Sky Stroller

February 222009

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Flying long haul with a five month old?

My partner and I will be flying from England to Canada for Christmas and we will be travelling with our five month old daughter. We are going England to Germany, a stop over in Germany for four hours, then it's over to Canada (a 10 hour flight!).
We haven't booked a sky cot or bassinet but we are going to mention this on check-in. Does anyone out there have any tips on how to have a smooth journey? We are taking a stroller with us, so should baby fall asleep while we're stopping over in Germany she has somewhere to sleep. I'm hoping she will sleep for most of the flight as she usually does every three hours or so anyway. We leave in three days and I'm fretting about it really when I know I shouldn't be. Any tips you have to make this journey an enjoyable one would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

I'm a former Flight Attendant and I now fly a lot with my own three children. We usually travel between Europe and California about twice a year. Our flight is 11 1/2 hours with a connection (usually in Frankfurt) and each child was 4 months old the first time. We're doing it again on Wednesday.

This is a good age to travel. Your baby is past the "needy newborn" stage but doesn't yet walk or run.

First of all, I really recommend bringing a car seat and using it onboard. Make sure your car seat is approved for use on aircraft. If you're flying on a U.S. company, see the below link for information on if it's approved. Most car seats, including infant buckets, sold in the U.S. are.

http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_childr...

If you are flying a non-U.S. company, see the information for your airline. If you search with the name of the airline, followed by "children", that will usually give you the right page.

This way, the seat will get to your destination without risking it being damaged or lost in luggage.

Since you don't have a seat for her, request it at check-in. Ask if the flight is full, and if not, they can "block" the seat next to you, only using it if they really need it. They often do this for families.

Bring the seat to the gate, even if they are unsure that you'll get a seat. This way, if you don't manage it, they will "gate check" your seat, sending it down with the strollers and wheelchairs. This is gentlier than checking it in at the desk.

I also recommend trying to sit at the bulkhead. These are the seats with the wall in front, located in different places depending on the aircraft. Bulkheads are easier with children since no one is leaning in front of you and there's probably room to crawl on the floor.

If you can't are wont be bringing the car seat on board, you usually have to sit at the bulkheads to use one of those "sky cots". Just be aware that these are no replacement for a car seat as far as safety is concerned and they have to be put away for take-off and landing. Try to call and reserve the bulkhead seats as soon as you can. If you wait till the day you fly, these popular seats will probably already be assigned.

If you have a travel system, you can use the stroller until you get to the door of the aircraft and then it'll be "gate checked". If not, use a stroller frame for a infant seat. You'll have it again, by the door of the aircraft when you arrive.

For your stroller, bring a bungee cord and double secure it before leaving it at the door of the plane. They can get damaged if they pop open en route. Make sure the claim ticket can be seen and isn't squished or hidden. Be sure to ask when disembarking where the stroller is.

Bring at least 1/3 more diapers than you think you'll need. I saw so many parents run out on flights when I was working! Wrap them in plastic bags and throw a bunch of rubber bands around them to save room in your carry-on.

For a formula fed baby, I really recommend using the bottles with plastic liners. Traditional bottles are too difficult to wash onboard because of the kind of sinks on airplanes. I premeasured the powder and rolled them up, placing the rolls in a ziplock bag. Then you throw the liners away as you use them and only have the ring and nipple to clean.

If you use bottled water, be sure to give yourself enough time to buy some once you're past security. Water bottles for babies are usually allowed through security but don't chance it. Make sure you have enough! The water on the aircraft is filtered tap so decide if you're comfortable using that for your baby and maybe ask your doctor. Bottled water runs out fast on flights and we never had any extra for baby bottles.

Be sure your baby does not need the bottle warmed. Get her used to a room-temperature bottle before leaving. This is unnecessary health-wise and a real pain to do while travelling. I warmed many bottles on my flights but I wasn't there in the check-in line, the security line or the waiting area! Babies do great with room-temperature bottles.

Make sure you have at least one change of clothes. I would bring two. At that age, I simply dressed mine in sleep suits for flying. No one will care so keep him comfortable. Bring extra socks if he crawls so that he doesn't pick up anything nasty on the floor and to keep his hands clean.

Hopefully you have a good baby carrier. They're so useful for flying, especially at this age. I had a sling but other parents swear by their wraps and pouches. The Ergo and Beccos are other popular carriers for travel that go on the back.

I liked the sling because I could slide my babies from into and out of a stroller or car seat without waking them. It also doubled as a blanket, baby changer, breastfeeding cover-up and sunshade! My sling was magic for calming my babies during the flight. Other parents wanted one when they saw how easy it made my travels. Avoid front packs like the Bjorn since they're so bad for both the parents' and child's back. A good carrier should go to at least age 2.

Many flying tips say to make the child suck on something or drink during take-off and landing. This isn't accurate. ENT specialists say to have the child awake about an hour before landing (top of descent, landing or touch-down is too late).

http://www.entcda.com/AAOHNSF/earsandalt...

I can confirm that is when I saw problems at work. Take your baby to the doctor in the last few days before you fly to make sure her ears are clear and infection-free. Heathy ears can handle pressurization changes.

About 8 years ago, I wrote an article on flying with children for an expat newsletter. Over the years many parents have contributed. I later put it on a blog so that parents had access to non-commercial information from someone with both practical and professional experience on the web.

Feel free to visit;

http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com

or it's featured on this month's Expat Women website;

http://www.expatwomen.com/mothers/flying...

Have a good, safe flight!

JOOLZ - Stroller - Hello sky, birds, and trees