Flying with my 8 mth old DD. Tips please! :)

I'm going home to visit family with an 8 month old infant. long flight including stop-over.
Please could any of you that's btdt share tips on anything related to the plane trip, the airport, modes of transporting her around the airport,
what worked? what didn't work? what to take? what not to take?
stroller I guess is a must, etc
should I take a carrier? front or back?

Also, I sometimes get backpain, if anyone has tips on how to avoid that with the awful economy seats please share.

thanks in advance for your advice Smile

Definitely request a bassinet for your baby to sleep in (if that's an option.) Also bring lots of familiar toys/personal items so she won't be bored on the plane. Try to plan your flight around her bedtime so shell be ready to be changed/put to sleep shortly after takeoff, the planes motion will lull her to sleep.
Good luck! We flew to Israel with a 7 month old and it really wasn't that bad Smile

Platinum Member Joined: Mar 20 2005 Posts: 5262

That age could be a plus as you can hold her in carrier and ditch the stroller so you have your hands free

Platinum Member Joined: Apr 12 2010 Posts: 5773

If she is not crawling yet this is the best age to travel.

Make sure to reserve and confirm a bassinet (confirm again within 24hrs before flying!)

Take along some books/toys she enjoys. Make sure to bring at least one if not two changes of clothes for her and another one for you just in case.

Bring some foods that she likes such as rice cakes, crackers, finger cookies. You can get baby food in a squeezy tube (ella's kitchen, gerber) that is really easy for them to eat alone and it avoids you having to take cereal, jars, spoons etc. Try not to take cheerios or little things like that because you have to sit and pop them into her mouth otherwise it makes a tip all over the place.

If you have a carrier and you feel that you can carry her around the airport that is great if not buy a $20 umbrella stroller and use that. Its great to have a stroller because you can use the handles to hang the diaper bag etc off it. An umbrella stroller is best because it fits onto the plane so you can have it in the layover and as soon as you land.

Good Luck! Its really not TERRIBLE...once they start crawling/walking its much harder lol.
_________________

Gold Member Joined: Aug 24 2010 Posts: 1467

I never had a problem getting my big stroller back at the plane when having a stopover, and I've had stopovers in more than one country.

Never flew when ds was that age, but I'm not sure you can get a bassinet at that age.
Take EXTRA extra diapers - ds ALWAYS goes through tons on the plane - don't know why, but even when he usually goes through 3 or 4 a day, on a plane he can go through 10!!!!

Good luck!

Also, as an added benefit, if you want a drink for yourself, pack it in the diaper bag. Anything in the diaper bag clears security, in my experience, including bottles of coke!

And some people would recommend - I didn't, and would never, but I would also understand why someone would - giving a little benadryl so that baby will sleep.... ds spent one leg of our trip - 8 SOLID hours - screaming non stop. He was older, and wanted to sleep in his crib, not in Mommy's lap. I told myself there's nothing I can do, everyone was a baby themselves once upon a time, and if there's nothing I can do, there's no reason I should get upset about it. I think (and hope) it bothered me more than the rest of the passengers.

Bring a NEW toy or two, so that it'll be exciting for your baby. Or is 8 months young enough that that doesn't matter?

Platinum Member Joined: Feb 20 2009 Posts: 7591

Personally, I love using a stroller in the airport. Besides transporting the baby, I find it very useful for storing my purse, food bag, diaper bag, etc. Otherwise, in addition to carrying the baby, you have to shlep all that too. If your baby doesn't like the stroller, bring whatever carrier you're most comfortable with too.

Definitely bring a couple of days worth of diapers and two changes of clothing for the baby. Being stuck on a plane with a pukey or poppy baby is not fun.

Active Poster Joined: Mar 02 2011 Posts: 38

I've flown a bunch of times with my ten month old and I've always brought a stroller and a front facing carrier (I have a lillebaby). I wheel him and all our stuff around the airport and right before we board, I pop him into the carrier. I find that to be most convenient, as the carrier fits fine into the carry-on when I'm not using it. It also is easiest to have him nap in that on the plane, as opposed to in my arms, which fall asleep. (We fly domestic often so no bassinets Sad

).

Also, try and time feedings with takeoff and landings.

And I use overnight diapers on the plane, Huggies are wonderful.

And bring plenty of extra food, formula and diapers. We got diverted once and almost ran out. I pack extra into our wheelie carry on so I don't have to juggle a huge diaper bag.

Good luck!

OP here,
thank you all for your replies

I can't see going without a stroller even if I do take the carrier because after a while my back will start hurting. stroller will be first option when I can use it and when she doesn't want to be in there, carrier second and for when I have to get on the plane.

how do you manage carry ons? can you fit everything into one bag or do you shelp 2 around with you?

what about which seat to request? should I ask for bulk head? or is that not good because you can't put your feet anywhere. I remember once many years ago having a problem with bulk head and I think it was the feet but I can't remember exactly.

Thanks for pointing out the bassinet, I was wondering if it exists as the last time I did this it was on United and they didn't know what I was talking about. I'm going on better airlines this time so I hope they do.

Platinum Member Joined: May 07 2008 Posts: 8962

Bulkhead is roomier but a problem b/c there's no "seat in front of you" under which you can stretch your legs or stash the stuff you want to be able to pull out at any time. I've also never seen a bassinet anywhere except bulkhead. If you nurse, bulkhead gives you a modicum of privacy from the front.

Platinum Member Joined: Feb 20 2009 Posts: 7591

With bulkhead:

-you can have a bassinet, but every time the seatbelt sign is lit up you're supposed to take baby out and hold him.
-you have more room in front of your seat, to stretch your legs or to have the baby play on a blanket on the floor.
-the arm rests between seats don't go up, so you can't have the baby sleeping across both of your laps.
-you don't have a place to store your things on the floor, so everything has to go in the overhead bins during takeoff and landing. During the flight you can keep things in front of you in the mesh pockets or on the floor.
-it's closer to the bathroom, so going in for diaper changes isn't as difficult.
-you don't have to climb over people every time you want to go to the aisle.
-your baby can't bother the people in the seat in front of you, because it's just a wall- no seat.

I find it's worth getting bulkhead seats when flying with young children.

Platinum Member Joined: Apr 12 2010 Posts: 5773

Gold Member Joined: Aug 24 2010 Posts: 1467

The bulkhead seats get flip up movie screens, so you can still watch movies. But hate to break it to you - that's another thing that changes once you fly with children - you won't be watching movies in-flight much longer... (at least, in my experience)

The bulkhead seat actually has more legroom - you don't need to put your feet under the seat in front of you because there's more space. And if you minimize your hand baggage, then you don't have a problem with that.

And when they told me to hold my child cuz the seatbelt sign went on, I told them "he's sleeping now." And they left me alone. (Maybe because they got the preview earlier of what my child sounds like when he wants to sleep but isn't. He's loud. Very loud. And I guess they were willing to sacrifice their safety rules - and maybe even my son's safety - for some peace and quiet.) I would have picked him up if there was scary-feeling turbulence. But not just because...

Platinum Member Joined: Feb 20 2009 Posts: 7591

I find it depends on the crew re: whether or not they make you take the baby out of the bassinet every time the light goes on. I've had flight attendants literally stand there waiting for me to pull a finally sleeping baby out, and others who pretended not to notice.

Movies...haha! Ok, if you're taking turns with dh it could work. So they do have little screens that flip up.