Any advice for flying with 5 month old?

[mrsmynub]

I'm sorry if this isn't the right place to post...but I am looking for advice for anyone that has taken their baby on a plane at such a young age.  We are traveling the first weekend in June from CA to NY and will be traveling straight through (5 1/2 hour or so flight). DS will be just 5 months old at the time.  I am a NERVOUS WRECK about: 1) his ears killing him - how do I insure that I can get him to eat or take a binky when we take off or land?) 2) that he will be so off with the time difference (3 hours) that he will never sleep, etc. and 3) all of the CRAP that I have to travel with will make me tired.

I have been posting here for a while and I am happy to report that Dante is FINALLY on EASY the way he should be.  I no longer have to rock him to sleep as he takes a binky and falls asleep on his own.  He is now open to the DF and only wakes once at around 4am or so for a feeding.  We have started on solid food (cereal last week and we will try sweet potatoes this weekend) and he is really thriving.  I am so happy with how EASY EASY has been in the last month and am so nervous that it will all go out the window.

The good news (I think) is that we are taking overnight flights there and back, so I am hoping that Dante will sleep.

ANyone out there that can help?

THanks,
Dana

[kate585]

Thanks for all the great answers, Deb!  I'm going to make this a sticky since this is a popular topic. 

Everyone else: please add what worked for you, too!

My only advice is to bring a change of clothes for yourself, too.  If you are holding a puking baby, you'll need it.   

[mrsmynub]

Okay, so we will be landing at 7am EST, which is when my ds usually wakes (for him it will still only be 4am).  Do I start his day and then have him take a nap at 8:30-9am?  Or, do I follow OUR time the first day that we are there?  Sorry, but I am confused.

You're right about the change of clothes for me!!!!

I am still so nervous about take off and landing.  I am not sure if his feedings will coincide with the times and am SO scared that he will be screaming.

[Deb_in_oz]

since you are arriving at 7 am (after an overnight flight where your lo will most certainly not be getting a full night sleep) you do whatever he needs that day with your goal being to have him nap enough in the daytime to make it thorugh to a usual bedtime and hope he catches up on some sleep that night.

so don't worry about exact times that day - follow his cues as he will be tired, just make sure you distinguish night and day

so i woudl advise you to give him his usual number fo naps and limit them to  normal max time (so maybe 2 hr bursts or so) don't let him sleep in larger blocks so that he hopefully does that at 7/8pm local time

make sure you take him outside into the daylight to helo reset his clock - so try to go for some walks during his A times.

grandparents are on webcam so have to dash off - will come back in a while

[Deb_in_oz]

back again  see all this long distance stuff leads to lots of time spent online with all family members on webcams to cut down on flights required 

basically - you will go straight onto local time as you have a full day there to try to get DS switched fast to new times.  because he will be tired... you won't be able to predict how his day will run. if he is usually taking only 45min - 1hr 30 naps he might take 2 hr naps to make up sleep from  the flight. or he may be so overtired that he takes quite a few short naps. basically just try to stick to set feed times (3 or 4 hrly depending on your current routine) to give structure to the day AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, but don't stress if he eats for a bit, plays for a short while and then sleeps. by limiting the nap lengths  (even if it is hard for you to wake a sleeping baby) you are working to switch him from old time to new time. 

if he wakes in the night he may be hungry so feed if needed, but treat it like any other night waking and resettle afterwards so he is sent the clear signal that it is sleep time and not playing...  no way to predict how he will do so i woudl just make sure you and Dh get to bed a little early and maybe decide who will handle what (maybe if you are BF and need to get up to feed, Dh can sleep during that time but help resettle DS afterwards)

when we did a big trip when alex was 10 1/2mo we flew Sydney to New york via LAX all in one stretch then had 3 weeks in NY and onto London for 3 weeks and then onto Bangkok for 2 days and then Sydney.  so traveling in same direction as you... in NY she had terrible nights for 5 nights but for the switch from NY to LON she was fine almost within 48 hours (the NY - LON trip woudl be comparable to your LAX to NY trip)

GOOD LUCK! and enjoy your trip 

[mrsmynub]

Thanks for the advice.  So, I should basically try to stick to his routine, but let him nap when he wants, as long as it's not too long.  It will probably be a rough couple of days, but we'll see.  We will only be in NY for 6 days....but then later on in the summer, I am taking ds back again to NY for 3 weeks, so at least I'll be an "old pro" by then!

[morganmom]

I'm a first-time mom and we just went on vacation with my 3 month old and got back yesterday...here's my advice...

Bring enough formula for a day on the plane...a friend of ours was on a flight that was delayed for 4 hours and she almost ran out of formula (her flight was only supposed to be an hour).  Although our flight was not delayed my daughter wanted to eat more than usual (needed hydration maybe?)  on the flight so I'm glad I had the extra formula in her bottle. I fed her as the plane took off and landed she did not fuss at all about the cabin pressure.

Get the ready to use formula too -- a lot easier on a trip

If you are still using a carrier/car seat and the baby is not ready for an umbrella stroller --- get the stroller frame. Ours was the graco one and about $50 but worth every penny. I was able to keep her in her car seat (which you do NOT want to check with your baggage!!! If that gets lost you are stuck at the next airport unless whoever picks you up has one) and wheel her right up to the gate.  Left the seat and stroller frame at the door of the plane. The frame weighs about 12 pounds and much easier to carry than the standard stroller. 

I had a plastic bag in my carry-on diper bag ready to take out immediately -- it contained a bottle, pacifer w/leash to attach to her shirt, 2 diapers, trave-size wipes. sleeper and onesie, toy, small blanket, baggie for stinky mess, and a magazine (for me). that way I wasn't searching for anything and could sit right down.

Stay as calm as you can...Our flights were on a 50 seater plane my daughter seemed to get upset and fussy when we walked down the aisle (we had seats in the last row of the plane both times) but once we settled into our seats she was fine...looking back now I think she was feeding off of my anxiety of flying and it was higher than it normally is b/c now I have her. I also think she felt my nervousness -- people gasped and made comments when they saw an infant entering the plane and again, I know she felt my stress.

We had a lot of turbulance on one flight I just smiled and made funny faces at her the whole time and she didn't seem to notice the plane shaking since she was focused on my face.

In general, just roll with whatever happens,  stay as calm as you can and be prepared for any situation. Best wishes and enjoy your trip!

[Moongrinner]

Wow, I am soaking in the advice. I will be traveling from CA to CO in the end of July, my DD will be 7 months then. the time difference when we get there will be an hour. Do you think I should bother making her adjust her routine since it is only one hour? We will be staying for one week.

I will definitley be bringing my wrap so I can have free hands while she sleeps.

[mrsmynub]

We just got back from our first plane trip with our ds.  It went REALLY REALLY well.  It was hard to coordinate the feeding time with the take off/landing - I mean, I didn't want Dante screaming because he was hungry....he only cried once on the way down and wasn't drinking a bottle, so I'm assuming his ears bothered him.  I did give him Tylenol before we took off (we went on an overnight flight to NJ from CA and he is teething).  The only advice I have for you is too make sure that you dress your lo warmly (I forgot how cold planes could be) and plan on them drinking more than usual because they get dehydrated.  My ds usually drink between 6-7 ounces and he downed 8 ounce bottles on the plane.

Good luck!

[Deb_in_oz]

for a 1 hr difference and a shortiosh stay i woudl not worry abouit it. you will probably find things adjust on their own. just wake lo at usual wake time and things will probably be fine

[spurielle]

Been reading everone's helpful advice.  My husband and I are die to take two trips on a plane very shortly with our 4 and a half month old son.  I am not worried about routine or nite time.  Sam has an excellent nite time routine that we started since he was 2 weeks old.  He sleeps 12-13 hrs with no interruption.  My problem is that, following EASY and working on naps, he will only sleep in his cot.  He will sleep if we go for a walk in his pram and sometimes in the car, but he will definitely not sleep in my arms.  Our flight to canada is about 5 hrs, and inorder to get sam to take naps he requires a considerable wind down etc.  He is nearly 20lbs, so not sure the baby carrier on the plane will be sufficient, he is very long.  I need help with getting him to nap, if he gets overtired or i miss his sleep window then we will have a frantic screaming child on our hands.

Help 

[mrsmynub]

You will be surprised at how your lo will adapt. My ds is the same way - he will only sleep in his crib...but on the 6 flights he has been on in the last 2 months (he is 6 1/2 months) - he slept in my arms.  Once I saw him getting tired, I got up from my seat and went to the galley where i put a blanket over our heads (to make it dark) and just had quiet time. Then, the white noise of the plane took care of everything else.

I know that some others suggest trying this kind of thing before getting on the plane.

Hope that you all have a good flight.

Best of luck!

[litomi]

Well.....I brought my LO from Hong Kong back to CA when she was a month old. Just remember to give your LO something to suck or drink (dummy/water bottle/ milk) when landing and taking off. This will help them with their ears.........

[Elizabeth Robins]

Last month we took our 4 month old to Mexico. It was also a 5 hour flight, and I was thrilled by how easily it all went.  We gave him Infant Tylenol just before we boarded and I made sure I breastfed him on take off and landing. His ears were absolutely fine, and he actually only grumbled for about 15 minutes on the way there. The way back was a bit worse as we were delayed in Cancun, but he only grumbled for about 1/2 hour.  The only thing to try to get right is the timing of when you give the Tylenol because it makes them sleepy, and you don't want him too sleepy to eat.  I gave it a wee bit early I think. Also timing the breastfeeding for take off. My little one is a 10 minute eater and I started feeding him when we were taxiing down the runway. We got delayed a bit and so I had to keep stopping and starting, which he wasn't overly impressed with!  Because we went on a small (package deal) airline, they did not give us an infant cot or put us in the bulkhead which really irritated me (they said it was reserved for people with illnesses, and none of the folks in those seats looked ill to me!).  So we did have to hold him the whole time which was a bit achy, but it's possible that's what kept him contented anyway.  I did feed him whenever he got a bit grumpy, but it was only about 2 to 3 times during the flight (10 mins a time).  This was easier for me than wondering if his ears were aching, or feeling stressed about my crying baby. The rest of the time he played with us (or even other passengers!) or slept.   There was a 2 hour time difference but it didn't make much difference for when we got back.  That said, we haven't succeeded totally with EASY yet so he always has woken twice a night. Anyway, the whole thing was much easier than I anticipated - like you, I was rather intimidated beforehand but would travel with him again no question!  Good luck!!

[Silas Mum]

We drove to a higher altitude with LO at 5 months and he experienced Altitude Sickness.  Irritability and loss of appetite were the most noticeable differences.  The Dr. told us that if it didn't clear up in 24-48 hours to lower altitude.  In our case it got really bad, so I flew home with LO.