First off, the new blog layout is up and running, and I am really excited about that! What do you think?
Anyway…
The stars aligned last week. Right as I was pulling out my hair, scrambling to think of a pretty neat Father’s Day gift, I saw a tweet in my newsfeed from @TheFlightDeal alerting everyone of a nice weekend fare sale between NYC and Miami for Father’s Day weekend. In our household, a gift of travel beats a cheesy necktie any day, so I wasted no time booking it. At $194 each, I thought it would be a great opportunity for some fun-in-the-sun and for us to test the waters with Baby Points Traveler on an airplane… and also his first dip in the ocean!
What’s even better is that I paid for the flights using American Airlines gift cards that I was reimbursed for as a perk of my American Express Platinum card. Free miles automatically means it’s going to be a great weekend.
We are only going to spend two nights in South Beach, and we are staying at my favorite hotel on the strip – the Surfcomber. As you already know, I love being a Kimpton Inner Circle member, and they really do go extreme lengths to make your stays personalized and memorable.
I shared my excitement on my twitter profile that I booked the little guys’ first trip, and I got lots of travel tips from other parents (I also got tons of tips in my recent post about medicating babies before flying), so I am hoping for a smooth ride.
The only downfall is that I have NO status what-so-ever on American Airlines, so I’m pretty sure we will be stuck with middle-seats by the lav. I’m not exactly complaining though because I am sure there will be many trips there once we’re airborne. And I would hate to have been upgraded to first-class with a first-time flyer on a 6-am weekend flight. It could be disastrous for all I know.
As an av-geek though, I’m most excited about Aiden earning his wings and scoring a picture with the pilot.
This is us this morning, at 4 am, when the boss decided it was playtime.
Now the hard part – packing. What do you parents take with you when flying with the little ones? Any other last minute tips you can throw my way? I also would love to hear stories of how other babies handled their first flight!
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So excited for you! And welcome to the club! ;-) NYC to Miami is great for a first flight — long enough to give you confidence that you can do bigger trips, but not too long. As for packing, make sure you have LOTS of extra diapers in your carryon and a change of clothes for the baby (or 2), as well as one for you. Something about the air pressure changes always resulted in serious poop explosions for my daughter at that age. Also ziplock bags… to contain any messy clothes and diapers or trash. I use them every flight. And wet wipes. I always wipe down tray tables and arm rests because it is inevitable that baby will touch them/lick them/etc. And that at least limits some germ exposure. Feel free to email or tweet with any questions.
My current flight strategy is to check the stroller and carseat at check in (NOT gate-check) and use a ergo baby carrier throughout the airport. You don’t have to take baby out as you go through security, which is so much more convenient than dealing with a stroller through the xray machine. On the flight I always choose an aisle and a window for my wife and I ask gate agent to keep middle seat empty. Out of a total of 25ish flights, this has worked on probably about 22.
So excited for you guys! There may be some moments where you think this was the dumbest decision ever, and there will be moments where you want to immediately circle the globe with him. Just shift your mindset from you are going on a vacation to you are going on a trip. If you expect vacation and relaxation you may be disappointed, but if you just plan for family adventure then you will be good to go! He’s a great age for it.
Here is a post on first flight info: http://mommypoints.boardingarea.com/travel-resources/preparing-for-childs-first-flight/#sthash.qpjC9z7h.dpbs
Your flight will be great! Ignore any looks you get, bring extra diapers/wipes, a change of clothes for baby (and you if you have room). Feed him on take off and landing and have fun!
Give yourself extra time. Make sure you feed him if possible during take off and landing. Helps with their ears. Bring extra wipes, diapers, onsies and an extra shirt for you. We also have a little “to go” set up on the plane of a diaper, wipes and changing pad wrapped together. That way it’s much easier to just take that to the bathroom to change him. Remember though… he has every right to fly as the other passengers. Don’t worry what others think! Have fun and enjoy the plane right and fathers day weekend!