Flying for the First Time with a 17 Month Old

We fly quite a bit with our son and it's not as bad as you would think! First, I would recommend the following website http://www.abbf.com which allows you to rent baby gear (pack and play, stroller, car seat, etc). You don't want to lug that stuff through the airport. Just bring the car seat. This company delivers your "gear" to your destination so it's there when you arrive at the hotel. If you want to bring the stroller on the airplane, then at least make arrangements for the sleeping and dining-out stuff.

When we fly with our little guy I always bring a new toy and two new books. The novelty keeps him entertained. You will be surprised at how entertaining traveling is to young children- lots of people and sights that are new and interesting.

We also do our best to maintain his schedule. If you have to leave at the crack of dawn, let her get in the car in her jammies and throw clothes in her diaper bag to change later, if she wants to.

Airlines allow you to travel with pre-mixed formula. They have a non-invasive test kit that they use to run it through security, so don't worry about that. Give her s/t to suck on during take-off and landing to keep her ears from popping- bottle, binky, etc. Pack snacks that you know she loves and let her pick something off the snack cart. My son LOVES animal crackers, so we keep them "away" for the week or two before we fly. It's treat to get them on the plane.

More likely than not your daughter will sleep. It's a lot like being in a car. Most importantly, though, don't let her see how anxious you are. If you're relaxed, she will be too. Talk to your doctor and see if they can prescribe something that won't make you drowsy. If you have to take something, then put your husband "in charge".

Enjoy your trip.

My son was 2 the first time we took him on a plane. We flew a lot further than Florida though. We flew to Italy. Since it was an overnight flight we gave him some Benadryl. He slept the whole way there. The flight attnendant gave us this thing that attached to a wall (luckly where we were sitting we were able to use it). It was like a bassinet. We were able to relax a little but had to make sure he did not roll over and fall out. As for the strollers and booster seats we did not need to bring ours. My sister in law kept hers from when her son was little. We did bring a high chair cover that has a seat belt and you can use it in shopping carts or restuarant high chairs. Good luck

here are a few of my suggestions that I learned through trial and error
1. althought they allow you to get on the plane first with children DONT!! Send your husband with all the gear to set up in the seats and you hang in the terminal until last boarding call with your daughter. The last thing you need is to be sitting on the plane and her getting antsy

2. put her in an overnight diaper, they hold more so you wont have to change her on the plane

3. if you have portable DVD player bring it and put in a favorite show to keep her occupied.

When you check your bags, strollers and car seats are special items that you are not charged for. also, if you r renting a car you can rent the car seat from them so you wont have to bring yours. are you staying in a hotel? they all have cribs an dpack and plays, just bring your own sheet if you want!

you can bring powder formula and milk on the plane, i never had mine tested by security. You can buy the box milk (like juice boxes) they dont need to be refrigerated so they dont go bad. DOnt count on the plane having milk, b/c they usually dont!!

Good luck!!

Hi P.,
Just a couple weeks ago I flew with my 6 month old for the first time and we had a great experience(for the most part). My husband wasn't with us so doing everything myself was challenging. However, over the course of the trip, I became an expert. Yes, the car seat with base and stroller are included in your fare. And I would deffinetly recommend to you that you BRING YOUR OWN CARSEAT. You never know what you could get stuck with from a rental place that "stocks" them. I wouldn't risk it. Just to forwarn you, if you plan on taking your child through the airport in her stroller, they will make you take her out of the stroller and put it through x-ray when going through security. So that can be a bit of a pain. (It was hard for me because I was alone. Holding an excited baby in one arm while folding the stroller and trying to take off anything that won't allow you through the scanner is a task. So I'll also recommend that you don't wear any big jewelry, belt buckles, etc. (Just makes it easier on yourself). You CAN bring powdered formula or liquid. My recommendation is that you bring powdered form. Any liquid you're bringing on board will be tested for combustable substances etc. So some of your liquid formula will be wasted. Same thing with a bottle of warm water that you bring to prepare the bottle. My suggestion is to purchase a bottle of water once you're PAST security, then ask for a cup of hot water either from one of the vendors or when your on the plane. Mix your hot and cold and it turns out just right. My suggestion for the restaurant seat is this: if you don't have one already, get a floppy seat. They go in any restaurant high chair and shopping carts. They are padded and have a built in safety belt which can support MUCH better than the ones on the seats themselves. The seats are in Wal-Mart/Target/Babies R Us etc. for about $25. You can fold the seat right up and put it in your suitcase no problem.
As far as your motion sickness goes, I recommend sea bands no side effects and they work pretty well. Your child isn't likely to be bothered by the planeride at all, but to keep her ears from popping, make sure she's got a bottle/sucky/snack what have you to keep her mouth going.
To address your worry of crashing etc. don't worry. Realisticly you're 1,000 times more likely to get in a car accident than in a plane crash.

I hope my information was helpful, and I hope you have a great trip!

Good Luck!
E. L.