March 2016
How To Travel With Infants?
Rather, how do new parents travel with infants?
This was the question that popped into my mind every time I saw parents travelling with their infants. Taking care of babies within the comforts of your home in itself is quite a lot of work and here they were doing it in airports, on planes and trains. All public spaces, mind you and surrounded by hundreds of strangers. At that point, I really did think that being parents came with some superpowers. But, well, now I know the truth because it’s already over 4 months and I still have none! In the interest of full disclosure, I should add that I have been guilty of wanting to take seats away from babies and kids on planes, especially during long journeys. But somehow there always seemed to be one next to me. Always. How? I guess that was God’s way of telling me that I was not being considerate enough, which was right in a way. So, as I look forward to my first trip with the little one, I know karma is going to come back and bite me in the rear. Well, the things being a parent teaches you!
3 flights planned with a 4 and a half-month-old. You can see why I’m a little nervous.
We are travelling out of Bangalore on the 28th of this month which means M will only be four and a half months old by then. And that worries me. A lot! It’s because I have no clue what to do if she starts being cranky on the trip. What would the fellow passengers say or think? Or, not even that, how will I comfort the little one in a place clearly outside of both our comfort zones? Nerve wrecking this is I must tell you.
I don’t think babies like crowded spaces and that makes them cry.
A month ago we had gone to get M’s passport done. Being at that office for about 3 hours made her extremely restless and uncomfortable. In fact, even after coming back home, it took her some time to settle down. That actually made us think if it was better to have waited till she was, maybe, a year old to get her passport done. But that ship had already sailed by then.
What we have observed with M is that she gets really fidgety when there are too many people around her. It’s like she has a sixth sense and knows immediately when we have people over. And on those days, handling her takes quite a lot of effort, honestly. She takes a lot of time to go to sleep and also gets very irritable, crying more than she usually does. So, all this is making me extremely nervous about those 3 flights that we have planned. Feeding her during the trip is another thing that has me worried. I’m still breastfeeding her and have only recently introduced formula. So, I’m really not sure how we are going to do it if she gets hungry at an altitude of forty thousand feet! I can only imagine the stares! Of course, S is going to be with me for 2 out of those 3 flights but the last one where I have to come back with her alone is the one high on my worry list. It’s really not the coming back alone part that scares me but what if she starts crying and I’m not able to placate her. What then? Frankly, I think I owe an apology to every parent whom I might have judged for not being able to pacify their kids on long-haul flights. You have no idea how sorry I am. The fear of karma will do that to you. Well, I guess there’s no other way than making those journeys and discovering what really happens. With M’s grandparents living in different parts of the country, she really needs to learn to make these trips. The sooner the better.
For me, it will be a new experience altogether. Actually, come to think of it, these past few months seem to have been full of new experience for me. So, might as well see how this one turns out. For the first time, I’ll get to be the parent whom I have been gauging from the sidelines till now. I just hope M stays comfortable and we don’t trouble the people around us much. The mothers, actually parents, reading this, any tips?
Some tips to travel with infants. #Traveltips Share on X
Present Day
Tips to travel with Infants.
Now that the infant has become a toddler, here are some of the tips to travel with infants which I can share from experience.
- Always carry milk so that during takeoffs and landings, you can feed your infant. That helps reduce the discomfort in their ears and keeps them slightly manageable. Your airline will also advise you the same.
- Needless to say, carry extra sets of clothes and diapers in your cabin baggage.
- Select an airline, if possible that is, which has changing tables in their toilets.
- Dress your infant in comfortable clothing especially in long-haul flights.
- Keep your go-to diaper rash cream handy because your infant might get uncomfortable being in a diaper for a long time and that too in a confined space. I carry coconut oil even now because that works wonders for my daughter.
- Carry her baby food such that you can easily prepare that even if you are travelling alone with your toddler.
- Always change diapers before and after boarding a flight.
- Carry something warm to cover your infant because the air conditioner in the flight might make it a little chilly for your infant.
- Use a baby carrier to keep your hands free. There are a lot of ergonomic baby carriers available in the market. However, take your infant out of it once you have boarded the flight.
Well, these are some of the tips that I can think of. Do add more to the list if you have anything else in mind.
Feed her during take off and landing…keeps their ears from popping…and also they tend to sleep after the feed.
Wonderful post, Naba. It just reflected my mind while my M was born and had to travel a lot. But as you said, trust on karma and it will help you. My wishes to you, S and M for safe and happy journey ….. <3
Hi Nabanita
I travelled with my son when he was 45 days old. So do not worry!
Check in early and ask for a seat where you can attach a basinet. The baby might just sleep through the entire flight.
You can occupy a window seat and it would be perfectly okay to breast feed, just have the right towel/cover with you.
Chill girl! It would be easier than you think karma or no karma okies! Trust me!
I have no advice, except what Ghata has already covered and to say that people in India are really quite tolerant of infants and won't judge you. It's important that you be relaxed so that little M doesn't pick up on your stress. You'll be just fine! Hugs.
We've traveled with our son… All my wife did was feed him while going up and going down… He slept most of the flight time so it went fine… Plus they should give you a special seat belt since you've an infant… Don't worry but have fun!
We've traveled with our son… All my wife did was feed him while going up and going down… He slept most of the flight time so it went fine… Plus they should give you a special seat belt since you've an infant… Don't worry but have fun!
I agree with Ghata, feed M during take off and landing. She should sleep during the flight. I remember flying when S was younger. First time he slept through the flight. Also stay clam, if you don't the kids sense our nervousness and become more fidgety and cranky *Speaking from Experience* And Lastly enjoy the trip and have fun.
We first travelled with Arjyo on a 19-hour flight when he was four and a half months old, so I can imagine what you're going through!Relax, everything will be just fine…Ask for a seat with a basinet – this surely makes things easy…just feed her during take off and landing, carry pacifiers along and comfort her if she begins to get fractious. Babies are usually fine unless hungry or tired, so do ensure she is well-fed and you need not stress too much! Enjoy your vacation 🙂
I am not a parent, but I have travelled a lot and for some reason there is always a crying baby sitting next to me on the flight
Here is one thing all parents forget – Ear plugs
When the pressure starts building up in the plane, your ears start popping. While we take it all in, babies don't understand it and they start crying.
Best of luck !
" I think I owe an apology to every parent whom I might have judged for not being able to pacify their kids on long-haul flights. You have no idea how sorry I am. The fear of karma will do that to you," Most of us go through it. Reminds me of my toddler when I was traveling to Kanpur. He howled for hours and I was pacing the train corridor to avoid inconvenience to fellow passengers. It's tough.
My godchild traveled with her Mum, my close friend when she was 3 months old. She was comfy but yes, ears need to be taken care of. You can feed her. Cover yourself and that should be possible. Airlines help so reach out. 🙂 Have a safe trip back home and have fun!
Babies will do what they want to do. If you are relaxed, chances are baby will be relaxed too. But yes do ensure her ears aren't blocked. Cotton wool and lollipops was a great help for my kids. I guess a pacifier would be a good alternative for lollipops
Good luck Naba. She will be fine. Do ask for that seat with extra leg room and feed her while landing and take off. We made the mistake of not doing that and had a six month old N crying through the flight. That was a nightmare. If you're lucky she might sleep through the flight.
Throw a light covering on yourself and breastfeed her, since that will probably calm her down the quickest.
The second suggestion is to grow a rhino hide and not care a damn about what other people think! She's a baby and she's perfectly in her right to be cranky. If people can't understand that, it's their problem! Don't even engage them!
That being said, it pays to be friendly with your co-passengers from the start so that they're more likely to be sympathetic when they see her upset. Often, passengers serve as a welcome distraction as they may play with her or hold her while you get her stuff ready for feeding or nappy change!
Best of luck!
Do you know what I loved about this post? The fact that you drew parallels between then and now. And oh trust me on the Karma bit 😉 We all have been there. So don’t worry.
I love the tips and heartily second the coconut oil for the diaper rash too! It worked great for Gy too. None of the creams did any good.
I remember flying with her when she was a toddler but a car trip when she was an infant. That was manageable because she slept in her car seat for the most part and we could stop often if I needed to change her or nurse her in the back seat. Flying may have been a different ball game though, so these are important tips you’ve shared.
Ah how much we learn on this parenting gig 🙂
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Loved how you updated the same post woth tips. I have seen parents struggling in flights and I really feel for them. It must be so difficult, not knowing why the baby is crying… Seriously parents need a different kind of superpower to carry infants on planes. Glad you found the tricks that work for you.
Oh yes, I know how harrowing it is. Did you know that we made a trip from the US to India when Sid was just 2 months old. We were on tenterhooks but luckily he slept most of the way and I did breastfeed him on the flight. When I see kids going wild and throwing tantrums and not only little babies but toddlers, I really feel sorry for the parents. We’ve all been there. As a family that loved to travel even with very small babies, I’ve seen it all. Once I flew with Sid and G from Bbay to Bengaluru when G was about a year old. He was running high fever and it was harrowing time as I tried to comfort him to my best abilities. All I can say that I am so very happy that those days are behind me.
These tips are very useful, Naba.
For me flights with toddlers have always been a miserable expereince. There was a time when I refused to travel to avoid the travel crankiness. Its confined space, crowds and the absence of movement that puts them off. I am glad I am done with that phase, cause I could never ever conquer it and travel at ease 🙁