When I was 11 years old my parents put me in an ambassador program that sent about 20 of us overseas. For 3 weeks we stayed at 5 star resorts, ate the best foods and experienced different monuments all over Europe. No parents, just mentors and chaperones. I know, sounds crazy to think of just sending your kid on something like that, but the world was (just a little) safer then.
On that trip I saw so many things. It was then I realized that the world was bigger than my backyard. It extended far greater than my street or my neighborhood or even bigger than my state! Of all the gifts my parents have given me the gift of travel has to be one of my top favorites. That gift, is something I can’t wait to give to my son.
Now I know most people try not to take their baby on planes to early, but I could not WAIT for Tate to have his 2 month appointment and get the official clearance from his doctor to travel. We had been by car many times before and I was so ready to get him in the air.
I didn’t always like the plane, actually I was quite terrified at first. But with the right tools I was able to get over my fear and make it a comfortable ride each time I flew. And for my baby’s first flight that’s exactly what I needed to make him comfortable; the right tools! So I did my research, asked around and some things I just wung it. Here’s my list of things that DID/ DIDNT work (or I didn’t try) for Tot’s first flight:
DID work
GATE check stroller & car seat (makes carrying things in airport easier)
Feed during take off and landing (prevents ear popping)
Dress baby in layers (for airplane temperature changes)
Have change of clothes (in case your baby has an accident ON YOUR LAP)
Movies (yes, my 3 month old likes tv sorry, not sorry)
Snack/ goodie bag for surrounding passengers
DIDNT work/try
Gripe water (in case baby gets gassy)
Benadryl (use your imagination)
Sounds app/ white noise (for sleep/ soothing)
Sit in aisle (easy access for walking/ bathroom)
Have extra formula for during the flight
One thing I would recommend that doesn’t really fit into a “did/ didn’t work”, is to have a good diaper bag with lots of space and sections. Our diaper bag wasn’t really the greatest in those areas so a lot of things ended up having to be juggled along with baby when actually boarding the plane.
The best recommendation of all that I received, RELAX! Your baby is a baby. You can’t guess how they’re going to act in every situation and you also can’t control it. Above all your baby’s comfort matters most. So if nothing works and they happen to be little stinkers the whole time welp! All you can do is give extra cuddles and if your feeling nice apologize to your fellow passengers.
Travel is something I definitely hold near and dear to my heart. Experiencing another culture outside of your own is something so eye opening and mind blowing. I know these are not things Tate can understand now, but someday he will. And I hope he enjoys it as much as I do. In the mean time, he’ll just have no choice but to be dragged along as we see the world.
See ya!
Aysia B.