*Check out our Favorite Baby Travel Essentials post here!
TAKEOFF + LANDING // You know how people say to nurse or give your baby a bottle or a paci during takeoff and landing? TRY IT. I've heard it works for most babies. Unfortunately, that stopped working after Mia Kai's second flight. Like I said in the previous post, what works for you may not work for us and what works for us may not work for you. She stopped taking a paci when she turned four months old and, for some reason, has always refused to take a bottle during takeoff or landing. However, her ears have yet to bother her. We typically try to get her to sleep or chew on the teething necklace during those times and she does really well with it.
COMMEMORATE THE FLIGHTS // If you fly Delta, ask for a pair of wings! (I'm not sure which other airlines offer them for kids.) We've also gotten a couple of photos with pilots and Mia Kai but we always feel weird asking since boarding and deplaning get so hectic.
BULKHEAD SEATING // Request bulkhead seating because many airlines offer bassinets. We haven't done this yet but check out Jetlag & Mayhem for more details on that!
PUMPING // Fun fact: I pumped exclusively for five months. It was hard but nursing was a horrific experience for us (a million high fives to all of you, nursing mamas out there!) and I wanted to be able to give Mia Kai breastmilk at least until it seemed like she healed from her surgery. Then we got on the flight from Atlanta to Honolulu and there were ZERO electrical outlets. Every flight we had been on previous to that always had electrical outlets. But none. I begged the flight attendants and they said there weren't any on the plane. I didn't bring a manual pump either. So I went thirteen hours (THIRTEEN) without pumping when I would typically pump every three to four hours. It was excruciatingly painful and uncomfortable and every terrible word you can think of. I weened over the next two weeks. All that to say, bring a manual pump with you if you pump because you never know if electrical outlets will be available or not. In our experience, the flight attendants are typically helpful and are able to accommodate needs for babies (i.e. storing milk or warming bottles). Feel free to ask specific questions in the comments section below or email me (Whitney) here.
OUR HARDEST FLIGHT // One more fun fact for you: Mia Kai's worst flight was a flight from Atlanta to Huntsville, approx 30 minutes. We were upgraded to first class. (JD and I have always said no baby should be allowed up there, but we didn't want to give up our free upgrade either - haha. Instant regret.) She fell asleep during takeoff, woke up about fifteen minutes later and basically screamed the rest of the flight. We never figured out what happened. She wasn't hungry. Her diaper was clean. She wasn't cutting teeth. I don't know. Maybe she was just super tired? Regardless, it was awful. And embarrassing. You know what though? Flights like that are going to happen. And it's okay. You will want to crawl under the seat or just skydive right out of the plane. But you will land (in the airplane) and you will step foot out of that airplane and all will be okay. You will probably never forget it and other passengers will probably talk about it to their friends but you will survive it. (I'm saying this to reassure myself too for when and if it happens again.) Just remember it when you see other mamas trying to console their little ones on future flights and love them hard.
