My family and I are at the airport. You have to show up at your scheduled time with your things, unpacked, and luggage. Under the watchful eye of the cameras you have to pack everything as quickly as you can. If you overrun your spot you are pushed forward so as not to back up the line. Time is running out and I can’t find our passports. I wake up in a cold sweat. Yeah, I am stressed.
The packers and moves came and things were done with a quickness that was the slightest bit wrenching. Sooner rather than later we are sitting in a mostly empty house. It’s Tuesday and we are supposed to leave as soon as Wednesday. That’s right, tomorrow. The thing is, we still have no tickets.
The Hubs calls his office and makes it clear that even though we are pretty much set to go we still need at least 48 hours from the purchase of the plane ticket to the actual getting on the plane. Thursday we finally get our tickets for a flight on Saturday. We’d gotten our hopes up that they would fly us business class but, alas, it was not to be.
Dad drives us to the airport in New Orleans. The whole thing is much harder than expected. I take Lil Bit inside the airport while the men deal with the luggage. I don’t want Dad to see me crying.
The holidays are over and Carnival Season won’t start in earnest for another couple of weeks. Traffic in the airport is pretty light and we make it through check-in and security fairly quickly.
This is only Lil Bit’s second flight and the first had been a quick roundtrip to Atlanta. So I got advice on flying with toddlers from my s-i-l, Momo, who had flown between her home in Asia and her home in the US with my niece and nephew on multiple occasions.
Her first piece of advice was: Don’t do it. Her first long haul flight as a mom was flying to China with her eighteen month old son while heavily pregnant with his little sister. It was awful. She was uncomfortable and he was everywhere. She said the flight back was okay because her parents came with her. Which adds fuel to my theory that it takes at least three grown ass adults to *easily* handle one toddler.
Her second piece of advice was: Distraction. Go ahead and stock up on toys, crayons, paper, but when it comes down to it screen time is your friend. During transit throw those doctor recommendations out the window and embrace anything that will keep your kid quietly entertained.
Lastly, she recommended bringing extra blankets. The paper thin offerings on the plane are no defense at all against enthusiastic air conditioning. Also, a familiar blanket, especially one that smells like home, mom, or dad, can help to soothe a little one.
To this I would add: bring twice as many toys and video downloads as you think you will need. Don’t count on the plane’s entertainment system. It’s not set up for littles from the interface to the angle of the screen. Give them something they are familiar with and can control. Whether the trip is a vacation or long term move the preparations will disrupt your child’s rituals leaving them feeling unanchored. Putting them in charge of their entertainment can help them feel more centered.
Pick up some baby headphones as well. The airline’s earbuds are too big for little ears. The baby/kid headphones should have a volume block to help prevent hearing damage. Even better if they are noise canceling. If you do run out of media you can also plug these into the plane’s system.
Bring double the amount of snacks you think you will need. I discovered this site, Flying With a Baby, after the fact that will come in handy on future trips. It goes into the availability of baby, toddler, and child airline meals. These are requestable meals which must be ordered at least twenty-four hours in advance. They differ from the usual meal choice on the flight in that they are more child appropriate. Which leads us to the other end of the equation. Ask the flight attendants right away about the best bathroom for diaper changes. Your child will poo on the plane.
Other things to bring include a small first aid kit with baby meds. This can be small enough to fit in an Altoid box. I also like to add a small bottle of nasal saline solution as planes can get quite dry. The staff should have meds onboard but they may not have dosages small enough for small children or, far more importantly, the right cartoon characters on their bandages.