Flying to San Diego with My 5Mo Old!!

Hey Girl,
I flew with my daughter when she was 7 months old and even had to change planes. I was TOTALLY freaked out!! I don't know how active your son is, but one thing that I made sure to pack was some anti-bacterial wipes. As soon as I sat down I wiped everything down that I thought she might even attempt to touch. It was a great relief for me to not try and constrict her from looking out the window or playing with a toy on the tray or whatever, knowing that 99.9% of the germs where gone! I guess I am kinda a germ-a-phob! But like you, I like doing things naturally. One thing I did with my daughter is try and keep her up before the plane ride, as well as during the lay over. Then, by the time we got on the plane, she was too tired too care! It actually went so much smoother than I ever expected it to! Try not to get too tense (cause your son will sense that) and just relax! Babies don't know how to pop their ears, so give plenty of suckies (boob, binky, whatever) during the pressurization of the cabin. If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know! No question/concern is too petty or silly! Good luck!
Oh, and P.S. try not to drink too much yourself, because it's really hard to use the bathroom when traveling alone! Don't totally dehydrate yourself, but think about the fact that if it goes in, it must go out! Take small sips of water throughout your travel time, not large amounts of liquid at once!
R.

I flew when my son was 4 months and so he slept most of the flight. HE did scream on take off and slept through landing. My advise, even if he does NOT take passies, bring a couple different types, he may start. Bring a nice light weight blanket to cover him to nurse. And the other thing I would do is buy a couple gerber bottles with the WIDE opening. The nipple is truly shaped like a "real" womans breast. You may be able to get him to take a bottle if you start trying now. We used isomil formula to supplement. It is work, but it's worth the try. And I can tell you my saving grace was the Playtex hip hammock. I was able to keep my little man VERY close to me and have my hands free. It slips on and off so easy! Much easier then pushing a buggy through an airport looking for elevators etc. And the hip hammock is NOT like a sling. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

I haven't flown yet but have friends who have and here are 2 things that stuck out in my mind after hearing about their trips: 1) for nursing, my friend wore a shawl- so it looked very stylish but gave privacy for nursing- the lady next to her didn't even notice. 2) Be sure you have LOTS of diapers on the plane with you- my friend took a few but checked her main bag and then got stuck on a changeover without her luggage and only had 1 diaper left. Happy travels!

Hi F.!
I flew with my son when he was 1 months, 3 months, and I am going to fly with him again in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure how long your flight is but the last one we were on was a 4 hour flight. He did pretty good..getting a little crabby when we took off and landed. What I did was try and play with him and keep him pre-occupied. My biggest worry was nursing him. I still nurse him full-time and I was afraid one of the other passengers would say something to me. We were also flying south so it was pretty warm in the plane and I didn't cover him with a blanket because that just wasn't comfortable. But the flight attendants were helpful and they actually came to our seat and played with him. My biggest advice is not to make the trip a big thing. My sons mood reflects mine alot so when I flew with him I tried to stay calm and relaxed and he followed suit.
I hope you have a good flight and a nice time in Boston.

Hi F.,

I took my boy on a flight when he was six months old and had no problems. You're right to have a bottle ready, pacifier if he uses one, and maybe a larger receiving blanket to drape over yourself while nursing. That may help with the distraction factor.

Don't be nervous, as he will pick up on that. Just know you're going to have a wonderful adventure, and he'll feel that way too!

F.,
I too am a stay at home mom and a military wife my husband is in the Marine Corps. Flying is not easy with a little one. If you are going to be holding him a passie is a good thing if he only nurses that way he can sucj during take off and landing or anytime ears should pop. This worked for me when I flew for the first time with my boys when they were 6mo and 1 1/2 years old. Any blanket or toy that is comforting to him is a must! As for what to do with him just play and talk to him. Most people are very helpful with very little kids on planes. Hope this helps you out.