Flying & Camping

We camped this summer with my son...he was only 10 months old at the time. He loved it. Bring a pack and play to sleep her in. She should be fine...
I've never flown with Brendan before, but I would get him his own seat to make it easier if I was going to...there is no way he would stay on my lap for a whole flight.

I have four kids and it is a big expence to fly, but for saftey reasons I would recommend her own seat. I have been on some flights with a lot of turbulence. The camping we havent tried yet but would like to.
C.
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Two camping tips: if you're sleeping in a tent, YOU sleep close to the zipper/door so that the baby would have to climb over you/wake you up if she tried to get out of the tent, ya know? Another thing: take bug spray with you, lots of lighting that's safe inside the tent, and get one of those nice "kid-leash" things, that's what I call them LOL but as you're walking around, cooking, doing various things while out in the campground, you'll wish you had onea those LOL... I have taken my kids camping... heck, they all have grown up camping, and my 2 year old's no different. They all love it. The first 3 are teens/20 years old, and all now go camping with their friends on their own, I'm glad I fostered a love for being outdoors, it's cute to see them keeping the tradition alive :) My 2 year old's already been camping twice and she loves it. I woulda camped more this summer but I was very uncomfortable/pregnant. Now I have a 3 1/2 month old, and will surely be camping this summer with the two little ones. Good luck, happy flying/camping!

I would stongly suggest buying a seat for your little one. I flew to Arizona when my little one was not even 2 but I bought her a seat anyway and it was a life saver. You don't get much room on those airline seats so having an extra seat to set her down, put a pillow, put some snacks is really ideal. Have a great time!

Hi, I cant help you with the flying but my husband and I took our son camping plenty of times... I believe the first time was when he was about 9 mo. old.. we stayed in cabins of course, running water, heat, we had to bring a fridge... and I just made sure I had everything I needed... playpen, carriage with the plastic cover and netting, blankets, pillow (if you use one for her) diapers (and plenty of them) food, water, enough clothes for both warm and cold weather, bathtub, first aid kit, medications (tylenol, benadryl..etc.) and he was fine. We have taken him a few times, and he just loves it. I hope you have the same experience that we did.

Hi D.....I am not sure on the plane issue, but whatever you will be most comfortable with....Do you want her sitting on either your or your hubby's lap for the flight??? (Not sure how long the flight is) One tip is buying little NEW toys that will keep her interested in, then when she gets fussy pull another on out.....I do have plenty of experience camping with an infant....We have been taking my son (will be 2 on the 22nd) since he was 4 months old and it was a BLAST....Last year when he was a toddler it was just as much fun, yes, they are going to get dirty but being outside was awesome, there is always so much for them to see. I do have one warning, my son wasnt the best sleeper on some occasions. If possible bring whatever comforts him at night at home and just be patient...But you will have a BLAST....Enjoy and I cant wait til it gets warm here in NJ to go again...Have a great trip!

I would recomend taking a red eye flight one late at night so your little one can sleep and that way you don't need to buy a seat for her, she can sleep in your lap. That's what I did with my son when we went on vacation at that age. Camping you won't have a problem she'll love the new experience. You can get her her own little sleeping bag so she feels like a big girl.

Hey D.! As far as the flying goes, I've flown with my little girl a bunch. When she was a newborn it wasn't very hard becuase I just held her the whole time and she slept. But once she was a year old I got a lot more nervous becuase I know how she can't sit still. If you want to save money and not buy a seat (thats what I've done) just plan on having her sit in your lap, bring lots of toys and snacks and fun stuff and just get up with her once your in the air and walk her around. A lot of times the airlines will have empty seats and when you get to the gate if you just go up and tell them you are flying with a child and ask about empty seats they will move you so your seat is next to an empty one. I've lucked out a bunch of times and got the empty seat for free and everything goes smoothly. Especially flights out of VT cause a lot of times they are not even close to being fully booked. Just don't stress out, relax, and usually most people are very understanding and helpful when your flying with a little one. Good luck and have fun!

hi D., i would also strongly recommend buying her a seat. we flew to fla with my son on my lap, we actually brought the carseat because we would need it there, and didnt spring for the seat, i used the baby b'air, which is a kind of harness that you strap to your own seatbelt, they have them at one step ahead.com. .... he was really pretty cooperative to travel with, but it definitely was uncomfortable and afterward i felt guilty. you would never drive with them on your lap, you know? plus you dont realize how small the seat really is until you have a toddler on your lap who drops everything and you have to get down there and pick it up. and forget about eating! more importantly, its just not as safe. we got him a seat on the way home, and it was a pleasure! plus, we didnt have to pay for it, we were going to buy one, and they said that if there were empty seats he could just take one, which they did. i dont know if theres any way for you to work that out, we were flying jetblue, they are always so accomodating. and when you fly, be sure that your daughter is not congested at all, and bring a bottle, sippy cup or something for her to suck on for takeoff and landing. and bring plenty of stuff for her to do, and bring something to attach the stuff to her seat, those rings or something, so you dont have to keep fishing around under the seats, that really was the biggest pain for me. as for the camping, we used to go all the time pre-kids, havent braved it yet with the kids, but i cant wait to do it. i know that i would definitely bring a pack-n-play so you have a safe place while cooking or sleeping if you need it, other than that, i dont know what else you would really worry about since you are already experienced campers and know what you need. have a great time, D.

I know it's more money but since your going to be driving to New Mexico anyway you might want to buy her her own seat. You can take her car seat on the plane and buckle her into that instead of her sitting on your lap. And since it's an unknown how she will react to the flight she might feel more secure in her own seat. Besides you'll need the car seat once you get to Texas anyway. As for the camping thing. Are you going to rent tents and stuff. We camp, but we have a camper and I've nevered stayed at a KOA. It might just be easier to find a local Motel 6 or Days Inn instead. We took our son camping last summer for the first time. He was 26 mos. It was hard because he was running all over the place. Getting him to sleep at night was difficult because he was still in a crib then.

Hi D. -

I've traveled quite a bit with my three little ones, often traveling by myself with two at a time when they were babies and these tips worked for me.

1. If you can, try to plan your trip so that it coincides with a nap time while flying - not at security, at airport, etc.

2. Pack a bag full of activities that you know your child likes; i.e. favorite foods, books, toys. It and your diaper bag should be your only carry-ons so you are not too overloaded. If you are traveling with another person, you could bring one more but I wouldn't go beyond that.

3. If your child likes movies, you could always bring a portable DVD player.

4. Regarding the seat purchase, I have always bought a seat for my child and carried their car seat on. It was so much easier not to have to worry if there would be an available seat or to wrestle with an infant who doesn't want to sit on your lap. They get used to their car seat, so being strapped in it doesn't necessarily feel uncomfortable and it sounds like you are going to need it at the other end of your trip. Also, I once attended a Moms Group where a flight attendant came to speak and she said that in a case of real, severe turbulence you will never be able to hold on to a child. That pretty much did it for me. I thought that if anything ever happened to my child, I'd pay that few hundred dollars over and over again.

5. I also recommend having some Motrin or Tylenol handy in case their ears hurt. I always just gave them a dose an hour before flight just in case. It also helps some children to nap.

Hope this helps. Have a good time.

L.

If it's not such a financial burden, buy the seat and bring the car seat. It will make the flight more enjoyable. I rented a RV but have not been tent camping with my daughter. I would expect that I would have to go to bed when my daughter went to bed because I couldn't see her getting comfortable without me being with her when it was bedtime. You may want to look into getting an inflateable bed for her size to put into the tent. I think bedtime would be the only issue with camping. The other stuff I think would be exciting. The other thing to watch out for is if you start a fire. you have to keep your child far enough away that she won't get hit with the flying fire crackles. be very careful!!