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A Little Advice Over Here?

This was my view from my desk yesterday morning.

And this morning.

Good times.

Anyway, I post this because to me, this illustrates how fast things change with a baby. Just a few weeks ago, only a couple of those crazy play stations were in rotation; yesterday morning, we cycled through every single one within about forty-five minutes. A week ago, I couldn’t get my son to eat much solid food before lunchtime; now he happily takes down an enormous breakfast right after his morning nap.

All these changes make establishing a solid routine challenging, but we’ve managed to get a sort-of schedule going that involves waking up at 6:30, napping at 8, and 2-3 varying-length naps over the course of the rest of the day. It’s not an exact science, but it gives some shape to the day, and I’ve come to rely on it enormously; I know when I can get some good work done, when I might be able to grab something to eat for myself, and when I need to go to bed by if I want to be a functional human being the next day.

This weekend, I’m taking Indy on a plane for the very first time (my mom and I are headed to Canada to visit my relatives).

It’s a tiny little plane (yeek) and a short flight – but we almost always end up sitting on the runway for awhile before takeoff (that photo above is of the last time we took this flight, when I was ten million months pregnant and had to sit on the runway for two hours in an airplane with no air conditioning before taking off in the middle of an electrical storm).

So that tentative little schedule we’ve worked out? Not happening so much – not when we start traveling at his bedtime and arrive at our destination somewhere around 1AM Friday morning.

I am in need of travel-with-a-baby tips to ease my nervous mind.

Anyone?



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May 16th, 2012 | Posted by Jordan | Baby | 10 Comments »

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  • http://barnardbabyblog.tumblr.com Adrienne

    Has Indy ever slept in the Ergo?  Do you have an Ergo?  I recently flew during Emilio’s nap times and he slept on me after nursing and it was perfect.  Does Indy fall asleep after eating usually? Being able to do that on the plane will help! Sometimes it is easier than you realize it will be.  The first few times we flew when he was younger (3 months, and then 8 months) being able to stand and bounce him to sleep in the ergo was gold, that was how he slept.  What I would do- do usual, if you can, bed time routine at the airport before boarding, and then strap him in in the ergo, they may request you unbuckle it, but you’ll be sitting and he shouldn’t feel the difference.  As much as you can bring with that resembles bed time is good- pjs, any kind of lovey or pacifier if he uses one, etc.  Then just encourage him to fall asleep on the plane- the transfer to car seat will be harder- but hopefully he settles in.  
    In terms of activities on the plane, I’ve honestly found the best distraction for Emilio is food!

  • jordanreid

    All excellent suggestions! He only sleeps in the ergo if I’m standing, but I’ll do the nighttime-routine thing pre-boarding and try to transfer him from ergo to arms after he falls asleep maybe.

  • Natalie

    Hey Jordan.
    My husband is a flight attendant and pre 9/11 my baby (he’s now 15) would try to go on as many trips as possible with him, as many as 8 a month, the best tricks I found were to try as much as possible stick to your normal sleep and food routine but most important, DO NOT get flustered yourself because your baby will pick up on this and that alone will make him feel like something he should be upset about.   Also, having a few little toys and finger foods will help.
    But do try to remember this, from my husband, who has been flying for 22 years now, flight attendants see crying, fussy babies all day, everyday.  THEY ALWAYS sympathize with the parent and will usually do anything they can to help.

  • jordanreid

    That is SO GREAT to hear – my biggest fear is making everyone on the plane (flight attendants included) angry. And the advice re: regular schedule and not getting flustered is fantastic as well. Thank you!

  • Elizabeth

    What works for us is bringing bag with small, cheap new toys (or books or stickers or coloring books)  from somewhere like from Dollar Tree or Target.  It keeps my daughter busy the entire flight because it’s a fun surprise for her, and she hasn’t played with them before, and it doesn’t matter if they get broken, lost, or left somewhere while traveling. 

  • jordanreid

    love this! will do.

  • Miranda

    I *just* wrote a blog about this very thing!  http://babymakescrazy.com

  • Nayball

    hi Jordan,
    Love your blog.  We’ve travelled quite a lot with our kids, and have taken them abroad from very young ages – 6 weeks for our daughter. A few months ago, we made the 36 hour journey from Canada to Australia (we’re still here).  Our kids were 8 months and almost 3 at the time.  They did surprising well “under the circumstances” –those being the operative words.   
    It’s never really easy, but what I’ve learned about travelling with babes is this:  remaining sane yourself is pretty much the key.  It’s going to be a handful, but the kids end up being fine. Do as you usually do: keep them fed, clean, warm and busy as much as possible. Keep their schedule as consistent as possible, but don’t fret about a couple hours difference.  Going to bed later/being a bit tired is OK.

     As for being “that mom” with the screaming baby on a flight?  I think it’s pretty much a rite of passage .  It’s the worst feeling to feel like you’re disturbing others, that’s the worst part of it for me.  But it’s beyond your control, and I think most people generally understand that.  I also think that people aren’t as bothered as we think, because many of them have been through it themselves.   

    For more details one what to pack for travel with kids, check out my blog post “Travel with Bubs” at http://www.worldasmuse.blogspot.com

    Good luck!

    Naomi

  • jordanreid

    thank you, naomi!

  • Juliet

    Two words… Snack. Tower.
    http://www.munchkin.eu.com/products/toddler-feeding/snack-tower.html 
    We break it out every plane and long car trip, with something different in each compartment.  I think that plane travel is one of those times when “balanced diet” takes a back-seat to “not-screaming baby.”  I cannot stress enough that you simply cannot have enough snacks for a plane trip with children.  Squeeze pouches are good too and most don’t have to be refrigerated.  The boys have no idea that they have eaten (and like) parsnips, spinach, and rutabagas.  They just go crazy for the pouches.  http://www.ellaskitchen.com/

    Also under the category of “crack for babies”, Baby Einstein has an app, so you don’t even have to drag a DVD player along with you.  There are also other great baby apps at http://www.babble.com/baby/baby-products/top-25-baby-apps-full-list/

    Don’t feel bad for one second about hanging out in the aisle if your baby likes to be on the move.  As long as there is no safety issue, passengers and flight staff would rather you hog the aisle with a quiet baby than be seated with a screaming one.  Just because a baby allows you to get on the plane first doesn’t mean you have to.  As long as you aren’t fighting for the last of the overhead storage space you could cut a good 15 minutes off your on-board time by waiting until the last folks are boarding.

    Good luck!