Flying with a 4-month old

August 7th, 2007 · 15 Comments

We are planning to fly with our 4-month-old son. My wife is pretty nervous about the whole thing. I am not nervous because one: it is not going to be a very long journey, two: he (our son) is a patient kid and three: he has survived a 8 hour drive in a Toyota Qualis on really bad roads and didn’t create much fuss.

I was searching the net for some tips on flying with infants and found this incident that cracked me up totally:

Our first trip with baby coinsided with several major diaper blow-outs enroute. Pack at least one change of clothes for baby and an extra t-shirt for one of the adults, just in case. We had such a bad blow-out on one trip that I had to strip the baby and bathe him in a bathroom sink during a layover. He hated it and screamed bloody murder and there was poop everywhere - sink, his clothing, his shoes, his hair, etc. If it was a hurricane it would have been a category 5, if you know what I mean. Since there was no “family restroom” my husband could only stand outside the ladies room listening to the screams as I mopped up. So, bring the extra diapers and don’t count on the airline to pack diapers or kid’s meals (we’ve never received the kids’ meals on any of the flights we took and my son made silver elite this year…..)

Overall the tips, for those who might need them, are:

Tip #1 relax, travel is supposed to be fun!

2. buy a seat for the baby to guarantee that you can use your infant safety seat on the plane - securing the child in one will make the trip easier for you and safer the your baby

3. have a bottle available for take-off/landing to keep the baby swallowing - helps lessen pressure in the ears

4. pack at least 50% more diapers than you think you’ll need, and extra wipes - air travel has a way of clearing out little guts

5. get to the airport early - allow at least an extra 45 to 60 minutes for last minutes feeds and diaper changes pre-boarding, and getting through security is a time-consuming nuisance, especially with a baby.

6. remember that despite what a few FT members think, infants screaming on planes is neither criminal or fatal. We’d all prefer to minimize it, but sometimes it is just gonna happen. And when it does, probably most parents on the plane are more in sympathy with you than angry (and secretly glad it’s not their baby this time! :D )

Tags: Humour · Sriram · Travel · Tips

15 responses so far ↓

Rohith // Aug 7, 2007 at 1:30 am

All the best with the flight!
Mysorean // Aug 7, 2007 at 2:20 am

Rohith:
Thanks.
Priya // Aug 7, 2007 at 3:19 am

firstly all the best..and lol so many advices..how much of all these details are u going to follow?? :) i do not really have any experience in this direction..but i enjoyed the various advice given in detail!!!
Mysorean // Aug 7, 2007 at 3:39 am

Priya:
We need to know these tips. So that we use the right one at the right time.
Glad you enjoyed.
shark // Aug 7, 2007 at 4:06 am

I have heard from many people that traveling with a baby is definitely tougher.
But I am glad that you are so well prepared :-)

Regarding point no6, once I had a co passenger who started blasting a young mom for not being able to control her kid. I was simply shocked beyond words at his insensitivity. Finally another passenger had to yell at him to shut up! Such people are also in this world.
suresh s // Aug 7, 2007 at 9:00 am

All the best Adi. Remember the first Tip!! It is supposed to be fun!!! Write abt your exp after you actually take the flight! Happy Journey!
Mysorean // Aug 7, 2007 at 9:20 pm

Shark:
It’s so ridiculous to see people blasting a mother! I have also witnessed one such incident but there the problem was more because the mother was carrying the child in a strange position that it was obvious that the crying was because of the discomfort. The mother immediately corrected herself and the howling had stopped too! :)

Suresh S:
Thanks! I shall post post-journey too! I liked the aliteration there.
Priya // Aug 7, 2007 at 11:19 pm

yup..do share the post trip details..hopefully all these tips help you to have a fun trip in the flight…All the best…
Mysorean // Aug 8, 2007 at 12:04 am

Priya:
Sure I will! Thanks! :)
Veena Shivanna // Aug 8, 2007 at 2:30 am

Adi,
You seemed to have gained experience so much that you can comile a book on toddlers for new parents :-)

Glad to know about the trip with Sriram.. Have a great time.
Mysorean // Aug 8, 2007 at 4:09 am

Veena Shivanna:
Well, let me undertake the practical experience first! Then we shall think about the book! :)

Thanks! Everyone is looking forward to Sriram being at Hyderabad!
Jeevan // Aug 9, 2007 at 4:50 am

The tips would be useful for those carrying baby’s. Let me know about the trip buddy.
Vijay // Aug 9, 2007 at 10:35 am

Believe me with 4 month old it will not be difficult..

My wife and I travelled to USA last year with our 4 month old. I had to go through the smae things that you are going thru now… The bottle tip worked for us. We did carry extra diapers and wipes which was really helpful… I did all the diaper changing on the flight since it was the first time that my wife was flying… My son did give me funny looks when I was cleaning him in the small toilet on the plane… he probabl was thinking who this giant is.. :)

Make sure he flight attendents tell youhow to strap the baby with the baby seat belt… with 4 month old baby, it wud be on the parent’s lap with its own seat belt strapped on to parent’s seat belt. That was how it was on teh Air France… not sure how our local planes are…

Good luck.
Pixie // Aug 14, 2007 at 9:31 pm

Nice :-)
So, how was the trip?
Lisa // Aug 29, 2007 at 10:30 pm

Gravol solves all travel worries. Young and old :)

Mysorean