Baby on a plane

48 hours before departure, we booked flights to the west coast. This was as spur of the moment as we’ve ever been; however, this trip was a no brainer for both Steve & I. Grandpa in the hospital, the improvement of his health uncertain, a chance to introduce him to Sam and encourage Grandma… we were there. I had some mild anxiety about what it was going to be like to fly with Sam. Children under the age of 2 can fly anywhere in the US for free sitting on your lap. Free? Sign us up. Cue anxiety. I called the airline before leaving with some questions and also got some crucial advice from mom friends. These tips are based off of our experience with a nearly 6 month old. They are not full proof by any means, but I hope they are helpful to you.

Most important: Do not care how others perceive you or your child. This is a tough one because I struggle with this all the time let alone on an airplane with a baby. Take a deep breath and know that there is grace and freedom available. Hopefully, people will grant these to you. No need to apologize. A child is a child. What more can be said?

Schedule: Throw your normal schedule out the window. Contentment > schedule. As long as your baby is content, roll with it. With the time change and jet lag, it would have been impossible for us to stick to our normal routine anyway. Again, there was and is freedom here.

Sleep: I should mention here that Sam is accustomed to napping on the go and sleeping in a pack n play, so sleeping in new places or in her car seat did not throw her too much, thankfully. If you are able, you may want to do some trial runs in the pack n play before you leave. Or even let baby sleep on your lap a bit. There is enough noise on the plane, no need for a noise machine, but we brought ours for the hotel room. Although Sam slept well, I did not get quality rest. I ran on coffee & Dr. Pepper and prayed for grace. Just be prepared for this.

Gear: You can check your car seat, car seat base, and stroller at the gate for free. We brought all of that and used the car seat and snap n go stroller to push Sam around in the airport. We also brought the Ergo carrier to use while boarding and exiting the plane. We used all of these while in California too. We left the pack n play at home because the hotel provided one. Check on this before you leave, and bring your own sheet.

Cabin pressure: Nurse or offer a bottle during take-off and landing as the pressure change in the cabin can bother baby's ears.

Apparel: Dress you and baby in layers. I’m usually cold on planes; however, with Sam sitting on my lap, I was boiling hot. So was she. I’m glad she was wearing a short-sleeved onesie under the long-sleeved.

Toys: All we needed was a pacifier, painters’ tape, and Raffy aka this guy. We stuck strips of tape on the tray table and even ourselves, and Sam enjoyed pulling them up over and over and over again. And Raffy was a Christmas gift that has been a favorite since opened. Raffy offers variety and is great for teething babes.

If needed, sing a little Lenny Kravitz to get you through... "I want to get away, I want to fly away, yeah, yeah, yeaaaaahh"