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!