Flying with babies - tips/suggestions please?

[poohj80]

Hi all!

We will be flying for the first time with DD at the end of the month. She will be 10 1/2 months and we could use any tips or suggestions you may have. It will be a 4 1/2 hour flight so we did bite the bullet and buy her a ticket.

We plan to take a car seat along so we won't need to hold her the entire time and then we'll have the car seat for the rental car. However, we think taking our Britax from our own vehicle may be a bit heavy and bulky when lugging through airports. We are thinking about buying a lighterweight, cheaper seat to have for flying - does this sound like a good idea or should we just take the Britax out of the car when we get to the airport?

If this does sound like a good idea, any recommendations on a lighter, cheaper seat that will fit in an airline seat relatively easily? I have read that some seats can be difficult to release the seatbelt since the car seat needs to be in the window seat on the plane. How big of a problem can this be?

Please feel free to share any tips that you think will be helpful. As first time parents, we need all the help we can get and everyone here helped to make our first WDW with baby so easy!

Thanks again!

PJ

 

[amarberry]

I'll chime in! First of all, I think it was a very good idea to by your child a seat. We've did that on all but one flight for our DD and it was definitely money well spent. Everyone is more comfortable and we just considered it a cost of going on vacation.

As for the carseat, we do have a cheaper, lightweight carseat that we bought with air travel in mind. It's also the carseat that we put in my mom's car for the occassional times that my DD is in my mom's car. We bought the Graco Comfort Sport. It was about $70 a couple of years ago. There is another lightweight carseat that is recommended a lot on this board (a Cosco one, I believe) that is even less expensive. The Graco is very light and we haven't had any major problems installing it on the plane. I managed to lug my 2.5 year old, a stroller, a rolling carry on, a backpack, and the carseat through the airport by myself a couple of weeks ago. When DD was your child's age, I used to strap her into the Bjorn for the walk through the airport and we used the stroller as a cart for the bags and the carseat. I was also able to install it pretty quickly (usually DH's job) once we were on the plane.

As for on the plane, hopefully your child will sleep! My DD usually knocks out for a good portion of the flight. We've been very lucky in that respect! When we traveled with DD when she was around 10 months old, I remember that an individual box of Cherrios occupied her for most the flight.

Good luck!

 

[poohj80]

Thanks for the advice! You brought up another question we have been debating - whether to take a stroller. This will be a short trip (3 day weekend) for family purpoeses so we will not be doing much strolling around. I think we wouldn't use it much outside of the airports so wonder if it's worth hauling and hand-checking (I assume) on the flights. We did decide to fly out of a more major airport than our local one so we could get direct flights for fear that getting stuck in a connecting city with a baby would be a terrible experience.

 

[GatorGal]

Please be aware that with a child in carseat, you can not be seated in an exit row or the rows directly in front of or behind the exit row.

Make sure you know where the sticker is on the seat that says it is approved by the FAA for airline use (must be printed in RED on a sticker affixed to the seat by the manufacturer) You may be asked to show it to a FA upon boarding.

Since you bought daughter a seat, you are entitled to a carry on for her. Pack lots of snacks...cheerios and the like, finger foods she can feed herself. Have a change of clothes for her and at least a spare shirt for you. Pack some new toys that she hasn't seen before. Some people suggest tape, playing with the sticky stuff can be quite entertaining to some kids.

I strapped my DD's Britax seat to my carry on suitcase that has wheels and was able to wheel them both through the airport with one hand. You didn't mention what airline, but JetBlue his wide aisles and I could wheel them both down the ailse of the plane as well.

You should probably ask a FA for a seat belt extender upon boarding. It will make it easier the buckle and unbuckle the carseat. Your daughter will have to have the window seat as there can not be a car seat between a passenger and the aisle. You should install the seat rearfacing on the plane just like you do in the car, but be prepared for looks from the passenger direcly in front of her, they will not be able to recline their seat. Rear facing is safer for her on the plane just like it is in the car so hold your ground. That person can be moved to another seat. Besides being safer, having her rear facing will prevent her from kicking the seat in front of her and it will be easier for you to entertain and feed her. Most ear discomfort occurs during landing, so be prepared at the time of initial descent with a bottle.

HTH

 

[tkhkroberts]

I main thing that I can think of has to do with the popping of the ears on the flight. We took our youngest when she was about that age to a family reunion. We made sure to have her either drinking something or sucking on a pacifer on the take-off to help with this problem. The other recommendation that our doctor gave us was to have her suck on a sucker for a little while on take off too.

 

[poohj80]

Thanks again! We are flying Southwest so will definitely take advantage of pre-boarding.

Another question if I may - how do you change a baby on an airplane? The plane bathrooms aren't really big enough. We thought we could do it in our seats, but if it's a dirty diaper we wouldn't want to gross out anyone sitting around us. How do you handle this situation?

 

[Vickibean]

We have flown with our DS when he was 5 months, 9 months, 14 months and 16 months.

I would not recommend pre-boarding with the baby. I would see if the flight crew will let either you or DH board with the car seat and get it installed. I would have the other adult wait with baby until late in the boarding process. Why add another 1/2 hour to your trip, sitting on the plane while everyone else boards?

As far as diaper changes, they have a little fold-down changing table over the toilet in the plane's restroom. It's not easy, but a diaper change can be done. I know....I've had to do one. Just hold on tight!!!!

 

[wrighter]

Changing babies on airplanes is no fun, and it is never easy, but it can be done. The first thing I would do is ask the flight attendants if any of the restrooms have the pull-down changing table. Not all airplanes have them, and usually no more than one bathroom has one, but I've been surprised at how many of them do have the pull-down. In the absence of a pull-down, I have found my best bet is indeed the dreaded bathroom. Bring a large blanket or sheet if you're a germaphobe like I am and spread it out over the top of the toilet seat. It's a tight fit, but we have changed both of our children countless times here. We then, of course, fold the blanket up and put it in a grocery bag or large ziploc bag where it remains untouched until we can wash it.

Also wanted to mention: It's not an inexpensive item, but we invested in a Sit-n-Stroll - it's a carseat that changes into a stroller. We only use it when we fly, but it has been invaluable. We put it in the back of the van with all the luggage, and then when we get to the airport we don't have to uninstall any carseats at all. We just grab the Sit-n-Stroll, put the wheels down on it, strap the kid in, and off we go to check in. Then when we board the plane we simply pull the wheels up and strap it into the seat. Then of course on the other end you can use it for both a car seat and/or a stroller. If you travel much it is truly a great investment. I was so sad when my DS outgrew it!!!

Happy traveling!

 

[FourBoysMom]

As far as diaper changes, they have a little fold-down changing table over the toilet in the plane's restroom. It's not easy, but a diaper change can be done. I know....I've had to do one. Just hold on tight!!!!

The Southwest flight I was on did NOT have the fold down changing table over the toilet.... Spirit Airlines did... Southwest did NOT!

Make sure you send hubby in to check it out b4 you haul the baby & bag up there... luckily, I was changing the 3 yr old, so he was able to stand while I did it.

I bought a seat for my 1 yr old in November, he freaked everytime I hooked him into the seat...I ended up holding him the whole time anyway.

On the way home, Southwest was begging for seats (they overbooked of course) so I gave up his seat.... I felt it was the right thing to do, I wouldn't have wanted to be that person waiting for a seat....so I decided to be nice... Unfortunately....we were delayed leaving FL, and when we got to Philly we had to circle the airport for an hour waiting for a chance to land...

I've been to hell. It's being on an airplane with 4 kids ages 11 and under by yourself (hubby drove)....and the plane is never going to land.

I survived...you will too! I promise!

Trixie

 

[disneygoof]

Car seat: We take our regular car seat (heavy duty) and stroller (travel system). We throw the car seat over the stroller handle in the airport, no problem. You can stroll right up to the gate, and often beyond, and then break down the stroller to leave it where they collect wheelchairs. Your stroller will be last on, first off, and always has been waiting for us when we deboard.

Security: Be prepared to compress the car seat as much as possible (maybe to recline) as it needs to go through the xray machine. The stroller must be xrayed as well. Children usually will have to remove their shoes as well, so plan accordingly (no Stride Rite walkers double tied). Children of walking age have to walk through the machines; we usually have one of us on one side and one on the other. After everything has gone through, we send the little one toddling from one to the other. TAKE YOUR TIME. Don't let someone behind you get you stressed out. 10.5 mos? You can carry them through. I would recommend that you are conscious of underwires, jewelry, belts, etc. that could set off the machines when carrying baby through. If the alarms go, it's the TSA's job to react.

Plane: We try to plan feedings around the plane time so the baby will be hungry/thirsty when the plane takes off. We wait until we are taxiing, then pop the bottle in. Usually by the time we reach flying altitude the bottle's gone, and the baby's ears are fine. Then (4.5 hours sounds like perfect timing) when the plane starts to descend, we pop in another bottle. Knock wood, we've always been lucky, and the babies have been fine. Often, since the sensation is similar to a car, the baby might sleep. We usually have their favorite blanket for comfort, and favorite books for amusement.

We've done this many times with babies as young as 11 weeks. Good luck and have fun!

 

[becca011906]

Awsome that you are taking your car seat, it will be much easier... the cosco seat that is recomended, is the cosco scenera, i have on for my dd and she rides in it rfing at 2.5 years old, it's a great spare seat and will rear facing longer then your britax seat! To 35lbs vs the 33lbs and after seeing crash test footabe i will promise my dd will stay rfing till then!!!

 

[poohj80]

Thanks again all! We actually found an out-of-box Cosco Scenera at BRU for $37.90 plus they let us use the $10 off coupon we received in the mail (even though it said it wasn't good on clearance items), so we have her travel seat for less than $30.

However, we may have made a mistake in buying this cover:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/inde...83.2256187.2256192&view=all&parentPage=family

but the wheels looked appealing. Now reading the reviews about the flimsy fabric, I'm wondering if we should return it and get the sturdier cover without the wheels. Anyone use this cover and can defend or confirm the posted opinions?

Thanks again!

 

[KristiKelly]

We flew to WDW in Sept with our 15 mo old DD. I used my Britax Marathon on the plan. I bought a carseat carrier called gogokids travelmate. It was kinda pricey but worth the price especially if you think you'll be flying more. It also eliminates the need for a stroller in the airport so you can just check that with you baggage. It does need to be removed before installing carseat on the plane but only takes about 30 seconds to take off and a minute to put on. Here's a pic and link:
www.gogobabyz.com

 

[BF57]

Are these points still available? If so, we are interested as we would like to celebrate our daughter's 1st b-day at WDW in March (so the expiration date is not a problem) but we are running short on our own points for this UY. Would you be willing to trasnfer the points as I am a DVC member?

Yes they are available. $639 to:
Barry Francis
2 Blueberry Dr
Wingdale, NY 12594
845-724-5291
845-518-9118 cell

I will need your name, address and DVC membership number to transfer points.

Please e-mail me directly at BarFran@att.net as this forum requires that I have 6 posts to PM you and /or 10 posts to e-mail you through the forum. It's silly as I have around 10 responses to my post and I can't answer anyone. Do you know how to bypass this restriction?

Thanks

Sorry for delayed response!

 

[NotUrsula]

Another question if I may - how do you change a baby on an airplane? The plane bathrooms aren't really big enough. We thought we could do it in our seats, but if it's a dirty diaper we wouldn't want to gross out anyone sitting around us. How do you handle this situation?

SWA's 737's are usually NOT equipped with changing tables. If your child is small enough to change on top of the toilet seat, you can do that, but be careful that she doesn't hit her head on the bulkhead if there is any turbulence while you are in there. It's normal to do such a change with the lav door open, so that you have a bit more room.

With larger babies, your best changing spot is the floor right outside the lav door. You would want to use a large changing pad to protect the carpet, get down on your knees on the floor facing away from the passengers with your shoulder or one knee propping the door open. That way you can dump any solids into the toilet without getting up. Finish the chore, pick up baby and your pad, then go into the lav to wash your hands and properly dispose of the diaper and wipes. (A sling, etc. is handy to hold the baby while you wash your hands.)

You don't want to change a baby at your seat unless there really is no other choice (such as a leaky diaper when the seatbelt sign is on for turbulence) -- it is considered REALLY bad form to change diapers at your seat unless the FA's won't let you get up. In a situation where you HAVE to change at your seat, never use the tray table. Use your laps, and make the process as quick and discreet as possible, and be sure to have some ziplocs handy to contain the smell. Flight attendants cannot take a dirty diaper from you for disposal -- health regulations.

For air travel, I like to recommend carrying a few CHUX (disposable absorbent hospital bed pads) as changing pads -- they are plenty large enough to protect the baby and the surroundings, and you can toss them if they get dirty. A good en route change kit is a gallon ziploc containing two diapers, a small sealed bag of wipes, a disposable pad, and another ziploc to use to dispose of the used diaper. You can just grab that ziploc when you need to change the baby.

PS: about the carrier bag. Simplest solution is to get a roll of colored duct tape and neatly reinforce the outside on the bottom where it will be rubbing against the floor and wheels.

 

[TravelingJen24]

I think I'm the only one that feels different about the car seat. On our last trip, my cousing took a car seat and his 16 month old cried so much that they still had to hold him. On the other hand I held my 8 month old and she was fine. The facts are that you are so concerned the whole time that they will stay calm that you can't really, really relax. I don't mind holding them, we did the same thing with our older child. I do agree that you shouldn't pre-board. Kids can hardly sit for the flight, you don't want to add more time.
We always give our kids benedryl, but test it out first, because some kids get more hyper instead of relaxed. I know some people frown on this, but our doctor recommended it. Good luck.

 

[poohj80]

Hi all,

I thought I should update you on our experience. Our DD did absolutely wonderful on her first flight thanks to us being prepared based on your tips. We did the absolute right thing in buying her own seat as she was comfortable and had wiggle room. When we boarded, the first thing we did was let everyone around us know it was her first flight and we didn't know how she'd do, so we apologized ahead of time. She was so good that these same folks complimented her and thanked us for such a good flight when we deplaned.

One issue we did have was that even though she still sits in a rear facing seat in our vehicle, it just wouldn't work that way on the plane. She didn't have the legroom she has in our vehicle so her legs would have been stretched up the seatback so we opted to turn her around on the plane and she did just fine.

Our SW plane did not have a changing table so we opted to change her in our seat (sorry, didn't know this was taboo). Since the three of us took up a row of seats, DH and I just got up and laid her across both our seats on her changing pad. It was at a time where the flight attendants were not moving up and down the aisles and the seatbelt sign was off. We could both block her view so as not gross anyone out (it was just a wet diaper).

On the return trip, DD was a bit more active than the first flight. We thought it may have been because we were able to let her crawl around and work off some energy in the terminal before flying out but we didn't have this option on the return flight. Adding in a 3.5 hour drive before the flight, she was a bit rambunctious which meant she didn't want to stay in her seat so we had to pass her back and forth and walk with her a lot. She didn't really fuss, just wouldn't sit still. It made it more of a challenge for us, but the folks around us didn't seemed too bothered by her motions.

Thanks again to all! You really helped and educated us!

 

[poohj80]

I do agree that you shouldn't pre-board. Kids can hardly sit for the flight, you don't want to add more time.

I think this depends on age. We took advantage of pre-boarding so we could get DD's car seat strapped in and her situated before everyone started rushing on. We took the opportunity to feed her some food while we were still on the ground and then followed it with a bottle when we took off to help her ears equalize. It worked pretty well for us.

 

[dsneygirl]

Thanks again! We are flying Southwest so will definitely take advantage of pre-boarding.

Another question if I may - how do you change a baby on an airplane? The plane bathrooms aren't really big enough. We thought we could do it in our seats, but if it's a dirty diaper we wouldn't want to gross out anyone sitting around us. How do you handle this situation?

Only certain planes in SW fleet have change tables. They flip down from the wall. When we flew home from Orlando I asked the FA when we got on and she said they didn't. Unfortunately DH pooped right after take off. Luckily I had my sister with me so she balanced him on his change pad on the toilet seat while I changed him. Not so much fun

 

[brymolmom]

FYI...A cheap make-your-own way to do those travel carseats with wheels things is to take the carseat you already bought and bungy cord it to one of those wheeled luggage carriers (about $15 I think) - and WHAM - instant cheap carseat with wheels. Just make sure the wheels are secured on and make sure baby is secured in the seat.