Flying with a baby

7 Jan

We just returned from a trip back to California, our first flight with our three month old son Luke. I consider myself a very seasoned traveler but this…..this was like starting from page 1. So much to learn, so much conflicting advice, so much to think about. So now that we’ve returned, sanity intact, I thought I would share some pointers that we picked up along the journey.

  1. However much time you think you need at the airport, add 30%. There are always unexpected diaper changes, feedings, crying sessions, etc that can add to your journey and the last thing you want is to be sprinting for your flight with a baby in tow.
  2. Wherever possible, book a bulkhead seat. Most airlines won’t allow you to do this online so you can either make your booking online and call the customer support line to request a bulkhead or just call and make the entire booking over the phone.
  3. Once you have a bulkhead, request a skycot for long haul flights. On most widebody aircraft, the bulkhead will have attachments for skycots that can be a lifesaver on long flights. Instead of having to hold your baby in your lap for the entire flight, they can sleep in the skycot, giving you a chance to get some much needed rest. While they can’t be in the skycot for takeoff and landing, babies can be in some newer skycots during turbulence.
    4. Skycot

    Luke chilling in the skycot

  4. As with bulkhead seats, call the airline and request a skycot when you make your reservation. Confirm again when you check-in as there are a limited number of skycots on the airplane.
  5. If at all possible, breastfeed or bottle feed your baby during takeoff and landing. This really helps with pressure in the baby’s ear which can be very uncomfortable for them if not properly managed. Feeding encourages them to swallow which in turn helps with the pressure in their ears. If feeding is not possible, break out the binky/pacifier as a last resort.
  6. If your baby is anything like our 3 month-old, they’ll get bored quickly so have a steady supply of toys ready to distract them. Resist the temptation to bring more than a handful though as you have to carry them around with you and they’re just one more thing to keep track of.
  7. We kept infant Tylenol on hand just in case of any ear pain that cropped up during the flight bud didn’t end up using it. It goes without saying that you should always talk to your doctor before even considering that.
  8. Don’t worry about other people on the flight. One of the biggest stress points for parents flying with a baby is disturbing the other passengers. Don’t. If your baby starts crying, focus on calming him/her down before worrying about the other passengers. Babies cry, they can deal with it.
  9. If your baby enjoys being in one, consider bringing your baby harness/carrier with you. It means you can have your baby close to you, which is comforting to them, but means you can relax a little bit as well and not constantly have to hold them. It also allows you to get up and walk around easily which, at least in our case, seem to settle the little guy almost immediately.
  10. Ask the flight attendants for help. They’ve seen it all before and have had 100s of babies pass through their aisles in the past. So ask them for advice and help when you need it. More often than not they’ll be glad to warm up a bottle for you or grab you an extra pillow, and they’ll know good times to start feeding at the top of descent. Some airlines even carry spare diapers on board, but don’t rely on that, bring plenty of your own.
  11. Despite the recent news about the TSA, the security personnel we encountered at SFO were patient, courteous and helpful.

Have you flown with a baby before? What worked for you? Let us know in the comments below.

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  • http://mamanparis16.wordpress.com/ Flora

    Thank you Alex for this useful advice.

    About having many toys for the baby, I would add bringing some new ones so that there is an element of surprise and if catches the attention (a little) longer.

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  • Andrew

    Do you know if you’re allowed to take babies in business/first class? You’ve got to think that if someone has paid £3k for a ticket they’d be kinda pissed off if they had a screaming kid next to them?

  • Alex

    I know Virgin has at least one Upper Class seat to which the skycot can be fastened. If I was flying with Luke by myself, I absolutely would have upgraded us to Upper.

  • http://flyingwithchildren1.blogspot.com Sharon

    Too true about the crying baby. Also, it’s a good idea to get up and walk with the baby. Too many times parents just sit in the seat with the baby crying. I never had a complaint (as a Flight Attendant) about a crying parent who was trying to do something about the crying…

    By the way, it’s a myth that babies need to suck on something for take-off and landing. I never did that mine on our countless transatlantic flights (about twice a year with three kids for 11 years) and we never had problems. As a Flight Attendant, I hated to see parents wake their children up unnecessarily, especially during take-off when so many fall asleep. I see this tip too many times given but try not doing it next time and you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised. As long as your baby doesn’t have any sort of infection, he’ll be fine!

    Also, babies who are flying safely in car seats don’t need to be removed. Mine didn’t take pacifiers and only one ever had bottles (and not on his first flight either). They stayed strapped in and their ears adjusted just fine. I also rarely saw ear problems as a Flight Attendant.

    While “sky cots” or bassinets are convenient if you have a “lap baby”, nothing replaces a car seat when it comes to both comfort and safety. It was nice to have somewhere to place a sleeping baby and not worry about turbulence if I had to get up to use the restroom (never leave a baby alone in a bassinet for this reason). I also didn’t have to worry about getting “bulkhead” seats which so many people want. Some airlines give them out to frequent flyers before families with small babies.

    While I warmed many baby bottles in my 13 years in the air, I have to say that it’s much easier if your baby isn’t used to a warmed bottle. It has no health advantage for the baby and is a real pain when traveling in general!

    Good mentioning the diapers. If I had a dime every time a passenger ran out I’d be a rich woman. Of course, my very first diaper-free flight (after 8 years of diapers, so over 30 transatlantics with changing them), a coworker came up to me and asked me on behaf of another passenger. Sorry but one flight too late!

  • Andrew

    I guess the first class cabins are so spacious these days that if the kid started screaming on the flight, it probably wouldn’t disturb the passengers too much. You could always go an sit him on the bar in Upper class!