have finally decided where you are going to travel to, you are so completely psyched about going on vacation with your family, but there is this dark and scary thought in the back of your mind - the FLIGHT! ALL parents get anxious and worried about their little ones in the air. Babies are so small and helpless, little kids so wiggly and noisy, how EVER are we going to do this without getting kicked off the aircraft before take-off? What about that horribly cranky old lady sitting in front of Olivia while she slams her tray table open and closed every 2 minutes? Here's some ideas on how to we get through this stress that might just help. We'll start with choosing the right flight! In another posting I'll talk about the ear-popping, toy distractions, and airport experiences :)Keep in mind, human beings were never intended to be 30,000 feet in the air! Thanks to the Wright brothers, this is now possible (and thank GOD for those guys!) I try and be reasonable about my expectations before leaving. You have to expect there to be stressful moments, and potentially some bad behaviour or tears, but we were all babies/children at one time and that's all part of the package! If we book a flight well over 10 hours, we try to get a red-eye if it's possible. This way she can sleep for a good portion of the trip. Her sleep is sometimes interrupted by announcements, turbulence, pinging and binging. We find the red-eye intimidating but by far the easiest for long-haul flights. Olivia slept the WHOLE way to Paris, she literally fell asleep on take-off and woke when we needed to de-plane! SO terrific.
For sunny destinations, we choose the earlier flight, the one that actually gets us out of bed at 3 am. That way, she is likely to be exhausted by 7 am take-off (from a not so good night's rest) and catches up on some Zzzz's in the air. Sometimes you have to decide what's more important and each child is different. When she was a tiny baby, the sleep schedule was more important so when we flew, we tried to cater to her schedule but now that's she's older, it's easier to get her back on track. It's funny how even the worst sleepers fall asleep in airplanes, it's something to do with the pressure changes and the hum/vibration of the engines.
When checking in at the desk, ask the agent if a seat close to the front of the plane is available, and obviously a window seat is exciting for little ones. Getting seats near the front allow you to be one of the 1st off the airplane, as well as the advantage of being close to the bathroom and flight attendants if you need them, as well you are one of the 1st to get meals, drinks and snacks too! The one disadvantage is that the flight crew sometimes use the overhead compartments at the front of the plane to store their items and bags which leaves limited room to put your bags, but if you take advantage of the early boarding for small children and anyone needing assistance, it shouldn't be a problem. We always do the early boarding call for small children, it's a great way to avoid yet another line-up and you won't have to stumble around other passengers while carrying your child down the aisle.
Get yourselves organized and ready BEFORE it is your turn at security. Take off jewelry, belts, and other metals and stash in your purse, fold the stroller and do all those annoying but essential tasks of getting through the scanners. Let your child know that his or her favourite stuff toy or much loved blankie will pop out on the other side of the machine, as Olivia has had a fit and cried in the past, out of fear that they were taking her toy/blankie away. They do expect your walking child to go through the scanner alone, so prepare your little one for this, and let them go ahead of you so there is a staff person there to watch your child while you go through.
There are such things as infant cots/bassinets for babies on with some airlines for long haul flights (wee beds for babies in specific areas of the plane) which we would recommend, but they are becoming more and more scarce. We were never lucky enough to use the cot/bassinet, but I've seen them and they look cozy. I have flown alone with Olivia as a baby, and holding her for so long can be exhausting. If both parents are on board, it is quite a lot easier. There is always the option of booking your baby (under 2) a seat of their own, but then you pay for the extra seat and have to deal with the car seat too as that is regulation. All babies under 2 years have to be in an regulation age-appropriate car seat while on board the aircraft. We never bought her a separate seat, but again, the longest flight we flew with her as a baby was 5-6 hours to Vancouver.
We ALWAYS take an umbrella stroller, if not to hold Olivia then to hold the carry on bags! I don't know WHAT we are going to do when she gets too big for it in a year or so!! Often airlines do cater to small children, allowing you to take the umbrella stroller and check it plane side. They only allow this for umbrella strollers, not bigger strollers. Sometimes the stroller is given to you upon your arrival - plane side (this can sometimes take an annoyingly long time putting you at the back of the customs line-up) other times it has gone to large items check in, depending on the luggage situation when you land. This can be a huge pain in the tush since then you don't have the stroller for the long walk to customs/baggage claim. Ah well, we have survived that walk to tell the tale :)
Some airlines even have goodie bags for small kids, with little toys and games and colouring stuff inside. We love these little extras. The movies played on the "communal TV's" may or may not be child appropriate, so we always bring our portable DVD player. On long haul bigger aircrafts there is often a personal TV with all kinds of kid movie choices and TV stations too, but Olivia loves her own little TV and vast movie collection. we also pack a variety of novel toys and books, as well as some paper to draw on.
Allowances of liquids and foods are different for each airline, so check with your specific carrier to see what is allowed for your baby/child. All airlines do allow a certain amount of fluid/food for babies, but after age 2 - that is entirely cut off. We buy Olivia a squirtie bottle of water and snacks once through security. This saves us from having to wait for the flight attendants to bring her a drink and a snack, which of course she always seems to want immediately after take off. It's a good idea to pack an empty sippie if she does want drinks from the flight attendant, since kids struggle on a regular day to keep their cups from spilling, never mind in a moving airplane with bumps along the way. Also the snacks served are not necessarily kid friendly, or you have to pay additional $ for them, so we fly prepared.
BE PREPARED is the motto for any travels with little ones. Bring everything you think you may need, you will be surprised when that little ziploc bag of lego will come in handy! Soon I will add to this post about the fun toys, tricks, games, and some fun ideas that we use to help make our travels with Little Olivia that much easier :) Happy flying everyone, and remember during those horrifying moments like when your little traveler throws a temper tantrum in the plane, that this too shall pass and the one person who is most likely upset by this display, is you! Don't let flying with small kids deter you from traveling, it never turns out as awful as you 1st imagined!
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