Airplane Tips

Hi
I just traveled to NY with my nine month old. It was pretty good. i saved his bottle for just as we were taking off so his ears were at ease and he fell asleep and didn't wake til just about as we landed. Then i gave him his nuk and i just held him. I did the same thing coming home as he didn't sleep as much but i brought a few of his toys and quietly sang his favorite songs which kept his occupied. Hope it works out well for you.

Hi C.,

I NEVER used a pacifier with either one of my little ones EXCEPT on a plane. Our first fight was also to Boston at about the same age. I actually held the pacifier and lightly jiggled it to encourage sucking. It kept her ears from stopping up and popping so everyone on the plane was tickled that my daughter didn't cry. 3 hours is a long time to hold something but some people hold things of lesser importance for longer than that! Just a suggestion....

M.

My best advice is to make the trip as early in morning as possible and/or as late as possible. That way there are not as many people and you may have an open seat next to you for him/her to sit in and play. That's what I do and I love it. My son is now two and I have been traveling with him for about a year and a half now, the same way every time. Works like a charm

Hi--I've traveled a lot with my kids (now 2 and 6 months) and my advice for traveling with a baby is to either feed them during the landing or give them something to suck on to relieve the pressure on their ears. My baby is breastfed and it has not been a problem to nurse him on planes--I just toss a blanket over my shoulder (although, as far as the law is concerned, you're covered for any breastfeeding related exposure in public).

Good luck!
--E.

Hi C.,

Have you already scheduled your flight? If not, I"d try to schedule it for his normal nap time in hopes that he'll sleep for most of the flight. Also, take along a bottle or nurse him during take off and landing.

Bring snacks, toys, drinks and a change of clothes for both of you just in case. Make sure the baby either drinks a bottle or nurses when the plane is taking off and landing to prevent ear pain. Also, I always book a flight around my daughter's nap time so she sleeps most of the way. Buy a new toy for him so he can have something new and exciting to play with. For 3 hrs don't expect him to sit there quiet without a little fuzzing. Have realistic expectations for a child that age so you don't get stressed out or embarressed if he does start to fuzz and want to crawl around. Each the flight. Children are so unpredictable, you never know how it will turn out but always be positive and don't stress out if it isn;t going the way you wanted it to. If he likes movies or music a DVD player might be an option as well. Good luck!