Tell me about flying with an infant...

[lexmas]

I thought about posting this on the Disney for Families board, but most of those posts seem to be about WDW and Orlando, so I hope you don't mind if I ask here! We're flying in October with our then 10-almost-11 month old. And we're already getting nervous! We've never flown with him before, so I really don't know the ins and outs of it. So, I've got some questions:

What do we need to bring for him to get on the plane? Just a birth certificate? He won't have his own seat.

Any suggestions of what to bring on the plane to keep him occupied? We have an evening flight and a red-eye, so it's either going to go really well or horribly. Time will tell, I guess. Any suggestions about general baby supplies to bring? I'll still be nursing, so that covers that, but we're generally the kind of people that don't even carry a diaper bag, and we have just barely started solids occasionally, so he's been pretty travel-light up to this point.

Flying out of LAX is the red-eye (LAX to Buffalo...I know, we're crazy, right? But at least there's a lay over). What should I expect at security and such? Has anyone used a sling through security? We have a mei-tai, and I've heard that it depends on the airport whether they'll let you through the metal detectors with one on. Any other quirks about LAX?

I think that's about it for now...but any other general traveling across country with a baby advice would be welcome! Thanks for any input, I really appreciate it!

 

[mattmommy]

We've been travelling with ds6 since he was four months old. To a Disney park of course. The furthest was a 12 hour flight to HI. We spoke to our pediatrician and he suggested benadryl. He would sleep like a baby. We did wake him up to feed him on the 12 hour flight (he was 2 1/2) and to use the bathroom. Another we did when he was an infant was give him a bottle on the plane as you were descending to help their ears. DS never had a problem.

Big tip (if your son is walking). Let them run around an empty area of the airport (maybe a plane has just taken off and that area is empty). People will think I don't want that kid near me. It always works. They run off the extra energy and conk out on the plane.

I would try benadryl at home first. My cousins daughter is a bit hyper to begin with and has the opposite effect.

We didn't bring a portable dvd player until ds was able to use earphones.

Good luck.

 

[ktulu]

I'd actually recommend getting the little one a seat and using a car seat. You won't get tired of holding your son and he will probably be more comfortable. Plus it is much, MUCH safer. It is not turbulence that you need to worry about (although it could be bad), but if something happens and the pilot pulls a few G's, you're not going to be able to hold onto your son. This is advice I got from a buddy of mine who is a commercial pilot. Airlines usually have 1/2 price fares for children under 2, and it is worth every penny. We've flown with my daughter since she was the same age and every time we got her own seat.

 

[Califgirl]

Take a look at this thread on the family board:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1491923

I think the majority mention that it is best to get your infant a seat and use a car seat. It will probably be more comfortable for you, your fellow passengers and your infant.

 

[Lori00789]

I can't imagine ever leaving the house with out a diaper bag when you have a child that wears diapers. I hope you pack plenty of diapers, you could run into an unexpected delay and of course you never know when your child needs to be changed. Your child will be making a lot of changes between now and Oct. He will have different things that entertain him. My kids liked to look at books and I also had a small purse size photo album they liked with pictures of grandparents, friends, and family. I would bring a few favorite items and a few new items. At that age they also like cheerios or small finger food they can feed themself. If you can afford a seat for your child I would highly recommend it. They are safer and everyone is more comfortable.

 

[scooter15]

From what my friends and family who fly have told me...red eye flights are pretty packed. I suggest you do get a seat for your infant because that is a long time to hold your infant as I've done the LAX to Buffalo with the lay over in Minneapolis. Sometimes if the flight is not full, they will go ahead and give you the extra seat for the baby. I've been lucky twice when we flew with my son when he was a couple months old. Benadryl does help calm a baby but I'm sure there are some parents who would just yell at you for thinking about using it- I wouldn't though. But I can tell you that it has an opposite affect for my oldest son so it may or may not work. Because of altitude changes, my doctor suggested that he be fed during takeoff or to use a pacifier. That did help him a lot and he was calm during the flight.

 

[tinkerbelt]

I would not give him benadryl - most pediatricians say NEVER give it to babies as a sedative, because it can be fatal even in small doses. It also dries out the nasal passages and the mouth, which you want to try to avoid, because airplane air is dry enough anyway. It's not made for babies. And a lot of babies will sleep on their own anyway once a plane takes off. IMO, it's not worth the risk.

If you can afford it, definitely get the seat. I never could afford an extra seat when I flew with DD, but I always lucked out and there were always empty seats. I did hold her a lot, but it is nice to have a bit of extra room with a little one for changing diapers, etc. It's also recommended that babies are strapped in during takeoff and landing.

Also, nurse the baby during takeoff and landing, the sucking will help his ears pop.

 

[bumbershoot]

I wouldn't chance the benadryl. We just were strongly urged to give DS a drug like that for a dental appointment (grr), we stupidly did, and it did NOT work, and then we had to deal with a hyper, ANGRY child for several hours (who did not nap).


So anyway. We went to DL with our son when he was a little over 1. We didn't buy a seat. Silly, silly us. I strangely thought that it would be restful, that I could sleep when he slept. Big question I ended up with is...HOW? How am I supposed to sleep while holding a sleeping baby? My guy would never hang out in his sling while I was seated (yours might be different and that would help), so I don't know why I thought I could sleep while holding onto him while he was sleeping. I got no sleep and was nearly in tears b/c I was so tired.

The nursing on take-off was great. BUT, and this is going against my general thoughts about seat vs lap baby, some flight attendants on some flights on some airlines will NOT allow you to have the baby out, if you have a seat for the baby. That's the one possible drawback for getting kiddo a seat. But you won't know if you're on that airline, flight, with that flight attendant until you're there.

Holding DS was just difficult. I'm used to holding him and carrying him (didn't even buy a stroller until we got the jogger when he was over 2!), I'm very strong. But my arms were shaking by the end of the flight (Seattle to San Diego) b/c they were so incredibly tired from holding him.

Last year he was just over 2, and he got a seat. Absolutely much more restful. He was able to hang out in his famililar seat (we have a Scenara for travel b/c it's a good seat and is lighter than our Roundabout), hold things on his lap, and he was restrained by the 5 point harness instead of my arms.

For anyone wondering where DH was on the first flight...he was right there, but he has a big belly and holding squirmy kid on almost non-existent lap was impossible.

But if you really really really want to do the lap thing...you've got your milk right there, which is very convenient (we delayed solids until beyond 11 months, and it went GREAT- we did it to prevent allergies and despite two allergic parents he doesn't seem to have problems!). Books (soft, in case of being thrown), quiet toys for the red-eye (omg if you can at all, I'd re-think that...at least in the middle of the day if kiddo disrupts others they can't say "I expected to sleep", but the potential for disaster causing others to not sleep is just too high...I considered it and rejected it almost instantly b/c I'd hate for everyone to hate me in the middle of the night....AND there's the whole "how am I going to sleep while holding him" issue).

Now that we have a portable DVD player I'd think about that, though I have NO idea how you would keep headphones on an under-1 year old (though I suppose practice makes perfect, after all, there were pix of Apple Martin with headphones on at her dad's concert when she was 1ish).



Definitely bring extra dipes and extra clothes for EVERYONE. Shirts, pants for the adults (I'd go with two each), many clothes for the babe.


I haven't been able to go through security with DS in the sling...at least I think I had to take him out. Hmm. Wear your least complicated one, just in case they make you take it off. Or if you have a soft mei tai, take him out and roll the mei tai to your waist, so at least you don't have to take it ALL the way off.

We always take DS's birth certificate (even into disney until this year) b/c of other issues (to casual observers DS and DH don't look alike, and he's gotten some rotten comments from people when they are out alone together), but especially when you're doing the lap-kid thing.

I can't think of anything else right now!

 

[wwallydoc]

I agree and would NOT give benadryl--in children can have the opposite effect---may wire you child instead of sedate. try to get another seat and maintain as normal a sleep time as you would at home. agree with breas feed or pacifier while taking off and landing

 

[Rapunsel]

I have done the LAX- Buffalo thing about 20 times... With 1 kid and with 2 kids... as young as 3 months


Save yourself and the kid and purchase them a seat.. You don't want to hear the horror stories about planes and 'immediate landings in the crash position and peole not finding their kids afterwards." Also they will not let you wear the baby in a sling on the plane.

You also will need a car seat when you get to your destination anyways.. I put my ds 10 months 20 plus pounds in a front facing car seat for the plane ride and he loved it. He could look out the window, play with stickers eat treats..

Also if it is a first flight and a red- eye... You could be in for a screaming kid if they have ear problems..

So the choice is up to you.

For me it has always been worth it. You can also take the extra luggage and you know who will be your seat mate. As nursing with a disgusting person sitting beside you is not ideal. I have had it happen more than once. The guy would not move so I just traded seats with the car seat so we could at least have privacy...

Also the car seat must be by the window... for exit reasons..

 

[mattmommy]

I agree with a car seat. They used to give you an empty seat if they had one (that's long gone along with the 1/2 price for under 2).

For our trip to HI we bought a sit n stroll. Not as great as our stroller at home, but it was a car seat that met FAA standards so you could strap your child in. When activated wheels came out of the bottom and a handle came out at the top.

 

[lexmas]

Thanks for all the advice!

We'll have to consider the car seat issue, as DS HATES his car seat. Hates it. Screams at the sight of it and until we get wherever we're going. Unpleasant for us, but definitely unpleasant for the other passengers. But, things could change in the next few months. I think I will need to nurse him on take off and landing though, as some changes in elevation around here sometimes causes him discomfort, and he won't take a bottle or a pacifier. Unfortunately. And I don't really think he'd sleep in it, unless I found some way to nurse him while he was in it, because he sleeps with us and always nurses to sleep. But the extra room would definitely be nice, and I understand that it's safer, so we'll have to weigh the pros and cons. I know many people feel very strongly about the subject, and I understand that and appreciate your drawing my attention to the issue, as I feel that way about many things myself.

Kind of off topic, but does anyone know how little of a child pull-ups will fit? We use elimination communication with DS, and he is pretty much exclusively in underwear right now, but with the unknowns of travel, we'll have to have him in some kind of diaper back-up. We generally use diapers if we're going out for an extended period of time, just in case, but we use cloth. I'm not the biggest disposable diaper fan, but I'm thinking cloth diapers and Disney might not mix. Maybe though, as he most likely won't use that many if he does get thrown off by the vacation. But, it's hard to re-fasten a diaper in a stall, unlike just pulling up undies or trainers (trust me, I know! ). We may just have to use normal disposables, or come up with some plan for our cloth, but, I figured I'd throw it out there and see if anyone had any idea! (Or perhaps a toddler and an infant and wanted to do me a favor... ) 2T undies will almost fit DS, and he only weighs like, 14 lbs. now, so I feel like it may not be a completely insane idea.

There seem to be conflicting ideas about whether you can use a sling on a plane? I had heard just not during take-off and landing, but clearly I've never done it before so that's just hearsay.

Thanks for the toy ideas, I'll have to make a little photo album for him (what a cute idea!) and he adores books, so that will go well. I'm not sure if a dvd player would even interest him, but I know my friend has one so maybe we'll try it out. He's generally a really good sleeper wherever we are, so maybe we'll get lucky. Or not, but I'll be hopeful! (and check to see if any non-red eye flights will fit our budget and time schedule... )

Sorry for the long post, I really appreciate all the input!

 

[tinkerbelt]

I think the smallest size for pull-ups is 2T-3T. DD was a peanut like your DS is and it was a while before she fit in them. Cloth can be a PITA on vacation, I was never able to do it. Have you tried Tushies or 7th Gen? I liked both of those a lot.

 

[lilpixie]

Definately bring new little toys and books for distraction. When we took our 3 girls to DL, our baby was 6 months old at the time. Not to scare you (just to prepare you "in case"), but our little precious screamed the whole time! It was a nightmare 2 hr. flight. She wasn't really into solids/snacks very much as we had just started her on some right before we left on our trip. If your little one likes finger foods or snacks, bring them!! Everyone on the plane hated us -- and then we were stranded on the tarmac (sp??) for another hour. It really was traumatic.
But, hopefully your little one won't have any problems!! There were plenty of other infants on our plane who didn't make a peep! Just bring things to keep him busy and keep your fingers crossed!!
Good luck!

 

[bumbershoot]

Ooh I wished we'd done EC from the beginning. I was just too wiped out to do so, though, and then too lazy to start (he had VERY subtle signs of needing to go, so subtle I didn't figure them out despite looking for a year). But the cloth dipes helped him figure out that he'd prefer to use the potty earlier rather than later, so in a way it all worked out.

Does the EC shopping site have anything you could use? I thought they made pull-up cloth things fairly small.

Or some fuzzibunz? DS figured out how to pull them up and down pretty early, and once we got further towards potty learning I could pull them up fairly easily if snapped a bit looser.

But I found that travel changed DS's potty stuff anyway, he usually held it until he felt more comfortable.



DS wasn't all that happy with the Roundabout, but for some reason, the Scenera made him, and still makes him, extremely happy. It's much less plush than the roundabout, so you'd think it woudl be the opposite, wouldn't you? But it's wider than the roundabout, so I think that's why (even though the base is narrower, I think, he's got more wiggle room in the bottom and back in the Scenera). So maybe a "travel" carseat would be fun for him? Also, since you sound like me, I assume he's rear-facing in the car, and I'm not entirely sure you'd have to put him rear-facing on the airplane (i have NO idea, since we didnt' fly with DS until he was over a year)...if he gets to be forward-facing maybe it would be extra fun for him?


If only you were going in September, we could meet up!

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh! Cloth on vacay!

Disposables are unattractive enough to us that we refused to do them on vacay. So we have delayed cruising with DS, because we like RCCL and they don't have washing machines onboard.

But we've done 3 days at a hotel with cloth; one diaper pail liner to hold the clean ones, another one to hold the used ones. They're alot heavier to take home than to bring first, let me tell you! And we've always been worried bringing them home from BC, b/c if the border patrol insisted on opening that bag, OOF what a nasal shock s/he'd get!

We've only done one day at disneyland, during a 2 week vacation, but we had my brother's washer for the dipes.

I don't know where you're staying, but since DL is a family resort area, there might be w/d somewhere near? NO it's no fun to do wash on a vacation, but FOR US it was more fun than using sposies, so when we need to and when it's available, we washed.


But then again, with EC, he'd likely rarely, if ever, be USING the cloth dipes, so washing might very well be something you wouldn't have to do with your backups!

 

[scooter15]

There seem to be conflicting ideas about whether you can use a sling on a plane? I had heard just not during take-off and landing, but clearly I've never done it before so that's just hearsay.

Slings are not FAA approved for taxi, landing, takeoff. The crew will most likely tell you to remove it during those times. Otherwise, during the rest of the flight, you possibly can use it but it depends on the flight crew. I'd check with your airline for this one though.

 

[lexmas]

Bumbershoot--hey, someone who knows about EC and doesn't think it's crazy!
The EC store does have trainers, but I don't like the waterproof ones (they're just too bulky to manuver on DS) and I'm thinking I'll want something waterproof just so if he *has to go* in the middle of pirates or something, we're not leaving a puddle behind. I'll have to experiment with the tons of not-waterproof stuff we have to see if we can achieve a similar effect.
I'll have to get some fuzzibunz as well, for those times when I want something that's actually waterproof...all our pocket diapers have velcro so they can't be pulled up and down like that. But thanks for the heads up! Plus, I've been looking for an excuse to buy some more pockets for night anyway, because tired mommy waking every 3 hours and nighttime EC doesn't always mix, so sometimes it's just easier to feed him, and not worry about it.

We were going to buy the scenera once he outgrew his infant seat, since it's rear-facing to 35 lbs...which, at DS's growth rate, he'll be rear facing until he's in Kindergarten for sure! So, maybe we'll buy it before our trip and see how it goes...DS could probably be in his infant seat until about 15 months, but that doesn't feel quite right to me!

Aww, and you hate sposies too haha we would get along! We're staying with my brother, but he says his laundry room has weird hours. However, seeing as how thinking about putting him in disposables makes me feel like I'm facing a moral quandary we'll probably end up with the cloth anyway. I'm glad to know it's been done though! I'll probably just use the diapers or trainers or whatever we have as a reason to bring less clothes overall and do the wash! Might be better for flying all around!

scooter15--thanks for the clarification! We'll probably just end up using the sling in the airport, and then, if we're allowed, use it to get him to sleep on the plane. That boy loves the sling. If not, he'll be perfectly happy attach himself to us without the added help!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[bumbershoot]

Nope, not crazy! DH is half Korean, and he has lived in Asia at several points of his life. He's seen the Chinese split-pants in action, and when his family is around, or recently when family friends from Singapore (Chinese descent but from Malaysia originally) visited, they all talked about how foreign the concept of "potty training" is in their countries, b/c they aren't as focused on diapers, and more on following the kiddo's leads. They are always very impressed with DS's "early" potty learning since he's American.

kellyscloset is a good site for all sorts of CDs, if you've never been there before.

When DS was *this* close to being done with dipes (more like when we were *this* close to not needing the training wheels, LOL), we bought some Bumkins training pants. They are bulky and on the bigger side, and I don't know if they have them in your guy's size, but they might be worth looking into. You could always throw an insert in them, if they make them in his size, for extra absorbency. Easy to pull up and down, most definitely! And cute.

ooh ooh ooh wait, I have a better pocket suggestion than FBs. I really adored the Swaddlebees pockets with the side snaps. We only ever got three, as I'd overdone it with the FBs before branching out, but if we're fortunate enough to have another, if I don't EC (I'm a little bit obsessed with the cutie dipes), I'd do the swaddlebees pockets. They are MUCH trimmer than FBs, and as I remember it right now, they were easier to pull up and down b/c the "wings" didn't get messed up.

 

[lexmas]

Thanks for all your advice...I looked up the Swaddlebees and they look SO much like the snap pants (they're just trainers) from the EC store, so I'm excited to go on a little pocket diaper spree. I'll have to look up the trainers as well, maybe they come small. As you can tell, I'm a cloth addict myself, and if it wasn't 90 degrees here, or if we had airconditioning, you could bet that DS would still be in diapers at home lol. There's something too cute about cloth dipes! But, I want to give him something that breathes in this heat. I actually prefer EC with diapers, because I think it takes the stress off, and I think it's done best in a relaxed fashion. It's nice to have the option to put him in undies though.

Who knew I could find good diaper information on the Dis?

Thanks so much, this will all make our trip so much easier!