Our daughter Delaney is currently 18 months old. So far in her life she has traveled in the air for 3 trips, 2 of which were long-haul. I'll cover all three trips at different ages to compare differences in supplies, activities, etc. They grow up so fast and are changing so much that each experience can be so different!
If you'd like a bulletpoint summary listed with tips and tricks, you can find it at the bottom of this page.
Seattle to Costa Rica with a 6 month old
One of our closest friend couples were living down in Costa Rica for the winter in their parent's vacation home, so we decided it was a no-brainer to go visit! We couldn't get any direct flights to Costa from Seattle, so we had a 4-hour to Houston, 4-hour to Costa, 8 hours total. We decided to fly during the day because she was young enough to sleep through most of the flight (the older they get, the less they want to sleep on planes), and we only had 5 days there that we didn't want to spend recovering from being up all night.
Overall, it was a pretty good flight and travel plan. Delaney was young enough that she just kind of dealt with whatever we were doing or wherever we were going without a care. This was the easiest age to travel with her, for sure. She took long naps on each flight and was only up for a short period of time. We made sure to have her suck on a bottle on take-off and landing, and she didn't have any problems with her ears that we know of. We did bring tylenol/ ibuprofen just in case, as it could help take away any pain or fever, but we didn't need it. She did develop a little bit a fever when we got there, so it was handy.
We had to bring a car seat because we would be driving around in our friends' car when we got there and wouldn't have access to a rental that provides them. We didn't bring a stroller or anything becasue we knew our schedule didn't include alot of sight-seeing, and she was young enough to be in a chest carrier. So no checking a ton of stuff, just the carseat. We gate checked the carseat in hopes of getting an empty seat on the plane, but no luck, the flight was super full. It's worth it to try though. Side note: If you have a layover, there's no way to get your carseat again for the second flight if you have to gate-check it on the first flight; they send the luggage straight to your destination. So even if there are empty seats on the second flight, you wont have your carseat to try. It has to be on the first flight; bummer!
If you've never been through security with formula/baby food before, just know that they will probably ask you to pull out each individual item, and will take a sampling and test the powder formula. If you have breastmilk, I've heard that they may test that too. The liquid food should be sealed, which is why we brought squeezies and a spoon. It only takes a few extra minutes to test the supplies, but plan for longer going through security with these items just in case you get a strict TSA agent that wants to test every single item. We've had some like that, and then some that just let you pass. Also, as far as I know, there isn't really a limit, it just says on the TSA website to not have "excessive" amounts. I had 2 enitre cans of formula in my carry-on bag and and a travel-sized divider container in my diaper bag, along with like... 10 squeezies and they didn't mind.
For the flight, we brought:
formula & bottles, small water thermos (I wasn't breastfeeding anymore)
diapers/wipes
blanket
lovie/stuffed animal
3 binkies (you never know when you could lose one rolling under the seat)
squeezies/ spoon/ bib
puffs/ cheerios
tylenol/ ibuprofen
For a 6 month, old, that was really all we needed.
Yakima/Seattle to LA/ Disneyland with a 9 month old
This was a 45 minute and then 2 hour flight, so the flight times were totally manageable. Kyle didn't come with me, but my dad and step-mom did, so I had plenty of help. We met my sister and her kids there because they live in Texas, so I also had a ton of help once we got there too.
The only difference this trip from the one to Costa Rica was that I brought a huge sit n stand stroller with me. My sister and I had talked and decided that I would bring that because you can't do Disneyland without a stroller, and her kids were old enough to walk but may still want to rest a little (7 and 5). So I brought the sit n stand to help them out, and I had my dad to help push that around in airport and stuff. I didn't actually even put Delaney in the stroller in the airport, we used it as a caddy for our luggage (we only had carry-ons), and I had her in my chest carrier. We gate-checked the stroller and carseat, so it was a little bit of a hassle getting all that stuff through security, but we did it, it just took a little longer.
Warning: rant ahead (but theres some really good stuff I learned about terrible experiences traveling with an infant, so there's much to be learned. Don't make my mistakes!)
This trip was actually the worst experience I had ever had with airlines/airports in my entire life. I had some real panic anxiety towards the end of the trip over to LA, but my dad and stepmom were great in dealing with Delaney so I could try to relax. Basically, our 45 minute evening flight from Yakima was delayed because of an huge event in Seattle, which gave us a 15 minute layover in Seattle to catch our flight to LA. I didn't know if we were going to make it, but we thought we'd try. So after getting off the plane in Seattle we absolutely sprinted to our next gate, thinking there was no way we were going to make it, but we did. We found out later this was only because that flight was also delayed, which we didn't know until after we boarded.
We ended up sitting in that plane for nearly 3 hours on the tarmac because we had to switch pilots TWICE due to them legally unable to fly because they ran out of "airtime". Delaney slept almost the whole time though, so that helped, but we were more than annoyed by this point. At one in the morning they finally came on and said they didn't have any more pilots and we had to get off the plane, and reschedule our flight. We were in the end rows, so by the time we got off there was already a queue a mile long of people at the gate trying to reschedule their flights. Delaney was wide awake at this point and even though very tired, I had to entertain her fussy self for 2 HOURS in line to get our tickets changed. And then all the hotels were booked in the area for the night; I called 8 before I found one that had a room for $400 a night. It was a nightmare.
We got up to the front of the line and they told me that, because I had an infant, they automatically changed my ticket to a flight that was scheduled to leave in 3 hours (they said they always automatically reschedule families with infants and disabled individuals, so thats good to know). I was surprised and thankful that they did that but still really mad because I just stood in line for 2 hours. But then we realized that because my dad and I didn't purchase our tickets together originally, they didn't know we were together, and couldn't change theirs to the same flight. So then I had to decide to take the flight alone and try to navigate LA by myself with the baby or wait with my parents and take a flight the next evening with them. I decided to wait for my parents as I didn't want to travel alone so we got our tickets changed to the next evening (almost 24 hours after we left Yakima) and got to hotel by 3 am to sleep for a few hours.
We made it back to the airport around 1pm for a 5pm flight (we used the free shuttle from the hotel and had nothing to do, so we just went way early) and ate and relaxed, and delaney played in the kids area. All was fine until around 4 pm that I realized I was out of formula. In all the hassle and nightmare of the last day I completely spaced the fact that I would need more formula (which I planned on buying in Cali once we got there). So there I was, sitting in a restaurant in the airport, with Delaney getting hysterically hungry (food just wasn't cutting it) and I didn't have any way to give her a bottle. This is when I finally broke down and panicked.
They don't sell baby formula in airports, just diapers. I looked around for quite awhile before giving up. So after a little while of melting down and trying to figure out what to do, I finally realized that I could go back to the kids play area and try to find a parent with an infant that may be willing to share their formula. It took guts and they probably thought I was a crazy person with makeup running down my face from crying, but I found the sweetest couple who had a 14 month old infant who gave me almost all of their formula. They said they didn't really need it, as he doesn't take bottles anymore, but they brought it just in case.
Turns out it was a good thing that I didn't just get one or two bottles-worth of formula from them, because our flight was delayed again, if you can beleive it. We left around 8 pm finally and arrived in LA around 10, and our hotel in Anaheim near midnight. UGGHH. That was sooo crazy. But, like every negative experience, I learned a lot. In hindsight I probably would have been better off taking the flight by myself than waiting another 24 hours and running out of formula and all that. Hopefully nothing like this every happens to you, but if it does, maybe you'll think of me and know what to do (and maybe pack more formula than you ever think you'll need!)
For the flight, we brought:
formula & bottles, small water thermos (I wasn't breastfeeding anymore)
diapers/ wipes
blanket / child size neck pillow
lovie/stuffed animal
3 binkies (you never know when you could lose one rolling under the seat)
squeezies/ spoon/ bib
puffs/ cheerios
tylenol/ ibuprofen
2 rattle-type toys
Seattle to Italy with an 18 month old
We had an excellent trip a few weeks ago with our 18-month old and sister and brother in-law. However, all did not entirely work out to plan when it came to flying 12 hours with a toddler (but does it ever, really?).
We decided to book an overnight flight because she's a really good sleeper, averages 11-13 hours a night in her own crib with no wakeups. In theory, this is a good idea. Generally, she did great. She was hardly fussy, didn't cry, but also didn't sleep very much. We only got 2 hours out of her on the first flight which was 9 hours. However, it wasn't entirely her fault. Ill explain in a sec.
We booked a bassinet seat because a) they have more legroom, b) theres a chance she would sleep better in the bassinet than in my arms for 9 hours. Our flight left at 7:30 pm, and we had a 2 hour layover in Dublin, then another 3 hour flight from Dublin to Rome. The big flight she fell asleep about 2 hours into it with a little help from some melatonin. However, after almost 2 more hours of sleeping, the turblance was fairly bad so they put the fasten seatbelt sign on. The rules are that you have to take them out of the bassinet when this happens, which is understandable, but a huge bummer. So I took her out and held her, which woke her up and she didn't get back to sleep THE REST OF THE FLIGHT. which was 5 more hours. Ugh. And they left the seatbelt sign on the rest of the flight anyway, which was ridiculous. I asked the flight attendant about 2 hours in to holding her if I could put her back and she said no. So thats dumb.
The flight back the same thing happened, except it was the bathroom noises that woke her up. I'm not sure what airlines this applies to, but I imagine most planes are the same kind: the bassinet seats are right behind 3 bathrooms on each side/row. So people are slamming doors, the lights are shining into the row, the toilets are loud, etc. So there's a some risk involved with the bassinet seat because of the noise. If you have a light sleeper, I may not recommend it. Also, there's 2 bassinets per 4 seats in the middle, so the flight back there was a young baby next to us who cried a lot. This kept Delaney up a lot too. And Delaney woke the other baby up once too when she decided she wanted to yell for no reason (because you know, toddlers).
So anyway, I generally think bassinets are a good idea, but know that it may not go how you imagine it to go, and still expect to possibly have to hold them in your arms.
Although it was hard having her not sleep on two overnight flights, like I said, she did ok. She was old enough to be entertained with an iPad (Blippi and Peekaboo Barn are lifesavers) but her attention span wasn't super long, and we had to keep rotating activities. Here's a couple things we used to keep her busy:
iPad & bluetooth headphones (link is to headphones) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K76FQTQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Water Wow activity pads - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073HGTSDD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Reusable foam stickers - https://www.amazon.com/BUCKLE-TOY-Bizzy-Learning-Childrens/dp/B00GCH6D2E/ref=sr_1_17?keywords=buckle+toy&qid=1559163486&s=gateway&sr=8-17
Buckle toy - https://www.amazon.com/BUCKLE-TOY-Bizzy-Learning-Childrens/dp/B00GCH6D2E/ref=sr_1_17?keywords=buckle+toy&qid=1559163486&s=gateway&sr=8-17
I LOVE all these products. Between these 4 activities, I think we survived with little downtime in between. And the best activity of all is when they get to look over the seat and smile/play peekaboo with all the people (that was definately Delaney's favorite and killed quite a bit of time).
Along with the above play items, this is what we packed for the flight:
Water bottle/ Sippy cup (our favorite are kid's camelbaks)
diapers/ wipes
a wet bag for soiled items / storing diapers and wipes (our favorite is bumkins)
blanket / child size neck pillow
lovie/stuffed animal
3 binkies (you never know when you could lose one rolling under the seat)
squeezies
puffs/ fig bars/ crackers
tylenol/ ibuprofen/ melatonin/ benadryl
We only had a carry on suitcase each and a sling/diaper bag for me, and a hiking backpack for Kyle and baby the whole trip, and we survived! We gate-checked her hiking backpack (which kyle's small canvas backpack fit inside when traveling) which worked out well. In my research for the trip I came across some advice to not bring a stroller if you're moving around alot and you have a small child because the coblestone streets of countries like Italy will ruin a stroller and narrow entryways/ lots of stairs make it really hard to haul one around. This turned out to be great advice, as I could see what they meant when I saw the streets. Don't bring a stroller if you can manage and are going on a trip like this to Europe. We went to many locations over the course of 2 weeks so we knew we wouldnt be able to haul around huge checked bags. You can do it too without checking a bag, I promise!
Here's some summarized tips and tricks for flying:
1) Get as direct of a flight as you can
If it's a long flight (5 hours +), it's better to just slog through it and be done with it instead of having to get your kid/s off and on planes, especially if they're good sleepers. It's much harder to get back to sleep after you've had interruptions like layovers.
2) Get a red-eye if it's 7-8 hours or more
Some may disagree with me on this, but I think it's best to get a red-eye if its an international flight and you have a kid that sleeps through the night.
3) One word: MELATONIN!
My toddler was SUPER excited to be on plane at 18 months old. Even though it was her bedtime, she was NOT willing to go to sleep and miss anything. We bought Zarbee's liquid melatonin from Amazon and gave it to her on our 9 hour red-eye flight and boy, was it helpful (even if it only helped get her to sleep, staying asleep was a different story). Because this is technically medication (although its a very harmless one), check with your physician as well before you do this. Also, it's better to use this on a long flight where they can get big stretches of sleep.
https://www.amazon.com/Zarbees-Naturals-Childrens-Melatonin-Natural/dp/B079L7F99T/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=kids%2Bliquid%2Bmelatonin&qid=1559166858&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1
4) Another possibly unpopular opinion: bring benadryl as a back-up.
I'm not sure why most parents feel like they're doing a "bad" thing giving medication to their kids to help them to sleep, but it happens. If you are untrusting of medications, it's ok, no shame in that. You do you. As a nurse, however, I am more comfortable understanding how medication works enough to know that it's generally not harmful. I say generally because you CAN overdose on Benadryl, although unlikely (you'd have to at least double or triple the recommended dosing for their weight), and it can slow their breathing and respiratory drive. Obviously you want to give the right doses. Although it says on the packaging it's not to be used under two, it's a liability statement. With that said, ALWAYS TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR before giving medication to your infant/toddler. Just to clarify: this is not medical advice, just mom advice. :)
I would always want to be prepared in case my child is very uncomfortable and decides to be vocal about it. We haven't had to use it much, but jet-lag is real, and makes your child REALLY fussy. Benadryl kicks on pretty quickly, about 15-30 mins typically, so if your child is overly tired and can't sleep, it can be really helpful. The dosing begins at 22 pounds so it is not recommended for children under that size. Again, TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR about dosing. If you're uncomfortable with it, don't risk it.
5) Bring comfort items that signify bedtime
Delaney has a stuffed sock monkey lovey that she can't do without at bedtime, as well as a binky and muslin blanket. When we give her all three of these items, she knows it's bedtime and we mean business. It didn't instantly put her to sleep, but at least she knew those were our intentions and that was what she was suppose to be doing.
6) Dont bring a ton of toys that only allow for a few minutes of entertainment
It will take up lots of room in your luggage, for starters, and I bet you'll find that they won't even use them. Their surroundings are much more exciting than a toy. Go back to "Seattle to Italy" above for a list of a few toys that we did bring for our toddler that gave us quite a long stitch of quiet play-time.
7) If you have an infant, have them drink from a bottle or nurse on takeoff and landing
I'm sure most reading this have heard of this trick before, but it really is best. Try to time your feeding so that they're nice and hungry on take-off and landing, so they suck hard and fast. It will keep their eustachian tubes open and create less of a likelihood that they'll have pressure issues, for sure! We did this with Delaney on every flight before she was a year old and she didn't have any problems. It's not guaranteed, of course, but why not try if it means possibly less screaming on the flight? Also, we used kid's earplanes when she was a toddler since she wasn't taking a bottle and she was able to leave them in just long enough for take-off and landing to help with pressure. No crying at all!
https://www.amazon.com/Original-EarPlanes-Healthcare-Airplane-Protection/dp/B000052XG5/ref=sr_1_3?crid=377BMA21I1KB1&keywords=ear%2Bplanes%2Bfor%2Btoddlers&qid=1559168542&s=gateway&sprefix=ear%2Bpla%2Caps%2C247&sr=8-3&th=1
8) ALWAYS ask the flight attendant at the gate if there's any empty seats if you have a carseat
This is a trick I've heard many moms talk about. Most airline officials will agree that the safest place for baby on an airplane is in their carseat in their own seat, so they will usually try to accommodate for that. If your little one is under a year old I would bring the carseat through security and try to get an extra seat at the gate. If it's not possible, you can always just gate-check the carseat with no cost. PLEASE don't feel bad or guilty doing this, I promise it's perfectly acceptable to not buy your baby their own seat and ask later (as long as you're prepared to hold them for the flight in case there's not). About 50% of the time there's been empty seats and whether or not I brought the carseat it would have been possible. Which bring me to my next point..
9) If you have a toddler, ask for a row with empty seats
3 of our shorter flights in Europe, without even asking, we got moved to a row of empty seats because we had our toddler. They always said, "for more room to stretch out". Most flight attendants are really good at knowing that if you have an active toddler, you need ALOT of room. We would hold her in our lap for take-off and landing, and then let her sit and sleep in the middle empty seat during the flight. It was SOOO nice. It never hurts to ask!
10) Bring tylenol / ibuprofen for pain, fever, teething, etc
Again with the medication advice, talk to your doctor; but I would not want to be without both of these on a plane for any period of time, in case a teething/ fever episode hit. I don't have to tell you read your child; you'll know if they arent feeling well. Why suffer through a super long flight with a teething/ screaming child if you don't have to?
11) Try your hardest to NOT check bags.
Plan ahead, be prepared, and DONT check a bag. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is to be hauling around your child/ren and a huge bag/s when you get to your destination and the whole trip. However, I will say that if you are going on a trip where you only have one place you're staying, like a resort or a home, and don't plan on traveling anywhere else, checked bags are OK, because the only place you have to haul them to is the airport. For trips where you're going to multiple places, however, a carry-on is much better. And don't think you can just leave your bags in your rental car if you have one, I've heard many say their bags have been stolen out of their cars in foreign countries (its never happened to us, thank goodness). So prepare to haul them in and out of places, not leave them in your car. YOU CAN DO IT! I promise.
12) Find the kid's play area in the airports
Most big airports have at least something, if not a gated corner with some toys. Ours in Seattle that we always fly out of has an AWESOME, huge play area wiht climbing toys that you could spend hours in if needed, which helps a lot with downtime in the airport.
13) Book a bassinet seat for international flights
Bassinets are only available on the larger planes (with 2 seats, 4 seats, 2 seats to a row or larger), which are usually overseas flights. Every airline differs in their height/weight/ age requirements. As far as I know, this isn't something that you can book when you pay, you have to call customer service after you book and they can reserve it for you if it's available. The bassinet comes out of the wall in front of you. We flew Aer Lingus with a bassinet, and they didn't really have an age limit, just weight which was like, 40 pounds. So even though Delaney was 18 months and 27 pounds, she was still allowed to use a bassinet, but she did max it out in height. If your kid is older and doesn't sleep well in your arms (like mine), bassinets are a really good option. Even if you don't use the bassinet, the leg room is glorious, because it's in the first row of the section!
14) You get front-of line service for mostly everything, but you might have to ask
This is something I wasn't expecting but was very happy to encounter. When you have an infant/toddler they bring to the front of every line, no joke! This happened mostly internationally in Europe, and not as much in the US. At every airport or service line this happened, and my sister and brother-in-law were happy to reap the benefits of this in Europe. Ticket Lines, boarding, security checks, etc., they'll bring you through. Only once did I have to go out of my way to ask to skip the line when checking in at the airport in Rome, when the ticket counter line for Aer Lingus was 20 miles long. It was embarassing a little, but no way was I going to wait in a line for 2 hours with a bored toddler just to check in. And we were at the airport 3 hours early even, so it's not like we didn't plan and were late. Dont be afraid to ask, people waiting may seem annoyed but they'll get over it. And the staff did it for me, no questions asked. Soak in the benefits while you can!
15) You can check your baby travel equipment for free
I've never not been able to check baby equipment for free, even with smaller airlines internationally. This usually includes strollers and carseats. However, because we had a hiking backpack in italy (which I consider to be baby equipment) and not a stroller, I was a little worried they wouldn't recognize it as baby equipment, so I put it in an airline-certified gate check bag, which they did recognize. If they asked, I just said it was a stroller (don't judge, for all intents and purposes it's the same thing, and is as light as a stroller with nothing in it), and I didn't have any problems. This brings me to the next point...
16) Get a Gate Check bag for your stroller/ carseats
This was super helpful in toting these items around AND it keeps them safe and not scratched up on the conveyor belts.
https://www.amazon.com/Childress-Gate-Check-Umbrella-Strollers/dp/B000QWA9F8/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1J829AIIP6J6R&keywords=gate%2Bcheck%2Bbag%2Bfor%2Bstroller&qid=1559167237&s=gateway&sprefix=gate%2Bcheck%2Bbag%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-2-spons&th=1
17) Buy all the supplies you possibly can when you get there instead of packing them
Baby food, formula, diapers, and wipes are all items you can find at grocery stores across the world. They may not look familiar, and you may have to search a little more, but you'll find them. The only thing I had a hard time finding was squeezies specifically, as they aren't as common in Europe. I found some at bigger stores in Italy and Greece but theyre usually just applesauce. They have baby food in jars everywhere but my toddler obviously wouldn't eat those and squeezies are a good snack for her to eat on her own. Formula is common, and I even found Similac sensitive formula in Costa Rica (which is what Delaney was on at the time), no joke. Just pack enough to get you through the first flight plus a little extra if it's a long one, just in case you can't get to a store right away.
I sincerely hope this post has been of help to you! If you're thinking of traveling with your little one but are a little scared; You can do it! Please subscribe and sign in below to comment or ask questions, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences too!
Sending good travel vibes your way! xxx Kaci