OK next month we will be going from Atlanta to Denver with our 1 year old wild child.

I am not concerned about food or bedding or that kind of stuff just lagistics of travel with a 1 year old.

Suggestions please. We are taking our car seat should I get a bag for it? Should we take our stroller? How does one keep a 1 year old from going wild on the flight?

What items should I make certain to take and what can i leave home?

thanks
julie

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bump again

does no one have suggestions? Is this the wrong forum?

Originally posted by oceana
OK next month we will be going from Atlanta to Denver with our 1 year old wild child.

I am not concerned about food or bedding or that kind of stuff just lagistics of travel with a 1 year old.

Suggestions please. We are taking our car seat should I get a bag for it? Should we take our stroller? How does one keep a 1 year old from going wild on the flight?

What items should I make certain to take and what can i leave home?

thanks
julie


Hi Julie,

I'm sorry no one has answered yet. I'm glad you bumped it. I have traveled a lot with my kids. Normally, I am alone. I am taking a trip by myself with all three on Thursday! I'm so excited.

I didn't take a stroller. I took a sling or backpack instead. My son liked the backpack the best. It was perfect for him. The only nice thing about a stroller over a backpack or sling is that your diaper bag can ride with the stroller instead of slipping off your shoulder. If you have two adults, it is not really an issue. (now with three kids, I travel with a stroller for the 3 yr old and a carrier of some sort for my 21 mth old).

I never brought a bag for my carseat. Some airlines provide them. Many many times my carseat just went on by itself. Close all the straps. Label all your bags at home (including carseat!) so you won't be standing there filling out those little luggage tags while trying to keep track of your son. That is one of life's little nuisances and I always forget to do that ahead of time.

In your diaper bag, less is more. Focus on food first, then entertainment, then diapers and maybe a clean t-shirt. My carry-on diaper bag is very streamlined. One time my ds did blow through all of his diapers and I had to beg one off another mom. That was an usual situation though. I've made a full day's trip with 3-4 dipes and had leftovers. A container of wipes is a must. A 1 yr old can still show up in his diaper in public places so don't jam the bag with extra clothes you might not need. An extra t-shirt should do fine.

For the flight, keep feeding him. LOL Just assume hunger and work from there. Nurse is he needs it. Don't pull out your bag of tricks all at once. Keep one thing out and explore it as many ways as possible until he is truly bored. Don't give up too quickly. Stickers are very fun at this age. They can put them anywhere and they will come off.

The most important thing is to stay relaxed. If you are tense about your baby possibly freaking out, he probably will. Just picture yourselves stuck on the couch for a few hours. What would you do? How would you make him stay? If you are traveling around nap time, you might be in luck! I think I'm going to get a small nap out of mine on Thursday (if I'm lucky!). Use that time to recharge and get ready for more.

Have fun!

Please excuse any typos. I'm too sleepy to edit. :)

last year, Tracey and I went to San Francisco from Atlanta with a 1 year old and an 8 month old. We used frame backpacks for the babies (good ones - Tough Travellers). They were great for getting through the airport and still leaving our hands free. I've flown with Rowan 3 times since she was born, and I love using the backpack. Travelling wiith the boys as babies, I always felt like I was juggling everything, but with Rowan on my back, I knew she was safe and secure, and I could dig for my ID and boarding pass without worrying about her safety.

Are you taking the carseat on the plane? If so, you probably won't need a bag. If you gate check it, you might want one. If you check it with the bags, you can probably get the airline to double bag it in one of their giant plastic bags :)

I have a sit n stroll that a friend and I purchased jointly and took turns using for plane trips. We loved it. I still would put the baby in the backpack, but that way we had the best of both worlds. Is anyone travelling with you? It takes a lot of hands to keep up with luggage, stroller, carseat.... if you went the backpack route, you could get by without the stroller. I actually managed to fine a carseat bag that has wheels - now that's pretty neato. I might be able to take baby, sit n stroll, one suitcase, and backpack with just my own 2 hands if I worked it right....

I wish I had brilliant advice for the flight. Mine have always been just fine half the time, and MISERABLE the other half.... Nursing does help them cope with the pressurization. You will probably be able to use a sling on board, even if it's technically not allowed. We found that out after we got the goofy little flight vests (Baby B'air). I think the vests are safer in turbulence, but for the sake of keeping baby and neighboring passengers happy, if baby loves the sling, by all means, use it. It really seemed to help - Rowan liked the familiarity of it.

On the flight: There's a sad little changing table in the bathroom. :rolleyes: Ummm..... Small soft toys that don't make noise (irritating other passengers) or roll (balls SEEMED like a good idea). Baby's favorite finger food, a sippy cup.... A few diapers, and at least 2 outfits for baby, and a shirt and some shout wipes for mommy just for the flight! I wish I had a spare shirt for me by the end of every flight. The most entertaining darned thing on the plane is dumping drinks on mommy.

In SF, Tracey and I did really bare bones travel. What we forgot: enough warm shoes and clothes for baby. Since you're doing ATL to Denver, you may have a weather issue, too! We didn't really take *much* - just a huge duffel bag, a diaper bag, and a baby in a backpack.


Thinking back on it- I went to SF with DH when Dylan was 15 months old, and we didn't take enough warm clothes then, either..... I'm sensing a theme in my packing.... Ok, so next time I'll remember the teething tabs and the WARM CLOTHES!!! :) It's not 102 in the shade everywhere!

what did you mean about a sling not technically allowed?

We plan to check the car seat and have him in our lap for the flight... not my choice but money couldnt handle a third seat.

I will be traveling with my husband.

I am happy with my son in an Ergo but thought that the stroller could be used to carry the carry on luggage.

Snacks on flight for me, how to I keep my son from grabbing at my drink and spilling it on me? Yipes I had not thought of that.

How does a sling with its big metal rings get through airport security?

We cloth diaper how does that go through the X ray?

How does baby affect air port security? Certainly the giant metal snaps on my bra will cause me to need to be strip searched grrrr..

I am a curvey girl, no way do I use the bathrooms in a plane anyhow much less get my kid and a diaper bag in the room I suppose we can change that diaper just before boarding.... perhaps a nighttime stuffed diaper.

Does the airline have bags to send the car seat in? How well do these work?

Thanks all
julie

Originally posted by oceana
[B]what did you mean about a sling not technically allowed? I think she means that you can't strap the baby to you with the sling. I just use mine to carry ds through our layover and to cover myself if I am nursing.


I am happy with my son in an Ergo but thought that the stroller could be used to carry the carry on luggage.
I think either is fine. I use a rolling carry-on. It is the easiest solution, but if you want a stroller on your vacation, you might as well take it especially since you are traveling with your dh.

Snacks on flight for me, how to I keep my son from grabbing at my drink and spilling it on me? Yipes I had not thought of that.

I don't get a drink in flight. I take a water bottle though. If he is sleeping, I will get a drink.

How does a sling with its big metal rings get through airport security? Put it on the conveyer with your carry-on. In fact, they will make you remove the baby from the carrier to pass through the metal detecter.

We cloth diaper how does that go through the X ray? It shouldn't be a problem unless he wears metal diapers or carries a pocket knife in them. :joker

How does baby affect air port security? Certainly the giant metal snaps on my bra will cause me to need to be strip searched grrrr..
Sometimes they make the baby walk through the metal detecter. Sometimes I can carry him. Empty your pockets of everything metal. They have trays to put that stuff on. You won't be strip searched. They will wave the wand over you if it is a problem. You can take your bra off and put it on your carry on if you are worried. Then, go to the bathroom and put it back on.

I am a curvey girl, no way do I use the bathrooms in a plane anyhow much less get my kid and a diaper bag in the room I suppose we can change that diaper just before boarding.... perhaps a nighttime stuffed diaper.

Exactly, don't bother changing the diaper in flight unless the baby is poopy and offensive or uncomfortable. Changing a pee diaper shouldn't be offensive to anyone and you can just lay baby on your lap.

Does the airline have bags to send the car seat in? How well do these work? Some do and some don't. You can bring a sturdy garbage bag if you want. I personally have never bothered and the seats come out fine on the other end.

What kind of toys would be good for this? How many should I have? What should I fill my bag of tricks with?

Anyone had difficulties with certain toys / mom supplies with airport security? Other than breast milk in bottles... I will carry my breast milk in my breast so that should keep it from getting confiscated.

thanks
julie

good advice so far...nothing to add. But as far as "bags of tricks"...

I would always put away Erik's favorite books a week or two in advance of a trip, so that they would be fresh. He loved babybug magazines, so I would take all of ours.

Other than that, It's amazing how hard of a time I'm having remembering what entertained Erik at that age. LOL! When we flew with him as a lap baby at 15 months, it was not a fun experience, he REALLY needed his own space, and since then we've purchased a seat for him (and now we have to anyway). But DH took him to the bathroom and filled up the sink with water, and let Erik splash away. He also enjoyed looking in the mirror. He really needed to walk, so we chose the times when flight attendants weren't in the aisles, and let him do a few laps. Food always entertained him, so I would pack all of his favorite things. Nursing, of course...though as they get big it gets harder to fit in that small space with a nursing child!

Will he wear headphones? This last trip, the portable CD player and headphones was wonderful, but he'd never consented to headphones before that.

If you're flying Southwest, you can preboard. You might want to have DH preboard, and wait to get on until the end. But when I just flew with both boys and my mom, we preboarded and got the very first seats...it's sooo nice to not have anyone in front of you. On other airlines you can request bulkhead seating, and that's also very nice. Since you just have 2 seats, I'd also ask if there are any extra seats if they can leave the other seat in your row open...gives a little more room!

hmmm...that's all that I can think of right now. I've never had any difficulties going through security, as far as unallowables. It is the most stressful part of flying for us, though...Erik is NOT patient, and we're distracted. After we make it through that, though, flying isn't too bad. In fact, at 12 months, it's still kind of fun. 2.5 was a bit more challenging, as he was quite into testing limits, and my general parenting strategy on the airplane is 'OK, have whatever/do whatever you want, just DON'T SCREAM!" LOL!

Gate check your carseat. If there are any extra seats on the flight, they will generally move people around so that you can use your car seat. Having a carseat for Lauren made all the difference in the world. She was used to it (and use to being confined) so it never really occurred to her to want out. Plus, she sleeps in the car, so she went right to sleep. This didn't work as well at 2 though ROFL.

Food and stickers were our saving graces at that age. I vividly remember her decorating her wipes box with stickers. I thought it was very cute. We didnt have any problem getting diapers or the sling through security, but were told that I could not sling her on the plane. I too used it more as a blanket when we were nursing on the plane.

Lauren flys really well, so I hope some of this helps!

j

raisins and stickers worked well for us. I also learned that, for my son, planning to be in the air when he would normally be sleeping (either nap or at night) did not work. The strangeness of it all made it impossible for him to sleep...yet he was very tired and needed to nap. That flight was MISERABLE. The 2 flights we took after that were planned for happy awake times of the day. Even though I had to entertain him it was much better than when he was strung out.

Originally posted by lillaurensmomma
Gate check your carseat. If there are any extra seats on the flight, they will generally move people around so that you can use your car seat. Having a carseat for Lauren made all the difference in the world. She was used to it (and use to being confined) so it never really occurred to her to want out. Plus, she sleeps in the car, so she went right to sleep. This didn't work as well at 2 though ROFL.



This is what I was going to say. Almost everytime we have flown we got an extra seat for the baby. The only problem with gate checking is you have to carry it with you if you have a layover.

Good Luck!

I didn't read the other posts, so forgive me if things are repeated.

We always bring a small umbrella stroller. I gate check it along with a carseat (if we don't have a seat for everyone). We haven't had a carseat yet that doesn't fit into the stroller. I belt it in like I would a kid, then belt the kid into the carseat. I would throw the carryon bag over the back of the stroller and the weight was balanced. We brought snacks, drinks, books, and coloring stuff when the boys were younger...and finger puppets!

Thank you everyone

we will be flying air tran, has anyone had experiance with them flying with a baby?

I have never flown them before