I was really nervous about boarding a flight with Eli. Flying makes me super nervous as it and then add an unpredictable baby boy and I thought I was going to lose my mind.
But surprise, surprise all went really well. I stayed up all night worrying for nothing.
And I literally stayed up all night worrying, I tossed and turned and got 1 hour of sleep the night before our flight. Awesome.
Because I have now traveled once with a toddler on an hour and 10 minute flight I consider myself an expert in this area and thought I would share some tips and tricks that worked for us.
Car Seat
One major thing I was worried about was whether to take a car seat or rent one. After doing some research I decided to take one, so before we left I purchased a J.L. Childress Ultimate Car Seat Bag from amazon to put our car seat in so that it would stay protected when we checked it.
This thing was AMAZING. I have to admit I thought it would look a bit silly wearing it as a back pack and because I'm so cool (ahem, vain) I decided Luke would be the only one who would wear this thing in the airport. But by the middle of the trip I was sporting that bad boy around the airport. I did feel like a turtle but it was light and fit perfectly on my back. I loved it!
I didn't get a pic of us in the airport with it on but here I am testing it out on a day when I was clearly looking HOTT.
Stroller
I knew I wanted to take a stroller and was planning on taking our travel system Chicco stroller but at the last minute I decided to ask a friend if I could use her Maclaren stroller. Praise the Lord I asked her because this thing was amazing. Now I can't imagine taking my big huge stroller through the airport. We just wheeled the stroller to our gate and checked it there. Then when we got off the plane it was setup and waiting for us. I was pretty impressed considering nobody in the entire travel party I was with could figure out how to open the stroller the whole trip. The flight package men must have a lot of experience with strollers.
Also, the stroller has to go through the secruity xray machine with your carry on bags, and it would have been a pain to try and get that big stroller up there. Now I want a Maclaren they are pretty awesome.
Airplane Entertainment
Eli loves the Ella's baby food so I made sure to bring lots of packs of those so he could suck on them. I brought four and he sucked them all down before the plane even took off. I was kicking myself wishing I would have brought him more. Next time we fly I will bring like 20 of these.
Eli did pretty good for most of the trip. There were times he started screaming or fussing so I quickly showed him a snack and he sat content gobbling it up. Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you to stuff your child's mouth with food the entire trip because that probably isn't the best parenting thing to do, but I will tell you it worked for us.....I also made sure to pack an extra outfit and lots of diapers and wipes in my carry on but luckily we didn't need them.
Overall it was very smooth and I realized that I stressed about nothing (per usual). Minus the flight home when we went through storms and I was pretty positive I was going to die at that moment. Have I mentioned I HATE flying?
That's all I can think of for now but if you have any questions let me know!
Oh, one more thing, Eli didn't have to take off his shows when we went through security. That was a big question I have (I obsess over small things), I'm not sure what the cut off age is but he didn't have to take his off.
Aw I wish I had seen your plea for help. We fly/travel a lot.
ReplyDeleteThey just changed it to under 12 don't have to take their shoes off, which is really nice! And if you ever have anything like a larger stroller they will hand check it even it it won't fit through the xray machine.
So glad it went well for you guys!
ReplyDeleteSo glad your trip went well! I'll be flying alone with both kids in a couple of months and the baby food idea is GENIUS! Last time we flew, Honor was 6 mo and content to just sit quietly. No more! And since she's started the arching-back tantrums, we have the potential to cause a scene. I'm dreading it already.
ReplyDeletegood tips! we will be flying (for the first time) with the boys in may and like you, i'm already playing it through my head :)
ReplyDeleteso you didn't check your car seat, you carried it? we will have 2!!!! ugh!
I KNEW we were sisters....I hate flying, I worry too much over nothing, and a Maclaren stroller is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteWe are going to be flying (hopefully) with our baby this fall. She is the same age as Eli (they are a day apart!) and I am wondering if you had an extra seat for him or if you just held him the whole time. I am stressed about our very independent girl not wanting to sit - she much prefers exploring/climbing/walking over/under things. And then I worry about that third person stuck in our row.
ReplyDeleteDid you have the aisle seat or a window? Aisle would be nice in case we have to get up, but a window might distract her with something to look at.
Also, how did you get him through security? Did you walk through, then go get Eli, then Luke walked through?
Any tips on time of day to fly as far as napping goes? Our flight will hopefully be no longer than 3 hours, with no layovers. She is taking about one nap a day now that she is one - but usually by mid-morning she is ready for one, even though she has been giving this one up.
I'd like to say I'm looking forward to our vacation away, but I find it more stressful and anxiety inducing! Even staying in a hotel has me a bit anxious! Ugh!
Sorry for all the questions. Even though you stressed about it, it still sounds like it went smoothly. You seem to handle everything with such grace - something I hope to one day feel like I have a grasp on! :)