I am getting ready to take that first flight with my baby girl. I am so nervous!! Does anybody have any tips at all for me? I don't have the first clue as to what to expect and am so scared that I am going to have THAT baby, you know, the screaming one in the aisle behind you! Help!

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 )

Welcome to FlyerTalk.

Hi SptCA, I'm gonna travel with my 7 month girl in three weeks time. Your advice will come in handy. Thanks! :p

I also hear that breast feeding while the plane takes off and lands will help. ;)

PS: Most airlines will provide diapers, formula and wipes. Call ahead 48 hours to make your request.

Hi SptCA, I'm gonna travel with my 7 month girl in three weeks time. Your advice will come in handy. Thanks! :p

I also hear that breast feeding while the plane takes off and lands will help. ;)

PS: Most airlines will provide diapers, formula and wipes. Call ahead 48 hours to make your request.

I'm glad you thought the advice useful.

I've heard the rumor that airline provide diapers and such, but with the way most carriers are eliminating all freebies, diapers are not one I'd take risk on. I discovered there seemed to be only a 1 in 3 chance a pre-ordered kid's meals would be loaded on the plane, I'd rather not discovered the airline diapers weren't loaded when my kid's diaper was! :p

(hallelujah, no more diapers for the SptCA family! Total potty training has been achieved!)

Breastfeeding is certainly as good, or better, than bottle feeding for helping ears adjust. Any swallowing/sucking will help with the ears. My son never took a bottle so he nursed through take-off and landing and never had a problem. Swallowing/sucking during landing is more important than during take-off as landing is harder on the ears.

Ditto the advice on extra diapers. 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.....)

Enjoy traveling with a 4-month-old. It really is easy and you have nothing to worry about. It doesn't get hard until they are either tall enough to kick the seat in front of them or want to run through the plane. :)

omigosh. (re: Scigirl) that's a really, really funny story. i'll certainly be thinking of this one while i'm flying. hope there won't be any major incidents. my baby's been having the case of bad diarhrea recently (compliments of her daddy) ;) hopefully, it'll clear up by then.

will promise to pack extra, extra diapers. thanks again SptCA and Scigirl.

is there anything else i can do to make baby's trip more pleasant? how can i keep her busy? travel for us will take almost 20 hours. (yikes!!)

can you bring a stroller and carrier in? is there a size limit?

is there anything else i can do to make baby's trip more pleasant? how can i keep her busy? travel for us will take almost 20 hours. (yikes!!)

can you bring a stroller and carrier in? is there a size limit?

What airline are you flying? Most allow you to check a stroller and a carseat in addition to your normal baggage. If you book a seat for your child (strongly recomended) then she will have her own baggage alllowance, and so you won't have any trouble bringing all the carry-ons you need. Size limits vary by airline.

I also recommend buying a seat for baby, it just makes it so much easier for you. My twin boys took their first flight at 5 months. SFO-HNL. We bought one extra seat and I would alternate nursing them. It was a piece of cake. Honestly people around us couldn't believe how good they were. One of the keys is to relax, if you are uptight the baby will definetly sense it and start to also get uptight.

What airline are you flying? Most allow you to check a stroller and a carseat in addition to your normal baggage. If you book a seat for your child (strongly recomended) then she will have her own baggage alllowance, and so you won't have any trouble bringing all the carry-ons you need. Size limits vary by airline.

Am flying with Air Canada. I did buy an extra ticket with the airline - ticket at 75% off but still expensive. (Highway robbery!!!) I'm sure we won't have any problems checking the stroller and carseat but you never know. Good to have a forum with lotsa experienced travellers! :D

is there anything else i can do to make baby's trip more pleasant? how can i keep her busy? travel for us will take almost 20 hours. (yikes!!)

can you bring a stroller and carrier in? is there a size limit?

Is that 20 hours flying, or 20 hours total travel time? If you've got a lay-over, at 7 months my son was quite amused by a stroller ride 'round the airport, watching the baggage carousel (anything that moved) and looking out the window at the planes. Ah, those were the days.... ;)

At that age, he slept most flights, quite happy in his car seat. One or two soft chew toys, and life was complete.

Once he started walking at 9 months, he needed much more to amuse him -toys, books, etc. or he wanted to be up and moving. Be glad you're traveling with a pre-mobile kid!

(These days I have to read him the guide book in advance, show him on the map where we're going, explain the plans and then pack art supplies, books and a portable Thomas the Tank Engine set and 4 stuffed rabbits - minimum!)

Re: SptCA. Thanks again for the helpful advice. My flight is 18 hrs flying time, 2 hr stopover. Am flying to Sydney, Australia via Honolulu. It'll be one unique experience as I'm a new mom traveling with an infant by myself for the first time. :p

I hope we won't have any problems with the carseat or bassinet. My daughter is not too keen on the carseat, everytime we put her in the car, she starts to bail like there's no tomorrow. We're taking her out in the car everyday in preparation for the trip. I'm getting tone deaf as we speak. :D

Anyways, thanks again for everyone's input.

All the advice above is quite useful. Definitely use the car seat on the plane. Nurse or feed on ascent and descent. Take plenty of diapers and wipes for the plane, but not for the rest of your trip, if you're traveling domestically. You'll save yourself a lot of hassle if you just hit a food or drug store on your first day of vacation. No need to pack a week's worth of diapers, etc. when you can just buy them on arrival.

Check with your pediatrician about administering some PediaCare or something similar to combat ear congestion. Be wary of anyone recommending Benadryl (unless it's your doctor).

Allow plenty of time to check in, get through security, etc. With an infant, I find it best to take advantage of the pre-boarding announcement. Get yourself situated before the rest of the plane boards. If you're using the child seat, it has to be positioned in the window seat, so prepare for that. Look into buying your child his/her own seat if you're flying a long distance.

Good luck, and have fun!

You'll save yourself a lot of hassle if you just hit a food or drug store on your first day of vacation. No need to pack a week's worth of diapers, etc. when you can just buy them on arrival.


I used to think that. Then I went to Vancouver with a 4 month old and the first NINE STORES we visited had no diapers small enough for him. Never did figure out why we saw all those empty diaper shelves. After that I packed at least 5 days' worth (also ran into a probelm in the Netherlands getting the right size, come to think of it) and use the space the diapers took on the outound leg for shopping on the return.

I used to think that. Then I went to Vancouver with a 4 month old and the first NINE STORES we visited had no diapers small enough for him. Never did figure out why we saw all those empty diaper shelves. After that I packed at least 5 days' worth (also ran into a probelm in the Netherlands getting the right size, come to think of it) and use the space the diapers took on the outound leg for shopping on the return.

I agree. One of the beauties of buying a seat for an infant (even at the typical 50% domestic discount) is that the infant gets a full luggage allowance. So we used to load up a suitcase with the soft consumables (diapers and wipes). Even full, it was lightweight. Last thing I wanted to do while traveling was track down diapers.

Had loads of them in carryons as well, and that paid off more than once with delays/misconnected checked bags, etc.

I used to think that. Then I went to Vancouver with a 4 month old and the first NINE STORES we visited had no diapers small enough for him. Never did figure out why we saw all those empty diaper shelves. After that I packed at least 5 days' worth (also ran into a probelm in the Netherlands getting the right size, come to think of it) and use the space the diapers took on the outound leg for shopping on the return.

Hence my comment "...if you're travelling domestically." I wouldn't chance it traveling abroad (not that Vancouver is "abroad"). YMMV.

I've typically packed enough diapers for a day and a half beyond the arrival of the flight. If I can't find diapers within a 36 hour period, I'm in the wrong part of the U.S.! I guess you have to take your specific needs into consideration. My six month old takes size 3 diapers, which are pretty common, given that they fit infants ranging from about 18 lbs. to 28 lbs.

I just don't see the need to pack and carry (or check) an extra bag full of wipes and diapers. It's a calculated risk, but it's hard for me to imagine a scenario where I couldn't load up on supplies at my destination. If bad weather or missed flights are possible, I would reevaluate my thinking, but if I'm on a direct flight, it shouldn't be a problem if I adhere to my "36 hour rule".

Hence my comment "...if you're travelling domestically." I wouldn't chance it traveling abroad (not that Vancouver is "abroad"). YMMV.

I've typically packed enough diapers for a day and a half beyond the arrival of the flight. If I can't find diapers within a 36 hour period, I'm in the wrong part of the U.S.! I guess you have to take your specific needs into consideration. My six month old takes size 3 diapers, which are pretty common, given that they fit infants ranging from about 18 lbs. to 28 lbs.

We're done with diapers now (glory be!) but while they were an issue for us, I just found it easier on a trip of 5 days or less to bring 'em than waste vacation time hunting for them (especially after Vancouver!). My son always flew on his own ticket, so baggage allowance wasn't an issue, and since part of a good trip for me is shopping, that extra space in the luggage always came in handy on the return.

And FYI, in general I'm opposed to globalization of domestic commodities, but walking into a European market and picking up Size 5 Pampers was one time I thought it was great!

Hi kcbumpkin
Lots of great advice so far that I'm sure will help. I suggest you pack enough diapers for a few days so that you don't have the pressure of having to find some as soon as you arrive. However, diapers or nappies as we call them in Australia are very easy to find and I am certain you would not have to look far. The premium diaper in Australia is Australian made Huggies. www.huggies.com/au lists in detail the sizes available - sizes are in kilograms so it may save you a little bit of time by having a look at the website first rather than standing in the supermarket trying to make a decision. Most other brands have similar sized diapers/nappies. Wipes are also readily available. I suggest you don't weigh yourself down with too much stuff when you can be certain of great quality and easy availability on arrival.
Have a great trip.

wow... i think most ppl are getting kcbumpkin and michele123 mixed up!! how funnee. nevermind, same topic, same discussion applies. all info taken with gratitude.

how's this for ironic? called up Air Canada to ask about infant arrangements. i can bring my stroller and carrier plus base. i asked about diapers and wipes - if they do provide them... the agent said they only provide 4 to 5 DIAPER/WIPES overall for the WHOLE plane. aieeeeeeee!!! :D

thank to u guys, i'm bringing tons of diapers and wipes and everything i can think of to make my life easier. better to carry lots than to come unprepared. hehehehheeee....

as for diaper brand - i prefer pampers as oppose to huggies. the pampers are way bigger than huggies. i can stay in size 4 for a long, long time. i wonder if they have pampers in australia? if not, then i'm gonna go for huggies. a diaper is a diaper is a diaper. not keeping any souveniors... ;)

You asked if they have pampers in Australia. I believe they do, however I don't believe they are the same quality. I recommend taking your own. When I flew SFO-SYD-MEL with my daughter when she was nine months old I only took enough diapers for a couple of days. I found that the diapers were not as good as the ones I was using at home. Also someone recommended not to give your baby Benadryl. I concur, my daughter had an allergic reaction to it and broke out in hives all over her body. What a nightmare. Luckily it was not on the plane.