Any tips on taking a 10 month old on a plane?

[MediumBrownDog]

We have a nonstop flight that lasts ~ 3 1/2 hours. The flight is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., and he usually goes down like a stone around 7:30, so I'm hoping (probably nievely) that he'll go to sleep on me. We didn't get a separate seat for him, but we're in a row with only two seats, so my husband and I are hoping that it will be okay with him splayed across both of our laps. This is his first plane ride.

Thanks!

[SoCalDem]

1. Try to keep him awake for as long as possible before the flight

Maje sure he has a bottle of water ..sucking on a bottle can help equalize the pressure in his ears..(doesn;t always happen, but they will cry if their ears ache)..

Ask for bulkhead seats, and make sure they seat you first...

Make sure you have his favorite snacks..


Accept help if offered:)

I traveled with an 8 month old and a 20 month old..ALONE..had to change planes TWICE...and I survibved :) You'll do fine :)

[oregonjen]

2. Don't forget the pop-up books or small toys

Something that will hold his interest for a few minutes at a time.

Forgot to add: If you nurse, you could nurse him to sleep and that would help with the ears too. That is what I did for my children and it helped!

[SW FL Dem]

3. Bring bottles to suck on during take off and landing

It really helps ease the pressure in the ears which is the biggest problem. Keep him awake as much as possible before the flight so he will sleep on the plane, just don't let him get over-tired so he won't calm down. Good luck. It's been years since I have flown with an infant, but I managed.

[wildeyed]

4. If you are still nursing, do that.

I would try to nurse mine on the up and down part of the flights to ease ear pressure. If you are not nursing, bring a bottle or sippy cup with a favored beverage.

Bring a toy or two he has not seen for awhile or purchase something new. I always rack my brains trying to think of something interesting that doesn't make noise, doesn't have a million parts and pieces and can be played with in a small area. Silly putty or play dough is great, they love to squish it. But with a 10 month old, you might have problems with eating it.

Bring an assortment of treats, especially ones that are not usually allowed. For instance, you can purchase chocolate milk in a box that does not require refrigeration. My kids never get choc milk, so that is usually good for 5 or 10 minutes of peace. Candy, chips, whatever works.

Good luck! I took my daughter to Australia at 10 months and survived. We walked up and down allot of aisles and met many of our fellow travelers.

[Dulcinea]

5. Do you use a pacifier?

They have served me very well on planes. My girls would not take a bottle if they didn't want one.

[PA Mamma]

6. Magnets!!!

Hi All ! :hi:
I am new to this forum. I never knew it existed until I did a search for another thread which resulted in one (completely unrelated) from here.

We had the best luck with this tin of magnets purchased from the airport gift shop. It opened like a book and had a farm scene inside. Also wear some fun, but safe, necklaces and bracelets for emergency entertainment - you don’t have to lug it around and it’s always there.
Prepare thy lap! Is this 10 month old walking? That made a big difference in flights for us. Like others said, if you are breastfeeding, nurse during landing and take-off, (looking back it seems like I nursed for our entire first flight) other drinks/containers if not. Be sure he doesn't have an ear infection as I have heard that can so excruciating to warrant canceling your travel plans.

Hope this helps & Good luck !
Glad to have found this forum.

[PA Mamma]

7. Lift-a-flap books...

Oops - I forgot to add those and it was too late to edit before I realized. (Guess I don't need to explain my scatter-brain here, eh?) They would be perfect for his age. we like "Where's Baby's Belly Button?" and "Where's Spot?"

[Sabriel]

8. Lots and lots (and lots) of NEW little toys

The general rule is, one new toy for every minute of flight time. Seriously. The last time we flew, with a 9-month-old, we had a backpack with nothing but distractors.

Oh yeah...assume you're going to be delayed, and plan for that, too. Extra clothes, dipes, snacks, a blanket to lie on on the floor, etc.

[Ilsa]

9. This sounds terrible, but sometimes you need a hardcore

backup plan. Besides taking whatever medication he might need incidentally (like Tylenol), take a little Benadryl if he is old enough for a very small dose. If he gets totally overworked and wornout and won't sleep, the Benadryl might help him sleep. Unless, of course, it ends up causing excitability. Oh, nevermind.

Have some quick comebacks ready for people who make rude comments about babies crying on flights.

[SoCalDem]

10. Yay for benadryl... I used to almost feel guilty when my 3 boys

got sick.. (almost..:evilgrin:..) There was something very zen about having 3 sleepyheads, instead of the "grab-ass brigade" that they usually were..(we had 3 boys in 5 years)..:eyes:

[LeftyMom]

11. Bring your carseat

Get your seats moved (sit apart from your adult traveling companion if you have to) and bring his carseat. For one thing, it's likely to be damaged if you check it (much less so if you gate check, if you can't get a third seat bring your carseat and hope the attendant can make room for the three of you at boarding time, the worst that will happen is you'll be stuck with a lap baby after all) and it's just much safer and more comfortable for him (and you, can you imagine trying to hold even a sleeping kid for three hours in a narrow airline seat? Now imagine if he fusses!) to travel in his own seat. In turbulence it simply isn't safe to hold onto a kid, a carseat will protect him from the head and neck injuries children of his age are so succeptible to.

Bring snacks and drinks and hope he sleeps. I've heard of people dosing the kid up with a little benadryl to assure a peaceful flight, but LK always sleeps on planes so we've never needed to.

[MediumBrownDog]

12. Thanks for all the tips, here's what happened....

The baby was enchanted by the plane, and by all of the people. He had zero discomfort on takeoff, due to giving him a much delayed bottle, (thanks for the advice!) and then he proceeded to STAY UP THE ENTIRE FLIGHT and flirt with anyone who would catch his eye. We were in a two seat row, and while he surfed between my husband and me, it wasn't a real problem. On the way back, he was teething like a fiend and we did dose him with Tylenol. He slept a good bit in the seat between us, as we had a 3 seat row due to the kindness of a stranger who traded with us. If I had it to do over again, I would pay for the third seat, but I'm not sure about taking his car seat. We get the local Fire Department to put it in our cars (each station has a poor soul who had to spend 40 hours learning about car seat installation). Once that seat is in my car, after it took them 30 minutes to get it right, I'm not taking it out. (I have an older model which does not have LATCH).

Again, thanks for all the tips. It was fine, and I felt much more comfortable having the advice from this group!

[trotsky]

13. Glad to hear it went well!

We brought our carseat when we traveled with our son when he was 13 months. But we checked it, because we mainly wanted it for the rental car ride. He did OK on our laps for the flights.

I wonder if airlines ever have ones you can borrow? Of course you can get a no-frills model carseat for pretty cheap too.