First trip with 6 month old.... questions
Apr 18, 2018, 7:18 am
#16
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 77
Travel with Tots
My kids are teens, but my wife an I learned a few tricks when traveling with babies.
1) If your airport has curbside baggage check, use it.
2) I would drop wife and kids at front door of the airport, then I would go park wherever I needed to and work my way back to the airport to meet the family. No need to drag the kids along on a shuttle bus from a distant parking lot. In the interim, wife has taken the kids to the bathroom and/or changed diapers.
3) Get a stroller where you can snap your car seat into it. At the gate, get a tag to gate-check your stroller. Wheel your child right up to the airplane door, then pull out the car seat and leave the stroller behind. Make sure your car seat is labeled FAA approved. Almost all are, but I have seen some FAs reject unlabeled car seats at the plane door. (Apparently, they felt it was safer for the kid to use an adult seat belt with no car seat at all!)
4) Upon deplaning, let everybody else go first. When you finally get off the plane, your stroller will be waiting for you.
5) Buy a separate seat for your child, even if the FAA says you can hold her on your lap. Lap babies are extremely dangerous, as well as inconvenient for both the parent and any neighboring passengers. If you cannot afford another seat, then you need to reconsider whether you should be traveling at all. FYI, car seats must be in window seats. If you have two little ones, you must have two adults and sit separately.
6) I don’t know if this is still the case, but most airlines used to offer half-price tickets for kids under 2, because they know it is better to have that kid in a seat. These prices were never advertised, nor offered on the website, but I used to routinely get the discount over the phone from all the major carriers.
7) Travel based on your child’s schedule. If your child usually naps from 1-3, then that is the perfect time to fly! It drives me nuts when I see people at the airport who have dragged their toddlers out of bed in the middle of the night to catch a 6 AM flight. Adults can deal with occasional sleep interruption, but little ones become cranky, which is not good for anybody. If your child can nap through most or all of a flight, per her regular schedule, everybody is better off.
8) Don’t force yourself into a tight connection. That is just asking for trouble. With toddlers and up, the extra time during a layover is well spent stretching their legs and running off some energy. Most major airports have playscapes.
9) Nearly all crying on a plane is due to the pressure on sensitive ears. Chewing gum works for adults or older kids, but little guys need something to suck on, like a bottle or pacifier. Don’t wait for them to cry. Get them sucking before take off and descent.
10) This does not apply at 6 months, but bring activities for your children. The more time they spend occupied with drawing, reading, coloring, puzzles, stickers, etc., the less time they have to realize that they are confined to a 17" seat.
11) Snacks.
12) Wipes for both the child and for surfaces (different products). Airplanes and airports are filthy places. Most parents already carry wipes, but stock up when traveling. We would always wipe down the arm rests and tray tables before even sitting down.
13) Establish frequent flier accounts for the kids. It is never too soon to start accumulating miles.
14) Make your kids aware of what you are doing at every step of the travel process. This will make them competent and conscientious travelers. By the time my girls were 4, they were carrying their own backpacks and speeding through security like pros.
1) If your airport has curbside baggage check, use it.
2) I would drop wife and kids at front door of the airport, then I would go park wherever I needed to and work my way back to the airport to meet the family. No need to drag the kids along on a shuttle bus from a distant parking lot. In the interim, wife has taken the kids to the bathroom and/or changed diapers.
3) Get a stroller where you can snap your car seat into it. At the gate, get a tag to gate-check your stroller. Wheel your child right up to the airplane door, then pull out the car seat and leave the stroller behind. Make sure your car seat is labeled FAA approved. Almost all are, but I have seen some FAs reject unlabeled car seats at the plane door. (Apparently, they felt it was safer for the kid to use an adult seat belt with no car seat at all!)
4) Upon deplaning, let everybody else go first. When you finally get off the plane, your stroller will be waiting for you.
5) Buy a separate seat for your child, even if the FAA says you can hold her on your lap. Lap babies are extremely dangerous, as well as inconvenient for both the parent and any neighboring passengers. If you cannot afford another seat, then you need to reconsider whether you should be traveling at all. FYI, car seats must be in window seats. If you have two little ones, you must have two adults and sit separately.
6) I don’t know if this is still the case, but most airlines used to offer half-price tickets for kids under 2, because they know it is better to have that kid in a seat. These prices were never advertised, nor offered on the website, but I used to routinely get the discount over the phone from all the major carriers.
7) Travel based on your child’s schedule. If your child usually naps from 1-3, then that is the perfect time to fly! It drives me nuts when I see people at the airport who have dragged their toddlers out of bed in the middle of the night to catch a 6 AM flight. Adults can deal with occasional sleep interruption, but little ones become cranky, which is not good for anybody. If your child can nap through most or all of a flight, per her regular schedule, everybody is better off.
8) Don’t force yourself into a tight connection. That is just asking for trouble. With toddlers and up, the extra time during a layover is well spent stretching their legs and running off some energy. Most major airports have playscapes.
9) Nearly all crying on a plane is due to the pressure on sensitive ears. Chewing gum works for adults or older kids, but little guys need something to suck on, like a bottle or pacifier. Don’t wait for them to cry. Get them sucking before take off and descent.
10) This does not apply at 6 months, but bring activities for your children. The more time they spend occupied with drawing, reading, coloring, puzzles, stickers, etc., the less time they have to realize that they are confined to a 17" seat.
11) Snacks.
12) Wipes for both the child and for surfaces (different products). Airplanes and airports are filthy places. Most parents already carry wipes, but stock up when traveling. We would always wipe down the arm rests and tray tables before even sitting down.
13) Establish frequent flier accounts for the kids. It is never too soon to start accumulating miles.
14) Make your kids aware of what you are doing at every step of the travel process. This will make them competent and conscientious travelers. By the time my girls were 4, they were carrying their own backpacks and speeding through security like pros.
Apr 18, 2018, 7:56 am
#17
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 77
Travel with Tots
My kids are teens, but my wife an I learned a few tricks when traveling with babies.
1) If your airport has curbside baggage check, use it.
2) I would drop wife and kids at front door of the airport, then I would go park wherever I needed to and work my way back to the airport to meet the family. No need to drag the kids along on a shuttle bus from a distant parking lot. In the interim, wife has taken the kids to the bathroom and/or changed diapers.
3) Get a stroller where you can snap your car seat into it. At the gate, get a tag to gate-check your stroller. Wheel your child right up to the airplane door, then pull out the car seat and leave the stroller behind. Make sure your car seat is labeled FAA approved. Almost all are, but I have seen some FAs reject unlabeled car seats at the plane door. (Apparently, they felt it was safer for the kid to use an adult seat belt with no car seat at all!)
4) Upon deplaning, let everybody else go first. When you finally get off the plane, your stroller will be waiting for you.
5) Buy a separate seat for your child, even if the FAA says you can hold her on your lap. Lap babies are extremely dangerous, as well as inconvenient for both the parent and any neighboring passengers. If you cannot afford another seat, then you need to reconsider whether you should be traveling at all. FYI, car seats must be in window seats. If you have two little ones, you must have two adults and sit separately.
6) I don’t know if this is still the case, but most airlines used to offer half-price tickets for kids under 2, because they know it is better to have that kid in a seat. These prices were never advertised, nor offered on the website, but I used to routinely get the discount over the phone from all the major carriers.
7) Travel based on your child’s schedule. If your child usually naps from 1-3, then that is the perfect time to fly! It drives me nuts when I see people at the airport who have dragged their toddlers out of bed in the middle of the night to catch a 6 AM flight. Adults can deal with occasional sleep interruption, but little ones become cranky, which is not good for anybody. If your child can nap through most or all of a flight, per her regular schedule, everybody is better off.
8) Don’t force yourself into a tight connection. That is just asking for trouble. With toddlers and up, the extra time during a layover is well spent stretching their legs and running off some energy. Most major airports have playscapes.
9) Nearly all crying on a plane is due to the pressure on sensitive ears. Chewing gum works for adults or older kids, but little guys need something to suck on, like a bottle or pacifier. Don’t wait for them to cry. Get them sucking before take off and descent.
10) This does not apply at 6 months, but bring activities for your children. The more time they spend occupied with drawing, reading, coloring, puzzles, stickers, etc., the less time they have to realize that they are confined to a 17" seat.
11) Snacks.
12) Wipes for both the child and for surfaces (different products). Airplanes and airports are filthy places. Most parents already carry wipes, but stock up when traveling. We would always wipe down the arm rests and tray tables before even sitting down.
13) Establish frequent flier accounts for the kids. It is never too soon to start accumulating miles.
14) Make your kids aware of what you are doing at every step of the travel process. This will make them competent and conscientious travelers. By the time my girls were 4, they were carrying their own backpacks and speeding through security like pros.
1) If your airport has curbside baggage check, use it.
2) I would drop wife and kids at front door of the airport, then I would go park wherever I needed to and work my way back to the airport to meet the family. No need to drag the kids along on a shuttle bus from a distant parking lot. In the interim, wife has taken the kids to the bathroom and/or changed diapers.
3) Get a stroller where you can snap your car seat into it. At the gate, get a tag to gate-check your stroller. Wheel your child right up to the airplane door, then pull out the car seat and leave the stroller behind. Make sure your car seat is labeled FAA approved. Almost all are, but I have seen some FAs reject unlabeled car seats at the plane door. (Apparently, they felt it was safer for the kid to use an adult seat belt with no car seat at all!)
4) Upon deplaning, let everybody else go first. When you finally get off the plane, your stroller will be waiting for you.
5) Buy a separate seat for your child, even if the FAA says you can hold her on your lap. Lap babies are extremely dangerous, as well as inconvenient for both the parent and any neighboring passengers. If you cannot afford another seat, then you need to reconsider whether you should be traveling at all. FYI, car seats must be in window seats. If you have two little ones, you must have two adults and sit separately.
6) I don’t know if this is still the case, but most airlines used to offer half-price tickets for kids under 2, because they know it is better to have that kid in a seat. These prices were never advertised, nor offered on the website, but I used to routinely get the discount over the phone from all the major carriers.
7) Travel based on your child’s schedule. If your child usually naps from 1-3, then that is the perfect time to fly! It drives me nuts when I see people at the airport who have dragged their toddlers out of bed in the middle of the night to catch a 6 AM flight. Adults can deal with occasional sleep interruption, but little ones become cranky, which is not good for anybody. If your child can nap through most or all of a flight, per her regular schedule, everybody is better off.
8) Don’t force yourself into a tight connection. That is just asking for trouble. With toddlers and up, the extra time during a layover is well spent stretching their legs and running off some energy. Most major airports have playscapes.
9) Nearly all crying on a plane is due to the pressure on sensitive ears. Chewing gum works for adults or older kids, but little guys need something to suck on, like a bottle or pacifier. Don’t wait for them to cry. Get them sucking before take off and descent.
10) This does not apply at 6 months, but bring activities for your children. The more time they spend occupied with drawing, reading, coloring, puzzles, stickers, etc., the less time they have to realize that they are confined to a 17" seat.
11) Snacks.
12) Wipes for both the child and for surfaces (different products). Airplanes and airports are filthy places. Most parents already carry wipes, but stock up when traveling. We would always wipe down the arm rests and tray tables before even sitting down.
13) Establish frequent flier accounts for the kids. It is never too soon to start accumulating miles.
14) Make your kids aware of what you are doing at every step of the travel process. This will make them competent and conscientious travelers. By the time my girls were 4, they were carrying their own backpacks and speeding through security like pros.
Apr 24, 2018, 7:21 am
#18
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: OH
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, Marriot Lifetime Gold
Posts: 9,537
I'm a single mum and have traveled all over with my now 5 yo. Get a backpack for the car seat, easy folding stroller (I adore my city mini) with a back for gate checking. Another backpack and a messenger style bag for baby stuff ( I loved Diaper Dude). And a roller bag. I never check luggage and can wear the car seat on my back, hang the diaper bag on the stroller, place the back pack on the roller, and push the stroller with one hand.
Key things - extra set of clothes for baby, more diapers than you think you need, and an extra shirt for you, plus snacks, water & formula (if you use it), and quiet toys all in the diaper bag. I was lucky that my daughter drank her formula room temp - that was a lifesaver. Also, now that she is older, her only time that she is allowed to play on a phone or ipad is on planes (and she has her own headphones). I always took a few books and crayons/paper. We've made it thru 6 hour flights this way.
Oh and I do let her wear PJs to the airport / on the flight if it is during nap/bed time
Key things - extra set of clothes for baby, more diapers than you think you need, and an extra shirt for you, plus snacks, water & formula (if you use it), and quiet toys all in the diaper bag. I was lucky that my daughter drank her formula room temp - that was a lifesaver. Also, now that she is older, her only time that she is allowed to play on a phone or ipad is on planes (and she has her own headphones). I always took a few books and crayons/paper. We've made it thru 6 hour flights this way.
Oh and I do let her wear PJs to the airport / on the flight if it is during nap/bed time
Apr 25, 2018, 6:16 am
#19
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Paris, Chicago, Rome, London, St John
Programs: DeltaPrivateJet, Ritz PP, Delta 4 million miler - Flying Colonel; AA Exec Plat (3 million + USAir)
Posts: 796
I'm a single mum and have traveled all over with my now 5 yo. Get a backpack for the car seat, easy folding stroller (I adore my city mini) with a back for gate checking. Another backpack and a messenger style bag for baby stuff ( I loved Diaper Dude). And a roller bag. I never check luggage and can wear the car seat on my back, hang the diaper bag on the stroller, place the back pack on the roller, and push the stroller with one hand.
Key things - extra set of clothes for baby, more diapers than you think you need, and an extra shirt for you, plus snacks, water & formula (if you use it), and quiet toys all in the diaper bag. I was lucky that my daughter drank her formula room temp - that was a lifesaver. Also, now that she is older, her only time that she is allowed to play on a phone or ipad is on planes (and she has her own headphones). I always took a few books and crayons/paper. We've made it thru 6 hour flights this way.
Oh and I do let her wear PJs to the airport / on the flight if it is during nap/bed time
Key things - extra set of clothes for baby, more diapers than you think you need, and an extra shirt for you, plus snacks, water & formula (if you use it), and quiet toys all in the diaper bag. I was lucky that my daughter drank her formula room temp - that was a lifesaver. Also, now that she is older, her only time that she is allowed to play on a phone or ipad is on planes (and she has her own headphones). I always took a few books and crayons/paper. We've made it thru 6 hour flights this way.
Oh and I do let her wear PJs to the airport / on the flight if it is during nap/bed time
May 2, 2018, 1:56 pm
#20
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 88
The best thing I did for my first flight with an infant was to pack in the carry-on a stash of ziplock plastic baggies. Inside each baggie, I had a fresh diaper, and a change of clothes for baby. We could then go to the bathroom and I could just grab one bag, and the box of wipes, and go change her. Soiled diaper and any soiled clothes went into the ziploc. We went through ALL TEN OF THEM (admittedly, it was 3 hour + 13 hours of flying). A lot of babies have real blowouts on planes.
I also agree that it's essential for you to have a fresh t-shirt for yourself on board. I also recommend a baby carrier so your hands are free. Even grabbing the dumb carry on is tough when the baby is in your arms.
Definitely feed during the times of maximum air pressure changes (take off, landing).
And no to medications. Risks outweigh the benefits.
I also agree that it's essential for you to have a fresh t-shirt for yourself on board. I also recommend a baby carrier so your hands are free. Even grabbing the dumb carry on is tough when the baby is in your arms.
Definitely feed during the times of maximum air pressure changes (take off, landing).
And no to medications. Risks outweigh the benefits.
Jul 6, 2018, 2:59 pm
#21
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 3
bed for diaper change
I would advise you to take with you a baby bag like this one ministyle.co.uk/products/multi-function-portable-travel-bed-for-baby they have also many others similar available on the website and offer 20% discount for the first order it will be very useful and handy when moving around . You can take them with you inside the plane with no problems and you can open it and make it a bed for changing diapers
So preparing for the first trip with our 6 month old. First, i need a carry on. The goal being to carry everything for the kid. I am going back and forth between a full size carry on(right at the airline limits, but likely wont fit on a regional) or an underseat carry on(more flexibility but holds less). Any thoughts from those that have been there? Im assuming this bag will hold everything from diapers to formula/breastmilk, to wipes, etc. Underseat does seem best but in my 3 trips this year none of them involve a regional. Not to mention we have bulkhead on all of these flights.
We were going to rent a car seat with Avis but decided against it and will bring ours and check it. We will also bring a stroller and gate check that. Any tips for navigating the flight? Board first? Board last? Should we consider a pre-emptive tylenol? or is that unnecessary? Im told we should either feed him or have him suck on a paci during take off/landing to help with this as well.
Any other tips/tricks?
Thanks.
We were going to rent a car seat with Avis but decided against it and will bring ours and check it. We will also bring a stroller and gate check that. Any tips for navigating the flight? Board first? Board last? Should we consider a pre-emptive tylenol? or is that unnecessary? Im told we should either feed him or have him suck on a paci during take off/landing to help with this as well.
Any other tips/tricks?
Thanks.
Jul 7, 2018, 3:07 am
#22
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Paris, Chicago, Rome, London, St John
Programs: DeltaPrivateJet, Ritz PP, Delta 4 million miler - Flying Colonel; AA Exec Plat (3 million + USAir)
Posts: 796
diaper bag: https://www.babble.com/parenting/bes...gs-for-travel/
Don't forget the insulated bag and hand pump.
But you should buy your baby a seat and use the car seat for him/her. While it is rare, when a plane hits turbulance and "drops" it is impossible to hold onto the child and they go flying The FAA and flight attendant unions all recommend it. Plus the most common injury of "lap chid's" is burns from coffee spilling. Your child will also travel much more comfortably (as will you). Renting a car seat is not great as they are often broken.
Don't forget the insulated bag and hand pump.
But you should buy your baby a seat and use the car seat for him/her. While it is rare, when a plane hits turbulance and "drops" it is impossible to hold onto the child and they go flying The FAA and flight attendant unions all recommend it. Plus the most common injury of "lap chid's" is burns from coffee spilling. Your child will also travel much more comfortably (as will you). Renting a car seat is not great as they are often broken.
Jul 11, 2018, 5:13 am
#23
Join Date: Jul 2018
Programs: https://thebabyside.com/
Posts: 3
I advise you. you should take folding type baby stroller because if you take with your self big stroller then you feel disturbance in your travelling. I know this is not big point which i tell you but I face this problem that's why I advise you take folding stroller and take other things which you carry on easily.