I wouldn’t be the first person to point out that traveling with babies isn’t the easiest thing ever. But I also am not the right person to talk to if you think having a baby means you can’t travel. : ) I’ve been traveling for years and years and when I had a baby last September, I hoped it wouldn’t be the end of my traveling days.
By the time Wesley was 11 weeks old, he’d been in 12 states. Or was it 11 in 12? Either way–he was kind of a well traveled infant. But that was all by car. We’ve now taken a few trips with him by air (at right, you’ll see him happily pushing his stroller through an airport), inspiring my list of tips on traveling with babes. If you have others, please add them here in a comment!
1. Prepare well and be organized. This one goes against my nature because I’m not the MOST organized person. : ) I’m typically somewhat scattered. However, when the baby is crying and you’re juggling bags, boarding passes and a 18 lb. infant, it’ll be much easier if you know that all the food is in one pocket of the diaper bag, all the toys are in another, etc. Themed pockets are the way to go.
2. Have a plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D and maybe even an E. I breastfed my son, so I really just needed a nursing cover. But what if I was squished in between 2 men and this gave me milk fright and I couldn’t feed him? Or if I didn’t want to risk him yanking the cover aside? So I packed formula too–the powder AND the pre-mixed kind in case I couldn’t get up easily to get water for the bottle. I also packed several kinds of food–soft stuff and then nibbling snacks to keep him busy.
3. Get a paci holder/attachment thingie–or bring 850 pacifiers. On one trip, I left the paci attacher (attaches the pacifier to the child) at home. BIG mistake. Fortunately, I did bring 850 pacifiers (seemed like it, anyway) and these great paci cleaner wipes. They’re supposedly made with food-grade cleaners. We had a steady steam of pacis going….from my “clean paci” pocket to Wesley’s mouth to the floor, to my “dirty paci” pocket until I had time and space to clean them and get them back into circulation. We're not crazy about our baby constantly using his paci, but in a crowded public situation, you must consider the common good!
4. Get to the airport with plenty of time. If you know me, you’ll know this one goes WAY against my grain. I’m usually late…everywhere I go. But I’ve actually managed not to be too late with Wesley. If you’re not about to miss your flight, it gives you the peace and calm–and time of course–to do what you need to do.
5. Carry disposable changing pads. If you’re like me, you’ll find it gross to lie your child’s head on a dirty airport changing station. These things made me feel better and they’re easy to pitch when you’re done.
6. Keep inner calm. This one might sound dumb, but when things get stressful and your kid is crying and you’re dropping toys, books, bottles, diapers, etc. while finding your seat…it helps to take a deep breath, realize not everyone on the plane hates you….and remember that this too shall end when the plane lands. This brings me to the last one:
7. Accept help from strangers who offer it and realize your plane-mates don’t all hate you and your child. Nathan tends to feel bad if our son makes a peep that might be annoying to others. I feel bad if he’s wailing, but I also know that we are more sensitive to his noises than most. We’ve also found that about 80% of people on planes are sympathetic. They’ve often suffered through flights with their own babies/kids and they know how you feel. Many of them love babies and just want to stop and say hi. : ) Yes, there’s a 20% contingency out there that doesn’t want to hear him even babble and doesn't find anything under the age of 16 cute…but if you’ve done your best to quiet your baby, feeling guilty and stressed won’t change their mind. Just apologize when appropriate, remember tip #6 and move on!
8. Do diaper changes before boarding and avoid them on the plane if possible. I haven’t tried it on a plane, but those bathrooms seem too small for a dirty diaper situation to end well.
9. Reserve a seat next to an open space. This one is KEY. If you can pay for an extra seat, that’s obviously ideal! If not though, and if you have an infant car seat that comes off your stroller, here’s the plan: take it with you and as soon as you get to your gate, ask the gate agent (while looking super pleasant and desperate/disheveled at the same time) if there are ANY (stress “ANY” for an extra measure of desperation) extra seats because you have a baby and would love a seat for him/her.
10. Be a germ-o-phobe. If your baby is anything like Wesley, he/she will want to touch EVERYTHING and (unfortunately) EVERYONE on the plane. Strangely enough, most strangers will take his outstretched hand and play with him. I'm not typically a germ-o-phobe, but Wesley got sick after both trips (I know every kid is different, but for what it's worth...) he went on, making me wish I'd been more paranoid and sterilized his hands more!
These tips helped me stay sane on our trips, like when I was flying alone with Wesley and got stuck in the middle seat (despite having booked an aisle) with a full-sized dog in the row at the feet of his owner. Our two--or 3 with the dog--seat mates were SOOOOO sweet and understanding. We all had a good time–except maybe the dog, who was repeatedly whapped on the head by my son. Happy air travel!
No comments:
Post a Comment