Traveling on a plane:

Traveling solo, on a plane, with a baby is a daunting task, BUT, having done it a couple times now, I've learnt a few things along the way.

Traveling with a baby under 6 months:

My son was 4 months old when he flew overseas for the first time. It was just him & I... and 12 hours of traveling! This was probably the easiest flight I've had with him, and I was as prepared as I could be for EVERYTHING I could think of happening at an airport or on a plane!

I booked my flight well in advance which ensured a Basinet seat on the plane. This is essential for traveling with a young baby. My son napped happily in the basinet, with his comfy blankets, and during 'play time' I propped him up with pillows so he could sit and face all the other passengers whilst playing with his toys. This really fascinated him, and kept him busy enough for me to glance through a few magazines and watch a film in 20min slots!

When checking in my luggage, I insisted on keeping my stroller with me until I boarded the plane - Best decision ever! Trying to get to the boarding gate with a baby, baby bag, and small trolly bag would have been a nightmare without my *Quinny*. When you get to the boarding gate, ask if there's any space on the plane to put your stroller onboard (ie. an empty business or first class seat). This will ensure than when you reach your destination, your stroller will be ready and waiting for you when you step off the plane - an absolute NECESSITY! If not it will go into the hold and you will only get it when you collect your bags on the baggage conveyor belt. DON'T forget about your stroller when collecting all your other bags!

During take off and landing I had to keep my baby bag in the overhead compartment, but for the rest of the time I had it on the floor underneath the basinet for easy access!

What went in my hand luggage:

Passports (in an easy to reach zip-up compartment)

My wallet

Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream 

A small toiletry bag containing mints, lipgloss, hair brush, deo, pair of socks & an extra t-shirt for me (JUST INCASE)

Bottle of water

Now for the little one:

8 x Disposable nappies (he only used about 6, but be on the safe side)

Changing mat

Pack of wipes

Pack of tissues

Hand sanitizer

4 x extra Outfits ( a handy tip: have each outfit wrapped separately in a zip lock bag. Makes them easy to reach & keeps free from spills!)

4x Bibs

2x Burp cloths

2x Dummies (NUK ;)

1x thin Cotton blanket

1x heavier Woolen blanket

1x pair of Socks

Don't forget the meds:

Infacol (great for trapped wind, gripes, colic etc)

Tylenol (pain & fever)

Syringe

I was advised to give a dosage of pain relief (Tylenol) prior to take-off and landing which really helped to prevent any ear pain, and enabled my son to sleep wonderfully onboard!

Entertainment:

The toys I found best for this age were: rattles, shakers, tactile stimulating books (ie. fabric books), teething toys, bright & colourful toys which they can hold.

Traveling with a 1 year old (aka MOBILE baby):

Book a basinet seat... you will NEED the leg room for all the toys & gear required!

Our flight was completely FULL so I'm glad I had the basinet seat. He was still small enough to have his naps in it! He was too big, however, to sit in it so I used the leg room infront of me,  lay down a blanket and created a mini play area for him. I tried to block his escape to the aisles with my big baby bag. He was quite content to play in the little area I'd created for him for quite some time. When he got bored, I sat him on my lap and let him play with the pull-up tv screen and remote! This was very exciting for him! Occasionally he would lean over and pause the film on the screen of the passenger next to us. Fortunately, she didn't mind :) When he'd had enough of the remote, the tv and all of his toys, I'd let him have a stroll down the aisles. 

Rules for wandering down aisles:

An occasional stroll down the isle, be it crawling or walking, should be fine IF you abide by the following 'unwritten' guidelines:

1) Make sure there aren't any cabin crew in the isles doing their rounds. Preferably wait until the food/drinks have been served and everyone's sitting down.

2) Don't allow your little one to scream or shout. This isn't the time for 'chasing' them down the aisle.

3) Be sensitive to the other passengers, don't let your little one linger next to their seat or outside the bathroom door.

4) When the seatbelt sign goes on, sit down with your little one and get strapped in.

Entertainment:

At this age, babies get bored VERY quickly, so the idea is to have a variety of toys that are light enough to carry in your baby bag, and don't take up much room. 

Put away a few of your child's favourite toys a week before, and save them for the flight! He/she will be thrilled to see them again :)

Stacking cups (such as those from ELC) are a fabulous choice PLUS they all fit into one another! 

Items that are cheap, noise-free and disposable make GREAT distractions for those looooooong hours on a plane!

- box of colourful straws

- an old newspaper (so much fun tearing it up!)

- bracelets/bangles from a 1 dollar store (who doesn't like playing with jewelry?)

- mini torch

-colouring book & crayons

- puppets

- zip lock bags filled with various little toys/snacks etc.

Do your best to keep your child on your seat, on the floor next to you or in the basinet, but don't stress or get anxious. If your little one starts to get fidgety and needs a break or change of scenery, go for a walkabout. You can't please everyone, so just try to be sensitive and just do what you can :)

Don't forget your little one's favourite blanket, dummy, bottle & sleep soother (ie. bunny)

Happy Traveling :)

Traveling with an 18 month old:

Soooo he's a little too heavy and long for the bassinet, HOWEVER, one could still probably do with the extra leg room :) I've decided to go ahead and book the bassinet seat for myself anyway! Once again I'm traveling on my own and this time I'll have not just a little crawler, but a super fast walker!!! The chances of getting a vacant seat next to me are slim pickings! So probably best I stick with the seat that has a 'play area' (aka bathroom waiting area) and of course a touch of roominess by my feet and of the passengers sitting next to us ;) So bassinet seat it is!

Ok, I am officially over how things LOOK! This was once VERY high on my priority list of baby gear... but been there and done that too many times. I was lucky in the beginning and my darling *Quinny* travelled first class upfront. But the last couple of trips where my poor darling had to go with the rest of the luggage in cattle class, leaving me arriving at our destination carrying a baby, baby bag, trolly bag & all the paraphernalia that would have gone into my stroller (which was somewhere at the bottom of the plane)... well enough said! Those fabulous Quinnys, Bugaboos & 4x4 lookalikes are NOT meant for traveling overseas! They are FANTASTIC for baby's first year, and I wouldn't have survived without mine, but with the traveling schedule I have ahead of me, I'm ready for something simple, light & practical. Hopping from plane to train to bus to taxi requires the least amount of luggage as possible!

So the new stroller (buggy) search began. Picked up a great one at Baby Shop. Nothing fancy but it does the trick and works well with our little toddler! So now that that's sorted, lets move on...

What to pack???

I always take too much but fear the day I don't take everything, I'll need it all! But this time I'm really going to limit my 'on board' luggage to the bare minimum.

Check your schedule and work out how many nappies and outifts you will need. At 18months, I'd say a nappy for every 3 hours and 2-3 outfits (for an 8 hour flight). Again, don't bother with outfits that require buttons, zips or anything that requires time and effort. Simple slip on t-shirts &  trousers are hassle-free! Planes are DIRTY so dress your little one appropriately. Keep those sunday best clothes for when you get to your destination. Keep nappies, wipes & new outfits handy! A great tip I was given: pack whole outfits (nappy included) into zip lock bags. Pull out one ziplock bag at a time for when you need it. This also protects from spills and leaks! You can never be too prepared. My last flight began with a 1L carton of milk leaking over everything in my baby bag at the boarding gate! The flight hadn't even started!!

Make sure you take enough drinks and snacks with you! Your little one probably wont fancy the bottled baby food he'll be served on board, so think this one through! Now's not the time to introduce new foods. Pack foods you know your baby will eat, and foods that don't require a high chair! At this age, wholesome finger snacks are a good idea! Such as...

Raisins, fresh fruit pieces, dried fruit pieces, muesli, cheese squares, finger sandwiches, sliced vegetables, crackers/biscuits, potato wedges etc.

Foods such as yoghurt, casserole, soup etc. could be quite tricky on a bumpy plane!

Keep in mind your baby can quickly dehydrate, so stock up on fluids. I have never had a problem taking 1L cartons of milk on a plane. I always take extra fluids, just incase! The last thing you need is for your only bottle to spill! Then what? They may carry extra snacks on board, but formula, goat milk or baby fruit juice wont be found unless you bring it with you! Ceres do a fantastic kid's range of rooibos & fruit juice mixes. These are great to dilute with water! They come in baby size cartons as well :)

Extras...

Blanket, Fluffy (sleep prop), Dummy, Bottles!

Black shawl. (Reason, last time my son woke up whenever the lights came on. I'm hoping this shawl will help block out the light)

Meds: Infacol (tummy aches/gas etc.) & Panadol/Calpol/Stopyn (fever/ear aches/SLEEP etc.)

Wipes & Tissues

My personal items: wallet, lip gloss, Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream & passport

Last but not least... Entertainment!

At this age, the mini tv screen should come in handy and may keep your toddler occupied for hours! Yeay!

You could do what I did last... take a couple of your toddler's favourite toys the week before the flight, and then reintroduce them onboard!

Better yet, take disposable toys with you. I was forever running after my son's toys on our last flight - not fun! This time I'm taking toys that I don't have to go searching for when everyone's rushing to get off the plane. If they break or get lost... who cares! You don't need to be stressing about losing your child's favourite toy on a flight! Prioritise moms!!!

So, what will I look like arriving at Dubai airport?

Very cool, calm and collected as I will have everything super organized! (Again, as organized as humanly possible ;)

- Simple, snap-shut stroller with happy toddler in it ;)

- 1 x trolley bag which I'll take on board. I plan not to have to use anything onboard that goes into this bag. It's just for safe keeping items! And an extra t-shirt for me JUST INCASE!

- 1 x large baby bag with EVERYTHING I need onboard in it!!!

- Check in luggage

Bon Voyage!