Earning Our Wings

Riggins and I just returned from our first airline adventure together!  I faced the intimidation of flying solo with a 4-month old in order to visit my grandmother in Colorado Springs, and it was worth it!  Flying with a baby is scary, but nothing a taggie blanket, pacifier, and--let's just be honest--some breastfeeding can't tackle!  Check out the man in his very own seat...

We lucked out by getting a row to ourselves on two of the four flights...it definitely helped to spread out a bit when we could!  (And made nursing in an airplane much less awkward..."Um, pardon me as I avoid jamming my elbow into you while my baby kicks you from underneath a Hooter Hider!  Thank you!")

Now here was the real feat...I managed to fly, alone, for a week long trip with a baby and only the gear that you see in the following photo:

One Moby Wrap, one diaper bag, and one large backpack carry-on.  

I have to admit that I was pretty stinkin' proud of myself.  But here's the deal...while som times baby gear can be helpful and freeing, at other times it only adds to the difficulty.  I decided that without another set of hands to help me schlep around all of our junk, packing light would be key.  Furthermore, I didn't want to pay the outlandish fees for checking bags, car seats, and strollers.  

Here are a few things that helped make this possible, just in case any of you are planning flights with babies in the near future...

• If you have the ability to do laundry at your destination (for us, grandma's house), limit clothing to the basics and think creatively.  For myself, I packed a pair of jeans, a pair of leggings, a dress to wear alone or with leggings, two cardigans, two tops, two tanks, pjs, yoga pants, a pair of flip flops, and a pair of comfy but cute wedges.  For Riggs, I brought three pair of pajamas (one of which he wore on the plane, one in the diaper bag for changes), a pair of jeans, a pair of overalls,  a hoodie/pants set, three onesies (that could each go with jeans/overalls/sweatsuit), one blanket, one Miracle Blanket, two burp cloths, two bibs.  Basically, everything mixed and matched with each other, so we got maximum use from minimum items.

• Beg, borrow, and steal.  We had relatives pick up an inexpensive car seat at Wal-Mart ($50, compared to $75 to check our own seat), diapers, baby lotion, and baby wash.  We borrowed a pack-n-play from a cousin, and used a cousins stroller when we went to the zoo (but he ended up in the Moby most of the time!)  

• If your baby enjoys the baby carrier, forget the stroller!  It is just one more thing to worry about, and if your baby is anything like mine, he's happier in the carrier anyway!

• Get an aisle seat if you can.  That way if your baby gets fussy you can hop up quickly to bounce in the galley or walk the aisles before a meltdown happens!

• If you have a layover, find a gate without a lot of people, lay out a blanket and toys, and let your baby go to town!  That way he gets all his energy and stretching out and doesn't mind being cooped up in a carrier or confined airplane seat for the rest of the trip.

• Nurse or bottle-feed during take-off and descent.  Riggs actually didn't mind the take-off, but he started to fuss as soon as the plane began to descend, so we usually spent the last 20 minutes of the flight nursing.  

• Prepare for an onslaught of new friends!  At one point, Riggs was surrounded by three grandmothers as we waited at the gate, all just cooing and smiling at him!  I heard lots of stories of grandkids, and even a warning against the evils of putting baby to sleep on his back.  ("Did you know the number of kids having to wear helmets has drastically increased over the last 20 years?" To which I replied, "Yes, but the number of SIDS deaths has drastically decreased at the same time, so you pick your battles, right?  insert sweet but "so there!" smile here)

Flying with baby is like many things in parenting: different than before kids, but definitely doable!  A little planning and a willingness to roll with the punches and throw your routine out the window for the day, and you'll be rewarded with a wonderful trip...and a very, very happy great-grandmother in Colorado Springs :)