travelling with a baby

babyphat

babyphat

Registered User
Hi,

We are planning to take our 5mths old baby to the US, at the end of June.

We have a few concerns; inlcuding how to make him feel most comfortable, as it's a very long flight. We're also worried about discomfort during take-off and landing.

Does anyone have any tips?

thanks
 
as with the other posts regarding taking a baby on a long flight...

if you can make the baby suck during take-off and landing, that will help with the changes in air pressure.

a 5 month will probably sleep a fair bit, so that will be easier for you. but see if you can take a night flight so that the baby will sleep even more.

good luck!
 
Travelling with a five month old should be fine....it's when they can walk and are too big to fit in the bassinet that flying causes problems.

Something to suck on take-off/landing is a must...dummy, bottle, breast!

Request a bassinet before you fly...it might be a good idea to call the airline before you fly to book one.

Make sure you have lots of liquid for baby.

Spare clothes for you and baby.

Night flight definetly best.
 
When my son was 5mths, we took at 15hr flight to Toronto. You can read about our experience here :)

http://milkmonsterlaughs.blogspot.com/2007/08/tammy-this-post-is-for-you-have-great_08.html

(MM= milkmonster)

# Pack 2 extra sets of clothes, bibs, socks, etc. – more if your MM is a super pooper
# Layer clothing as the temperature can fluctuate (hot and stuffy while taxiing and freezing when flying)
# Bring a blanket to line the bassinet before you put your MM in there, I bring the flat sheet that comes along with the cot set because it’s light but big so it’s more functional. I don’t think they clean the bassinet because flying back to HK from Toronto, it looked like it had been puked on If your MM is OK being on his or her tummy then I would recommend you do that during the flight as the people walking back-and-forth, carts, etc. kept startling our MM. I also bring a blanket to cover MM.
# For MMs under 6mths I think its ok not to bring toys on the plane, for all the trips we’ve been on I have always brought toys but never used them. I do recommend bringing a pacifier and a few back ups (just in case they fall on the floor – the water in the washroom is not safe for consumption) to settle MM because traveling can be a stressful experience. For those parents opting not to use a pacifier, we only ever offer our MM the pacifier when we’re traveling and do not use it on a regular basis. It is very helpful when you’re lining up, the fasten-seat belt sign is on, you’re in-line for the washroom, or you just need to stall a few extra minutes.
# Plastic bag for used bottles and one for soiled clothes

Happy travels!!
 
also an extra set of clothes (at least an extra shirt) for yourself, in case your baby pukes/poops/pees on you!
 
i also flew long-distance with my 5-month-old - alone. i was so nervous before the trip but she slept and slept and slept (it was a night flight) :yeah2 don't worry, you and your little one will be fine!
 
Don't worry about the flight. Flying with a 5-month old is much easier than you thought. I flew to LA with my then-7-month old girl that had no problem at all. She slept a total of 8 hours out of a 13-hour flight. Just make sure she sucks on something during takeoff/landing. Bring her own blanket is a good idea.
 
Thank you so much...fingers crossed our experience will be as good as the ones you have all had.

I'll definitely packing carefully, and i'm glad to say we don't have a problem using the pacifier for the take-off and landing!!!

MM, your blog was very useful and i love the picture!!
 
hi milkmonster & other wonderful mothers,

like babyphat , I would be traveling with my daughter for the first time and I'm a bit worried especially after reading those comments from you all. We're be traveling to melbourne (9 hr ride) and it's a 9am flight & back from mel on an 2pm flight. And my daughter will be 20mths when we travel. pls comment..
 
Don't worry :) I've heard a lot of stories of toddlers traveling well!! My son just isn't one of those kids. Bring new toys that she hasn't seen before and snacks. I've also heard from other moms that a portable video player keeps kids entertained for a good while :)
 
Hi, Babyphat,

I just flied with my 7 months old daughter alone on a 6 hours flight. It's her first flight and I was extremely nervous beforehand. But everything turned out fine. On the return flight, she slept through the whole time. She is at the stage that she gets distracted very easily during nursing. I was worried that she might not nurse well on the flight and I packed all the formula and bottles etc. Yet, she nursed well while taking off and landing without any problems with her ears. I also packed a lot of toys to entertain her and it worked very well.

I understand how nerveracking that is to fly with a baby for the first time. ( I just experienced it myself about a week ago. :P) But it might be easier that we all think. Enjoy this little adventure with your little one. Have a safe trip!
 
BTW, passing through security check point is pretty strict in the U.S. Be prepared to remove all the toys from the stroller, fold it up and put it on X-ray machine. And you'll have to hold your baby to pass through the security check.

I am not sure if you will rent a car in the U.S. FYI, your baby will need to be in a carseat if you plan to travel with cars in the U.S.

If you need more information, let me know or just PM me.
 
We last travelled long haul when our son was 16 months and it was pretty awful!

I know children under 2 yrs don't need a seat....but if you can afford it I would suggest buying a seat for a 20 month old....we fly standby and there was no spare seat for our son and so I had him on my lap the whole 11 hrs. No fun, espec. as was 3 mnths pregnant at the time.

I took lots of toys, but at 16 mnths they soon get bored...espec. in the confines of an economy class cabin!

If you can get them to sleep, that's the best....but you need that extra seat for them to lie across.
I know of people who give their children sleeping tablets on long haul flights....but it's not something I'm willing to do!!
 
fairy godmother, a lot of it comes down to attitude. if you worry about the small stuff, you'll drive yourself crazy.

i flew by myself with my then 2 yr old and my 5 week old, and i was still recovering from a c-section.

9 hours? my trip was 36 hours door-to-door, this included a stint where we were diverted because of a snowstorm and sat on the runway IN the plane for over 4 hours!

ANY trip would be better than that!

and in all honesty, the kids were fantastic! they held up better than i did! but i didn't worry about the small stuff. i took a big tube of m&m's. it was my bribery tool. i would tell my 2 year old that if he was very good on the flight, that he would get some when we got off the plane (we flew: hong kong-tokyo-portland-vancouver-calgary-regina~where we circled for an hour then were diverted to ~saskatoon-regina) my son and his amazing memory would ask for the m&m's immediately when we got off the plane, even when the flight lasted for 10 hours!

the long flight that we were on had private tv's in the back of the seat in front of you, that kept him occupied for most of the flight. half of the new toys that i bought, we didn't use, we kept for the flight back.
 
sorry, after re-reading that, i don't want to diminish your worries...they are perfectly normal. but i'm sure you will manage beautifully!
 
Thanks for all your postings here. I'm going to be flying alone with my one month old London-HK in the Autumn. I've been a bit nervous about it, too. Glad to hear all the advice of what to bring and that you've done it and survived it!!

Carang, your story fills me with confidence that I can do it! Thanks!
 
a one month old is....child's play! you'll do great!

one thing i did do was i paid for a seat for each of us. i did NOT want a bassinet. those armrests don't raise up.

i was very glad to have the extra seat/space.
i wouldn't have been able to relax as much as i did without the space. also, i wouldn't have been able to hold the little one for so long.

good luck and remember the most important bit....

HAVE FUN!
 
Hello,

Thank you so much for all your fantastic advice. We have another mth left before our trip. I am worried but looking forward to it too.

Thankfully our flight is around 6pm, so hopefully we can feed him & he'll go to sleep.

Jeanmom - thanks for the advice about US security. My main concern is bringing solids onto the flight. will check with the airline.

Good luck to all the mummys, who will be flying with your little ones
 
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