Seeking Advice on Flying with a 4 Month Old

Don't worry, you've gotten very good advice. The flight attendants will help you, just let them know it's her first time flying (they'll give her wings and a certificate) they know all the tricks of the trade. The key thing is to feed at takeoff and landing, or to cover the ears with cups, which the flight attendants will provide.

I didn't know this the first time I flew alone with my daughter...you can drive the stroller (w/ baby carrier) right up to the gate and they will stow everything for you and have it waiting when you get off the plane.

S.,

I flew with my son when he was 3 months old and it was a nice trip. A couple of advices though: don't carry a lot, even the walk from the plane to the luggage area gets to be too long at times (at least it felt that way for me :). One thing that really helped with his ears was to make sure to either give him a bottle or pacifier when the plane was taking off or landing.
Enjoy your time with your princes.

Hi S.,

I flew with my baby last month when she was four months old. We went from MN to CO which is only an hour and a half flight. That was nice for her first one. She actually did great! I was really worried. I noticed we got some "looks" from people as they walked by us on the plane. They were worried about her as well. I have heard from other moms that it's a good idea to give them a bottle or nuk as you are taking off and landing. That would be the same thing as us adults chewing gum to help with our ears. But that didn't work with Keira - she was sleeping during those times. But her ears seemed to be fine. She wasn't bother by it. My advice to you would be to give her some tylenol about 1/2 hour before your plane is going to take off. This will help your baby mellow out - and it doesn't harm them. My sister has done it with her two boys also. Your baby might be like mine and just sleep the whole time. So, I was really worried for nothing. Make sure you have some toys for her to grab at. Good luck!

On Aug. 7th someone else asked the same question. Be sure to check out my answer on there.
Thanks,
J.

It looks like a lot of what I was going to suggest has already been suggested but here goes:
You can take your stroller right up to the gate and they will either let you bring it up to the plane and collapse it there, or they will have you collapse it at the gate and then you have to carry your baby and stuff down to the plane.

We checked the car seat, or used one from the car rental.

With the regulations in place as of right now, the only liquid you can bring will be milk. No water. We tried and they made us dump it.
Have a bottle ready for the flight, even if she drinks it before you take off, she'll probably be in that "milk coma" that the flight won't affect her as much. She is pretty young, so she will probably do better than you think. I took our daughter to Bulgaria when she was 5 mos old and she did swimmingly! She may have been the best traveller on the flight! And we took a lot of flights during that trip and since then.
They have blankets on the plane, but having one from home may make her feel better if she needs that comfort.

If you think you won't be able to use the bathroom with her, use diapers one size larger. They will hold more.

Good luck, and remember, don't worry about those around you, you'll never see them again, and you take care of that little one, not them she will be fine! :)

Hi S.- i have two children and about 2 years ago we flew to arizona with them ... ages two and one... the doctor told us about 40 min before take off we were to give them motrin and benedryl... the motrin helps with the pain off the popping of the ears and the benedryl helped keep them calm... i would definatly consult with your doc first.... what you can do is also give her a bottle as you take off... it would be like us swallowing to pop our ears. bring toys that flash but don't make noise..keep her up so she will sleep on the plane.. have a great trip

Hi S.. We flew to Florida with our daughter at 3 months. It's tough, but it can be done! I highly recommend a Baby Bjorn or some other carrier for taking her through the airport. It was invaluable! Also, talk to your pediatrician about the appropriate amount of Tylenol for her age/weight. We gave Gabrielle a little bit about 30 minutes before take off and then a bit more about 30 minutes before landing. This helped with the pain of popping ear drums and helped her sleep. Also, make sure to bring plenty for her to drink. We had bottled water and had her drinking when we took off and landed. Mostly she drank water since our flight times were off from her feeding times. Gabrielle had a few new books, a favorite blanket, and a new toy to distract her. Oh, and there are changing tables on planes, one thing that surprised me! She loved going into the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror! Since you're going alone, don't hesitate to ask for help from the person sitting next to you or from the attendants. They all wanted to hold our little one at some point! If this is her first flight, be sure to tell the staff. Gabrielle got a "First Flight" certificate and a pair of wings - Too cute! Best of luck, have fun, take lots of pictures, and enjoy the trip!

I traveled with my daughter when she was 4 months this summer and it went great. I'd recommend bringing a stroller that her car seat can fit into and gate check them both. Then I didn't worry about the car seat making it to the destination. I did buy a special bag that fit the car seat to protect it a little more, but it's not required.

It is a little tricky to juggle things through security but I found people very willing to help fold the stroller and patient that I was taking a little longer. Once they told us we could go to a special checkpoint for wheelchairs that wasn't busy at all.

A pacifier was all I used for ear popping. She mostly wanted to look around and see what was going on at first, but settled after brief fussiness and slept most of the 3 hour flight. I'd recommend feeding and changing her before you board, since the bathrooms could be a challenge to change them in. If she gets fussy on the plane don't be afraid to feed her a little more for the sanity of people on the plane not used to crying babies.

Get up and walk the asiles if you need to...request an asile seat in the back of the plane if you can so it's easy to get up and you don't have to walk through the whole plane if you want to duck in the bathroom to settle her. Bring a little toy she enjoys to distract her, but the people watching for them is great.

You might want to bring Tylenol, saline nasal spray, etc. but make sure to check it in your baggage now with the new regulations, in case she gets stuffy or picks up something from traveling so you don't have to rush out and get it.

Otherwise enjoy your trip! This age is the easiest to travel with because they're not moving around too much yet and if your breastfeeding the meals are self-contained....even though it doesn't necessarily feel easy at the time. Good luck!

I've taken my son on numerous flights and it was truly a breeze at 4 months. Once she's walking and has no patience to sit still then it'll be another story. :-) Pack a few toys, a pacifier and plan to nurse or give her a bottle during take-off and landing. She'll likely sleep through most of the trip. Have fun!

My best advice is to get on last! I know it would seem like a good idea to get on first when they let mothers get on with the first class people, but that's just more sitting around with a baby who doesn't want to sit around. Wait til the last call (after you've already fanagled yourself an extra seat at the gate!) and then get on, so you can spend that extra 20 mins or so walking around with the baby. It's just less time on the plane, especially during a time when you can't really get up anyway.

S.-

I have flown several times with both of my children (ages 2 1/2 and 1 now). The pediatrician recommended that I give them a decongestant about an hour before the flight. It worked wonderfully! Not only did their ears not pop, but they have both slept on every flight. Also, try holding off your daughter's nursing or bottle feeding until takeoff and landing. The sucking might also help to keep her ears from popping.

Your daughter will probably surprise you with her good behavior on the flight. Even if she doesn't, people will understand. If they don't, it's only a couple of hours. Good luck!

I travel quite a bit to Europe to visit my family alone with my daughter. Sounds like you will have some help so it may not be needed, but carrying the car seat through the airport is the worst part, especially if you have an umbrella stroller because you loose your arms for carry on baggage when pushing the stroller. There is a great little car seat out there that converts into a stroller. I believe it is called Sit 'N Stroll. The newer ones fit down the airplane aisle which is otherwise another burden when having to seat the child and put your bags away. I have been using my friends Sit 'N Stroll and they are a bit pricey (about $190) but well worth the money. I plan to get my own and I found out that they are manufactured right in Hopkins, MN so I was actually going to see if they might sell one to me directly. I also found used ones on Ebay for cheaper. They are really helpful when getting through airport security especially if you have a runner like mine. I didn't think it would replace a good stroller, but some of the online reviews stated otherwise- if you plan to do a lot of walking in Europe with the cobblestone walks, you will want a good one. Also the streetcars travel only few feet in front of the stores which is very nerve-wracking so it is nice to be able to strap them in. I would also recommend buying a child harness for when they want to walk on their own. Regular leash type is very cheap and a less "degrading" kind is basically a strap connected to a little stuffed animal backpack that straps on like a 5 point harness. Also available on eBay. May want to ask pediatrician about benadryl idea and see if there is something else like Tylenol that would also work. Some children can develop reactions which would be a nightmare during travel. Although me daughter is almost 4, I also bring a baby bottle and put beverages in there and the sucking helps her to pop her ears which is very uncomfortable for her and really that is the only time she acted out during the flight was take-off and landings. If your child is comfortable in the car seat and sleeps well, I would bring the car seat on flight. It is much safer and easier to restrain. My daughter gets out of the lap belt. Also make sure to bring a few extra outfits and ask pediatrician about anti- diarrhea meds. Air travel has a tendency to bring about horrible diarrhea in kids. Temp on airplane can get cold and hot so extra sweater and socks also important. If your child drinks water, that would be best to keep hydrated and avoid sugar that keeps then up.(my daughter gets really bad eczema from flying as result of dry air and stress)

Make sure she is drinking a bottle, nursing (whichever you do :)) or sucking on a pacifier when taking off and landing to help her ears pop.

Hi S.,

I flew when my daughter was 4 months old as well, by myself. When I was a child I had horrible problems with my ears when I flew and was told to take a decongestant before I flew. I still take one, even as an adult. I brought this to my pedatrician's attention before I flew with my 4 month old and she thought I could also try giving my 4 month old a decongestant prior to flying. My daughter also had a couple of ear infections by that point so we thought her ears would be affected as well. The decongestant seemed to work well.

Airport personnel were wonderful if you need assistance. Security takes a long time with the stroller so allow extra time. Also, when they announce that people with small children can board first, DON'T. The longer I was able to walk around with my infant instead of being forced to sit in my seat, the better for my baby.

I flew with my Sophie when she was 11 weeks old. It was a lot easier than I expected. The humming of the plane put her to sleep for most of the trip. I brought a large blanket and nursed her under it on the plane on a boppy. She slept on the boppy too, so I would bring one if you have one.

People told me just to have her sucking on something during takeoffs and landings for her ears, but she slept through most of them and her ears were a non issue.

Bring her favorite blanket/toy, you can nurse her going up and down, and be sure to pack your carry-on lightly--you can't handle too much stuff other than a baby. Her ears may not even bother her--my son is 22 months old and has flown somewhere almost every month of his life since he was 2 months and has never had any discomfort(he has slept soundly during take-off and touch-down). And don't stress out when she cries--that's okay and people understand. Hopefully she'll just sleep after a while (keep her on schedule the best you can). Try to get a seat near the back (where no one else wants to sit) so you can have an empty seat next to you, or ask when you check in if there is a seat that has a free one next to it so you're not so cramped. Good luck!

myself i would try keeping her awake that way she will sleep thru the flight also take lots of toys to keep her distracted

Hi S.,
You'll probably hear this alot but the best is to feed her or give her a paci on the way up and down. The descent is usually worse. I've flown several times between my 2 girls (one is named Sophia) and that is the best advice I have to offer. Sleeping also helped her. She slept through the descent. If it's almost time to feed her before the plane hold off on it until you are going down the runway. Also, befriend the flight attendants as soon as you get on the plane. Let them know it's your first time flying with Sofia(even if it wasn't), that always seems to help. Good luck.

Hi S.,

I read most of the posts and all had good advice. I am not sure I saw this additional piece of advice regarding the ears...I got this piece of advice from my chiropractor back in June when I was traveling with my 4 mo old son. I had just been to the pediatrician the Friday before we were supposed to fly and the doc said my son had fluid in his ears but no infection. I was very concerned since I know that fluid in your ears when flying can be very painful. I spoke with my chiropractor on Monday and mentioned the ear thing to him and he showed me how to message the baby's ears right below the temple and also behind the ears to elongate the eustacian tubes and allow fluid to drain. That night and the next two days I messaged my son every night (not sure if I was even messaging in the right place but my son loved it!). I went back to the pediatrician right before we flew out on Th and sure enough his ears had no fluid! I also continued to message my son near his ears at takeoff and landing and he was as happy as a lark. Not sure if the message was the reason for the clear ears but it is a simple trick to try nonetheless. Hope this helps and goodluck!