I’ve been traveling airplanes since my child was four months old. We traveled to a lot a places that it inspired me to open my own children’s travel gear site.
That said, I found the most important thing to bring is enough diapers. Once, we had gotten delayed between flights by three days and I was running out of diapers. Clothes can be washed and dried in the hotel, but I was using disposable diapers and was running out. The airport stores didn’t have the right size and I was fortunate to find some that fit at a convenience store.
It is okay to use bottled water to prepare formula. Depending where you are going, that may be the safest option for the whole trip. Also, because I couldn’t guarantee a bassinet either when I traveled, those seats usually are already booked, I wouldn’t have survived without having my sling with me. I could be hands free and the baby could sleep, cuddle, nurse or generally be in a type of restraint while I could sleep. The sling was also handy when I was not in a position to return to my room to put him down for a nap. He slept in there at all stages of the trip.
As for jet lag, it is recommended that everyone try to get as much time in the daylight before falling asleep, even for a nap. It will help reset your bodies’ internal clock.
As for Tylenol or even Benedryl, it really depends on your baby’s prior experience with it. Benedryl didn’t work for my child. The baby was more fussy and groggy but not sleepy, so we don’t use it. On other kids it does work, so I would leave that judgment to your baby’s own experience with the medicine. I had walked the aisles to rock the baby to sleep on some of the longer flights across the Pacific.
For the descent, it is helpful to have the baby nursing or drinking from a bottle. The sucking movement will help relieve pressure in their ears.
I don’t know what type of restrictions on the amount of baby food or formula that can be brought on board. It really is subjective to the airport security screener. I’ve had my child’s juice boxes and boxed chocolate milk taken away from me repeatedly. Others have said, ‘but you’re not on an international flight…’, but I was, so I was allowed some of them back.
Depending on where you are going, check out www.babiestravellite.com. They will ship baby formula, diapers and food to your location most places around the world.
Bookmark this Post