Baby Flying Time

I have the latest photo chronology in the works, but in the meantime, I thought I'd throw a post out here discussing the ancient art of flying with an infant. We've done it six times now (three round trips), and to nobody's surprise, it's not as easy as it looks.

Our first aviation adventure with Anna was moderately frustrating...she spit up on my jeans and both of my shoulders (separate incidents!) in the time between getting to the gate and getting on the plane. She then proceeded to suck down her bottle before we even got off the ground and fuss for half the trip until she finally tired out and fell asleep. We weren't quite those parents - you know the ones I'm talking about - but it was not all that fun.

We've had much better results on subsequent trips, although she still has a weird penchant for spitting up in airports (oddly, only in the terminals - not on the planes). Through friends and our own personal experiences, I've compiled our almost-surefire method for making the flight as painless as possible.

1. No redeye flights. You won't sleep, and neither will anyone else. (This one predates Anna, and comes from my days of taking occasional redeyes from client sites back to home. There's nothing worse than having 3.5 hours of what was already going to be mediocre sleep ruined by a cranky infant.)
2. No connecting flights if you can possibly avoid it. Minimize travel time, people, even if it means a few extra bucks.
3. If you have a preferred security option, use it, even if it means splitting up mom and dad. I have a Clear Card, and wherever it's available I take Anna through with it. Being able to deal with a baby and all her stuff at a less crowded checkpoint makes life a lot easier.
4. Let her crawl around and burn off some energy before getting on the plane, no matter how dirty you think the airport carpet is. Keeping her constrained for the trip to the airport and the entire time waiting to board, and then expecting her not to be a spaz on the plane is a losing proposition.
5. Props to Devon for this one: Send one parent on the plane at early boarding with all the "stuff", and leave the other one to board last with the baby, which lets her crawl around for an extra 15-20 minutes.
6. Fly during nap time, and treat her like she's getting a nap. Multiple times now we've been able to swaddle her up and give her a bottle at takeoff, after which she drifted off for 1-2 hours. That alone is worth the extra $25 it might cost to take the 10am flight instead of the 7am flight.
7. Always have a bottle prepared, even if she just finished one. It's probably just because it helps her ears, but she will eat and eat and eat on planes. And if that's what it takes to keep her quiet, then so be it for those few hours.
8. Don't bother with toys - the following are all highly captivating and way more interesting than anything you brought with you: SkyMall (this bought us 30 minutes on one flight), pretzel bags, seat belts, in-flight audio buttons, and window shades. Do NOT, however, allow her to play patty-cake on the tray table, unless it is connected to YOUR seat and not the one in front of you (another one from my pre-baby flying days).
9. When all else fails, walk the aisle and let her look around. The scenery change will keep her entertained, and the friends she makes will remember her smiling face even if she decides to start screaming.

Have some of your own? Add them in the comments section.