A few weeks ago we got sad news that Seth's grandfather passed away. We bought plane tickets to travel home for the funeral the same night with one day to prepare for our first flight with baby Sofia. In preparing I started researching and asking friends and other mamas for advice. I thought I'd share what we learned from our travels!
1. Water bottle
Make sure it's empty before you go through security! Or, if you are like me and realize you forgot to empty it before getting in line, be ready to chug it in line. Make sure you fill it before each flight so you have enough water when nursing on the flight. Asking the flight attendant for 10 refills probably isn't going to go over so well!
2. Pillow
I also got the suggestion of using a boppy or regular bed pillow for our laps on the plane. At first I thought it seemed like a little too much to add to what we would be carrying already, but this was way worth it! I choose to bring a regular bed pillow instead of the boppy because it could be strapped on top of our duffle bag carry-on. It was much more handy than a boppy would have been. We could lay the baby out across our laps to nap or play. We even used it to put the changing pad on and change her while flying (cause you weren't going to find me in those bathrooms trying to use a public changing table!)
3. Tablet or E-reader
If I haven't said enough how much I LOVE my Google Nexus 7, I have to say this is one more time that made me realize how much I like it! Sofia didn't sleep much, but when she did, I could easily pull out the tablet, hold it with one hand, and enjoy an e-book.
4. Disinfecting wipes
Someone suggested wiping down the seats of the plane, and although I felt a little OCD making Seth do this before we sat down on each flight, I am glad we did it! Anything to try to keep germs away from my baby!
5. Ergo & the Moby Wrap
I packed these two plus the ring sling. We didn't end up using the ring sling, but we did use both the Ergo and the Moby wrap. I felt a little over the top packing all three carriers in the carry-on bag, but each one is a little different for different situations (especially for what the baby wants or how she's feeling).
6. Hand Sanitizer Spray
I read about the chemicals in regular antibacterial hand sanitizer going into breast milk, so I have been avoiding it. I knew I had to find some other way to clean my hands, because using the bathroom on the plane and touching the door handles and faucet didn't sound in the least appealing if I could avoid it (airports, on the other hand, rock because they have no doors on the bathrooms and automatic faucets). I found an organic hand sanitizer spray that didn't contain ingredients that appeared to be in a foreign language.
7. Wet bag
Very important. Make sure it's big enough to hold a few diapers and some clothes. We used disposables for the traveling, but the wet bag gave us a place to put dirty diapers that we had to change on the plane when a trashcan wasn't easily accessible.
8. Phone to take photos
Or some device that takes photos! You must capture your baby's first flying experience! Of course, I relied on my iPhone and posting them on Instagram for family and friends to see as well.
9. Mama snacks - healthy & easy
Airport food isn't always the healthiest and looking for a quick, healthy snack is a challenge. Airplanes have snacks you can buy on flight, and even healthier choices, but sometimes a mama needs food and she needs it 5 minutes ago! There is no waiting for the flight attendants to make it through the cabin and praying they still have that one healthy option by the time they reach your row! I packed granola bars, almonds, peanut butter, multi-grain bagels, and apples.
A few other things you need to remember:
- Slip on shoes (for me, I've lived in my Toms since Sofia was born. They are easy on and off with no hands or bending down needed.) Especially important in getting baby through security as quickly as possible!
- Change of clothes for baby & parents too - We didn't end up needing our clothes (Sofia did), but can you imagine if she'd had a blowout on us part way through our flight and we didn't have anything else to wear!? It was bad enough when this happened at the end of a trip to the mall, but traveling with no access to clean clothes... OY! Always be prepared!!
- Car seat back ups - You can check your car seat for free with the airline. And if it happens to not make it to your final destination with the rest of your luggage, NO WORRIES! They have a closet of back ups (and strollers too) to lend until your's gets delivered (at which point, they swap back). I know this because it happened to us!
- Packing for carry on - Do your best not to over pack! You already have a ton of stuff to take care of, most importantly - a baby! Be very critical about bringing EXACTLY what you need and no more. I think I actually did a decent job with our carry on bags (the only thing that was packed that didn't get used while flying was our ring sling).
- Enjoy all the googly eyes people give your baby! Cause no one knows better than you that this little one is the best thing in the world! And darn cute too!
