I'll be flying with DD next month to visit her grandparents and I'm nervous!!! I know it will be fine but I just need to wrap my head around it. What time of day do you think it's best to fly with a 7 month old? She usually wakes up at 6am, nurses, then falls back asleep from 7am to 8am. She goes to bed around 7:30pm. I'm leaning towards a morning flight, maybe around 9am? It's only a two hour flight (thank goodness!) so I'm hoping after a full nights rest she will be a happy clam and nap on the plane? What did you do with your LO around that age when you had to fly? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!!!
-
@Mrs. Chen: This Series might be helpful!
http://www.hellobee.com/hellobee-series-flying-with-children/
-
We ended up on a 2:30 flight, and it worked out nicely. She had her morning nap, and we weren't rushed finishing the packing. She slep 1.5 hours and was very pleasant. We were on a noon flight coming back, and she didn't get a good nap before leaving and was a little fussy on the flight as a result. I will say that she's a very good baby, so she wasn't screeching or anything - just fussier than normal. Hope that helps!
ETA: LO was 7 months old at the time.
-
We frequently take 2 hour flights to visit grandparents. At that age I tried to catch a flight around her nap time. Preferably a bit after. I would nurse her at takeoff and she usually slept most of the flight.
-
Nighttime has worked best for us so far!
-
we are flying to see my parents in a week, LO is 8 months...
the flight there is at 9am, which is her nap time so i am hoping she will nurse and then nap the whole 1 hr 45 min flight. the flight back is around 4:30pm which isnt ideal, but hopefully she will nap for some of it or just be happy. i am wayyyy to nervous to take a bedtime flight.
-
We flew for the first time when LO was 8 months old. She did way better than I anticipated. I was ready for the full blown screaming and people getting annoyed with us, but really she just loves looking out the window and was fascinated by everything around her. I bottle fed her at both take offs which I think helped with popping ears. Our flights were also in the early afternoon which is usually her nap time so she did sleep a bit on both flights. Depending on how big the airport is I would recommend carrying your LO through security. I had her in my beco which left both hands free to do other things and we didn't have to worry about pushing her stroller through the crowds. And give yourself plenty of time to check in/bathroom break/ diaper change prior to the flight. We cut it pretty close on one leg and I was kinda stressed!
-
I don't think it matters when you fly, pick a time that works for you and you might be surprised or horrified. You just never know.
-
@mrbee: Thanks! Definitely helpful!
@novbaby1112: I'm way nervous about bedtime flights too! She can get CRANKY when she's overtired. I don't want to mess with that! Good luck with your flight next week. Let us know how it goes!
@beachbee: Thanks! I will definitely try to feed her during take off and landing. I've actually never used a body carrier with LO before. I do have the ergo, and I know a lot of moms love it, but every time I put her in it, she doesn't seem comfy so I take her out after a five minutes. Maybe I need to try a few more times and see if she gets use to it.
-
Good luck! Our best flights were the ones early in the morning and later at night. Afternoons were when she is most awake and alert = lots of walking around and bouncing.
-
@looch: Agree, all babies are different. Some sleep well on planes, some don't (mine doesn't) so morning flights work best for us. But I took LO on an evening flight at 6 months and she was fine.
Good luck! Bring an extra outfit on the plane in case of a blowout! Mine never ever has blowouts EXCEPT for on planes!
-
We flew at 1130a and it was great !! He slept in the ergo the whole time, even through a usual feeding time which never happens. I specifically picked the time to avoid packs of business travelers.
Also want to note I was alone with wayyyy too much gear and the TSA people were over the top nice and helpful which I did not expect
-
We took an 11am flight and a 1pm flight back.
Worked perfectly bc DS napped both ways -
We flew in the afternoon. If we had a choice, it would have been best to take a red eye. It wasn't awful, but it was exhausting keeping an almost 12 month old entertained for a few hrs in such a limited space!
-
I agree with the advice above, but remember that there may be flight delays, so be prepared to need a bit of flexibility and try, as hard as you can, not to stress too much if things don't run as smoothly as planned.
Our LO has been on 6 flights in his 9 months of existence (4 domestic, 2 international) and we've discovered that if we get more calm, then he's more calm. Also, it will help you and your SO to stay as chilled out as you can possibly be in an airport and airplane (which is, let's face it, a bit rough).
@beachbee is totally on point about the security checks, and if you can get a smile out of LO at the TSA agents, then life gets easier instantly! Likewise @betsyboop about having a spare outfit. DS hates-hates-hates airplane bathrooms and expresses his views ... copiously.
(Trying to sing a lullaby to a screaming, poop-covered 4-month-old, while holding multiple diapers, at the changing station in the men's room at LaGuardia is something you only want to experience once.)
-
Thanks everyone!! Okay I think I'm gonna book a morning flight there and an mid-afternoon flight back!
@apis: wow your LO is already a fabulous jetsetter! Poop-covered screaming baby...haha! That's the worse!
-
@Mrs. Chen: yeah maybe try your carrier a few more times before your trip. Every baby is different and some really hate the carrier but its worth a shot if you can get her used to it!
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
16 comments