In all of our numerous travels since the arrival of the Little Nugget, I've not run into any real problems with fellow passengers; this was the first. Oh, LN was "that" baby on a plane once but we did everything we could to keep him from screaming bloody murder from rocking to shushing to feeding to bouncing and when exiting the plane a kindly grandmotherly lady said she appreciated how hard we were working to quiet our baby and that said a lot. That, too, made me cry. Anywho, since we are well into the travel season, I thought I'd pass along some good tips and tricks I've picked up in my 26+ airline trips with the Little Nugget since his first flight at eight weeks.
First, let me say that my travel tips do not include travel by car. This is strictly air travel. The current location of our domicile does not lend well to road trips so we are frequent fliers all the way (minus the first class upgrades and snappy suits). The longest road trip the Little Nugget has ever endured was 2.5 hours and that was with three adults in the car to entertain him. To all of you road trippers: good luck and godspeed. Additionally, we started traveling with the Little Nugget when he was eight weeks old and since then he'd probably logged about two dozen round trip flights. He's now 19 months so we have yet to travel with a full-blown toddler and that might be another beast but up to now, this is what has worked for us:
This is awful and not at all Christmasy. This is the home of two teenagers who's "friends" often TP their house and I can only assume are responsible for this. This is a perfect reason for why we will never have any type of animal lawn ornaments....or teenagers.
1. Overpack: I know this is every male's nightmare suggestion but I don't mean packing 14 pairs of shoes for yourself or your child (although combined, that's not too shabby) or packing every adorable outfit in his closet. No, no, I am referring to your diaper bag or whatever chic carryall you tote around and manage to carry an obscene amount of stuff in. Stock up on diapers, wipes, formula/milk/water, snacks, meals, books and a change of clothes (for the real youngins). If you're scheduled to travel on a two hour flight, remember you'll be at the airport early to check in plus you'll have to wait for your bags when you arrive (unless you carry everything on which is awesome and I want to know how you do it) so you're looking at at least five hours (depending on how long your trip to and from the airport is) which more than likely includes two meals, multiple diaper changes and countless readings of Brown Bear, Brown Bear. BUT this does not include delays or extended flights because of busy air traffic patterns.
I once had to wait in the Detroit airport for six hours longer than I had anticipated and searched every newsstand and snack shop in two terminals and ended up paying $4 for a diaper because I'd finally run out and the Little Nugget was having a productive afternoon. To say that forking over $4 for one diaper was a painful experience is an understatement but it had to be done. Airports aren't the most baby/kid friendly environments. Formula is extremely hard to find, diapers are 1 million times more expensive (I don't do math so that's a general estimation) and there aren't tons of options in the pureed or finger foods division unless your child is going to survive on Goldfish alone (see item 2). Be prepared, you'll thank yourself.
Also, I always pack: Motrin, nail clippers, a thermometer, nasal aspirator (the really good one they give you at the hospital) whenever we travel. If you get to the point of needing a thermometer, nasal aspirator or Motrin, you need it right then and don't want to have to go searching for the closest CVS and I guarantee you airport snack shops do not offer nasal aspirators in their offering of goods. And little kids' nails grow amazingly fast, so just throw those in the bag as well.
2. Your child can survive on Goldfish for a day. So, let's say that you are traveling and your sweet little bippy is refusing to eat any of the nutritious food you brought for him and will only eat Goldfish. In fact, the only thing that will keep him from melting into tears is a constant stream of Goldfish. First, thank your lucky stars that you've found the thing that will keep him happy. Second, keep him happy! So, he's consumed his weight in Goldfish? He's out of his element, there are weird smells, even weirder people trying to get up in his grill and tell him how cute he is and he is experiencing serious sensory overload. Give him a break and pass the Goldfish.
3. Traveling with baby gear. Until you've traveled with children and all of their stuff you cannot possibly understand why bringing a car seat, a stroller, a huge suitcase, a bulging diaper bag, etc. is remotely necessary and you look at all of those families wrestling with the above mentioned items and say to yourself "I'll never look like that". Maybe you won't but maybe you will and then won't you feel like a heel? Be kind to your kid-toting fellow travel. It might be you one day. I digress....most airlines allow you to check one baby item free of charge. I suggest checking the car seat because it is huge and cumbersome and won't likely fit through the X-ray machines and that freaks TSA out. Plus, few of them actually fit in the ever shrinking airplane seats so check it and forget it. Also, buy a cheap-0 umbrella stroller to plane-side check. The huge travel system strollers are exactly that...huge and if something happens to the umbrella stroller, you're out $40 instead of hundreds of dollars. Plus, you can hang a lot of stuff on the stroller as you traipse through the airport and that is a definite bonus! With that said, the first thing you should put on the X-ray machine conveyor belt is the stroller so it's the first thing that comes out and you can strap your nugget in while you wait for the rest of your stuff to come through and likely have to redress. Plus, it will make you look like you know what you're doing. SCORE!
4. Make use of the family restroom. Okay, I have to make a little announcement here: the family restrooms in airports are NOT a quiet, private place for men to spend 30-45 minutes doing whatever it is that is done in that amount of time in a public restroom. During my six hour layover in the Detroit airport, I had to endure highly offensive smells after a gentleman had exited the restroom on several occasions. There is no need to subject my child to that. That's what the men's bathroom is for: use it. Additionally, while changing the Little Nugget's diaper, an impatient and childless man kept knocking on the door wondering what was taking so long. Seriously? Unless you have a condition that prevents you from being either a man or a woman, thus the need for a unisex bathroom, and this condition also prevents you from having any kind of patience, please do not ask me what is taking so long. For the rest of you traveling with children or aging parents in wheelchairs, the family restrooms are roomy (to hold all of your bags, strollers and kids) and you can change diapers, use the facilities all without one of you having to keep the little one from licking the toilet bowl in a crammed stall.
5. Get over your germaphobia. I'm a recovering germaphobe, especially in public places. The only thing more disgusting than an airport floor is your eight month old crawling on it or you 18 month old putting his mouth on one of the chairs at the gate (check gag reflex). I tried to bring a blanket for the Little Nugget to sit on on the floor but why sit when you can crawl? Why crawl when you can walk? Why not touch a trash can and then stick your hands in your mouth? Carry some handiwipes and hand sanitizer and do what you can to contain some of the more groddy explorations (like in the family restroom) but recognize that the more energy your tyke expends in the airport is less energy he has to expend on the airplane.
6. Entertainment. For little ones, bring silent toys. Do not subject other passengers to a pingey version of the Itsy Bitsy Spider whining from a plushy spider toy or a telephone that lights up and says "Hello! Hola! Let's call Grandma!" Let's be honest: those toys are annoying. I'm annoyed by those toys in the comfort of my own home when I have to hear it 100 times a day. Even if you can turn the sound off, leave them at home. Little kids (under two) know what toys can do and they don't understand why it is okay to turn it on sometimes but not other times. Bring lots of books (quiet ones that don't have sound effects), a favorite stuffed animal or little toys that can easily stow and go. For older kids with Leapsters and other such toys turn the sound off. This goes for adults playing games on their Smartphones. You are not traveling in a vacuum, be courteous to your fellow passengers which leads me to my final point...
7. Be courteous to your fellow passengers! What I am about to say might be shocking, but some people don't have children and don't understand that sometimes your very own sweet as pie little cherub acts in ways you cannot explain or thwart. If that shocked you, the next part is going to blow your mind: some people don't even like children. It's true, they don't even like your adorable child who is smarter, sweeter and more well-behaved than other hooligan children. With that in mind, realize that not everyone wants to entertain your child or talk to him or thinks it's cute when he screams "poooooooop!" on the plane. Keep your kids to yourself. If you let them walk around the airport with you, keep them from treading underfoot of other passengers. And don't let them touch other people's things. This is a great time to introduce the theory of private property.
You are in charge of your brood while traveling and this includes keeping the kiddos entertained and their behavior in check. Do not rely on a flight attendant or another passenger to tell your child to stop running up and down the aisles. I once sat behind a family on a plane with three young children. The mother was clearly exhausted and was trying to keep the older ones entertained. The dad was editing a presentation on, of all things, parenting while his youngest daughter (maybe 3 years old) kept climbing out of her seat, running in the aisles and bothering the passengers around her. The dad looked over a few times and told her to stop but that didn't do much. Several flight attendants came by and asked the girl to sit in her seat to which she said "no" while the mom and dad said nothing. The dad told the little girl to go to the bathroom with her mother and she refused. Twenty minutes later, as we were getting ready the exit the plane, the father realized that instead of going to the lavatory with her mother, the girl had gone to the bathroom in her seat and I'm talking the kind of bathroom activity that one can get e.Coli from. Gross. He got very angry and told the little girl how bad she was but she was quite proud of herself. He didn't mention it to the flight attendant when he exited the plane. I, however, did mention it to the flight attendant so she/he wouldn't be subjected to a nasty surprise and maybe spare the next passenger from sitting in what the little girl left behind. I, though at the time childless, was utterly appalled. I would like to think 98 percent of the rest of the population would have also been appalled by the parent, the child and the parent's lack of parenting. Don't let this be you.
Also, smile and be friendly with airport/airline staff. My mama always said you'll draw more flies with honey than with vinegar and while you don't want to be swarmed with flies, put a smile on your face and be gracious when someone offers to help or has checked you in and given you a seat by yourself.
On a completely unrelated note, while traveling through my neighborhood this morning, I came upon this:
This is awful and not at all Christmasy. This is the home of two teenagers who's "friends" often TP their house and I can only assume are responsible for this. This is a perfect reason for why we will never have any type of animal lawn ornaments....or teenagers.
