Hellobee Boards

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

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,

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!

I think any time that is nap time is best. For us that was in the afternoon.

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.

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.

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.

@MamaMoose: same here but the one we have booked for bedtime is less than 3 hrs thankfully

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.