baby backpack on airplane image
Rivkah
Hi, my children and I will be flying LA/NYC soon, and I would just like some tips as to what I can bring or how I can make the flight more comfortable for my two children... (they are 4 years & 2 weeks.)
nonldsinutah, no, I will not drug my children.
Answer
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I now fly a lot with my own three children. I can assure you first of all, both ages are good for flying. Four year olds understand better what is going on better than 2 or 3 year olds do and are easier to keep occupied in their seats. The baby is so small that s/he'll probably sleep the whole time.
Since I'm a Flight Attendant, I have to tell you that the ONLY way to fly safely with a baby is to have him or her in their own car seat on board. Babies under age 2 are allowed on laps but if anything goes wrong, they're not protected. Air travel is safe so there is very little chance of that happening. As a mom who has made many transaltantics with my own children, I have to admit that it was very nice to have somewhere to place the baby down. It was much more comfortable for me, my baby and everyone around us.
If you didn't book a seat, don't despair! Ask at check-in if it's possible to place an empty seat beside you. Often they do this for families. Check that your seat if FAA approved. Most sold in the U.S. are;
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/
If the seat is part of a travel system, you can gate check the stroller part at the door of the aircraft.
Many times on the internet and elsewhere you'll read that you're supposed to make the children suck something on take-off and landing. This is actually a bit of a myth and there's no reason to remove your baby from his or her car seat during the most important parts of the flight for keeping them safe. If they fall asleep, there is no reason to wake them. If you want to make them suck on something during ascent, not just take-off (when the plane leaves the ground) than by all means do so but I have never done anything special and they're fine.
What I do do is take them to the pediatricians' a few days before flying and have him make sure their ears are healthy and infection-free. Healthy ears can handle pressurization changes.
Try to book bulkhead seats (the ones with the wall in front). They are located in different places depending on the aircraft. These are convenient for children and some airlines even supply bassinets which attach to the wall. I will admit that this is rare but nice when you can get it.
Bring a change of clothes and at least 1/3 more supplies than you think you need. Have the 4 year old bring a backpack of his or her own toys. Bring one new toy to surprise him or her onboard.
If your baby is bottlefed, use the kind of bottles with plastic liners. Airplanes have really bad sinks for bottle washing and you can premeasure the powder beforehand to make the task even easier. Also be sure to get him or her used to a room-temperature bottle. Yes, they warm them onboard but be ready to feed your child anywhere, including check-in, security, etc. Since warmed bottles have no health-advantage to the child, make your life easier.
I have never used any sort of drugs to get my children to sleep and we fly between Europe and California about twice a year. It can be dodgy and twice while working, I saw children get the opposite reaction. They were totally wired! I wont risk it either.
My absolute secret to flying easily with a baby is to have a good baby carrier. I've tried all sorts but my sling worked best. The kind that dangle the child from the crotch, like Bjorns, aren't as comfortable. With a sling, wrap or pouch, you can slide the child in and out of any bassinet or car seat and it's nice to get on and off the aircraft hands-free, especially with other children in tow. I've had moms ask me where I got mine when they saw how much easier it made our flight.
About seven years ago I wrote an article on this subject for a local expat newsletter. I've since had lots of feedback from other parents and expanded it. I put it on a blog to share with other parents after seeing really dire advice on the web. I flew as a Flight Attendant for over 10 years before having my first baby and now I've been flying for 8 years with my own. Feel free to visit;
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
Have a good, eventful-free flight!
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I now fly a lot with my own three children. I can assure you first of all, both ages are good for flying. Four year olds understand better what is going on better than 2 or 3 year olds do and are easier to keep occupied in their seats. The baby is so small that s/he'll probably sleep the whole time.
Since I'm a Flight Attendant, I have to tell you that the ONLY way to fly safely with a baby is to have him or her in their own car seat on board. Babies under age 2 are allowed on laps but if anything goes wrong, they're not protected. Air travel is safe so there is very little chance of that happening. As a mom who has made many transaltantics with my own children, I have to admit that it was very nice to have somewhere to place the baby down. It was much more comfortable for me, my baby and everyone around us.
If you didn't book a seat, don't despair! Ask at check-in if it's possible to place an empty seat beside you. Often they do this for families. Check that your seat if FAA approved. Most sold in the U.S. are;
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/
If the seat is part of a travel system, you can gate check the stroller part at the door of the aircraft.
Many times on the internet and elsewhere you'll read that you're supposed to make the children suck something on take-off and landing. This is actually a bit of a myth and there's no reason to remove your baby from his or her car seat during the most important parts of the flight for keeping them safe. If they fall asleep, there is no reason to wake them. If you want to make them suck on something during ascent, not just take-off (when the plane leaves the ground) than by all means do so but I have never done anything special and they're fine.
What I do do is take them to the pediatricians' a few days before flying and have him make sure their ears are healthy and infection-free. Healthy ears can handle pressurization changes.
Try to book bulkhead seats (the ones with the wall in front). They are located in different places depending on the aircraft. These are convenient for children and some airlines even supply bassinets which attach to the wall. I will admit that this is rare but nice when you can get it.
Bring a change of clothes and at least 1/3 more supplies than you think you need. Have the 4 year old bring a backpack of his or her own toys. Bring one new toy to surprise him or her onboard.
If your baby is bottlefed, use the kind of bottles with plastic liners. Airplanes have really bad sinks for bottle washing and you can premeasure the powder beforehand to make the task even easier. Also be sure to get him or her used to a room-temperature bottle. Yes, they warm them onboard but be ready to feed your child anywhere, including check-in, security, etc. Since warmed bottles have no health-advantage to the child, make your life easier.
I have never used any sort of drugs to get my children to sleep and we fly between Europe and California about twice a year. It can be dodgy and twice while working, I saw children get the opposite reaction. They were totally wired! I wont risk it either.
My absolute secret to flying easily with a baby is to have a good baby carrier. I've tried all sorts but my sling worked best. The kind that dangle the child from the crotch, like Bjorns, aren't as comfortable. With a sling, wrap or pouch, you can slide the child in and out of any bassinet or car seat and it's nice to get on and off the aircraft hands-free, especially with other children in tow. I've had moms ask me where I got mine when they saw how much easier it made our flight.
About seven years ago I wrote an article on this subject for a local expat newsletter. I've since had lots of feedback from other parents and expanded it. I put it on a blog to share with other parents after seeing really dire advice on the web. I flew as a Flight Attendant for over 10 years before having my first baby and now I've been flying for 8 years with my own. Feel free to visit;
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
Have a good, eventful-free flight!
Do I need a car seat for my 2yr old to be used in an airplane?
EVEC
We will be flying to Texas and I wanted to know if we are required to take a car seat?
Answer
It is never required to use a carseat. That is up to the parents for all ages. Airline seatbelts are not designed for little children and don't hold them very well.
I'm a former Flight Attendant and spent 10 years seeing and helping other parents fly with their kids before I had my own. Little did I realize that I'd be travelling with mine between Europe and California twice a year, plus shorter flights inbetween, virturally all alone. I've been doing this since my 8 year old was 4 months old. Almost all flights were with them in carseats. The only time I haven't was when I was prevented from doing so by foreign carriers.
I assume you're already in the U.S. and you'll be flying an American carrier. That wont happen to you. Since your 2 year old has a seat, you have the right to use a FAA approved carseat.
Check the one you already have for a FAA "sticker" which now is usually simply on the side information bar. Usually there's a little airplane and it says "...has been approved for use on aircraft..." etc. Most U.S. carseats are FAA approved. If it's not, which is unlikely, consider borrowing (trading?) or simply buy another. Good ones go for as little as $40.
I recommend this option over using a CARES harness, which isn't as secure and can only be used inflight. At $75, it seems steep for such a one-purpose gizmo but it's your money to spend as you wish!
Having the carseat onboard guarentees that the it wont be damaged or lost in baggage and you can use it right away when you leave the airport in Texas, assuming you'll be doing so by car. I had a bad experience with a car company rental seat and most Carseat techs don't recommend you use them (wish I had that bit of advice!)
Here's a link for you which shows the FAA approval writing and, if you scroll down, a picture of the CARES harness.
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/
To get it through the airport, you have several options. There are carseat bags which you can wear like a backpack. These didn't appeal to me, since I usually fly alone with my three. There is also the pricey GogoKidz cart;
http://www.go-baby.com/Products/gogokidz.html
It doesn't fit all carseats and is expensive at $80-90.
I simply put my carseat on a all-metal luggage cart (a souvenir of the first airline I worked for) and strapped my rather heav
It is never required to use a carseat. That is up to the parents for all ages. Airline seatbelts are not designed for little children and don't hold them very well.
I'm a former Flight Attendant and spent 10 years seeing and helping other parents fly with their kids before I had my own. Little did I realize that I'd be travelling with mine between Europe and California twice a year, plus shorter flights inbetween, virturally all alone. I've been doing this since my 8 year old was 4 months old. Almost all flights were with them in carseats. The only time I haven't was when I was prevented from doing so by foreign carriers.
I assume you're already in the U.S. and you'll be flying an American carrier. That wont happen to you. Since your 2 year old has a seat, you have the right to use a FAA approved carseat.
Check the one you already have for a FAA "sticker" which now is usually simply on the side information bar. Usually there's a little airplane and it says "...has been approved for use on aircraft..." etc. Most U.S. carseats are FAA approved. If it's not, which is unlikely, consider borrowing (trading?) or simply buy another. Good ones go for as little as $40.
I recommend this option over using a CARES harness, which isn't as secure and can only be used inflight. At $75, it seems steep for such a one-purpose gizmo but it's your money to spend as you wish!
Having the carseat onboard guarentees that the it wont be damaged or lost in baggage and you can use it right away when you leave the airport in Texas, assuming you'll be doing so by car. I had a bad experience with a car company rental seat and most Carseat techs don't recommend you use them (wish I had that bit of advice!)
Here's a link for you which shows the FAA approval writing and, if you scroll down, a picture of the CARES harness.
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/
To get it through the airport, you have several options. There are carseat bags which you can wear like a backpack. These didn't appeal to me, since I usually fly alone with my three. There is also the pricey GogoKidz cart;
http://www.go-baby.com/Products/gogokidz.html
It doesn't fit all carseats and is expensive at $80-90.
I simply put my carseat on a all-metal luggage cart (a souvenir of the first airline I worked for) and strapped my rather heav

Title Post: How can I make a flight more comfortable for two small children?
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Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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