on the plane. Good luck!! We seem to have traveling by plane with an infant down to an art, so post back if you need any more advice!
Thanks! I will try the nursing on take-off and landing trick and using the baby bjorn. I'll let you all know how it goes (we leave in 5 days).
New Mom in Chicago
Thank you all so much for the advice! Traveling with baby is going great. I've been on 13 flights, now with the little one. She is 4 months old and just fantastic. We've taken a couple of flight delays, which has been tricky - but all in all, a super traveler. In addition to the solid advice above (Baby Bjorn is key, separate liquids, nurse in flight) I would add the following tips...
1. When I arrive at the airport I check EVERYTHING - with a little one, I've found it's better to get rid of the stroller and carseat, as well as my own coat and anything else I won't need in flight. I use a huge cordura duffle for the carseat & breast pump and stuff my coat in there.
2. Once checked in, I walk around with sling or Bjorn (preferred), a small wheeled bag, diaper bag, and boppy pillow. All three things stack on the wheeled bag (very small one) and can be controlled with one hand.
3. Dress yourself in pants (or skirt) with pockets - this is a lifesaver. I always put my phone on one side and (no wallet) my driver's license, couple of cards, and cash on the other side (no change - metal). I fold my ticket/boarding pass in half and put it in my back pocket. Guys could do this with a sportcoat or something - but then you have to take it off at security. Girls will thank me for eliminating the need for a purse - just another thing to keep track of - and you can stash any other necessaries in the diaper bag.
4. Of course the diaper bag is packed with the usual essentials, book, toys, diapers, wipes, change of clothes, and a blanket or two. (plus formula/bottle if used)
5. I dress my baby in light layers - always a 2-piece outfit, in case you have a diaper blowout, or big spitup you can possibly change only one piece. No tights, tricky or slippy shoes, or coat. I've found it can be too hot or cold in flight, and it's so much easier to wrap up in a blanket than try to put on or peel off a coat on an infant.
6. the Boppy has been great for comfort - basically I nurse the little one to sleep on takeoff and she generally is out for an hour or more. We play a little, change a diaper, and repeat the process for landing. Sometimes she sleeps all the way down to the ground, and sometimes she'll stay awake and look out the window or suck on her fingers.
7. Important tip - even if you don't need a diaper change, if your little one is awake at the 30 minutes before landing mark, I recommend getting up and doing a check/change or pacing the plane once before you're stuck in your seat for the rest of the time. Also, it is sometimes easier to do a change on a couple of empty seats (with your own pad/blanket of course) than in the lavatory - they can be extremely small. Just walk all the way to the back of the plane, and you might find a good spot. Raise the armrests and voila!
8. Last thing - when you have a delay or connection with time in the gate area, spread out a blanket on the floor and let your little one stretch. Unless they are passed out in the Bjorn, or it's super duper crowded, this has been a good break for my baby to play a little and get a different perspective. I designate a blanket for this purpose and always put the same side on the floor, folding it inward when we pack up to contain any dirt, etc. Of course we wash after each trip.
Happy traveling to all!!
New Mom in Chicago
as far as babys in a swimming pool, look at it like this they are in fluid for at least nine months or thier little lifes, the sooner the better, have you ever heard of the laboyya methoud of child birth. i don't think i spelled it right, it is about having your birth in a pool of watter, it has said that it is less tramatic on the child, and that the babys are more mellow in life. and as far as air plane travel the poping of thier little ears, can be pain full if they can not get the preasure eavened out.