Flying with Babies Travel Tips

Before the Flight:

-Arrive very early at the airport! This means less stress at check-in counters as well as the possibility to choose the seats that you want in the plane.

-If you have a baby, request an infant bed for the flight, but it needs to be reserved in advance.

-Most airlines allow lap babies until age 2. But if your flight is long-distance, it may pay off to buy an additional seat for your baby! Holding an active one-year old on your lap for more than 10 hours is simply not much fun …

-If you have bought an additional seat for your child, consider taking along a car seat. Call the airline to get information about what kind of regulation they have regarding car seats. US and European planes have different regulations. For instance, an FAA-approved car seat may not be accepted in a European plane, and vice-versa.

-If you don’t have a seat reservation for your baby, ask them to block a seat beside you. If, and only if the flight is not overbooked, you might get this additional seat for free!

-While checking in, ask to be seated in the bulkhead row! This gives you more foot space for yourself and your baby.

-Also remember that getting the seat you want may depend on whom you talk to at the check-in counter. We had the experience once that at check-in we were told by a very unhelpful attendant that we could not have the bulkhead row because it was already taken, and she refused to block an additional seat for our baby. We ended up with very inconvenient seats. Shortly before boarding we talked to a different attendant, who managed to change our seats without much ado so that we were able to sit in the bulkhead row after all …

-Call the airline to check how many pieces of carry-on luggage you are allowed to take on board. Normally they let you take the diaper bag along as passenger courtesy, meaning that you can take along yet another piece (a backpack) – but better double-check with the airline.

-You will be allowed to take the stroller up to the point that you step into the plane. There, hand it over to an attendant who will return the stroller to you when you leave the plane.

-For long-distance flights, pre-order a baby meal or kids’ meal when you book your tickets! Depending on the airline, a baby meal consists at least of one glass of meat/vegetables and one glass of fruits. On one flight we received additionally two small yoghurt containers and a banana. Again, this may vary from airline to airline, so ask what kind of meal they have for your baby! This will help you to plan accordingly to pack more or less food for your baby to take on board. (I took along way too many Gerber glasses than necessary on our 10-hr flight because I did not know that the babies’ meal was going to be so abundant).

-Bring a change of clothes for BOTH yourself and the baby in case she (or you) get airsick.

-A change of diapers for every 3 hours and a small travel pack of wipes plus extras in case plane gets delayed (add a third of each supply).

-Sippy cups, two in case one gets lost.

-Several little packs of snacks (you cannot count on airline attendants to pass out snacks in timely fashion): crackers, cookies, goldfish, cheerios…

-Pack 2 familiar snuggly blankets, one for covering during naps and one in case the first one gets wet (which happens more often than you think).

At Take-Off:

-Have her suck something (sippy cup or bottle) not just on take-off and landing but most importantly at the time that the cabin is pressurized, i.e. when the flight staff closes the doors. That’s apparently when the air bubbles form in the ears that cause pain with

altitude changes, so sucking at that point can prevent the earache so many kids (and adults) experience. Swallowing is even better! Note: they don’t announce to the passengers when they’re closing the door, so keep a sharp look-out or listen for the pilot’s command to the cabin crew.

Tips on how to entertain your baby during the flight:

-Most European planes have little treats ready for children that are passed out at the beginning of the flight. Sometimes they forget to hand them out, so ask for them!

-Lots of: drinks, snacks, toys, books, little presents, treats – the trick is that these things should be new, will keep her interest longer.

-Cheap NEW toys – take a trip to the dollar store for disposable toys (which are OK to lose) – stacking cups, planes that make noise, magnadoodle for the desire to scribble, a 4-6 pack of crayons or makers and a cheap notepad, a couple tiny pocket books with pictures…

-Expect toys to rotate every 20 minutes if you are lucky, every 10 minutes may be more realistic!

-Try wrapping some new toys she’s never seen before, the unwrapping can make the pleasure last longer. Also, things like threading beads or ‘sewing” string through card (just a piece of card in a fun shape with holes punched around the outside is fine) will keep her occupied for at least 10 minutes.

-How about using some of the time to make a puppet out of the sick bag? You can help her draw a face and outfit on it, and then she can put it on her hand.

-Or take a lap-top on board to watch favorite movies on DVD, if that’s an option (batteries might be a problem, though).

-Music! A cheap simple cassette player…taking the tape in and out itself is just soo much fun…

In General:

-Nap when she is napping!

-Bring favorite cuddlies or familiar bedtime stuff if it’s a long flight and keep up as much of the bedtime routine as you can

-Walk her around, chat to older ladies who would love a wee visitor, show her the view outside the window, explore the seat buckles together ,tray tables and light switches and just explain whatever you can

-My biggest recommendation is get a night flight. It makes all the difference. (By that I mean if you have diff time zones, get one that leaves at your night time.) Keep your baby awake and active in the airport, run her ragged, and then she'll drop off after initial excitement in the plane, for probably a good 8-hr stretch.

On Baby Baskets, Infant Beds and other Alternatives: