I am an anxious person.
I worry a lot.
I get fixated sometimes on a particular "worry."
My worry lately is taking Bryant on a 4 hr plane ride to Tennessee for Christmas.
I seriously had a nightmare last night that he screamed the ENTIRE time, then pooped, then slapped the person next to me. I woke up a little depressed.
So I'm asking all of you parents out there if you could give me any tips on how to make the plane ride a little bit easier for us. :)
Thanks to you all! The anxiety in me is starting to blow this way out of proportion so soothing comments will be much appreciated!!!!!!
Oh and Travis claims that he is going to do a "thanksgiving post" today. We'll see if that actually happens :)
I worry a lot.
I get fixated sometimes on a particular "worry."
My worry lately is taking Bryant on a 4 hr plane ride to Tennessee for Christmas.
I seriously had a nightmare last night that he screamed the ENTIRE time, then pooped, then slapped the person next to me. I woke up a little depressed.
So I'm asking all of you parents out there if you could give me any tips on how to make the plane ride a little bit easier for us. :)
Thanks to you all! The anxiety in me is starting to blow this way out of proportion so soothing comments will be much appreciated!!!!!!
Oh and Travis claims that he is going to do a "thanksgiving post" today. We'll see if that actually happens :)
15 comments:
BENEDRYL!!!!!! about 30 minutes before take off. do not over feed, because then there's a chance he'll just vomit all over you. call Leah for advice on getting through security with baby stuff. she is a pro!
I have always heard to drug your child before a plane ride. Haha. I have no children, but you better believe I would drug them. Haha...jk?
Yeah.. mom gave me Benedryl on all my flights as a kid and now most of the moms I know do it too... I turned out fine so it must be ok!;)
I've never drugged my kids, but I've survived multiple plane rides with them. They should have something to suck on when they take off and land to help relieve the unconformable pressure build-up in the ears from quick altitude changes. Other than that, lots of yummy snacks and favorite toys and books work well. Depending on the age, I sometimes buy them something new for the plane that they've never played with. When they were babies I let them destroy a skymall magazine--that was big fun.
i let jackson drink at landing/takeoff for the ear pressure. i wld also make sure you know exactly what will happen at security. i was stranded with a stroller loaded with everybody's junk then told i had to break down the stroller and put it plus everybody's stuff through xray then hold jackson as i walked through the scanner. everybody else had walked through already so i had to do it alone. if that wasn't bad enough...jackson was asleep. HORRIBLE!!
I was just going to check him with the luggage or store him in the overhead compartment.
As a fellow anxiety-ridden mother, I know how you feel. The first thing is that you have to relax yourself, Bryant will do better if you are calm. If you are tense, he'll pick up on that and he'll react to that. Just have plenty of things to keep him entertained, snacks and a sippy cup, and a change of clothes (or 2) and plenty of diapers. I never gave my kids benedryl, though that's definitely an option. I don't usually like sitting in the back of the plane, but that's an awesome place to be if you have a baby. First of all you are close to the bathroom incase there is any diaper issue, and second the roar of the engine is usually loud enough that people won't even notice if you have a crying child. I've had to fly before by myself with a baby and if Travis is there too, I know you all will be just fine. I tend to panic if my baby starts screaming on the plane, but for the most part, I've found if you stay calm and try different things to get your baby to calm down, everything is fine. Plus as long as you aren't on a flight with a bunch of jerks, all you'll get are some understanding smiles. And either way, you'll never see those people again. Enjoy Tennessee!
sorry, one more thing to add to my novel, take an empty sippy cup and fill it up after you've gone through security or you'll be dumping whatever it is out.
Don't worry about it. We fly all the time. I think Alicey flew three times before she was even a year old. I would not give Benadryl unless you know it calms him down. There are a small percentage of kids who get more hyper on benadryl and you'd hate if yours was one of them. I always try to book flights over nap time when I know she'll be more tired any way and most of the time she's slept. If you can, book your seats so that you are in the aisle and Travis is in the window chances are they won't book any one in the middle seat and they'll let you have it. Just ask at the gate. If the plane isn't full they may let Bryant have his own seat for FREE and you can even keep him in the car seat if you like. When Alicey was younger she flew better in my arms but as she got older she slept better in the car seat. Either way it's much nicer having a row to yourself than having a stranger there while your trying to calm down a little one. Oh and they will make you remove his shoes as well going through security so I'd just dress him in socks. It's one less thing to deal with. Make sure you have a copy of his birth certificate most air lines ask for it. It's really not as bad as you think, though. One you've done it you'll be a pro!
I always said that I would give my child benadryl. Eli doesn't go to sleep with it though so it didn't work for me.
Easy points for the ride: give him his binky or a bottle during take off and landing.
Easy points for the security point: have ALL liquids and baby food in one bag, toward the top if you can. At the checkpoint, they will make you put your stroller through the xray machine. The food can stay in your bag, but they told me that all liquids had to be put into a separate tote. Then once we're through the checkpoint, the run another liquid test on all your liquids (medicine, bottle, sippy).
GOOD LUCK! He'll do fine. Eli's first trip on a plane was when he was 3 months old. He cried when we were descending, but that was because of his ears popping. I talked to the dr. about what I could do, and she said to give them some ibuprofen or tylenol before the ride and that will help him.
Just lots of distractions like toys and something to suck on during take off and landing. Ask them to put you in the seats right behind the class dividers so you have more room. That is what they did for us when we flew to Europe with Abby and it was great because she had room to play on the floor. Good luck!!!
Hello lovely!
So as you know, I've been flying a bit lately and have learned some tricks:
1. You can bring your stroller to the gate and "gate check" it. This means that it doesn't count as a carry-on nor does it count as a checked bag. AND it means that you don't have to carry Bryant all the way through the airport (Score!). This has been a HUGE lifesaver for me. You do have to fold it up to go through security- but thats it- when you get to your gate, you just ask the lady at the desk if you can have a ticket to gate-check your stroller. she'll know exactly what your'e talking about!
2. Bring a charged lap-top and several DVD options. I bought some cheap kid-headphones (that get smaller) at target...maybe paid 15 bucks for them- but they have been totally worth it for me cuz I use 'em every time we fly. when i put the headphones on Ellie, I put them so the wires aren't in front but in back so she can't pull them off (because she HATES the wires for some reason). Having the movies is the best thing EVER. I basically just put them on over and over and over until she won't take it anymore.
3. Drinks- this is a tricky one- basically they won't take the juice out of your sippy cups- they'll just test the fumes of whatever you brought- but they won't let you bring bottled water or anything like that past security. Who knows why?? I just bring two sippy's filled with apple juice. Bryant is probably still drinking formula, right? so just bring what you need for him- luckily the airports sell water bottles (though they charge like a million dollars a bottle, the thieves). But I agree with whatothers have said, having them drink during take-off does seem to relieve the pressure.
4. I usually sit on a window seat so i can let Ellie look out the window- and so I don't have to worry about her walking/crawling out the aisles- it makes her "stuck", which is good for her. But maybe you'd like to be on an aisle? Lucky for you, you'll have Trav to help you with that.
5. His favorite snacks...maybe even some candy (if you're as bad of a mom as me...I had given ellie suckers by bryant's age...and that would keep her distracted for a good 30 minutes- something Ellie loves now is Pez...go figure)
6. Birth Certificate- they haven't asked for Ellies the last couple of times, but they did the first time I flew with her. better safe than sorry.
7. Diaper bag scenario: this last time, i converted to only a back-pack as a carryon, and i LOVED it. this means i didn't have a purse or a separate diaper bag- JUST a backpack. it was SO convenient because I just put the laptop in there with her books, snacks, sippys, headphones, movies, a few diapers/wipes/clothes- and then i could fit it easily under the seat in front of me-- and i didn't have to worry about a diaper bag/purse that i couldn't carry very well while i was trying to get through security or tryin to walk through the airport while dealing with screaming Ellie who didn't want to sit in her stroller anymore (which happens in chaotic situations unfortunately). I still packed my diaper bag (empty) in my luggage, but i just used the backpack because it held more stuff and was more convenient to carry. Don't know if that makes sense.
8. There are seats that have more room- we just flew jet blue and paid 10 extra bucks for TONS of extra room- which was totally worth it- and would have been awesome when she would play on the floor. I'd call ahead and ask your airline about that- because I think that makes a big difference. If you do call, also let them know that you have a lap chld- and ask if the flight is full (you can also do this when you are checking in)- usually if you do this and your flight isn't full, they'll rearrange the seats so that you'll have the whole row to yourself, which is AMAZING and makes a big difference too. But again, since you have Trav there, that will help a lot if you don't get the whole row.
Well, i have now typed A LOT. I know there is more...if you have questions, please call/text me. I mean it. Flying is stressful- but being prepared- and knowing what is going to happen- makes all the difference. It will go great, i know it. and if Bry is a stinker, know that you aren't alone (Ellie is amazing on the Plane rides...but throws full out tantrums while waiting to board or waiting for our luggage. it's AWESOME). just think: you'll have one more story to tell :)
can't wait to hear about it!
love you.
xoxo
p.s. it just made me break my comment up because it was TOO LARGE! that has NEVER happened to me before! whoa.
Okay. Your blog is-so-cute.
I have flown alone with treyson several times. It's really not bad. Just carry on a backpack and as little as possible. bring lots of snacks. Wear tennis shoes. Gate check your stroller. Lots of treats.
it will be fine. promise.
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