Baby's 1St Plane Ride

It looks like you've already gotten some good advice, but I thought I would add that a pilot friend of mine told me that the pressure on the ears is worse on the landing than on take-off. So if you have to choose a bottle for one that would be the one. We flew twice with our first child once at three months and then at about a year. The second time, we paid for the extra seat and put her car seat in it. It was something that she was used to, and she wasn't squirming around everywhere. She was quite content to sit in her carseat and snack and play.

Here are a couple tips I used when mine were little:

When you book your flight, if you get to pick your assigned seats, request a window and an aisle seat (not the middle). As the plane fills up, those single middle seats are the last to fill. If it's not full, you will get the whole row for the price of the 2 seats. If it does happen to fill up, you can always trade places with the person in the middle (trust me, they are not going to want to sit BETWEEN you! :) )

This is going to sound crazy, but my pediatrician is the one who suggested it. Right when you board the plane, give your little one a dose of Benadryl. Have a bottle ready (or nurse them) during take-off (and make sure they're hungry for it.) The swallowing will help with ear pressure, and as they drink and the Benadryl takes affect, they will fall asleep. This one always worked like a charm for me!

Finally, take a BIG diaper bag on with lots of easy snacks--Cheerios, etc. Keep their mouth busy eating, and they won't be crying. Also make sure to have their favorite cuddlies with you.

Just do your best to keep them happy, and if people are annoyed by your little one, that is THEIR problem. We were all little once...

Actually, my pedi explained to me that when they are that young that you do not have to worry about their ears not popping. Their ears have not fully developed enough for it to be a problem until much later. We have never given bottles/nursed/pacifier on take off or landing with either of our children (we have traveled quite a bit with them) and we have never had a problem. Now - boredom is a whole other issue - bring lots of snacks, toys, books, videos, etc.

We flew with our baby when he was 9 months old from Texas to Athens, Greece (20 hours with three lay overs).

My advice is to make sure his diaper is dry before boarding the plane. Most plane restrooms are not baby-changing friendly. Carry a plastic baggie to dispose of the diaper in case he has a poopy diaper while in flight though.

Also make sure he doesn't have an ear infection before the flight. With the change in altitude, this can create a serious problem (and pain) if he does.

Get an outside seat if possible, so you can get up easily and walk with him if he gets restless.

Try to plan his schedule where it's nap time during the flight. Might want to make sure his tummy is full so he's not hungry. Feeding a baby in such a tight space is VERY cumbersome!

You're right...sucking on a pacifier or bottle is good for taking off and landing - helps relieve the pressure.

It'll be fine. Ours was an angel until the last three hours, then he turned into "that baby". We were all exhausted by that point too! With such a short flight, you'll be fine :)

My oldest son was only 7 months old on his first plane ride. My suggestion for flying with babies that I tell everyone is to spend the money on the extra seat. He was perfectly happy in his car seat and I don't remember him even crying. He slept the entire time of a 3 hour flight.

My daughter is 10 months old. We just went on our first plane ride. I bottle fed her while taking off and she fell asleep on both times taking off. And I fed her snacks (cheerios) while landing. It did not seem to bother her at all while the elevation changed during landing (and I was really feeling it myself with my bad sinues.)

My ped. actually suggested giving her some tylenol 20 minutes before the flight, but we skipped it and just did the feeding instead.

The pacifier or the nursing will work the best. I would suggest bring many things to entertain him as well. You will be just fine. :)