RSS Subscribe Airplanes and Infants: Making it Easy(er), Part Two

Tips from 50+ Flights with Babies Under 2, Continued...

• Pre-boarding? This is offered for those with special needs, elite fliers, and folks with children. Don't bite. It sounds nice, but the less time in a cramped space, the better. Send one person ahead to set up books in the seatback compartment and store bags in the overhead bin while the other helps the kids burn energy outside, then be the last one to board.
• Best seats on the plane? The front row of coach seating (bulkhead) has a lot of space for toddlers to play around and sleep on the ground. These are reserved for those with special needs until about an hour or so before the flight. Go early and request them. It's nice that kids fly free until two years old, but if you can afford it, pay for their own seat after 20 months old. It's not fun when they start wanting to squirm. First class is only desirable if it's just one parent with the baby since there usually aren't three seats in a row.
• Checking in fast super tip? Get out of the car, call the guy over, he takes your luggage, checks you in, gives you the boarding passes and you walk away. Give the guy $1 per piece and everybody's happy. Do it and it takes away one more line you have to stand in.
• Bottles and sippy cups at security? You can't bring any liquids past the security checkpoint. I don't care what anyone says, the security people will make you dump it out. So, if you have a bottle of milk or juice they'll make you drink it or dump it out.
• Air pressure ear aches? The change in air pressure while ascending and descending can hurt your baby's ears quite a bit, especially if they're congested. Give them something to make them swallow like a pacifier, drink or a snack while taking off and landing.
• Baby drinks onboard? You can ask the airline steward, as you board, for something for the baby to drink for takeoff. They'll give you something right away or fill her sippy cup for you.
• Entertaining the baby in air? The Sky Mall magazine is loaded with pictures of animals. You can go through the magazine page by page and ask them "Where's the doggy/kitty? or just point all the little animals out to her. It's kind of like, Where's Waldo? Walking up and down the isles is golden once they get too squirmy.

I have no tips for changing diapers onboard. It pretty much just stinks all around, but the other tips listed have served us well.

Good luck and bon voyage.