Thanks in advance! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Calling all travelers
Ok all you mommys, I need some traveling advice. We will be taking our first airplane trip with Logan & Paige in December for Christmas. Please leave me a comment or email me and let me know any advice you have for traveling with little ones, anything specific that we should take on the plane to help entertain them, etc. I'd love to know if there is a specific item that you could not have lived without when you were traveling with the kiddos.
Thanks in advance! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Thanks in advance! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
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We schedule trips to coincide with naps if at all possible! For whatever reason, my little one is obsessed with ducks. I bought a Little Einstein video that had a duck in it just for the trip! That worked for awhile. Letting her do things I normally wouldn't, like rip up the plane magazine, was also good for nice chunk of time. Really, if you can get a nap at all, that is the best way. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't flown yet because I am not that brave, but I think we have a trip shortly after the new year. Anyway, a couple of things that entertain my two for longer periods of time are Peek A Boo bags (http://www.amazon.com/Iplay-Peek---Boo-Bag-Sugar/dp/B001ZZKXHO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322570028&sr=8-2), Travel Magna Doodles, Travel Aqua Doodles and Lift the Flap books. I got some lift the flap books that are for older children, not the baby style, and they LOVE them.
ReplyDeleteHow long is your flight?
ReplyDeleteWe spent 24 hours traveling to Europe when C was 6 months old, but that was TONS easier because he wasn't mobile. A month ago we took him on an almost 3 hour flight and he was an angel. Do your babies watch movies, and if so do you have a portable DVD player? That thing has been the best investment yet! I packed a ton of toys and books but they never even came out of the bag while traveling, though your flight is longer and I paid extra for a nonstop flight. Will they color? I got a magic coloring book and markers (you know, the marker only colors on the special paper) and that has been great too. Are you getting them their own seats or will they be riding as lap infants? Do you have layovers in there? At our home airport each terminal had a little play area and we got some wiggles out there before the flight. Look for (or ask about) those.
One thing that I liked was we sat in the 'front row' where there are no seats in front of you. That gave C a little more space to "run" (aka feel like he wasn't quite so crammed and enable him to hop off his chair is he wanted to for a minute). Ask the flight attendants and gate attendant for help.
DEFINITELY take a pacifier for each, and if they won't take a paci take a bottle/sippy of their favorite drink. They will need to be sucking on something during take off and landing to help their ears adjust to the pressure change.
Yikes, good luck! Hopefully you are pleasantly surprised like I have been both times we've flown with C!!
I have a few things that I think are essential for traveling with babies (We've flown with our 20 month old 14 times).
ReplyDelete- Plan out their outfits ahead of time and place each one, including socks, in a ziploc bag. It keeps the socks from getting lost and its easy to pack.
- Make sure you pack an extra shirt for yourself and outfit for them. I flew by myself with my daughter and failed to do so and she spilled all over me. I had to fly covered in babyfood.
- Bring a bag of things for them to do. Books, toys, teethers, crayons, etc. Keep them busy.
- Make sure you have a paci or drink for them to suck on while the plane is changing altitudes. It will help their ears pop.
-Pack more diapers and snacks than you think you'll need.
- Bring Orajel and Tylenol (if you use them).
-We always gate checked out stroller, that way we could use it to push her through the airport when we got off the plane.
-Remember that you'll have to take their shoes and jackets off too.
-Bring their blanket or sweater in case it's cold on the plane.
We have done 4 4+ hour trips and 2 10 hour flights with our 13 month old. I always have a new towy or book that she has not seen before so the fascination with a toy is longer. I also wipe down the seats completely before we sit down, so that any sick germs are not there anymore. Probably doesn't help much but makes me feel better. Pack extra outfits for you and them in your carry on. If they take a pacifier, I always make sure it is on the tether (I don't always use them) so that they don't hit the ground. For naptime, I have my ergo and pull the cover over her head so that it is kind of dark and the distractions are less. We always check the stroller at the gate as well. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWe are traveling with our now 13 month old in a few weeks as well. We flew with him at 8 months so I am a little nervous now that he is mobile. One of the best things for me was preparing for diaper changes by putting all that was needed for a quick diaper change in a ziploc so it was easy to run to the bathroom quickly. And to have several ziploc bags ready. It was also recommended to me to have a new toy and a new book that has never been seen before. Even though we do not watch many videos at home, I will have our iPad ready with some just in case. Hope your travels are smooth.
ReplyDeleteI'm new on your blog but I do have 3 flights with my one year old twins under my belt so here's what worked for us: Flying close to bedtime, eat at the airport, change diapers in the airport just before boarding (some plane toilets have no changing area). No new foods for at least 24 hours before flight. Dress for bedtime - onesie, sleeper plus optional jacket adn a big scarf that can be used as a blanket. Pacifiers are a must if you use them. No noisy toys - they'll drive you crazy. Plenty of wipes. If you babies have any history of reflux, flying my aggravate their tummies; in which case a bottle of mylanta may help.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I think I'll need to do a blog post on this because this comment is getting too long.