Air Travel with Baby

My advice would be Benadryl!! Other than that, I would bring a portable dvd with her favorite movie(s), some playdoh and lots of snacks! I fly across country with my two and there is always a lot of walking up and down the isle! People without kids get annoyed, but you gotta do what you gotta do! ;-) But seriously, I would give her a little Benadryl before you get on the plane just to let her get nice and tired so she will sleep most of the way.

This is the best article I've read about flying with a baby or toddler.

http://www.wejustgotback.com/default.aspx?mod=under3_fly

The whole site is awesome.

wow... long flight.

We just had a 4 hour flight with our ten month old. I was overly prepared b/c he slept 2 hours both ways. He did play with the "flip/flap" books, picture books, and I let her watch some t.v. We flew Jet Blue, so I let him wear the headphones and watch the Cartoon Network for about 15 minutes. Otherwise he was thoroughly entertained (when awake) with people watching.

Good luck! Have plenty of snacks and have a few "new" toys (or toys that you have put away for a while) to keep her interested.

Hi J.,

I have traveled several times to Germany with my children. My son, the oldest, was 5 months old when we went the first time and 18 months old the second time we flew. The key is to bring something new so they stay occupied with it for a while. I also found Color Wonder markers great for long trips. I try to use them just for traveling so they are a treat for the kids. As far as sleeping, your daughter should do just fine. Just remember that it will probably be quite a bit past her bed time before you can really get her to sleep. When the crew is going through the isles with the food carts and duty free it is really noisy and the lights are usually on until they finish with all of that. It might be good to let her have a late nap so she can stay up a little longer than usual. Have a great trip !

I recommend a portable DVD player with her favorite movies/shows. Best of luck!

I brought lots of books for my daughter and maybe you could try crayons and coloring books since she might not have done that yet?? snacks! I also just looked around for toys that didn't make noise. Good luck!

lots of snacks and things like mini magnadoodle (pen is attached)and books with flaps. Also read about wrapping the things you bring in tissue paper, that will keep her busy!

Hi J.,

You actually don't need to bring that many toys with you. Your daughter will probably be fascinated by the seatbelt, the window shade, the food tray and the buttons on the armrests. If she finds an interest is something, let her explore it fully and let her take her time. I remember my daughter spending an hour playing with the seat pocket with the magazines. She would hide something and then find it over and over again. Save the toys for when she loses interst in the other things.

Look for Measure Up Cups by Discovery Toys www.toysofdiscovery.com
Perfect for a one-year old. Animals, colors, numbers (in 3 languages and with clock faces for age 5+), stacking/nesting, sequencing, size relationships, volume, water play...these 12 cups have it all, and are incredibly compact.

Some cute board books with fold out pages and textures are also fun: Ladybug's Lesson and Baby Bear's Bedtime are 2 you can find at the same website. They are small, too....easily tucked into a diaper bag.

Bon voyage!

I have done several trips with my now 14 month son by myself, including several 7-8 hour night flights. I would try to book the bulkhead or any seat that allows extra legroom, this way while they are wiggly at the beginning of the flight you can let them stand/sit at your feet and play. I take an old blanket to put down so I am not at grossed out by the floor, like one of the ones from the hospital.
Things to entertain:
- the video screen. we don't let him watch tv at home so this is a novelty that lasts a few minutes.
- books, one or two new board books can be fun
- 2 new small toys. One for the flight there, one for the flight home. My son loves my cell phone, so I bought him the "pretend" cell phone by Parents, which looks realistic and the volume is low. I can barely hear it over the airplane engines, and no one has ever complained.
- finger puppets! I just discovered this one 2 trips ago. I bought a packet of finger puppets at IKEA and they were a huge hit! He loved playing with them, putting them on his finger, etc.
- snacks. Never underestimate the power of snacks. We spent a good hour going through pretzels. Of course he dropped them on the floor and then wanted to eat them, ew!

Good luck and safe travels!

lots of different snacks!! she's still nursing, and she nursed a lot on the flight. if not, you should have drinks for thirst and ear popping. she loved looking at her books. that's what she did most of the time. i also bought some cheap cups that she could take things in and out of. i suggest a couple new toys to keep her interest.

good luck!

yes, she'll probably sleep. We made a trip from New York to Hong Kong, The plane left at midnight. There must have been half dozen crying babies aboard. One would have thought that this is going to be a horrible flight. Well, the babies all fell asleep once the plane was in the air and the jets were humming. They slept, and slept and slept. Never a problem. And this flight was twice as long as yours. You will be pleased that you chose a night flight. That's my prediction.

Traveled from London to New York with my 10 month old son...all the snacks and food were very helpful and NEW toys that he hadn't seen before were great.

However, the one thing I HIGHLY recommend....2 changes of clothing/blankie!! I only brought 1. He had a poop explosion in the airport before we even took off on our FIRST plane. Then half way through the trip, while changing his diaper..he started peeinig...it went EVERYWHERE....his clothes, my clothes and his blankie. I had nothing to change him into and he had to sit in his pee for 4 more hours. Not the end of the world I know...but I was so bummed I didn't have another change of clothes for him or ME.

I must say....he hadn't pee'd or had a poop explosion ever before...it was just murphy's law!!! So be prepared!!!

I traveled to Germany with my daughter when she was just over a year. We had an overnight flight as well and she slept the entire time. As soon as we were in the air I did our bedtime routine. My best suggestion is to get to the airport EARLY, and see if you can get the bulk head seat. We put our daughter on the floor to play when she was getting restless on the way home. And the extra leg room just made life a little easier. Bring a bottle or pacifier for take off and landing. Let me know if there are any other questions I might be able to help you with.

Hi J.,
Just recovering from a flight with my 8 month old! Is your little one walking yet? If not, be sure to bring the sling, ergo, or baby bjorn for cruising the aisle. I also kept mine busy with toys that crackle (rattles, bells, and toys that have music are too noisy for the plane), and she also liked toys that blink or light up. Good luck!