Because of the big Southwest Airlines sale, we decided to buy tickets for our upcoming trip to Texas. BAM, saved $300. Lily will be 10.5 months old when we fly. For some gosh awful reason, I decided to search DCUM for some of the many posts I've seen about flying with infants/toddlers.
I quickly wish that I had not done that.
What happens if she throws a temper tantrum and gets us kicked off the plane? What happens if I am trying to breastfeed, the flight attendant does not like that, and we get kicked off the plane? What happens if she starts bouncing around because she doesn't want to be stuck on one place for 3 hours? What if she starts "acting her age"?!!! What happens if is clammering all over the place? What happens if she is just talking too much? What happens if we are asked to leave the plane, and then it costs us another $1,000 to get home?
Babies. Hmph. I remember when I was single and did not have a baby. I couldn't stand the thought of getting sat next to a crying baby. I would pay extra money to make sure I could sit wherever I wanted and relax with my glass of wine on my flight. If parents with a kid sat near me, I would move if I could. I wouldn't be able to stand it. I was so stressed out in my own daily life that I wasn't willing to put up with a screaming child for any amount of time. The plane ride was my chance to relax. Never once in any of those times did I ever think that I could be the parent with the screaming child some time in the future.
Apparently, it is not uncommon for a flight attendant to tell a family to "shut your kid up." WTF?!
I now wish we didn't have to go. Why can't we just stay heeeeerrrrrrre?
This trip is all about Sean's very large family meeting Lily, so it is not something during which we can really leave her home. We drove the 6 to 8 hours to Ohio last December, but this trip to Texas would take 20 hours in a car, which after all of the stops, it would take us 30 hours and two days to travel. And, Lily hates the carseat. So, in this case, the airplane is the better choice for our kid.
So, I am studying up on ideas for keeping her occupied (i.e. crash course in how to not get kicked off the plane):
- Do not freak out. Stay calm. That will help baby girl stay calm.
- Apologize in advance to the people around you. (Maybe I could buy a few thank you cards and put a $5 Starbucks gift card in there. LOL).
- Get a tablet and load it up with TV shows and movies. We don't let Lily watch TV, so this new thing might be great distraction for awhile.
- Go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of new toys she only gets to play with on the plane. Wrap each of them, so that unwrapping takes time.
- Ask for ice and 2 plastic cups and pour the ice from cup to cup.
- Pack an empty bottle in my carry on and hope there is a place to buy water after security.
- Buy snacks after going through security. Someone mentioned three times as many snacks as you think you'd need.
- Post it notes (act like stickers, but don't leave marks)
- Blue painters tape (comes off easy, doesn't leave marks)
- Board books
- Dry erase board and eraser
If you have more ideas, or would be kind enough to share your experience flying with your babies/toddlers, please do!
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