Hellobee Boards Topic: If you've flown with your little one before....

Hellobee Boards Topic: If you've flown with your little one before.... https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 04 May 2026 08:33:33 +0000 chrispygal on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-808524 Sat, 25 May 2013 06:10:23 +0000 chrispygal 808524@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I voted morning because my LO tends to be best in the mornings. Afternoons/evenings she is more cranky. We flew twice, around 8.5 months, with both flights leaving mid-morning. We did well, and she did take short naps on the plane. lamariniere on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-808468 Sat, 25 May 2013 02:03:05 +0000 lamariniere 808468@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We have flown a ton with LO. I can't say any particular time is better for day flights, other than afternoon nap time, but he doesn't always sleep as we would like. Longer or international flights are definitely better at night as he will sleep for most of the trip. Katrocap on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-808223 Fri, 24 May 2013 20:12:15 +0000 Katrocap 808223@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I voted for afternoon because I flew with my DS in early April when he was 3 months. We flew from Baltimore to Florida to visit my parents and on the way back had an afternoon flight leaving Florida around 4:30pm and getting into Baltimore at 7pm. That night was the first (and only so far) night that DS slept through the night. I wish that weren't a coincidence, because I can't fly everyday to get him to STTN! pinkb on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-808075 Fri, 24 May 2013 18:04:27 +0000 pinkb 808075@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We just flew with our 4month old last weekend and the early flight worked out way better for us. I did have to wake her for it but she slept for half the flight and then when she wakes up she is happy so it was perfect. Our flight home was in the afternoon and it was horrible for her (she doesnt nap well in the afternoon). I had it planned pretty well for feeding times but we were delayed a couple hour and cut into her feeding time and she screamed for an hour on th plane. I didnt realize they could not provide anything to warm up water/formula so it was really bad. This was just a short flight, 2 hours or so. tysonja on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807994 Fri, 24 May 2013 17:04:00 +0000 tysonja 807994@https://boards.hellobee.com/ we flew with LO at 4 months, 7 months, and 12 months. each flight was around 5-6hrs. the latter 2 flights i did on my own -- in general i prefer morning flights with my LO! he has a pretty strict schedule and has always fallen asleep and slept in his crib or a pack n play, so sleeping in my arms is a bit foreign to him. he's always fresh and ready to go in the morning! now that he's a bit older and on 2 naps, with the second one being slightly optional (won't melt down if he misses it), i think i might prefer to have him fly right after his morning nap. in short, i prefer to fly when he's not tired! bamblm on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807981 Fri, 24 May 2013 16:54:06 +0000 bamblm 807981@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Bee: a little off topic, but our biggest problem traveling was that when we all slept in the same room, our champion sleeper started waking up every two to three hrs to nurse. The second place we stayed he had a separate sleeping area and went straight back to STTN. We had two sound machines, and his favorite blankie both places. Ree723 on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807954 Fri, 24 May 2013 16:35:47 +0000 Ree723 807954@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I think it depends how long the flight is. We flew internationally (a 30 hr journey) when LO was 5.5 months, then again at 6 months (8 hr flight) and back home at 7 months (25 hr journey). At 7.5 months, 8 months, and 10 months, we've flown domestically (4 hr journeys each time). For long flights (6 hrs or more), I think flying in the evening/overnight was easiest because LO was tired and went to sleep easier, staying asleep longer. For the short flights, morning was best as she was happy and well rested, meaning we didn't have to deal with late afternoon grumpiness. It also made a difference in that we had a bassinet seat on our long haul flights, and just held her on our laps for the shorter ones. honeybear on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807894 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:58:38 +0000 honeybear 807894@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We've only done shorter domestic flights--2 hours or so--and I have scheduled them all for nap times, which has worked really well. On the last one, LO slept from just before take-off to touch-down! pinkcupcake on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807834 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:23:59 +0000 pinkcupcake 807834@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I flew w LO at 9 months (intl), 10 months (cross country) and 14 months (short 2.5 hr flight). As she's gotten older I've realized that early AM flights work best for us. She's usually too worked up/excited to sleep and is generally in a much better mood in the morning. I made the mistake of scheduling a 630p flight once (near her bedtime) and it was a disaster. She was super cranky and had a complete meltdown. MamaJ on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807831 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:22:09 +0000 MamaJ 807831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I've done all three. The only issue I had was once we landed at midnight and as we were getting off the plane LO woke up and started screaming because he was woken in the middle of his night. I was waiting to get off so there was nothing I could do but try and calm him which didn't work. Once we got off the plane he was fine though. And at least no one else was sleeping because we had already landed. He was 3 months at the time. Mrs. Cowgirl on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807815 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:14:32 +0000 Mrs. Cowgirl 807815@https://boards.hellobee.com/ For us, the best time is when CB is not too sleepy because we can't guarantee he'll sleep on the plane. He sleeps like a champ in the car, but on the plane and at the airport, he's so excited, it's hard for him to wind down. So, that means morning travel or afternoon travel (before 4pm) is best! lemondrop on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807806 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:06:10 +0000 lemondrop 807806@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We always fly east cross-country to see family, so I prefer to get my flights over with as early as possible when leaving home, so we can have some fun upon arrival and wear him out a little being on Pacific/Mountain time. Of course it doesn't really matter since going home we usually leave in the afternoon Eastern time, and he's been fine flying both ways. My biggest preference is to have a 2 hour layover at the half-way point when flying across country to get a break and let him run around for a while (and to give us a time cushion if our flight gets delayed leaving our initial departure). We usually fly from AZ to Houston, then on to our destination. Two hours locked in a plane with a baby/toddler is much less daunting than 3-4, especially when flying alone! googly-eyes on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807805 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:04:50 +0000 googly-eyes 807805@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @MamaMoose: same here but the one we have booked for bedtime is less than 3 hrs thankfully googly-eyes on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807801 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:03:46 +0000 googly-eyes 807801@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I voted mornig but really any time that's right thought the middle of the day is fine. If we flew at night LO might sleep but i probably wouldn't. Daytime.. The worst that can happen is naps will be screwed up and that night could be a little rough but we will bounce back easier than if nights got messed up. BoogieBea on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807796 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:59:57 +0000 BoogieBea 807796@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It really depends on the child. My son did better on overnight flights because we could easily get him to sleep in the ergo. My daughter, however, was never a snuggler so daytime flights are better for her. T-Mom on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807744 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:42:03 +0000 T-Mom 807744@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We like to fly in the morning for domestic flights, super early like 7am. The kids fall asleep right away on the plane since they had to wake up before 5 to get to the airport. For international, we kind of just let whatever ticket we get dictate the schedule since we usually fly long legs to Asia and they always include an overnight. MamaMoose on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807741 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:39:29 +0000 MamaMoose 807741@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I choose afternoon. I would much rather the possibility of messing with a nap than having to wake her up super early or mess with bed time! We have a flight coming up in August that is booked for bed time. We had no other choice for a direct flight. I'm dreading it. wheres_c on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807727 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:32:36 +0000 wheres_c 807727@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I flew international (9hrs) with DS at 5 mo. He slept through the overnight flight, but was awake and happy during the afternoon flight. At that age, I would choose overnight. sunny on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807668 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:08:30 +0000 sunny 807668@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We flew 3 segments at 4 months. They were all during the day. Then we flew 4 segments at 7 months. One long overnight, one long day flight, 2 short morning flights. At 4 months (hadn't been sleep trained), I think anytime of day would work. My LO slept in my arms just fine. At 7 months, after sleep training, we had a bit of issues with a morning flight. She wanted to sleep but we had to take her out of her carrier to go through security, then pass her back and forth between parents for various reasons and just caused a lot of disruption so she had a hard time settling down. The day flights and overnight flights (9 hrs) were fine. During the day, we played in the seat. Overnight, she slept the entire time in my arms, much of it while she was nursing. rattles on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807648 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:01:47 +0000 rattles 807648@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I've taken two roundtrips with LO, one at 4.5 months and one last week at 5.5 months. I'm apparently in the minority, but I've had the greatest success with late flights. If the cabin lights are dimmed, she'll sleep after nursing. In the day, she's hard to keep quiet and entertained enough not to squirm and squeal because she is at that age where everything's a distraction. She didn't nap the entire cross country trip we took in the afternoon. heffalump on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807638 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:58:07 +0000 heffalump 807638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I think any time that is nap time is best. For us that was in the afternoon. bamblm on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807635 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:56:33 +0000 bamblm 807635@https://boards.hellobee.com/ At 6 mos we took a 3 hr flight. Both were afternoon flights. I nursed at takeoff and landing. They way there he slept almost the whole time. The way back he cried and fussed and squirmed. No advice because we did the same thing both times and had two completely different experiences. Freckles on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807618 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:49:25 +0000 Freckles 807618@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I have flown with LO at 4.5 months, 5.5 months, 9 months, and 10.5 months. The worst flights were when the flight was scheduled at her bedtime. She was so distracted by everything going around her that she did not want to sleep. Then she became cranky, had a meltdown, and i had to deal with a crying baby while trying to get her to sleep. Since she couldn't sleep for more than 45 minutes, she really suffered on those flights. The best flights (for any age) were either in the morning or afternoon, as long as we landed before bedtime. The earliest flight was at 6am, which required us to wake LO up at 4am. This worked out okay because it coincided with her middle-of-the-night nursing session (back when she was 4.5 months old). I know all babies are different but i will never ever schedule an evening flight with LO! Mrs. Train on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807617 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:49:25 +0000 Mrs. Train 807617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We do mornings. It doesn't seem to matter what time I wake them up to go but they are always their best first thing in the morning. We have done 6 am flights and they behaved great! loveisstrange on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807611 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:47:07 +0000 loveisstrange 807611@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I flew with C at 8 months in the afternoon and it was a disaster. I flew again at 9 months at bedtime and it was WAY better. These are both international flights, so they were long. I think that makes a difference. If i was doing a short flight, I would vote morning, travelingnanny on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807604 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:43:17 +0000 travelingnanny 807604@https://boards.hellobee.com/ As someone who flys very frequently, there is no ideal time. Sorry! runsyellowlites on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807583 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:36:56 +0000 runsyellowlites 807583@https://boards.hellobee.com/ G was about 2 1/2 & we flew from Texas to Florida. I want to say we flew midday (only thing avail as our trip was kind of unplanned due to a family members illness). He *should have* napped on the plane but alas was too excited & didn't fall asleep until about 10 minutes before descending! I've joked before that I left my child in Texas bc as soon as we landed until we got back to Texas G was a mess! He actually had a meltdown as we left the airport bc he wanted to ride the Amtrak train again! He got away from me literally 5 ft from the exit (as he had been fussing trying to go back to "ride again" since we had gotten off) and started running back in a full on cry! All I could do was laugh as I had both our suitcases, carry on bag, diaper bag & now a crying screaming child running back to ride & train while at the same time turning back to me yelling "don't leave me". I have no advice. Lol Mrs. Bee on "If you've flown with your little one before...." https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-youve-flown-with-your-little-one-before#post-807558 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:27:04 +0000 Mrs. Bee 807558@https://boards.hellobee.com/ This is for a post I'm writing! If you've flown with your little one before, I'd love to hear your opinions! What time of day do you think is best to fly? I think best time of day depends on your LO's age and nap schedule. For instance, most babies can fly any time because they sleep easily. Some people think morning is the best time, and others think nap or bedtime is the best time. Please feel free to share any insights (or if you voted other) in the comments!