Long Distance Flight with an Infant

[return to the red]

Will be flying to Maui at the end of December with our 5 month old. We have done a trip to Arizona already and got some things figured out but what are some good pieces of advice you seasoned travellers have for a long distance flight?

No "leave the little guy at home isn't an option"

[bubbsy]

give the little one a soother (or feed) at the time of take off and landing, as that's supposed to help avoid the baby's ears plugging.. other than that, take shifts on who's holding/entertaining the baby. At 5 months, the baby should just sleep through most of the flight.

[JonDuke]

All the info you'll need is here:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=122031

[Barnet Flame]

Ask for a bulkhead seat and a basinette.

We flew to Australia when our son was nine months old and he slept a lot and was no problem on either leg.

My wife and I on the other hand, aggravated the hell out of each other.

I honestly think it is easier traveling with a baby that age than it is with a toddler.

[stampsx2]

So long as your making some sort of effort to not have your kid kicking and screaming i think even the worst passengers understand. Most people i find are very friendly and even helpful.

It's the kids that scream the whole way and parent that does nothing but laugh about it that's the problem imo.

[spuzzum]

We had a five month old as well from Frankfurt to Vancouver with Lufthansa. The bed attached to the wall was amazing. Slept almost the whole way - was like being on vacation. Too bad the parents could not sleep on the plane.

[Street Pharmacist]

Benadryl.

Caveat: try it first. Some children get hyper on it (paradoxical excitation).

[billybob123]

Buy a seat for the baby and use their car seat. Best money you'll spend on the vacation.

[REDVAN]

Whiskey in the baby bottle. And whiskey for you too.

Also whiskey for those who have to sit near your crying and screaming spawn.

[bradster57]

Probably better with a 5 month old than in a year. I found 12 - 18 months brutal because they kept wanting to walk around and were smart enough to cry when they don't get their way.

[Table 5]

Might not be relevant for this trip, but one thing I suggest is that if you have a baby, is to never fly United. They're the only airline that won't allow people with babies to board first. And that extra few minutes being able to pack away all your strollers/stuff is huge. Having to do it all in the midst of the hoard is bad for everyone...you're stressed the eff out, and people behind you are stuck while you try to fold all your 8000 pieces of crap.

United, in general, is just terrible for service.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by billybob123

Buy a seat for the baby and use their car seat. Best money you'll spend on the vacation.

That's a lot of money to spend for a few hours of relief. I'm not sure it's worth it to be honest. We flew to Europe (8 hours) and for the most part the baby was fine...a little crying here and there, but she spent a lot of it sleeping, so it was fine. If you can do the overnight flight, that's better for everyone.

[sleepingmoose]

We did Fiji, Australia and New Zealand with a five month old - definitely try for the bassinet seats. Our guy slept for 9 straight hours in the bassinet on the way home, and neither of us had to hold him, so we were free to watch movies or whatever.
I think five months old is too young to drug him, so just do the best you can.
And yes, the toddler is WAY worse. Enjoy it while you can.

[normtwofinger]

Easier than toddler age. Ours slept most of the flight.

[K1LLswitch]

Just did Hawaii with a 7month old - it sucks. Flying overnight is better than the day as the little guy slept for the most part, but it is still just a brutal experience.

My advice? Plan for a day or two to recover when you arrive, and a day or two when you return.

Also, if this is your only child (so far), I recommend setting a schedule with your partner where you know roughly when you can put the headphones in and watch TV / sleep / read whatever, and when it is your turn to awkwardly walk up and down the aisle trying to rock the baby to sleep all the while asking yourself why more resources aren't dedicated to inventing the transporter from startrek.

Otherwise you are both passing the baby back and forth every 15min trying to figure out what will make it happy and you both have a crappy flight.

[return to the red]

for those suggesting the bassinet I don't think those are available with Westjet or any Canadian carrier because they aren't approved by transport Canada. We bought a fly baby like this that hooks onto the folded up tray and straps around your waste and then you buckle baby in (like below)


On the way down to Arizona we asked first and they said no so on the way back we just hooked it up and tried it and were told we couldn't use it either

Thanks for the suggestions so far everyone

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Might not be relevant for this trip, but one thing I suggest is that if you have a baby, is to never fly United. They're the only airline that won't allow people with babies to board first. And that extra few minutes being able to pack away all your strollers/stuff is huge. Having to do it all in the midst of the hoard is bad for everyone...you're stressed the eff out, and people behind you are stuck while you try to fold all your 8000 pieces of crap.

United, in general, is just terrible for service.

I hear what you are saying re baby but when your baby reaches toddler age I would suggest ignoring the boarding first request and getting the little un on the plane as late as possible.

The less time they are stuck in a confined space and stationary the less time they have to get restless and agitated.

[vanisleflamesfan]

Just chain it up in the back yard with a bowl of water and enough kibble to last for the time you are gone. Then enjoy your vacation just like you would have when you were a human.

Damn breeders.

Long live SSCCATAGAPP!!

[tete]

Just a warning on the bassinettes - we thought we could use them with our 8 month old on a trip from TO to Paris, but we weren't allowed because she was able to sit up on her own - apparently the weight limit (20 lbs) means nothing since once they sit up on their own, they can't use the bassinette (or at least on AC). Thankfully she slept just fine in our arms. Travelling before they get moving was soooo easy compared to now that she's a toddler - I'm a bit nervous about our trip to Portugal this spring when she's just shy of 2 1/2.

[Jayems]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Might not be relevant for this trip, but one thing I suggest is that if you have a baby, is to never fly United. They're the only airline that won't allow people with babies to board first. And that extra few minutes being able to pack away all your strollers/stuff is huge. Having to do it all in the midst of the hoard is bad for everyone...you're stressed the eff out, and people behind you are stuck while you try to fold all your 8000 pieces of crap.

United, in general, is just terrible for service.

We flew United to Florida this September and I can confirm. What a gong show. We had two kids (3 and 1) and just assumed we could go and board early so we went up to their dumb little lines and got blocked by some attendant who first yelled at us to get out of the wrong line, and then said go back and wait with everyone else.

And it was a cluster F to get everyone on the plane because now we were one of the last to get on, kids got grumpy. Meanwhile, every single person was wondering why we couldn't get on early... it was dumb policy. We're not trying to beat the rush... it is legitimately easier to go on early so we're not knocking everyone with all the crap you have to haul when travelling with kids.

Edit: And I should add that we make up for that supposed extra time by waiting until the plane empties to get off again.