Flying with an infant...

[Tacori E-ring]

Thanks sum! How nice of you to help entertain her 3 year old. I cannot even imagine traveling with two little ones

We do have a baby bijoin (sp?) that DH will probably wear. Good idea about one of us going on first. Not sure if the diaper bag will fit under the seat and people are CRAZY over those overhead bins (I have never had the need of one before). I get so annoyed traveling anyways (for reasons you mentioned like people taking FOREVER to sit, rude behavior, etc...) I wish it were common practice for those who do not have a lay over to let those who do deplane first.

So kind of odd question but should I start nursing when they are doing the safety announcements? Is there a better way to time things?

 

[Independent Gal]

Sum, that''s genius, re the early luggage storer / late baby porter division of labor idea.

 

[Jas12]

Tacori--you''ll have to post about the experience when you get back from your trip-- while your tips are still fresh in your mind (i''ll write them down for when i have to make my 8-hour flight with baby in Oct.)

If you really want to time the nursing around take-off I would wait until you start to taxi toward the runway. I have been on dozens and dozens of flights and occasionally the safety announcements are made, only to be followed by a delay of some sort...
I am sure Tessa will zonk right out with the combo of food, movement and the hum/buzz of the plane. You may have to buy ''plane noise'' when you get back from you trip (give u a break from the white noise CD

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Haha! I was actually thinking of bringing the vacuum cd with us! I will post a detailed report for you. I also bought some ready made formula just in case. Not sure I can handle nursing 4x in 8 hours....I did buy a hooter hider though. I should test it out today.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Okay now that we are back I figured I should update this thread for any moms flying with their infants. We took 4 flights and 3/4 she was good. The last...oh man. SCREAMED for half of it. We tried everything and she would not calm down. I think she might have had gas or something b/c she pooped twice on the flight (oh there IS a changing table). So here is the run down.

You have to hold the baby through security and put EVERYTHING through x-ray. The way there I walked her through and the guard didn''t see DH and asked if I needed help which I thought was really nice (they also went gaga over her). Car seat, stroller, everything goes through. The way home DH held her and his belt set it off so they both were patted down which was kind of funny. They even got a female to do Tessa. I bought a big red bag (that actually says gate check on it) from babycenterstore.com for the car seat since I have heard stories about them getting ruined. Good thing b/c the bag looks as if it was dragged behind the plane

There are black stains and RIPS on the bag. Car seat survived. I wasn''t worried about the stroller since it was our snap''n go. I bought the hooter hider and nursed her on take-off (she was asleep during all 4 landings). Her ears did not seemed bothered. She didn''t even nurse on the last take-off (b/c she was screaming and would not latch). The baby carrier didn''t really help. I held her (swaddled) on all four flights. The last flight she was a monster. luckily the people across the aisle had a 5 month old girl and were very sympathetic. Actually most people were and told us not to worry, they have been there, etc. Still it was stressful. The plane wasn''t loud enough so next time we will sit as far back as possible (where it is louder).
So here is my must have list:
1. buy a bag or a large garbage bag to put the car seat in. The airline workers do not care.
2. the hooter hider was helpful but I could never nurse next to a stranger. There is just NOT enough room and it is too intimate. We brought some ready made formula (8 oz bottles all you need is to attach the bottle nipple) which was awesome though we had to throw half of it away. She actually had some on our last flight b/c she refused to nurse.
3. make sure you have snacks and a bottle of water for yourself.
4. It is nice to have a small thing that holds your wipes and diapers (I have a diaper clutch or use a large zip-lock) OR get a travel size one and take out a diaper so you can just take that (with a receiving blanket to cover the changing table) to the bathroom. No way a big diaper bag and the two of you will fit in there!
5. Board last. Really helps also request the bulk row. The extra room IS nice but make sure you have what you really need out since you have to store your bags above.
6. Have extra pacis. Can''t tell you how many she dropped

7. Bring a fleece or comfy baby blanket. I rolled up one and had it on my arm rest and she used it as a pillow (plus helped lift her up while nursing).
8. She is still kind of too young for toys but I did have a rattle to distract her...didn''t really work but for older babies it probably would help.
9. Get a window seat and if you can''t sit in the bulk row sit as far back as possible. You''ll be closer to the bathrooms and it is louder (white noise IS a life saver)

I guess that is it. We all survived it. Not looking forward to doing it again but like IGal said, grandparents are very important people so we do what we gotta do

 

[lumpkin]

I''m glad that at least 3 of the flights went well. That''s pretty good, really. You didn''t say but I''m assuming the visit was worth the trip and the grandparents also went gaga over Tessa!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Yes, the one flight she didn''t make a sound. It was great! My sister met us down from San Francisco and my mom flew in from WI. We went to visit my great aunt (who is dying) and my cousin. Everyone loved her! She was very talkative and sweet all weekend. The babysitter wanted to keep her.

 

[lumpkin]

Date: 2/13/2008 4:20:50 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Yes, the one flight she didn''t make a sound. It was great! My sister met us down from San Francisco and my mom flew in from WI. We went to visit my great aunt (who is dying) and my cousin. Everyone loved her! She was very talkative and sweet all weekend. The babysitter wanted to keep her.

How could she not! I love your avatar! Tessa looks like a very fun baby. Are you getting 6 hours a night yet?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 2/13/2008 9:20:05 PM
Author: lumpkin

Date: 2/13/2008 4:20:50 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Yes, the one flight she didn''t make a sound. It was great! My sister met us down from San Francisco and my mom flew in from WI. We went to visit my great aunt (who is dying) and my cousin. Everyone loved her! She was very talkative and sweet all weekend. The babysitter wanted to keep her.

How could she not! I love your avatar! Tessa looks like a very fun baby. Are you getting 6 hours a night yet?

Bwaaahahaaa! You are funny Lumpkin! No, I am still nursing every 3-4 hours (from the START time) so I am lucky to get 2-3 hours of straight sleep though there have been those wonderful, delicious, surprises where she must have forgotten she was suppose to wake up! She has gone 6 hours ONCE, 5 a few times. Good thing she is so cute otherwise I would be one crabby mama. It''s hard to get angry when I go to pick her up and she squeals and smiles at me (then continues to cry in "hunger.")

 

[rainydaze]

hi tacori! i'm glad your trip went as well as it did! i just read your last post, though, and wanted to say yet again that i feel for you! that is exactly how it was with our first - the feeding/sleeping thing - and it was killer! no one else i knew was going/had gone through that and i was desperate for some comraderie, or hope, so i figured i would continue to holla so you know you're not alone and it is HARD! pat yourself on the back, lack of sleep is no joke and you are handling it with grace!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 2/14/2008 8:53:38 PM
Author: rainydaze
hi tacori! i''m glad your trip went as well as it did! i just read your last post, though, and wanted to say yet again that i feel for you! that is exactly how it was with our first - the feeding/sleeping thing - and it was killer! no one else i knew was going/had gone through that and i was desperate for some comraderie, or hope, so i figured i would continue to holla so you know you''re not alone and it is HARD! pat yourself on the back, lack of sleep is no joke and you are handling it with grace!

Oh, thank you Rainy. It is tough. DH is a great help but let''s face it. My shift is 22 hours, he''ll take her for *maybe* 2 hours at night since he stays up later. Middle of the night has ALWAYS been my job

But like he sweetly likes to say he makes the money, I make the milk. One day I hope I can sleep. I feel like I am in a constant "fog." No amount of naps can equal a good nights sleep and I rarely nap during the day anymore anyways (she hardly naps). We are going to move her to the nursery so hopefully that will help. When did your oldest "grow" out of this?

 

[rainydaze]

hi tacori - oh gosh, i''m afraid to tell you! it took a long time, and i tried EVERYTHING, but eventually he did work it out and now he is a good sleeper. hang in there!!

i should add too that i nursed him exclusively (no bottle) and it wasn''t until i had my second that i finally put two-and-two together and realized i have very low supply. so i think he was waking so frequently due to hunger, and by the time we introduced baby cereal and real food the pattern was firmly established. maybe our difficulties stemmed from that. our second slept great right from the start (6 hours at four weeks, 8 soon after that, 10-12 in no time and still going strong!) and she was both nursed and bottle-fed right from the start.

although moving him to his own room did not solve the problem for us, it was a definite step in the right direction. i should have done it earlier (i think i did it at 4-5 months). at first it served to give me a little better quality of sleep during the 2-3 hours i managed to get. i think with him next to my bed i slept on the edge of wakefulness hearing every sigh and wimper thinking ''this is it, it''s over, no more sleep.....'' whereas with him in his room he had to be making noises that definiitively said ''yo, ma, i need you!'' to rouse me. it also gave me the push i needed to give him more time to cry, and stretch that out (flat out letting him ''cry it out'' did not work at all with him) so that he got used to waiting a little more... and a little more... and a little more.....

oh man, the fog! i look back on pictures of me during that time and you can see it in my eyes and my posture!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Thanks rainy. I posted about my break down (I had this morning) in the preggo thread. I don''t think I have a low milk supply. I leak (when I get too engorged). I am not opposed to formula but she doesn''t get it too often. I figure it is silly for ME to give it to her but I think we are going to start a new thing where DH takes her one night a week for the FULL night. Haha! He''ll probably be nicer to me (I think he thinks I am being dramatic) though I do worry since he is a deep sleeper. I will sleep in our guest room so I guess her screams will wake him up sooner or later. 2 hours per sleep stretch is just NOT enough. Period.

Thank you for sharing your story. Sometimes I feel like I am the ONLY one with this problem. All my friends seem to have good sleepers.

 

[lumpkin]

Date: 2/14/2008 4:40:52 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring

Date: 2/13/2008 9:20:05 PM
Author: lumpkin

Date: 2/13/2008 4:20:50 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Yes, the one flight she didn''t make a sound. It was great! My sister met us down from San Francisco and my mom flew in from WI. We went to visit my great aunt (who is dying) and my cousin. Everyone loved her! She was very talkative and sweet all weekend. The babysitter wanted to keep her.

How could she not! I love your avatar! Tessa looks like a very fun baby. Are you getting 6 hours a night yet?

Bwaaahahaaa! You are funny Lumpkin! No, I am still nursing every 3-4 hours (from the START time) so I am lucky to get 2-3 hours of straight sleep though there have been those wonderful, delicious, surprises where she must have forgotten she was suppose to wake up! She has gone 6 hours ONCE, 5 a few times. Good thing she is so cute otherwise I would be one crabby mama. It''s hard to get angry when I go to pick her up and she squeals and smiles at me (then continues to cry in ''hunger.'')

Once she starts taking cereal you can feed her right before bed and she''ll probably sleep longer. My first didn''t sleep through the night until he was three years old and my second was sleeping through the night by 3 months. They''re all so different. I''m keeping my fingers crossed for you that soon you''ll be sleeping more.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Thanks lumpkin, I just met one of our neighbors (we have only been here a year and now I am getting out more with the baby) and she said she had problems with her first too (I think she said he was 18 months) she is convinced it is always harder with the first. I HOPE so b/c we do want at least one more child. I think I can start giving her rice cereal next month and I have been told that really helps. Thanks for letting me vent!

 

[rainydaze]

hi again... i''m heading over to read your other post now. i am so glad you are finding some people with similar experiences - it can mean so much just to have someone who knows.

i think that is a great idea for your DH to take a night (mine works from home so he was able to be more involved which did help. he also saw firsthand what it was like around the clock, so he had no misconceptions about what i was going through!). i''m glad your supply is good, it sounded like it was. hopefully that being the case, tessa will settle into a happier routine earlier than mine did!