Traveling with a little one: Flying.

By popular demand I have decided to share some of the best secrets I have found for flying with a little one.

Our last visit to California marked little Hunter's 2nd trip and brought his flight count to 8 flights (that includes layovers for both trips). 

So, now that I am an expert mommy flyer, here are some of the best flying with an infant tips I would recommend to anyone:  

• children under the age of TWO fly for FREE. it's awesome! call the airline after you book your flight to verify your lap child is on your ticket. be sure to take a birth certificate or some type of documentation regarding your relationship to the child. the airline told us we needed it, however we were NEVER asked for it, at any point. (This is one of those better safe than sorry scenarios.) 
• if you are traveling with a car seat, bring a big plastic bag to put it in at the airport. we had heard this tip and assumed that all airlines had bags, but they don't, so bring one.
• bring a stroller. it gets checked at the gate and is right there waiting for you when you land.
• bottles of breast milk/formula over the 3oz airport limit ARE allowed. make sure to tell security you have it. they will take it to be checked and it will not go through the x-ray machine. 
• nurse, bottle feed or offer a binky during take-off and landing. sucking and swallowing while the plane changes in pressure helps keep their little ears comfortable. this also put Hunter to sleep during some take-offs and landings. we found that even though hunter was getting more food and at different times then he usually did, we had no problems the next day getting back on schedule.
• bring a portable changing pad. airport changing tables (or any other place for that matter) are hard and cold. its a small thing but babies can be especially irritable out of their environment and this can be one less thing to annoy them.
• travel during the day. i have read so many mixed reviews on this topic but we found that traveling during the day was best. hunter was able to nap throughout the day around the travel schedule or during flights. this was much easier then letting him fall asleep on a flight at night, waking him up to put him in the car seat once we landed and then waking him up again once we arrived to the hotel to put him in the crib (per our 1st trip experience). I have also heard lots of people using medications to help their kids on flights. Our doctor recommended we not do this with Hunter. I would suggest you talk to your doctor before giving your child any medication just for flying. I guess if your flying for many hours/overseas a red eye would probably be the better choice but if its a short few hours flight, I vote DAY TRAVEL. PLUS: if your kid ends up screaming the whole time, you wont feel AS BAD for the noise during a day flight.
• give yourself PLENTY of time. show up at least two hours before you flight is scheduled to leave. not feeling rushed will make it less stressful for you, which in turn makes it less stressful for baby. checking bags and going through security can take longer especially around the holidays. once you are through security, walk the baby around in the stroller stimulating their minds with all the new sights, let them play with some toys for a bit (always pack their favorites) and change their diaper before boarding the plane. 

I hope this is helpful to all the mommies flying with little ones this holiday.

Please feel free to leave comments with any other tips or tricks you might have for flying with small children.

I am sure my mommy readers would appreciate it.

Fun Fact:

Did you know that when flying with a lap child you must sit on the right side of the plane?

There are extra oxygen masks that fall on the right side of the plane in case of an emergency! 

Safe Travels Readers!