#2 Flying with Baby

To quote John Steinbeck, "A journey is a personality, no two are alike."

....and just as, of course, every child has their own character, likewise all flights are different - same goes for airlines and their respective crews ;)! It's hard to generalize "flying with a baby", but I'll try to give you a few points along the way!

My little one flew around a total of 20 times on 7 different airlines on 4 different continents in his first 18 months of life. Between short haul, direct flights, long haul, and changing planes, it's been everything. And yet, I'm sure there are so many more experiences to be had than we have! And our experiences with flying are limited to between 4-18 months of age.

When I compare the different modes of transport we've travelled on, I have to say I find plane and train the most comfortable. My little one is quite cuddly and at the same time he feels quite an urge to move. Car travel is therefore rather difficult for him because he has to sit alone and strapped in. On planes and trains he could always walk and move around, and otherwise I could always snuggle him to sleep or nurse him in the carrier. So for me, the difference between plane and train is mainly in takeoff and landing, because our activities on the road were otherwise clearly comparable! But again, nothing is set in stone, kids are different, and a lot can change as they get older. However, there are other children who, for example, love driving a car more than anything right from the start!!!

I have already told you some of my personal tips in the 1st part "Planning and preparation". Now, to talk about our specific experiences around flying, here are my personal notes:

- · If possible, plan the departure times so that they fit in with your sleeping rhythm. A long-haul flight overnight is certainly more pleasant than during the day, especially if the plane is darkened at night. Direct flights are more expensive, but also more comfortable and therefore at least worth considering.

- · Children under 2 years of age usually only pay a small service fee if they fly lying on their parents' laps or in a bassinet. After that, flying with children becomes really expensive. Optionally, you can of course book a separate seat for the little ones. This can be interesting if you want to take a baby car seat on board or if the child is simply too big and (much too) heavy for the bassinet.

o If the plane is not fully booked, you often have an extra seat anyway.

o I never had a baby seat with me on the plane. A friend flew with it once and reported that not all makes are compatible with the seats in the planes. In such a case, it's best to contact the airline's hotline in advance and ask for written confirmation just in case.

- · If one parent is travelling alone, it is essential to have a power of attorney (including birth certificate and copy of ID). The ADAC, for example, provides such multilingual power of attorney forms for download. Without it it can happen to you that the nice border official does not let you go... Valid identity documents & visas are natural!

- · Depending on the airline, you may have to reserve a seat in order to sit in the front row with a chance of a bassinet and more legroom.

o With Lufthansa, this costs extra. (as of 2019)

o With Aeroflot, you have to call the hotline or contact eMail customer service before check-in to make sure they're thinking of a front row seat for us. (As of 2018)

o On Air France and Emirates, we were automatically booked into the front row at no extra charge. (As of 2018 and 2019)

- · The front row not only has the advantage of giving you room for a bassinet and more legroom. You also gain room to improvise! For example, when I tried to eat with my son on my lap, he specifically reached into the food. That's not fun when you have to watch hot food! My solution then was to put the little one in my seat and restrain him with the adult seat belts. I sat cross-legged on the floor with my back to the front wall and made eye contact with my little one. The food tray was on the floor with me and I only put the individual foods we just ate together on the tray at a time.

- · If you or your child have any allergies, it's best to leave that when you book! Optionally, you can usually order your own baby menu. When I did that, there were usually different squeezies on board.

- · Basically, I would plan a generous time buffer on the way to the airport. Something can always go wrong, and with a child you always need longer. To avoid unnecessary stress, it's better to plan a little more time!

- · Make sure you use the possibility to check in online from home! If you are at the airport, then you are usually allowed to queue at the counter for baggage drop-off at the shorter queue. At least my junior isn't too keen on queues and I was always happy to queue for as short a time as possible! Some airlines have separate queues for families to check in their luggage. In some countries, for example, there is a priority queue for families for passport control, or you are waved by the staff to the usually short diplomatic queue. For me, this was also always a first indication of how child-friendly our destination would be.

- · Even for children without their own seat, you usually get an extra piece of luggage for 10kg. I never needed that because I always had our KOKADI baby carrier with me. I have seen other parents who have checked in a large stroller on top of this piece of luggage. Depending on the airline, however, I would definitely check the individual regulations on dimensions in advance. Under certain circumstances, the stroller does not count as additional luggage and can simply be handed in when boarding the plane! Low-cost airlines are guaranteed not to have this additional piece of luggage as part of their service. It is therefore essential to check with your airline in advance to avoid any unpleasant surprises! If you only travel with the baby carrier, you have one less thing to think about. J!

- · Especially with connecting flights it can happen that your luggage gets stuck and doesn't arrive at your destination with you. So for 1-2 days, I put the essentials (diapers, pad, wet wipes, change of clothes, formula, porridge, snacks, medications, toys, straw cups & milk bottles, and pacifiers if needed) in my carry-on. If several people are travelling together with multiple pieces of luggage, then one trick is to divide your belongings between the different pieces of luggage. If only one piece of luggage arrives, then each family member will have at least a few things with them.

o Since I no longer breastfeed fully, I always carry snacks in addition to something to drink. Preferably cookies, because they will outlast any climate and are nonperishable throughout the trip. The only downside is that they crumble. I could always get drink refills at the airport or on the plane easier than my favorite baby cookies.

o Valuables always go in your carry-on anyway!!!

- · The security check is different depending on the country. In the best case, you can simply go through the scanners with the child in the baby carrier. It becomes more complicated if you have to have the baby carrier scanned on the conveyor belt with the luggage, then the child is passed back and forth between security personnel and possibly fellow travelers, while you yourself go through the person scanner.

- · Liquids were only a problem in Australia in the countries we visited. In Australia the restriction of 100ml does not apply to babies, but all drinks/liquids have to be originally packed and sealed, otherwise they are not allowed to be carried. In all other countries we visited (even at the security check in Germany) it was no problem at all to carry more than 100ml. Even a 1l-bottle of water they let me pass several times!

- · Who would like to switch to a buggy in addition to the baby carrier: At least at Emirates at the airport in Dubai, there were a lot of rental buggies (unused) everywhere, but at least they were kindly provided! Another idea: Rent KOKADI baby carriers ;)!

- · While waiting for boarding I went up and down at the gate to stretch my legs a bit. My little one sat in the baby carrier as usual and looked or slept. Later, when he could already walk, he had the most fun exploring the terminal by himself and had fun on the moving walkways (flat escalators) against the direction of travel, for example. Ultimately, however, no one knows your child as well as you do. You know best how to keep your child occupied at the airport or on the plane!

- · Families often have priority at boarding and are allowed to board earlier together with First and Business Class. Listen carefully to the announcements and perhaps ask at the counter if you would like to board the plane earlier. The advantage of boarding early is that you still have free choice and plenty of room in the overhead bins to stow your 7 items.

- · When boarding the plane, the through checkpoint machines often don't work if you're traveling with a baby. We were always sent through by staff. Supposedly this is to make sure that the person whose seat the baby is booked in doesn't forget their child. So it's an extra check!

- · Once you board the plane, most airlines will give you what's called a loop belt. This is a belt that you wrap around your baby and strap to your own seatbelt. The added value is questionable, which is why this loop belt is not mandatory everywhere. Sometimes, however, the boarding personnel turn a blind eye to this regulation. In my opinion, the baby is much safer in the baby carrier. You can always buckle yourselves in between your own belly and the baby's belly. My little one slept excellently like this during several flights and also during a landing.

- · Most of the time, the boarding staff is also helpful when it comes to stowing your hand luggage in the overhead compartments. I did the boarding with the little one in the baby carrier, of course, and stowed it at the latest possible moment. I was always worried about the buckles, so I folded the carrier with the buckles closed before putting it away. Taking the KOKADI bag along for storage would be worth considering! I unpacked the drinks and essentials I would need during the flight from my carry-on and stowed them by the seat or in the holder so they were handy.

- · The really critical thing when flying with babies is pressurization. The cabin pressure changes during take-off and landing and the very small ones do not manage this as confidently as us older ones. The best way to support your baby is to nurse him during take-off and landing. But they also make these helpful swallowing movements in general when drinking. That's why it tends to be good if you have something to drink (stewardesses were always helpful and refilled the bottles if necessary). If you need a bottle of milk, then fill the required powder into the bottle in advance and ask the boarding staff for hot water. Hot water is not boiling on board and you can also say how much hot water and how much still (cold) water you need to fill up! It'll go faster that way! When my little one was a little bigger and already weaned, I additionally had his straw cup ready to fill up as well. Just use your favorite utensils as you would at home, tried and true is especially welcome on the road!

o By the way, the following things help equalize pressure: swallowing/breastfeeding/drinking, pacifiers, crying!

èIf they absolutely don't want to drink and the pacifier isn't okay either, then the worst they can do is equalize the pressure by crying!

o If your child has a cold before departure, it is a good idea to consult a paediatrician. You may not be able to take the flight, otherwise you will probably be prescribed a nasal spray.

o Some airplanes start pressurizing before takeoff. Having an outdoor watch with a barometric altimeter is a must. On the barometer you can see the changes in air pressure and can react very quickly. As soon as something moved, I started breastfeeding or giving a drink...

- · The bassinet is like a small crib, attached to the wall with brackets. It resembles the baby seat of a pram and is usually designed for children up to 75-80cm tall and weighing a maximum of 11kg. However, this varies from airline to airline. The annoying thing is that you can't leave your child in it during take-off and landing and in turbulence. If your little one is sleeping nicely and suddenly the seat belt signs light up, it means that you have to get your child out of the bassinet right away - danger of waking up is preprogrammed... The last few flights I therefore voluntarily did without the bassinet and let him sleep lying on me. If your child is too big for the bassinet, then you better be prepared not to enjoy it!

- · Some airlines give the little travelers a gift. This can be a rattle, a ball, a coloring book but also stuffed animals, backpacks or hygiene items. But the best toys for my little man have always been the in-flight magazines, spit-up bags, the seatbelts or my keys - in other words, everyday items! And again, I'm sure you know your little ones well enough to guess what works best for them!

- · I always had 2 small rattle toys with me from home. These are attached to the backpack with a small carabiner and always ready to hand. Again, I took the favorite toys with me that I had hidden for him a few days before departure, so the joy was then especially great to play with them again.

- · Short flights are almost all takeoff and landing. Most of the time my little one fell asleep nursing during takeoff and slept through the rest of the flight until landing. Medium-haul and long-haul flights I've had mostly at night, so most of the time was slept through as well (with the exception of South Korea). When he was a bit older, he usually sat on my lap or in my seat and played with the toys or various everyday objects. And a total classic with us is walking the aisles and flirting with the other passengers or boarding staff and looking for other babies and toddlers.

- · If the mood tips during the day because of tiredness, then the baby carrier is once again the non plus ultra. I found a quiet aisle section and walked him up and down until he fell asleep. Sometimes everything outside was so exciting that he couldn't switch off, then I tightened the headrest and put a spit-up or KOKADI snuffle cloth on the side so that he couldn't see out. The sleeping sand then often came quickly. I would then go for a walk and stretch my legs a bit in the aisles or sit carefully with the back of the chair reclined on my chair with the little one in the baby carrier.

- · Not all of the restrooms on board have changing tables either. Either the boarding staff will point out the right one to you during boarding, or you ask a nice stewardess or steward which toilet with a changing table is closest to you. A well-stocked diaper bag for the road is essential! When I've had to go to the toilet myself, my little one has come with me sitting in the carrier.

And...if there really is a screaming fit for whatever reason: Don't let it upset you! Little ones calm down faster than you can look. And in our case, the passengers were friendlier and more understanding than expected. When my little one had to scream first when I was falling asleep, I was met with more sympathy!

Again...every flight, every child and every age is different and everyone will have their own experience! Just dare!!! As always, the first step is the hardest and after that it all dissolves into bliss!

Your Verena aka "Mama Weltenbummel".

P.S.: What else happened to you while flying? What other ultimate tips do you have in store?