but still.... wow.
Third: Manipulate the schedule.
I start planning the day before
how to make Viola's schedule line up
to need to feed as we take off.
I'm doing everything I can to make sure she is hungry
at the time our flight is scheduled to take off.
This not only helps her pressurize her ears
as we take off,
but it makes her sleep like a champ.
If she starts trying to eat or sleep
in the gate, we play with her
and get her right near that edge of feeling crazy
so that she'll conk out once we start taxiing that runway.
Fourth: Get them to drink.
Babies can get crazy whenever they want on flights,
but they cry most often during the last thirty minutes of a flight
because the pilots start the descent
and their poor ears aren't able to pop.
They don't know all the tricks we grown ups know,
so you have to be the brain for them on this.
This can be a bit tricky,
since it's a long period of time.
I'm not sure if this is fool proof,
but it worked for me.
I think of the 20ish flights
we have been on,
Viola has only cried once
and that was because it was such a short flight
and I couldn't time her feeds up for take off & landing.
Go ahead and nurse them
and then- once they are finished
and the world still looks a million miles away:
pull out the secret weapon,
the bottle of goodness.
When Viola was really little,
I put a bit of sugar water in a bottle.
I would drop a bit in her mouth
every 30 seconds or so
and she would gulp it down and pop her ears.
As she got older,
I've diluted juice with water and given her just little drinks
to help keep her curious until we touch down.
Sometimes I've used Smart Water, Apple Juice, whatever...
Heck, I'd even resort to Sprite, if I had to.
Anything to keep her from hurting.
The goal isn't for them to chug it down,
just something to intrigue them
into drinking a bit more
after they have already filled their bellies.
Fifth: Get to the airport two hours early.
Flights have bulk seating reserved
for the day-of travel.
The sooner you get there, the better options
the airlines can offer you
for your seating.
Even if you don't get the bulkhead,
getting their early can help your family
make sure they are all seated together.
You can also hop to get an "infant block" seat,
if there are a few unsold seats.
Five: Shop the unpopular flight times.
We try to skip peak travel times
in order to play the odds for a uncrowded flight.
Uncrowded flights means empty seats.
Empty seats mean that you + hubby
could score a row of three
and lay a baby down to sleep between you
while you do fancy things like read a magazine and drink coffee!
We look for midweek travel
at non-commuter travel times
like the early afternoon.
Six: Let the kid call the shots.
Airplanes are not the time to enforce schedules
and try to hem children into new things…
Don't fight the small stuff.
If they want to roll around and lick the tray table,
let them have at it.
Your baby wants to eat 365 puffs?
Great. What a time killer.
They want to squish the vomit bag into oblivion?
You go, Glen Coco.
Those things are not your battle today.
Your battle is getting to wherever you are going,
with your sanity in tact
and your baby happy.
The rest is, just… well, it's not important.
* * *
Okay, those are my favorite tips.
Nothing mind-blowing,
but it works for us.
I hope that this can help you…
and please, if you have tricks that have
made your travels easier with kids,
share them with us.
What are some things that have helped you
when you've traveled with kids?
