A friend recently asked me for tips on flying with a baby/toddler. When we took Isabelle to Europe I learned a few things. Granted, she was 10 months old, so some of these things probably won't work the next time we fly with her.
1) We let her crawl around the airport before boarding. This burned off some excess energy. A year ago this would have totally grossed me out. Oh, who am I kidding? It still kinda grossed me out, BUT sometimes you have to just let go.
2) If you can, feed your baby before you board. So much easier and less mess. Bring extra food and bottle/sippy cup for the flight. You'll probably need it.
3) Try to fly when they would normally sleep - naps or overnight.
4) Bring Dum Dum suckers to help with take-off and landing. We only had to use them twice, because she loves to suck her thumb.This is actually a tip from Tom's friend. Thank you!
5) Bring a few new toys and break out when needed. In retrospect, we probably brought more toys than needed and could have entertained the entire airplane.
6) Don't forget a blanket for warmth and your baby's/toddler's favorite plush toy or blankie. You can see Isabelle clutching her's in the photo below.
7) For long flights, get your baby a seat. We used frequent flyer miles and it was the best idea we had!
Happy travels!
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| First Flight - Isabelle and her daddy |
