Help me travel with my kid!

[dcasper70]

Wife & I and now 7 month old daughter will be heading to Florida at the end of January for a week. First kid, so we've never dealt with travelling with a (to be) 1 year old. I'm looking for all the help I can get!
I have a feeling that there are other parents of sub-2 year olds on this forum. Don't ask how, let's just say I'm in the know. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

So let this thread be a starting point, hopefully developing into a guide to help us proud papas get to Disney (or wherever) without completely losing our minds.

I have started looking into flight stuff and know that a kid < 2 is free if sitting on our laps. Anyone have any specific suggestions on how to improve our airline/airport experience?

What should I expect from rental car companies? Will they have child seats? Are they extra? Any speedbumps we need to worry about here?

What kind of amenities do most hotels offer that we should be able to take advantage of? Do most places have cribs to rent, or is the pack-n-play taking the trip?

What about general packing? Any thoughts or suggestions on what is a must and what needs to stay home? What have you forgotten that was a disaster? What did you bring that was unnecessary?


Anything! Everything! Help!!!!

[StevieG]

dcasper,

We only have one daughter, who just turned two. However, she has been on three international flights, one transcontinental, and two shorter flights in the U.S. So there is some experience here.

Reduce carry ons to kid stuff and maybe one bag for you I hate checking bags, my wife and I pack very light, so our instinct was to do the same with kid and try to travel without checking. This was a mistake, especially when changing planes and lugging stuff around looking for a place to eat, etc. The diaper bag and stroller are two extra pieces to lug around, and it's better just to concentrate on that. Less stress.

Yes checking is a pain in the ass. Do make sure to pack some things for you so that bag loss is not total disaster. But you're going to take time now after the flight to change diapers, have the kid walk around and unwind, etc., so waiting for a bag is no longer such a big difference.


Don't forget bib and spoon. Easy to forget, especially if you are used to feeding in one spot and never move anything around.

Include favorite small toys on carry-on Get a variety. Small, light stuff better of course. Natually your little one will find the air sickness bags, window shade, and fold-down tray to be great toys. But don't count on it.

Pack layers for kid in carry-on temperatures vary so much in and out of planes, etc. so have layers ready for the kid.

Portable DVD player has been very good to us. Worth making room in the carry-on for it. You might want to consider it.

Small baby food units Better to have three or four small, resealable Gerber's baby containers than one box of cereal. Bring ziploc type bags with you also as extra shielding.

Plan flights around nap times if at all possible. You don't want to interrupt the normal nap time to go through security or board a plane if you don't have to, especially if your kid has trouble going back to sleep.

Car rental companies have car seats mention that you need one when you book the car rental. It may cost $10 a day or so, and you may feel paranoid about safety. So you can always check a car seat as luggage. We did not and did just fine.

Hotels can get you a crib but mention it when you book to be sure. I find that better than worrying about a pack-n-play.

[Los Feliz Slim]

StevieG's post is excellent, I agree with everything he said. Big ups to the portable DVD player, it is absolutely a life saver, when traveling and once you get where you're going.

How long is the flight? Is getting a seat for the child out of the question economically? Because if cost isn't a big issue, definitely get her a seat. You've got to bring a car seat with you if you do, but IMO it's worth it.

My only other advice is to remain calm. Kids can really sense where your head's at, so if you and/or your wife are super-tense it's going to rub off on her. Getting wasted is no longer an option for you, but for me Xanax really calms me down without [censored] me up. Bottom line, when she's this young traveling is basically a cinch. Just wait until she's two!

[dcasper70]

Flight from Hartford to Orlando is 2:30 in the air, so figure double that from house to hotel room.

Why do you feel so stongly about a seperate seat? How much of a benefit is it?
Hopefully we'll have everything worked around naptime, so with luck she'll be asleep during the flight <crosses fingers>.

What about baby carriage/stroller? Should we just get one of those super lightweight ones (like this)? If we bring ours (with the snap in car seat) will there be an issue on the plane?

If we bring the car seat, what are the chances a rental car company will already have a car with the car seat base installed? Would we have to install it ourselves?

[bronx bomber]

Baby NyQuil

[StevieG]

If you rent a car with the car seat they will likely just had it to you at check-in for you to do it yourself. But the guys stationed at the cars are probably familiar with what they have and should be able to help if you need it.

[Los Feliz Slim]

The benefits of having a separate seat are pretty straightforward: you and/or your wife won't have to hold her the whole time. In my daughter's case that also means that she's a lot more willing to stay put/sleep than she might be if we were holding her. Also, with another seat you can check more bags.

To solve the carseat/stroller issue we got one of these:



Sit'n'Stroll

It's a combination carseat and stroller. While it's a jack of two trades and master of neither, it's pretty darn convenient when traveling. One thing to note: if you do get your daughter a separate seat, they'll make you put her in the window seat instead of between you and your wife, which kind of sucks. Carseats DO need to be FAA approved, but when we traveled all the flight attendants immediately recognized the Sit'n'Stroll so that was convenient.

Have a bottle and/or pacifier ready and waiting on takeoff and landing to help your daughter's ears when they pop. It will also help distract her.

[renodoc]

i think that 90 min is the limit for lap child.

i would spend the extra cash and get a seat. Most airlines are setup for this anyway with the 3 seat configuration and you put the kid in the middle and they fall asleep. 1 year old is a pretty decent age for air travel and between 1 and 3 is more challenging. Make sure kid is drinking during takeoff/landing or you get screaming ear poppage syndrome.