Flying With a Little One: Keeping Baby Calm

Now for the biggest panic attack of them all, being locked in a plane for X hours with limited space and 100+ people WITH YOUR CHILD. Once again, JUST BREATH! It's going to be ok and you're prepared for anything (if that's possible hehe). Like I said in my first post of this series I used to try to plan my flights accordingly so that the flights weren't so packed. If I could tell that the flight wasn't full, as crappy as it sounds, I used to put JAM by the window and I would sit in the aisle seat. This arrangement could go either way. They either couldn't resist his adorable face and wanted to sit in my row OR they're like no way am I sitting in the row with a baby. Can you guess which one I wanted? haha. If someone decided to sit next to me I'd usually sit in the middle seat to let JAM sit by the window. However, it always helped to have a row to myself mainly because of the room and I didn't have to worry about my kid bugging someone else within close proximity. Plus, it also helped to let him move around, change a diaper, or lay him down once he fell asleep.

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If you think I'm crazy because you just read that I changed a diaper in the seat you must have not traveled with a baby on an airplane. Let me give you 2 scenarios. #1: have you ever seen those airplane bathrooms?! Although there is a changing table in there, you'd have to be houdini to change ANYTHING in there. #2: once I boarded the plane on one of my trips when JAM was a baby still I realized that he had an explosion. If you don't know what I'm talking about yet, be grateful haha. Anyways, people were still boarding the plane so that was a no go on heading to the airplane bathroom. As I was apologizing a billion times to everyone around me for the nastinesss and smell, I changed my son right there on the seat. Going back to my reason for taking a first in the morning 6am flight, it's because usually the crowd is older (Most 15-21 year olds don't want to wake up that early for a flight). This meant that a majority of the people are veteran parents and the passengers were nothing but understanding to the situation. Most of them were even baby talking to JAM as they passed or patted me on the back saying "welcome to motherhood". I even had a lady who actually wanted to sit by me to help me out throughout the flight because she thought JAM was adorable and she was a preschool teacher so she wasn't bothered by the stench haha.

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Lesson learned, ALWAYS bring baggies, sanitizer, extra wipes, extra diapers, and TONS of extra clothes on your flight. Keyword: EXTRA! This is the most important concept for your flight. So many moms are worried about what toys and such to bring on the plane but forget about the ACTUAL essentials. Another tip is to have a bottle or pacifier or to breastfeed during takeoff and landing to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of ear popping. If you plan to breastfeed, bringing a boppy or sling along to make that process more comfortable. Phew! We're finally in the air. Now what? If you're one of the lucky ones, your child just fell asleep during takeoff and hopefully stays asleep the rest of the flight. If not, you're still in luck! I have a whole list of ideas and things for you to bring on the plane for your little one. The older JAM got the more creative I had to get with what I packed. Let you child be a part of the packing process. Once mine was old enough, I let him choose the backpack to carry the stuff in and let him choose a couple things to put in the bag.

When JAM was little I didn't have the iPad or portable DVD player to entertain him. I did have an iPod, which I downloaded a playlist just for him. If you don't own kid CDs visit your local library! They have endless CDs for your kids, especially music from their favorite TV shows. I also brought my laptop to watch movies and stuff, but I learned real quick that it was hard to juggle. I think my laptop came out probably once on a flight. He also likes to bring his Leapster Explorer and Nintendo DS on the flight now that he's older. If you do have that luxury to bring a gadget on the plane, there are awesome apps out there to keep your little one entertained. I personally don't own an iPad (yet), but mommy friends of mine have sworn by these apps for their kids. Check em out!

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Monkey Preschool Lunchbox ($0.99)

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally Appisode (FREE)

Nick Jr.’s A to Z with Moose and Zee ($1.99)

Elmo Loves ABCs Lite (FREE)

My First Words - Flashcards (FREE)

Disneyland Explorer (FREE)

ABC Alphabet Phonics (FREE)

Peekaboo Barn ($1.99 OR Lite version for FREE)

Little Speller – Three Letter Words Lite (FREE)

If you don't have a gadget to bring along or if you simply choose not to that's ok! There's tons of other options to entertain your little one. The number one thing to bring on a flight is snacks. Especially nowadays where you have to pay for every little snack on the plane. JAM's go-to snacks were the Gerber GRADUATES® Puffs. They were super easy to travel with, not messy at all, and he LOVED them. If you plan to pack their favorite toys, try to pack ones that have as minimal pieces as possible and the bigger the better. Having to find the littlest toy on a plane is no bueno. Bouncy balls, cars, or anything that can roll and fit under your seat can become a pain if it falls on the floor. A few more great ideas are bringing playing cards, books, stickers, pipe cleaners, and coloring books. My little sister and I always brought a deck of cards or playing card games like UNO on the flight. With a simple deck of cards the games are endless. If you decide to bring a coloring book I suggest you bring a placemat or rubber mat to place on the tray to avoid coloring on the tray table. I bought a rubber mat that was meant as a placemat for on the go eating. It's a personal preference if you want to bring crayons vs. markers vs. colored pencils. You know more than me if your child would draw on themselves instead of the coloring book or on the airplane walls. If you do decide to travel with a sippy cup, pacifier, toys, and/or snacks, I suggest that you attach them to a lanyard or clip-on leash to avoid picking it up off the floor constantly. I remember a flight where JAM would continuously throw his toy on the floor and cry for me to pick it up. That wasn't fun for me or my back.

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Well there you have it! I've given you a little insight on how to fly with a little one. Now spread your wings and fly! Whether you're flying alone or with a buddy, everything with be ok. You just have to take it step by step and go with the flow. Things always vary from flight to flight so you just have to breath and have the "it is what it is" mentality. No worries, as long as you're showing initiative, no one on the plane is as focused on you as much as you think. 9 times out of 10 someone will offer a lending hand whenever you come across a crisis, but you don't have to worry about that. You're prepared and it's going to be an awesome experience!

Flying With a Little One: Going Through Security

One of the biggest concerns, especially when flying with a baby, is what are you allowed to bring on the plane for the kiddos. You should also be aware of what to expect when going through security with your child. The more I traveled with JAM, the more I learned how to tweak what was important and what wasn't. I've been traveling on the plane with JAM since he was 4-5 months old and I'd travel by myself. Although I always had someone help check-in my baggage, no one was allowed through security check without a boarding pass, which meant I was gonna go through the security check solo withh JAM. First of all, check in as many items as possible!! With all these crazy baggage fees I know it can be hard, but it'll make your trip so much smoother if you do. I always checked-in JAM's carseat and gate checked his stroller. Gate checking means leaving the stroller at the gate right before you enter the plane so it'll be there right where you get off, and you won't have to carry the baby around the airport.

I remember my first trip with JAM. The  security check was HORRIBLE. I had him, my boarding passes, purse, baby bag, stroller, and laptop. Initially it didn't seem so bad since those were the bare necessities, especially since I had his stroller to carry everything for me. Then I had to go through security. I knew I had to put the usual bags through the x-ray machine, but I didn't take into consideration everything else. I had to take mine AND JAM's shoes off, my belt, fold up the stroller to put through the x-ray machine since it was capable of fitting, and take my laptop out the bag. It doesn't sound to bad, but remember, you have to do this in 3.5 seconds. This wasn't the hard part. The hard part was after you walk through security. Holding the baby in this narrow pathway, I had to unfold the stroller, put my shoes back on, and basically grab all the other crap and just throw it in the stroller to find a place on the side and put it all back where it belongs. As I'm putting JAM's shoes back on, putting my belt back on, and putting my laptop back in the bag, a TSA security requested to check his diaper bag. No problem. I was planning a trip from Chicago to Vegas and planned on staying there for a month with my dad so I packed all his baby food and stuff in the baby bag since I didn't want it all to make a mess in my luggage (we all know how they handle our checked in bags). They gave me a hard time because I had too much food in the bag. Apparently you're only allowed to fly with enough food that will last the baby for the flight and I had a month's worth of food and beverage for my 5 month old. Long story short, a female TSA made the exception since she was a mom too.

Happy baby since mommy got his
juice through security!

Phew! After many trials and errors, I now wear flip flops and stretch pants to the fly so no dealing with belts and it's easy to slide shoes back on. JAM only wears socks (until he started to walk). I bring enough food just for the flight and buy food when I arrive. You are allowed to bring water and breast milk as long as it's for the baby. They did make me dump out the juice when JAM started using sippy cups though. I think it depends on the airport and security guard because that only happened once. I just asked for apple juice or orange juice once I got on the plane and filled his sippy cup back up. I travel with my laptop once in awhile and still bring it as a carry on cuz I'm paranoid to put it in my check-in bag. I tried to go without a stroller and that was horrible. Never again. Carrying a baby, purse and baby bag all around the airport can become tiring, especially when your gate is on the other side of the airport. It would get worse once he started walking because he never wanted to be carried and always wanted to wander. A stroller solves all that madness so I just deal with putting it through security. There have been a couple times JAM was "randomly" security checked, which was odd, but know that you are to NEVER be separated from your child if that occurs. I got checked one time and it ended up being my underwire bra *shakes head*.

Well hopefully this prepares you for your flight so you don't have to go through a crisis like I had to experience. Just remember to breathe, and people are more understanding than you think. 9 times out of 10 TSA will help you gather your things if they see you're struggling with your baby. However, don't always count on someone's help. Just try to be as efficient as you can and don't leave anything behind! For more information check out TSA's website. Stay tuned to hear my tips on how to keep your child calm while in the air. Happy Travels!

He's sloooooowly breaking down....

Do you have any crazy or hectic stories about going through airport security?

Flying With A Little One: Best Time of Day to Fly

With many families on summer break, a popular question I keep hearing is "How do you fly with a little one?". Parents always wonder, What time a day is great to fly with a kid? What are you allowed to bring on the plane for the baby? What do you bring on the plane to keep your child calm? DEEP BREATHS! With all the traveling I've done with JAM, I feel like I've earned my wings and I'm here to help ease your anxiety.

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You know your child more than anyone. As far as what time of day to travel, that all depends on your little one (if your schedule allows you to make that type of accomodation). On departure flights, I always took the first flight out, which was usually 6am, since I knew JAM didn't like to wake up until 10am. Also because I was always excited to head to our destination so I wanted to get my day started bright and early. He'd be a little upset being moved around from his carseat to his stroller and through security but since he was so sleepy he'd always end up knocking out on the flight. On arrival flights I usually booked a red eye flight. Once I come back home from a vacation, all I want to do is go to sleep. All the excitement of traveling wears off and I don't want to deal with anything once I get home. Red eye flights are more chill at the airport and my little guy sleeps through the night. Whoever picks me up handles my bags and it's home sweet home for the both of us. I did notice that when JAM was a baby he would instantly knock out with no problem. Once he hit the toddler age, he was a little more active and wanted to wander and peek over the seats. That was when I started planning my flight times accordingly. If I arrived there early enough, I'd let him walk around the area to release any last minute energy stored away. I also preferred these flights because they usually weren't full flights so JAM and I would have a row to ourselves. Always expect the unexpected when it comes to flying with a child. That way you're prepared for anything and if all that stuff doesn't happened it'll be a plus for you! Regardless, keep an open mind, don't stress, and just go with the flow. Before you know it, you'll arrive at your destination feeling like a pro flying with kids.