haniboo

make it five cents.

all of our four kids flew from very young ages--a 6 day old with a connection, a 6 week old from TLV to JFK, etc. i am a nervous traveler and so i always preferred kids to be in their own carseats, infants and toddlers. they are more comfy and then i could worry about keeping the plane aloft.the side of a toddler seat also makes a nice headrest for mom. most important, of course, is that it is MUCH safer for them to be in their car seats instead of my arms.

i found very often that the FAs did not want the car seat on the plane. i am sure it slows our boarding, people get hit with it, etc. perhaps it is different today, but very often they would give me a hard time. it didn't seem to matter the age of the child either. here is what i did to convince them to let me, kid, and car seat board the plane:

I would look at the FA squarely in the eye and say, "you and i both know that in the unlikely event of a problem, the child is much safer being in an FAA-approved car seat than in my arms" at that point, the FA herself would usually escort us to our seat and strap in the seat.

for many years i had wee ones in a double stroller, and two toddler car seats. it wasn't fun or pretty, but i strapped the kids in the stroller and slung one car seat from each stroller handle and off we would go. if you were one of the PAX i hit, i am sorry.

definately take more diapers and food and change of clothes for you and kid than you could possibly need. you might need it. bring lots of snacks. put dipes and wipes in a few different places, so if you have to store one carryon in the overhead, you will still have some stuff under the seat.

if your kid is a bit past stroller age and you usually don't use it at home, it still might have a place in traveling. we have just relinquished ours and the wee ones are 5 and 7. when a wee one (and they aren't too wee at 5 and 7) is sleeping and you have to move him, he is a lot easier to push than to carry.

bring some cheapy crayons and coloring books, cars, playing cards, stickers that you dopn't mind losing. i discovered that it was much easier to write off some cheapy crayons than go sliding under the seats looking for dropped crayolas.

have a great time, and rememeber how much quicker one gets to his destination with the advent of jet motors. (can you imagine how many diapers would be needed on a horse and buggy cross-country trip?)

SptCA

How did you get a 6 day old on a flight? Generally doctors recommend a baby not fly for the first 2 weeks.

haniboo

i was rushing to get to see my dad before he died; and we had the pediatrician's ok....i probably lied, if asked, about her age, but i don't think anyone asked. it certainly would have been harder had she needed a passport.

she had no complilcations and it has been a source of pleasure for her that she got to "meet" her grandfather before he died.

dchristiva

Good tips, though I'd disagree on a couple of points. Specifically, I'm not a believer in taking more diapers than you think you'll need. I tend to adhere to a "36-hour rule", taking enough diapers for that length of time only and planning to hit the nearest food or drug store to pick up necessary supplies at my destination. I only apply this rule when I'm traveling to domestic locations that I know well. I just don't like the idea of packing a suitcase full of diapers, wipes, etc. and lugging it to the check-in desk and then from baggage claim to the rental car. My diaper bag holds more than enough supplies for a day and a half. YMMV.

SptCA

I suspected there was a story there, as I didn't think any sane parent would schedule vacation that close to childbirth.

My son had just 1 year with my Dad before Dad died, and my son is so proud of the pictures of him playing with Grandpa.

stinky123

Oh, I can beat six days! My son's first flight was when he was four hours old.

catwings01

If you paid for a seat for the child how could the FA discourage you or deny you the use of the car seat? I was under the impression that if you have paid for a seat for a child under two that they actually are required to be in an FAA approved car seat?

SptCA

But most Medivac flights don't get FF miles.