Hi
me and my 4mth old are flying from melb to adelaide in march and i am freaking out a little. i would love to hear some stories of other mums flying solo.
how did their little ones go? we are flying with jetstar
I have flown solo quite a bit, my family are all interstate so we visit as often as we can.
In the past I have always booked a night time flight, so DS was more likely to sleep, that worked really well for us. The last trip was day time flights and although he was awake the whole time, he was happy playing with his toys, and one of the flight attendants kept coming and taking him for a play too.
I always try and feed him on the way down, to avoid any ear problems, or sucking a dummy should work too. We haven't had any issues on the take off, but get some weird faces on the way down if he's not sucking.
I take him in the sling/carrier, the only issue is going through security you usually have to take it off. Getting it back on can be tricky if no one volunteers to hold bubs, usually one of the security people will ask if you need a hand though. I have heard that Virgin Blue let you take a pram to the gate, but Jetstar doesn't. I guess it depends on how much luggage you have too, and whether you will need a pram when you get there. Trying to manage luggage, and a pram on your own might be tricky.
My other tip would be to pack your carry on bag light, and one that will fit easily under the seat in front. Then you can get to the wipes, or toys easily, if you get a window seat it's easier not to have to get up.
Oh yeah, if you have one of those soft books, they double really well as a pillow. You probably won't find it so much this time as your little one will still be tiny, but as they get bigger, the seats aren't that wide and when they fall asleep on you, or are feeding, the armrests are really hard. It's nice to have a bit of a cushion for them.
I also book my seat at the back of the plane, you're more likely to have a spare seat next to you then. Sometimes they will put a hold on the seat next to you if you check in at the counter, that little bit of extra room makes it much easier.
Flying with little ones isn't so bad... I flew with an 8 week old once and it was a breeze. They gave me a seat belt extention thing and oce he was clipped into that he was able to breast feed most of the way.... then he fell asleep. It made me feel a bit pinned to the spot but it was better than him being unsettled. I found the flight staff very helpful.... one even made sure my coffee wasn't too hot (in case I spilt it) but you might have to ask for that... I think mine was a mother herself.
All in all I find flying with kids MUCH easier than driving long distances. I hate being in a car but I love flying
First time flying
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