Traveling With Baby By Air
In the days before parenthood, any season was the season for a trip. But now even a two-day trip might seem too overwhelming to consider attempting. You can expect to spend more time planning a trip than taking one. Though vacations with baby will always be a challenge, they can be both feasible and enjoyable. You can find here a few tips to make your trip a little easier.
Make sure to update passports. You will not be able to take your baby abroad on your passport. Nowadays every traveler, no matter what age, needs her or his own. For travel information and info on how to obtain a passport for your baby, go to www.travel.state.gov.
Planes have the advantage for family travel, because it is usually the fastest way of getting from one point to another. Here are some suggestions on how to make a flying trip pleasant (at least relatively so) and comfortable:
- Try to request bulkhead seats. They have more leg and maneuvering room and privacy, but less storage space. Another plus is that there will be no seat in front of you for your little one to bang on and no passengers for baby to annoy.
- Try to arrive early enough so you can take care of luggage and seats, and get through security screenings, but not too early to have an uncomfortably long wait in the air terminal.
- Some air lines offer preboarding to those traveling with children, allowing them to settle in before the rush. But if you think your baby won’t like it , since he or she won’t be able to walk the aisles while they are being used for boarding, you may want to board last. If you are traveling with another adult, it would be a good idea if one of you can board with the luggage while the other spends more time with baby in the open spaces of waiting area.
- Coordinate feedings with take off and landing. Children are more prone than adults to the ear pressure, and sometimes pain, caused y cabin-air-pressure changes during ascent and descent. To help prevent the painful pressure buildup and crying offer finger foods, a pacifier or bottle feeding to encourage frequent swallowing. Nursing isn’t practical during these times , since baby should be buckled up for safety reasons.
- If your baby does a lot of complaining , accept a kind hand from a friendly passengers if offered, and disregard the ones who give you dirty looks.
- Air travel is dehydrating, so make sure to give your baby a lot to drink during the flight. If you are nursing, be sure to take extra fluids as well, but beverages with caffeine or alcohol don’t count.
- You can ask flight attendants if it’s possible for them to warm bottles and baby food for you, if your little one prefers warmed feedings. Don’t forget to check the temperature before serving. Keep in mind that on busy flights attendants may not be able to help you with these services.
- You can ask an attendant to hold your baby while you use the lavatory, if you are traveling alone.
- Deplane last, so you can make sure you have enough time to gather up all your belongings and to avoid the squeeze.
