flying internationally with a toddler | confessions of a natural momma

Jetlag?.can there be any worse of a feeling?? Yes?it?s jetlag with a toddler!?

So here?s the deal.? Flying to Oz with Tanami was a piece of cake.? Seriously, she did wonderfully.? We had three different planes ? a stop in Houston and one in LA.? I think the smartest thing we did was book the flight that had us leaving out at 3pm?.so by the time it was 8pm, her usual bedtime, we were on the plane from Houston to LA.? She fell asleep on the plane and slept through the unloading, layover, and boarding of the flight to Sydney.? She slept her normal night sleep?- woke for a few hours ? and then had her usual ?morning? nap.? We were incredibly lucky to have an open seat next to us on the long haul flight and that was a life saver.? Dare I mention though, United Airlines was THE WORST AIRLINES EVER to fly internationally.? We won?t even get into the hour it took us to check in (and that was the time it took them, not standing in line), them telling us Tanami had no visa for Oz when she is a citizen, and Mat being on a No-Fly list.? DRA-MA.? They also didn?t have individual TVs in the headrest that make flying so much easier, and the seats were super tiny like on domestic flights.? But, we made it without crashing into the water so I shouldn?t complain.? When we got off the plane the people behind and beside us both commented that they didn?t know we had a baby because she never made a fuss at all.? We arrived at 6am, and then stayed up the entire day and crashed early having a big sleep?.so I think that really helped us adjust to the time change.? We just went to sleep early every night and seemed to sleep well.? The biggest cause for jetlag for me on the way there was the horrible turbulence that left me feeling like I was still being bounced around for 3 days after we landed.? Air. sick.

The way home is a different story.? We were not lucky enough to have an extra seat beside us.? We were lucky enough to have another baby ? a loud baby ? beside us though.? Tanami was a bit harder to deal with and got cranky afew times because like us, she wanted her space.? We had her sleeping on the floor a bit at times which helped, but didn?t last long?and I?m not a super big fan of my kid laying on an airplane floor.? We arrived back in the states at 9pm?.this is where I think we messed up.? We got home and had about a 12 hour sleep?which left us all unable to sleep for the following days.? I put Tanami to sleep at 7:30, and she is awake like clock work from 10pm ? 2am?.and we have to get up at 6am to get to my parent?s every morning.? I AM EXHAUSTED.? I can not recover from the time change because I can?t get enough sleep with Tanami having a 4 hour party in the middle of the night.? It?s the pits, but we?ll survive.

So, here?s my tips for travelling internationally with a toddler:

* Pack food.? Our travel took 30 hours from leaving our house to arriving at our destination ? we packed enough food for Tanami for the entire time.? (We also packed food for ourselves so we didn?t have to spend money in the expensive airports since it took us 9 hours just to get out of the country).? Tanami didn?t want anything to do with the airline food ? which they only served on the international flight anyway.

* Keep their schedule.? Don?t attempt to keep them up longer, or make them go to sleep earlier ? it?s only more trouble?keep their same sleep/eat schedule on the flights and let them adjust once you arrive.

* Check the carseat.? You can do this either with the baggage, or at the gate.? For us, having the carseat when we had an extra seat was a complete waste of space.? Tanami would rather lay down in the seat to sleep than be strapped into her carseat that she already hates.? I suppose if your kid likes being in their carseat that?s another story.? Also, if you have an infant under 6 months, you may be lucky enough to get a bassinette on your international flight.? They were a lifesaver when we first came over with Tanami.

* Don?t be afraid to walk around.? On a normal flight ? one that is not UNITED AIRLINES ? there is actually room to walk up and down the isles.? Babies get tired of sitting too.

* Prepare of landing and takeoff with something to suck on.? Boobie, bottle, pacifier, sippy cup ? something.? Babies ears feel the pressure and need popping just like an adult and giving them something to suck on during these times can help with that.

* We packed a few things to keep Tanami occupied.? However, I found that was a complete waste.? She was easily amused by playing with us instead.? She also liked looking at the magazines and playing with plastic cups.? I suppose this depends on the child.?

* And lastly, don?t be worried if your baby cries.? You paid for your airline tickets just the same as everyone else.? If it wakes someone up so be it?it?s an airplane, not a hotel.

I?m no expert, but these are the things that helped us survive.? Now, as far as how to combat baby-jetlag, well?.let me know when you figure that out.

I?m working on a post of pictures from our trip?.it may have been a sad occassion, but we still tried to make the most of it.

Source: http://akroezen.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/flying-internationally-with-a-toddler/

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