Congratulations, you’ve made it onto the plane! Build your nest and settle in with your munchkin.  I like to make sure all of the essentials are easily accessible in the seat pocket.  For me, I have a water bottle, book, headphones and my phone all within reach.  For Mack I have his bottle, a snack and a toy.  I try to hold off as long as possible to give him his bottle but sometimes he spots it and there’s no stopping him from having it.  I like to try and time his feeding for the climb out and descents.  This was especially important when he was still tiny.  By nursing or having a bottle, your baby is actively clearing his ears by the sucking action.  Don’t fret if your timing doesn’t work out!  Pacifiers or teething rings do the same trick!  I panicked the first time Mack fell asleep before take off.  It turned out to be fine though. He had his pacifier and didn’t make a peep.  The descent is the biggest concern.  That seems to be the time most babies cry.  I would strongly recommend nursing or bottle feeding on the descent.

Don’t be surprised when your little one has multiple blowouts on a flight.  The pressurization changes seem to get everything moving through a little more quickly.  I make sure to have extra outfit changes and plastic bags!  When Mack was tiny, I would always ask the person next to me if they were a parent or grandparent.  If the answer was yes, I would ask if they minded me changing Mack’s diaper on my lap.  I never had anyone tell me not too, in fact they always offered to help! Even the childless single guys I sat next to! When you have a kiddo that can still lay in your lap, it’s almost easier then hauling everything past two seat mates and to the bathroom that may or may not have a changing table.  With that being said, I’ve been told by a flight attendant that they can’t take a dirty diaper from a passenger. I usually just put them in a bag and toss them at the end of a trip.  I didn’t always and certainly don’t do lap changes now.  Ask your flight attendant which bathrooms have the changing table on large airplanes all of them might have them. On small planes you might be lucky to have one changing table.  Always bring a changing pad that way you can change them comfortably (and sanitarily) on top of a toilet seat lid, the counter or the floor!

If your baby is having a bad day and just won’t sleep, don’t be afraid to walk the aisles or even head back to the galley.  On a flight to Alaska Mack became really fussy so I threw him into the baby carrier and walked the aisles and back and forth in the galley for over an hour!  If I tried to sit down he immediately started crying again.  Luckily the flight attendants and my seat mates were very understanding.

Speaking of baby carriers, you are not allowed to have your child in a carrier during taxi, takeoff and landing.  Also, if you have an open seat next to you and your child is listed as a lap infant, they must be in your lap for taxi, takeoff and landing.  This sucks when your baby is sound asleep and you have to risk waking them up to put them in your lap rather than put a seatbelt on him and let him be.  Safety first though! I’m sure we can all agree we’d do anything to keep our munchkins as safe as possible, even if it means waking them up!

My last bits of advice are never pass up an opportunity for water, especially you nursing mamas, remember that your baby’s cry is the loudest to you, and never turn down help!  I was one of those mom’s in the beginning that wanted to prove I could do everything myself.  Eventually I realized how much easier traveling by myself was when I started accepting help from strangers!

For those mom’s that are nervous about nursing in public, start flying with your baby at 4 weeks old by yourself and you’ll get over that nervousness really fast!

How do you like to get settled into your seat before a flight?