baby in backpack age image
Michael
My baby is now a month old. She is currently both breastfed by her mother and given a bottle (which contains pumped milk, not formula). We want to go on a vacation when the baby will be 3 months old, where the baby will be left with her grandmother. If our daughter is given a bottle for those 4 days, when we get back, will she be able to go back to breastfeeding? Any personal experience or insight would be great.
Answer
I think that it is very unwise to leave a 3 month old baby, even if not breastfeeding. There is no way to explain to the baby where mother is and when she will be back. And there is no guarantee that she will go back to the breast when the mother returns. Plus, mother will have to pump regularly day and night in order to preserve her milk supply and be comfortable while away (at least every 3 hours) with a large, double electric pump. Babies whose mothers disappear, even temporarily, have been known to grieve for them.
Have you considered taking the baby with you? Babies are easy to travel with at this age, especially when breastfeeding. All you really need is a baby carrier and a backpack for diapers and some extra clothing. My babies always slept well at the beach under an umbrella and towel.
Even if the mother is currently considering such a trip away from the baby, she might well have second thoughts in 2 months and be reluctant to go away. Is she enthusiastic about this idea?
In answer to your question about the baby going back to exclusive breastfeeding: maybe the baby will start breastfeeding again. But it might take several days and a lot of effort on the mother's part when she returns, and the baby will have to go back to exclusive breastfeeding, at least temporarily (no bottles at all).
I think that it is very unwise to leave a 3 month old baby, even if not breastfeeding. There is no way to explain to the baby where mother is and when she will be back. And there is no guarantee that she will go back to the breast when the mother returns. Plus, mother will have to pump regularly day and night in order to preserve her milk supply and be comfortable while away (at least every 3 hours) with a large, double electric pump. Babies whose mothers disappear, even temporarily, have been known to grieve for them.
Have you considered taking the baby with you? Babies are easy to travel with at this age, especially when breastfeeding. All you really need is a baby carrier and a backpack for diapers and some extra clothing. My babies always slept well at the beach under an umbrella and towel.
Even if the mother is currently considering such a trip away from the baby, she might well have second thoughts in 2 months and be reluctant to go away. Is she enthusiastic about this idea?
In answer to your question about the baby going back to exclusive breastfeeding: maybe the baby will start breastfeeding again. But it might take several days and a lot of effort on the mother's part when she returns, and the baby will have to go back to exclusive breastfeeding, at least temporarily (no bottles at all).
Traveling with three children under age 6 to Alaska, any suggestions on how to make this an easy trip?
chjcmcrzyf
their ages are 1, 3, & 5, any advice someone can give will be great.
Answer
I've flown alone with my kids at those ages between Europe and California. We also flew to Italy from France that year...
I'm also an ex-Flight Attendant and we do those transatlantics about twice a year. I have never used any sort of medication to get my kids to sleep. They usually do so on their own and twice when I was working, I saw meds go very wrong with children. Sometimes they make the child hyper. They also aren't harmless. I ended up in the ER at age 7 from Benedryl. It was an allergic reaction and my parents, both medical professionals (so no mistakes they made) couldn't find my pulse. Allergies to antihistimines are common.
I actually found it easier to use a single stroller, left the double at home, and then have the baby in a carrier. I used a sling because it carries them up to age 2-3 and was much more comfortable and useful than those front packs (like Bjorns) that hung off my shoulders (ouch!). For bigger babies, Ergos and Beccos are popular and the baby can go on your back. I could get through security eaiser. Sometimes the older ones would walk, then the little one could go in the stroller or the stroller was used for bags.
After collecting the bags, I would fold the stroller, throw it on the luggage cart with the bags, keep the baby in the carrier and make the older two (or one, before I had the third) walk.
Don't count on getting any help at the airport. Basically, there are so many families flying, the ground staff has to prioritize the handicapped passengers first. When you arrive, be among the last to exit the plane and the F/A's can help you better then. We used to exit the plane with the families, each grabbing a bag or a child...
The only way to fly safely with a baby is to have his own seat and to bring the car seat along. Commercial air travel in general is safe so babies are allowed in laps since the statistical risk of anything going wrong is so low.
You can also ask at check-in if it's possible to get a free seat next to you. Bringing the seat kind of solidifies your arguement and if you don't manage it, the seat can be gate checked with the stroller. I can tell you that the fuss of getting the car seat to the aircraft is worth the peace it gives me onboard. My children sleep much better in their familiar seat.
This way, the seat will get to your destination without risking it being damaged or lost in luggage. On my last transatlantic with my kids, three of our four bags didn't make it but since we had the car seat with us, my daughter was safe for the 2 hour drive home (the bags arrived 2 days later). I saw at least two other seats while looking for our luggage. Wonder how they got home?
There are a lot of gizmos to get carseats to the gate, including one that you can wear like a backpack and some where the baby can ride in the carseat like a stroller. I'm not promoting any of these sites, they're just to show you examples;
http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html
http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Attach-Rolling-Carry/dp/B000JHN3AS
http://www.onestepahead.com/product/osa/363756.html
Decide what works for you. Some parents are able to bungee cord their car seats on to the stroller. I use a simple metal luggage cart with an extra bungee cord. Try it at home first!
Just some other odd tips;
-Try to sit in the "bulkhead" seats, those with a wall in front, even if you can't use the bassinet.
-Bring about 1/3 more diapers than you think you'll need...at least! Put them in plastic bags, make at least two "packages" and wrap them with rubber bands to pack them more easily.
-Learn to change the little one standing up. Practice at home first! This will make it easier and faster, plus, you wont have to search around for baby changers. Depending on how big and cooperative he is, bigger babies and toddlers hate to lie down in strange places and I use the handicapped lavs instead.
-Bring changes of clothes. Do the same trick with the plastic bags and rubber bands to save space in your bag.
-Bring a lot of snacks. Don't worry about security. If it's not allowed, they simply take it from you. I've never had this happen. They're stricter with drinks.
-Bring empty sippy cups to use onboard.
-If your baby uses bottles, use the kind with disposable liners. Airplanes have bad sinks for washing bottles.
-Make sure the bottles don't have to be warmed. It's not necessary and pain to do while travelling in general.
-Bring small baby food jars, disposable bibs and spoons. Smaller jars are easier to warm and can be thrown out after one meal.
-Consider ordering special meals. Kids usually hate the standard fare.
-Bring brand new toys to surprise them with onboard. These keep them occupied.
-If you opt to use a portable DVD player, make sure they're used to wearing the earphones, or can watch it without sound. Make sure it's fully charged before leaving and bring the recharger. I only allow it inflight for my kids.
- Talk to your older child about security and that he has to put all his things on the belt and perhaps take off his shoes. My kids are fine with flying but security can be intimitating for any child.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm
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 children awake about an hour before landing (top of descent, landing or touch-down is too late).
http://www.entcda.com/AAOHNSF/earsandaltitude.htm
I can confirm that is when I saw problems at work. Take your children to the doctor in the last few days before you fly to make sure their 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, both on line and in Real Life. 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
Have a great trip!
I've flown alone with my kids at those ages between Europe and California. We also flew to Italy from France that year...
I'm also an ex-Flight Attendant and we do those transatlantics about twice a year. I have never used any sort of medication to get my kids to sleep. They usually do so on their own and twice when I was working, I saw meds go very wrong with children. Sometimes they make the child hyper. They also aren't harmless. I ended up in the ER at age 7 from Benedryl. It was an allergic reaction and my parents, both medical professionals (so no mistakes they made) couldn't find my pulse. Allergies to antihistimines are common.
I actually found it easier to use a single stroller, left the double at home, and then have the baby in a carrier. I used a sling because it carries them up to age 2-3 and was much more comfortable and useful than those front packs (like Bjorns) that hung off my shoulders (ouch!). For bigger babies, Ergos and Beccos are popular and the baby can go on your back. I could get through security eaiser. Sometimes the older ones would walk, then the little one could go in the stroller or the stroller was used for bags.
After collecting the bags, I would fold the stroller, throw it on the luggage cart with the bags, keep the baby in the carrier and make the older two (or one, before I had the third) walk.
Don't count on getting any help at the airport. Basically, there are so many families flying, the ground staff has to prioritize the handicapped passengers first. When you arrive, be among the last to exit the plane and the F/A's can help you better then. We used to exit the plane with the families, each grabbing a bag or a child...
The only way to fly safely with a baby is to have his own seat and to bring the car seat along. Commercial air travel in general is safe so babies are allowed in laps since the statistical risk of anything going wrong is so low.
You can also ask at check-in if it's possible to get a free seat next to you. Bringing the seat kind of solidifies your arguement and if you don't manage it, the seat can be gate checked with the stroller. I can tell you that the fuss of getting the car seat to the aircraft is worth the peace it gives me onboard. My children sleep much better in their familiar seat.
This way, the seat will get to your destination without risking it being damaged or lost in luggage. On my last transatlantic with my kids, three of our four bags didn't make it but since we had the car seat with us, my daughter was safe for the 2 hour drive home (the bags arrived 2 days later). I saw at least two other seats while looking for our luggage. Wonder how they got home?
There are a lot of gizmos to get carseats to the gate, including one that you can wear like a backpack and some where the baby can ride in the carseat like a stroller. I'm not promoting any of these sites, they're just to show you examples;
http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html
http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Attach-Rolling-Carry/dp/B000JHN3AS
http://www.onestepahead.com/product/osa/363756.html
Decide what works for you. Some parents are able to bungee cord their car seats on to the stroller. I use a simple metal luggage cart with an extra bungee cord. Try it at home first!
Just some other odd tips;
-Try to sit in the "bulkhead" seats, those with a wall in front, even if you can't use the bassinet.
-Bring about 1/3 more diapers than you think you'll need...at least! Put them in plastic bags, make at least two "packages" and wrap them with rubber bands to pack them more easily.
-Learn to change the little one standing up. Practice at home first! This will make it easier and faster, plus, you wont have to search around for baby changers. Depending on how big and cooperative he is, bigger babies and toddlers hate to lie down in strange places and I use the handicapped lavs instead.
-Bring changes of clothes. Do the same trick with the plastic bags and rubber bands to save space in your bag.
-Bring a lot of snacks. Don't worry about security. If it's not allowed, they simply take it from you. I've never had this happen. They're stricter with drinks.
-Bring empty sippy cups to use onboard.
-If your baby uses bottles, use the kind with disposable liners. Airplanes have bad sinks for washing bottles.
-Make sure the bottles don't have to be warmed. It's not necessary and pain to do while travelling in general.
-Bring small baby food jars, disposable bibs and spoons. Smaller jars are easier to warm and can be thrown out after one meal.
-Consider ordering special meals. Kids usually hate the standard fare.
-Bring brand new toys to surprise them with onboard. These keep them occupied.
-If you opt to use a portable DVD player, make sure they're used to wearing the earphones, or can watch it without sound. Make sure it's fully charged before leaving and bring the recharger. I only allow it inflight for my kids.
- Talk to your older child about security and that he has to put all his things on the belt and perhaps take off his shoes. My kids are fine with flying but security can be intimitating for any child.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm
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 children awake about an hour before landing (top of descent, landing or touch-down is too late).
http://www.entcda.com/AAOHNSF/earsandaltitude.htm
I can confirm that is when I saw problems at work. Take your children to the doctor in the last few days before you fly to make sure their 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, both on line and in Real Life. 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
Have a great trip!
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Title Post: Can a breastfeed baby of three months, be given the bottle only for four days, then go back to breastfeeding?
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