The Dreaded Plane Ride (Part Two): Baby on Lap, Car seats on the Plane & Isle Walking

....On from where we left off in Part One...

Lap Baby
If your baby is less than 24 months old you can choose to fly with him on your lap, thereby saving the expense of an extra seat. This is something I have taken full advantage of (always squeezing that last holiday in before my girls' second birthdays). The Airlines are always very accommodating in that they will place you next to an empty seat if there is one. I recommend checking in early (early bird gets the worm), always be super nice at the check-in counter,  ask them if the flight is full and if not, can they place you next to an empty seat. Of course, if the flight is full, there is nothing they can do. I must say though, about 80% of flights I have taken with a baby on my lap, and basically every flight I have taken alone with the kids, I have had an empty seat next to me. Think about what days you are flying; mid week flights tend to be less full (unless you are traveling in holiday peak).
You can obviously not bring your car seat on board if baby is sitting in your lap, and it can be tough on a long haul flight (even more so if you are traveling alone), but for me personally it is not so bad that I cant survive a 11-15 hr flight and the $$ save is worth it.
Many airlines provide bassinets for your baby on long haul flights. Sizes and weight restrictions vary but on average it is about 6-9 months old and 20 lbs (I will do a future blog post where I will set out specifications for each airline). If you want a bassinet, call the airline as soon as you have reserved your tickets and ask if they have any available. The bassinets can only be put up in certain seats and they therefore only have a few available on each flight. An added bonus of getting that bassinet is seats with extra legroom :)

Car Seats
Many people bring their car seats with them on flights. My opinion has always been travel as light as possible, and I just dont want to drag a giant car seat around - and when travelling alone with two kids it becomes an impossibility. There is an urban legend that you have to have car seats on board when flying with toddlers but it is simply not true (I have certainly never been kicked off an airplane).
That being said, there are advantages to bringing a car seat on a flight. It is easier for most kids to fall asleep in a car seat and many kids accept more readily that they have to stay put when in their car seat.
Some people also feel there is a safety concern in case of turbulence (although most people do secure their babies with the seat belt provided,  that links into your seat belt when flying with a baby on your lap). 
You can buy a flight vest such Baby B'Air flight vest for baby (I myself have been very satisfied with this). I have experienced turbulence with a baby in my lap and I have never had an issue. They have had their travel vests on and I have had a firm grip around them (even if it has made them cranky), and I have (obviously) never felt my baby was unsafe.  
If you do travel with a car seat, I recommend getting a car seat  travel cart. It is basically wheels and a handle that you can place your car seat on and wheel it through the airport (with baby in). If you are checking your car seat in, it might be worth investing in a check-in car seat bag to protect the seat from dirt, peeing security dogs (dont ask) and keeping all the buckles and straps safely contained. 

Many people bring their car seat so that they can use it in their rental car when they land. I have always just rented the carseat with the car (all major rental places have carseats for rent). There is always a section for carseats when you rent a car online. 
Many people are wary of renting car seats because of fears that they are not up to par or dirty.  I must say, I have never had a problem. I have rented car seats in New York, Dallas, England, Italy & Denmark (many times) and I have never had a problem apart from one time; I thought the car seat looked a bit tatty, complained and was given a brand new one immediately. They are normally professionally cleaned and you get them still wearing the plastic bag. That being said, If I was traveling to a third world country, I would probably not rent a car seat (in fact, I would probably not rent a car).

Isle-Walking
The first flight with baby I ever took, I did as I had always seen other parents do and patiently walked up and down the isle carrying my baby and, later when Sienna could walk, I would follow her up and down the isle as she was toddling around grabbing other people's snacks, tucking their sleeves and introducing herself. Up and down in a neverending game of human ping pong. The biggest problem was that once Sienna knew there was exiting stuff outside her seat that is where she wanted to be. 
All. The. Time.
Even during take-off and landing!

Whilst pregnant with my second girl, my cousin (who is an around- the- world-travelling-jetsetter- always-going-somewhere mother of 3 boys) told me that she never let any of her kids leave their seat unless it was for the bathroom. I was dumbfounded at first unable to imagine how she managed to keep 3 boysterous children in their seats for a long haul flight to New Zealand.
I decided to put it to the test when Amalia was born. By then Sienna was old enough to be fully entertained by ipad and TV and old enough to understand a reasonable explanation as to why she had to sit in her seat. Amalia was allowed to crawl on us and be on the floor in front of the seats between my husband, Sienna and myself and that was it. And the results have been awesome!
Because she has never known anything else, she has fully accepted the limits of traveling on an airplane. She has basically been the easiest baby ever to travel with, happy to be in her designated space. The flight attendees very much prefer the children sitting in their seats for safety reasons (those food & drink trollys are heavy and they dont always see a little one toddling around). 
I totally understand that if your baby is screaming her head off it might help walking around with her, but if avoidable, my recommendation is that you don't "isle-walk" - it makes for an easier, more comfortable flight.... for everybody.

Ok there is going to be Part Three to this.... 
next part will be about rude people and removing yourself from your own paranoia..

The Dreaded Plane Ride (Part One)

The prospect of even a short flight is often enough to send some parents running. B.K (before kids) we have all been on that flight where there is a kid screaming his head off for hours and hours and by the time we got off the plane,  we had a vein popping out of our temple, and we thought it quite reasonable to mandatorily strap small children to the wings of the airplane. We desperately don't want to be the parents of THAT child on the flight (an unreasonable fear I will deal with in Part Two).

Personally, I never really had a choice not to fly with my kids. You see, I am from Denmark, my whole family lives in Denmark and so if I want my children to have any relationship with my family I have to make that lovely 15 hrs plane ride at least on a yearly basis - and most times alone.  When put in situations like that, luckily my emergency coping mechanism kicks in, and I become an efficient organizing machine (I am very grateful for not being one of those people who panic...) and I have therefore over the years got my flying with babies/toddlers down to a science. In these next couple of blog posts I will share everything I have observed and learnt over the years.  Of course, every child is different and what works for me might not necessarily work for you 100%, but there should be some gems to take note of for everybody.

What to Bring on the plane

When it comes to hand luggage, us parents have a tendency to overdo it. We would like pack up our whole house (certainly all baby stuff) and set it up in two economy seats on a United flight. I often see families in the airport logging around strollers, car seats, ergo, two suitcases full of toys and a Bumbo seat just in case (and that is of course after they checked in the pack'n play, the potty and the high chair).

The more you fly with kids, the more selective you become; you know what they need and you refuse to drag around anything they don't. Don't misunderstand me; I am still carrying a lot more hand luggage than I did when it was just me, but everything I take on board is something that is necessary.

Always bring a change of clothes for child(ren) and for you. You never know what kind of puking,  spilling, diarrhea incident you might have (I have encountered them all) and there are few things worse than sitting on a plane for 5 hrs stinking of vomit/poop/milk.... for you and everybody else.

The obvious baby travel items such as wet wipes, diapers, pacifiers (if applicable). Think about the amount of  diapers you would normally go through in the amount of time you are flying and then add at least 50% extra. Babies will often get upset stomach whilst flying and it is always nice to have a few extra diapers on you.

If on a long haul flight; Motrin or other fever reducant. You just never know when that tooth decides to come out (over half of Sienna's teeth came out during travel)

 If child is old enough and have a tendency to get travel sickness; travel sickness medication (just in case). 

Their own comforter/blanket. I know they can take up a lot of space and be a pain to carry around, but I have always done this. It is just to give them a little piece of home and i find it makes it easier for them to sleep strange places such as airplanes.

Toys: I don't bring a lot of toys, as I have discovered they don't really play with them anyway. I usually bring one book per child (either a favorite (small) book or a new one). A (small) stuffed animal if they have one they are particularly attached to (if not don't bother bringing one). and a little travel set of crayons and drawing paper. When they were babies, I would bring some kind of Baby Einstein toy such as the Cube that has a side with a mirror, one that makes crackling sounds etc. 

Snacks: Always bring some snacks - on domestic flights they often serve nothing apart from a packet of pretzels and on long distance flights the meals are often not that appetizing and only served at certain times. I am personally not into my children snacking all day, but on a plane ride it is OK - it does get boring and I myself snack all the time when flying. If you have a small baby, bring snacks like peas, sweetcorn, blueberries etc. It will take them a while to eat and it is entertainment in a bowl for them. If you are breastfeeding and going on a long haul flight, I highly recommend pumping a bottle before leaving just to have extra. During flights with both my girls when they were babies, they were almost attached to my boob and, to put it crudely, I was sucked dry.

If you are bottle feeding, the flight attendees are always happy to help you with water etc. Remember; feeding your baby during take-off and landing is the easiest way to prevent earache.

You can walk through airport security with fluids for baby, just have it in a see-through bag, put them in their own tray through the x-ray machine and let the security officers know its for baby (they might ask you to taste any liquid). 

When travelling with my 4-year old and 2-year old on a long haul flight,  I normally bring snacks such as a couple of little sandwiches, apples, mini carrots, blueberries, raspberries, crackers, dried fruit etc NEVER candy, cake and other sugar loaded treats - for obvious reasons...

I always bring my trusty old MacLaren umbrella stroller. These strollers can take more abuse than an old Toyota pick-up and because it is still an umbrella stroller, you don't have to check it in until the gate. If I travel alone with two kids I normally bring the Ergo too. Then I have the youngest in the ergo when boarding the getting off the plane, and I have two hands for hand luggage, oldest child and comforters. Its is also nice to have the ergo if I have a long walk in the airport and Sienna gets tired and wants to sit in the stroller for a bit. 

To Ipad or not to Ipad (or Iphone)

I admit it. when it comes to TV and Ipad on an airplane all rules are off! I am  normally the TV/Ipad Nazi; my kids might get to watch one episode of Kipper or Dinosaur Train before bed if they have behaved all day and Ipad is a special treat. 

But if watching a whole season of The Fraggles will keep my 4 year old happy and content on a long haul flight so be it. Flying is boring! I myself try to sneak in a movie or two when flying so why shouldn't they?

Sienna knows by now that flying means ipad time and she is always super exited. We make it very clear that she cannot play with the ipad during take-off and landing because otherwise the pilot will come in and tell her off. There is also a condition of general good behavior or the ipad will disappear (it has so far not been necessary to carry out that threat - she knows from day-to-day life that we mean it). 

At the end of the day, you cannot expect a young child to sit in a seat for that long without some kind of entertainment and since there is no playground, limited floor space and I refuse to bring 120 books with me, I am afraid the choices are very few. Is it bribery? Yes indeed - and it works great!

Finally....

In Part Two I will deal with isle walking, ignoring rude people, your own paranoia, carseats on the plane (or not) and anything else that will occur to me as I write it...

Please feel free to add your own tips and experiences - the more the merrier!