I start with lists. It's very Rory Gilmore of me, but I'm type A and I need this. Don't get me wrong, I still had a minor anxiety attack the night before we left, but the list helps. I start well in advance and I may make the same list 2-3 times. I just stumbled upon my list for Seattle as I was making my 2nd beach trip list.
First Trip -
We were flying in January to Seattle for my brother's wedding. We live in the South. It was a daunting flight - a 3 hour leg to Denver, and another 3.5 to Seattle. We needed to pack cold weather gear (for our cabin in the Cascade Mtns), Wedding clothes, and normal stuff (gear and clothes). Phew.
Fortunately, my brother and sister in law were able to secure a few key items for us: the car seat & pack n play. Otherwise, we would have been hauling the car seat through airport security and buying a cheap pack n play at Costco. I've heard horror stories about checking your car seat - from bouncing down the tarmac (that's considered an accident FYI) to not showing up at your destination (hellooo being stuck at the airport) - so we weren't going to take any chances. We were planning on carrying that sucker through the airports. The pack n play - you can pick up at Costco or any major retailer for like $50. Yeah it's $50 but what's your time and effort worth? Do you want to lug one more giant thing through the airport?
Also our pediatrician wrote us an RX for ear numbing drops. 2 drops in each ear at take off and landing (at least 2 hours apart). That, plus a bottle or pouch and we had ZERO tears from pressure changes!
Here's how we rolled at the Airport -
Me - Giant purse. Diaper Bag.
Husband - Backpack. Baby in stroller.
What's inside the Diaper Bag -
- Diapers (we put her in nighttime diapers for this trip. Extra protection)
- Wipes (more than you think you need!)
- Spare clothes
- Ziploc baggies (for ruined clothes)
- Bottles (take extra, we did come home with 1 less because it got dropped on the plane and we didn't notice it was gone until it was too late)
- Baby food Pouches
- Toys - small ones but some you don't mind not coming home.
- Blanket
- Numbing Drops
Umbrella Stroller (we have the Maclaren Volo and it's fantastic)
It's light and folds up very small. We got stuck on our flight home and had a long layover, I was able to lean the stroller back and rest it comfortably on my legs while M napped.
Most airports have lots of family restrooms - perfect for getting inside with a stroller and changing babies.
Our baby sleeps like a CHAMP in cars. We expected her to do the same on the airplane. Word to the wise. It is not the same. She was awake the entire time. Happy, but awake. And entertaining a wiggly almost 1 year old on a plane for 6 hours will wear you out.
Planes are hot. We wore layers (cause of the whole winter/January thing) and wound up striping her down to just a short sleeved onesie because she was sweating. Plan accordingly.
Also - to those parents who packed ear plugs and candy and "sorry notes" to everyone else on the plane around you. Suck it. That's like admitting that parents are wrong for bringing their children out in public. Parents with kids have just as much right to be on that plane as everyone else, and kids cry. That's how it goes. Trust me, we don't want them to cry and we're not enjoying it any more than you are. So smile, and go back to your leisure reading while we try to wrangle the wiggly octopus back into its bag.
Randomly and babbling. But that's how my brain works. Fortunately future Me will understand my thought process here and this will one day be helpful.
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