Flying can be really stressful. You need to get to the airport early, make sure your carry on is the right size, get through all the lines and then find a place to put your things in your tiny space. I was so nervous to take Mason on an airplane ride, but luckily he did really well. He was nine and a half months so he was still sleeping a lot and pretty calm. My husband, Sean, won free airline tickets that were for first class so we were lucky to only have two seats in our row. I was worried about Mason being loud, crying, needing a diaper change, and needing to eat. The only problem we had was that they bring you food in first class and there wasn’t really room to hold Mason and have the tray folded down to eat. He was grabbing all the food and almost knocking over the drinks. Besides that, I was able to feed him and he had a good time just sitting with us. It was also nice that the flight from Portland, OR to Santa Ana, CA is only a little over two hours so it’s not too long to entertain your little one. Here are my tips for flying with a baby:
- Try to schedule your flights around nap time so baby sleeps on the flight
- Make sure you have your diaper bag with wipes and enough diapers
- Have a swaddle or blanket
- Bring a swaddle or nursing cover if you breastfeed or if you bottle feed make sure you have enough formula in the diaper bag as well as a spare bottle just in case
- Bring extra pacifiers if your baby takes those and a couple little toys he/she can look at and hold
- Have an extra outfit packed in your carry on in case of spit up or diaper accident
- Do your best to relax and stay calm. Flying with little ones can be stressful, but there’s only so much you can do on an airplane and you just need to worry about taking care of your baby. You can try walking up and down the aisle if needed or just hold them and if they cry, it’s ok 🙂 It’ll be over soon!
Another idea would be to take a baby carrier with you. They’re great for carrying your baby around the airport in and you can use it on the airplane if that comforts your baby. You just need to unbuckle it to not have them in the carrier during the take off and landing.