Air travel with kids — what I learned.
I am no expert on this topic, but having been able to take 14 flight journeys even before Yajur turned 12 months (many of these being just him & me), I do have the experience that can help others — and so decided to put it out here.
Will make this post more useful rather than story-tell. Here’s what will help make your trips easier.
Be prepared
Make your list of things to be packed & pack your bags separately for the flight and otherwise. This may be a bit different from your usual diaper bag. Here are a few things I put into my flight bag — extra diapers, wet wipes, snacks (if the baby is below 6 months — your milk/formula should do), a blanket, some socks, 2–3 different toys, a book, and extra set of clothes.
Many children respond differently to new surroundings (even if you have been on a flight before) — so be prepared to also adjust to that. They may get unusually hungry, poop more, want to sing loudly, be carried, be cranky or just sleep all through. Just go with the flow
— — — I also bribe the co-passengers!
Don’t worry about being judged
Way easier said than done right? Every parent (mostly moms) is always on a guilt trip even up in the skies. If your child cries, you think you are at fault, if your child doesn’t eat you think you are at fault and if your child doesn’t smile at the over-friendly passenger next to you — again it's your fault.
The last thing you need on a flight when traveling with a baby is more stress. So when the tantrum begins, or your baby cries incessantly — you need to calm down first (just like the oxygen mask) & then try to soothe the baby. They pick up from your own feelings.
I have sung Hanuman Chalisa on an entire flight journey from Bangalore to Mumbai without bothering what my neighbor would say — at least it's better than listening to Yajur cry (and yes Lord Hanuman gave me the strength to survive that flight).
Ask for help
It's really ok to let go of the ‘supermom’ cape on flight (and even before) and ask for help when needed — Request for faster check-in, Get that window/aisle seat (PS — Little babies are comfortable in the window and as they grow to opt for the aisle) Get ahead in the queue while boarding, push that bulky diaper bag under the seat or shove that baby carrier in the cabinet above. While most of this happens organically, remember that many people are not sensitive enough to understand the cues — so all you need to do is ask.
While asking others is fine — there are some things that you can equip yourself with to help too. I vouch for my baby carrier that has gone on every flight journey with me. It helps at the check-in counter when the person is taking far too long, it helps at the boarding gate coz you don’t have to run behind the little one, it helps while window shopping coz nothing breaks and it sure helps while getting off the flight and everyone is standing tall with zero social distance!
Enjoy the experience
More often than not we are so busy perparing, planning and fidgeting that we forget that this is a ‘memory in the making’ for us and our tiny tots. Every plane ride can be a new learning, a new experience and a whole lot of fun for our babies. Take some time to enjoy that. Click pictures. Take videos. Talk about the journey. Make those memories.
Originally published at https://yajurchronicles.com.
