I have heard that baby tylenol works wonders........but that might fall into the paper-towel chewing category of no-no's.

I would think that the main thing would be to make sure she is eating when you take off and land. I hate the pressure on my ears and it must be miserable for a baby who can't clear them. Sucking on a breast or bottle would remove that. It wouldhelp prevent the screaming at least.

shoot leta.

Find as many implements on the SF end as you can to borrow -- a car seat specifically. Yes to the breast feeding on take off and landing. Especially landing. ESPECIALLY. Flight attendants love to hold babies.

LOL -- No idea how you travel with a baby -- guess I refrained from the necessary alcohol intake to make that decision! But I promise to laugh lots at watching you try it! :-)
Seriously, we did do a long weekend once -- my car recorded temperatures of over 100 degrees. Point #1: Keep everyone cool.
Point #2: Evaluate everything you're bringing and decide if you really need it -- 'cause it turned out that we never used the bouncy seat. Preserve your lugging energy for the things you really can't live without -- like the favorite stuffed bunny/dog/duck. Otherwise, as long as you have face wipe diapers, drool bibs, and baby butt wipes, you can handle anything -- you can buy whatever you forget.
Good luck!

Oh my gosh -- an opportunity to post a comment! You are so funny and it is so obvious how much you love that kid -- in spite of some of the things you write that completely and totally shock me senseless!

Most hotels have cribs available -- just ask the front desk. Bring blankies from home that smell like home -- if it works for a puppy, maybe it will work for Leta. But no matter how difficult it may get, resist the temptation to buy a binkie. It's a high price to pay after all your hard work in detox.

Enjoy your trip!

Well, after more long trips in the car than I can count in the last months (a 11 hour drive coming up this weekend!) with the now 7 month old Coleman, I can offer the following advice: if you do not have a pack n play it makes a great temporary crib, but hotels also have cribs if you give them warning (check for safety- some are OLD). Also, it is Benadryl that you want to drug her with- check with the nurse at her pediatrican's office for dosage and you need to try it at home first because it may make her hyper instead of out cold (as said by nurse at OUR pediatricians office who happily supplied us with benadryl, syringe and dosage info). I agree with buying diapers there instead of travelling with a ton of them, and you can also wash clothes at a laundromat if you need to instead of packing all 25 pair of pink pajamas. Do take along medecines and sunblock so you don't have to hunt for them when you need them most. AND take lots of compact flash cards for the d-70 or a laptop to dump the images on... you'll need the space. Enjoy!

If you are staying at a hotel, most ~DO~ have cribs, or at least Pack-n-Plays. (Call ahead to ask/reserve one. Most hotels don't charge for their use.)

Also, don't forget, a roll of quarters takes up a lot less space than extra clothes. I'm sure that they have a laundromat SOMEWHERE in San Francisco.

Since you're nursing, don't forget to take a snack for yourself for travel time - you never know about delays!

Actually, I think you are going to have a great time and Leta will just love it..giving you a false sense that you can take her anywhere, but that will change after 8 months when all she will want to do is crawl (or try to walk) everywhere. This is an incredible age to travel. Enjoy!

Dear Dooce and Lady Leta,

We had a screamer too. And I traveled with him. The flight out of SLC wasn't bad. I nursed him at take off and he fell asleep. The flight home was worse... much worse. But I won't tell you that story. Even if Leta screams the whole way home you'll have an interesting story to post here about the angry man who asked you to sit in the bathroom with your screaming baby.

They do make children's Benadryl and I know how to figure out how much to give a tiny baby. Baby doses of Benadryl can either knock them out for a long winter's nap or wire them up so that they look like they're on speed. So it's a gamble.

They do have cribs in hotels, but I ended up sleeping with my screamer because the unfamiliar crib was a scary thing for him. But at least you'll have options.

Now, because I'm taking up way too much room already - leave most of the baby gear home. Take a stroller and the Bjorn, oh and some booze for the both of you should Leta find out that SF is really hell on wheels. And protest audibly the entire time.

The best advice I read about travelling with babies came out of a book someone got me: If the baby freaks out and howls for the entire flight, do what you can to *look* like you are trying to calm her and keep reminding yourself that you will *never* see these people again.

I had the same sort of thoughts going through my head before I got on a plane (by myself - a 2-hour flight) with my 4-month-old daughter. She cooed to everyone in the airport, fell asleep promptly upon takeoff and woke up cooing again at landing. I don't know who swapped *my* baby for that peaceful, quiet creature (and swapped them back as soon as we were in the airport) but I was grateful.

She's been on 4 flights since and has acted the same way each time. A couple of times she woke up fussy, but I stuck my boob in her mouth and she went back to sleep.

The added benefit was that if there was ANY open seats on the airplane, both passengers and airline staff worked out a way for me to have a row all to myself. *That* was cool.

Good luck.

As someone with no baby, I am, of course, an expert. I don't know whether you bottle feed her yet (your milk) but that is often better than breast feeding on a plane. Also bring lots of entertaining things to do...books and toys (none that beep). For an hour and a half you should be fine. Even if she screams like a MF it's not for that long. It's a good practice run for the future.

In future I would buy a seet for the baby and strap her into the car seat.

As a childless person I never mind the screaming 5-6 month old, I mind the whiney 2 year olds. A 2 year-old knows the score and you can bring things for them to do. They're eating solids and cookies and you can bring them lots of snacks. There is no excuse for them to whine. A 6 month old, well, we all know there's very little the parents can do. Don't sweat it.

Okay, every natural wholesome mother, please close your eyes now.

The tip: babies will not nurse when you want them to or you'll nurse them to keep her quiet as everyone is boarding the plane and hating you for having brought a baby, so she's too stuffed to eat at the appropriate time (for ear popping). So, bring a lollipop and give her a couple of tastes at landing and take off. She'll love the flavor and will swallow, hungry or not, all the sweet drool that she produces.

Go to a dollar store and stock up on throwaway stuff. Think mini-flashlights, every plastic toy you can score i.e. dinasour, shark, whatever, that you can buy 2 minutes of occupied time with. And in the future, make those red-eye flights since she'll be more apt to sleep then.

Do NOT give her benadryl to make her sleepy without firsthand knowledge that she reacts like that. In some infants, it wires them and you hate to find that out on the plane.

And relax yourself. Babies pick up on your feelings - so she'll pick up your stress. Its okay if you have a drink (read - one or have a designated parent!)if you can't get over the stress of this first time adventure.

It'll be fine! I've traveled many times with my 3 and have never been banned or chased by a mob yet.

I've found that the things I dreaded the most with my daughter, such as travelling, always turned out just fine and if she screams oh well. Chalk it up to one more day as being a parent. Just be thankful you do breastfeed...no having to warm bottles up on the plane!

i have absolutely no baby experience (yay, college!), but since i adore you and your family i thought i'd try a suggestion: maybe organize some pretend trips over the weekend? i know a car's no airplane, but it's kind of got the motion and lack of space for maneuvering. if she can sit in your lap for a good hour and half and be good, or bad (oh teh nos!), maybe you'll get a better feel for the trip. it's like training for a marathon, haha.
best of luck!
all my wellwishing is to you guys.
<- elyse

Don't medicate your baby unless she's sick...that's abuse. There's this stuff I used with my daughter...Lavender Massage Oil...you gently massage it into the baby's feet and it has natural calming properties for both you and Leta. I don't know if it's the oil or massage that does the trick but it works, smells nice and is legal.

children's gravol is the way to go. it will knock her on her ass safely - unlike medicating her with benedryl and tylenol. are those other people fucking nuts? also, make sure she is toasty warm. planes tend to be freezers which makes it really uncomfortable for an underdressed baby. you too - it really bites nursing a baby when your nipples are icicles.

children are perfect little travellers - especially babies - they are portable and don't give a shit if they have clean clothes or a crib to sleep in. it is the parents that will make the trip enjoyable - not the baby that will ruin it. just chill and leta will chill. all will be fine.

oh, and a shot of bourbon never hurt anyone - or two or three for that matter!

Don't give her Benadryl. Even if every damn person in your family swears "Benadryl works wonders on flying babies! It unclogs their ears! It knocks them out!". Don't do it- sometimes Benadryl has the opposite effect and makes the kid wired and crabby. My son smacked the flight attendant. Seriously. But, I learned if your baby smacks a flight attendant and she is a bitch about it-you can write the company and will be granted 20,000 free frequent flier miles. Score!

I'm all for natural, but using lavender oil on a small plane with limited air ventilation? Are you serious? That stuff is STRONG, not to mention very oily. What a nightmare waiting to happen. Yeah, use lavender oil and then you'll have a screaming baby, a messy lap, AND a plane full of people with migranes.

If the pediatrician-approved Benadryl solution scares you and you want to try something more granola, try massaging her feet with some baby lotion with lavender in it.

From a Fragmented Mom; I should tell you this in person, but its a mouthful and when do you have time for a mouthful... We are watching PBS kids (Reading rainbow with Lavarre Burton. You may know him as Jordy from Star Trek), and well you know Eli wants to watch something else and they are both screaming and Ok, we will put The Little Bear Movie On...

Back on Topic: When Kyle was thirteen months old we counted and realized that he had flown twenty-three times. Are we crazy? Yes.

His first flight was pure hell (if you read my father's day post, you will see why. I was misinformed on giving the little guy drugs. HE WAS TOO YOUNG for cold medicine!) Note, Kyle was only three months old on his first flight. As you know, that is a big difference between five or six months old. (A six month old can handle the other drugs better than just having Tylenol.) I always went fort he Benydryl. Also we always arrived at the airport a little early and went and talked to the gate attendant in our most friendly voice to see if we could have an aisle and a window seat. If you can finagle this seating arrangement then Leta can come on board in her car seat where you can strap it into the window seat (All airlines will only let you strap car seats into the window seat.) Sure you can pick her up, but if there is turbulence, well, you know... When we thought enough ahead of time we would just reserve an aisle and a window seat.

We still had to worry about someone taking the middle seat and that is why we still arrived early. We could usually talk the gate attendant into kicking the person out of the middle seat by saying something like, "Boy you look great in that Blue Delta Uniform. You are the nicest Delta Employee ever."

On board I always had a Manic/Neurotic amount of items to occupy the kid. On flights when Kyle would not cooperate we made sure to look at everyone around us and assure them with our words and knowing glances that we were just firs-time parent and we sure did appreciate their understanding. It's all about P.R.

Finally, best tip ever given to me. Nurse Leta on the way up and the way down. It helps pressurize her ears. There is nothing, I mean nothing worse than a baby with a bad Earache.

You guys will do great. Thank God San Francisco is a short flight. You can borrow our port-a-crib if you need too. Most hotels have them, but as a Neurotic parent we always took ours along.

I am sure there is more, but I should leave space for the others and pay attention to my own children.

be careful with the baby drugs; my sister took her son on a trip to florida last summer and decided to try the baby benedryl. instead of having the calming, drowsy effect, my nephew was wide awake and moody the whole miserable flight. maybe baby valium or xanax would work better. oh and don't forget the duct tape!

have a great time!

I have no advice that hasn't been covered already. I do remember travelling with my Mum at a young age - as long as I got enough sleep, life was good, even a little exciting! Best of luck to you both.

i say just check the baby and let the baggage people worry about all this. what are we paying these people for, anyway?

Okay so I second (or third, or fourth, whatever) the nursing duing landing and take-off. Also, tylenol or benedryl are good choices too. Make sure you try to benedryl at home prior to travel, because like someone already mentioned, it can make babies hyper. If the hotel doesn't have cribs, just request a room with a king size bed and have her sleep with you. It doesn't mess a babies sleep patterns up too much, and there should be no trouble with her going back to her crib once your home.
Since I live in SF (or close to), let me tell you, bring lightweight clothes for the day and warm clothes for evenings. I'm sure you've been here before, so you know how the weather is. Tata! Have a great trip!!!

Put her in the overhead compartment storage, seems like the perfect size. Just be careful when you open the door after landing. Items may have shifted during the flight.. haha. maybe freeze some bourbon, I mean ice cubes for her to suck on. yall have fun!

If the flights only about 2 hours and you factor in an hour or so at each airport you only really need a small diaper bag With 3/4 diapers, butt wipes, a bib/burp cloth, recieving blanket and a few toys. OK throw in a few nursing pads. Also I found these neat little Gerber treats that melt in babies mouths. Maybe trying to give her new treats will help keep her occupied and it should be amusing (as it always is) to watch our children try new things. Looks like you are getting some good advice from all types (parents and non parents). Good Luck. Oh, for good measure, throw some paper towels in the diaper bag too....hehe

we're faced with the same thing - thinking about this weekend's trip to new jersey (new jersey!) is like staring into the gaping maw of a sleepless, cranky hell.
i will say, however, that at leta's age, travel is far easier...owen would routinely snooze through 5-hour car trips with nary a peep (or poop). feed her a ton before you get on the plane, and hope the dull roar of the engines put her right out.

then break out the bourbon.

I once flew from Toulouse to Detroit with two screaming and unhappy children (not mine) sitting right next to me. How I wished I had brought ear plugs. So, first, don`t waste a precious second worrying about the other people on the flight. It is a free country and babies have a right to scream all they want. Second, bring complimentary ear plugs. That should wipe the dirty looks right off all their faces. And try to have some fun!

Yes on nursing at take-off & landing, hesitant about drugs, yes on bring a little along as you can bear to.

Best wishes!

Try, as hard as you can, to remember that one and a half hours, compared to the amount of hours in your life, is nothing. The absolute worst thing that can happen is that Leta will scream the whole time, and some people will quietly hate you. In case this happens, bring a voodoo doll to curse them with children within a week of their flight with you.
There is nothing illegal about using Benadryl or Tylenol (ignore the hippies), just test it out first. Remember that there will be other parents and understanding people on the plane who will symphthize. Also, I've been on planes with screaming babies, but never has there been a baby that screamed continuously. Best of luck, and I'm sure you'll do fine.

We just flew for the first time (to Seattle) with our 5 mo old. I was TERRIFIED for NO REASON. She nursed and slept, slept and nursed (and she is NOT a napper...I'm thinking of buying an airplane). Our one strategy on the plane was to sit in the vicinity of the other pre-board baby people...that way if she was crying or screaming, it would fall on sympathetic ears.

I have a friend with a now 2 year old who always brings candy and passes it out to the passengers around them before the flight. Kissing ass seems to work for her!

You'll do GREAT. I got SO OFF on "introducing" our little girl to a new city...all the sights and sounds. She'll love the stimulation. And cooler weather (I'm in SLC). Have fun...can't wait to hear!

I'm a new mommy of a 4 month old and I just flew from Orlando to Chicago BY MYSELF!!! (Hubby sat home with some much needed X Box time) I brought her car seat along in hopes that there were empty seats, but, alas, there were none. I have one of those "Travel systems" (baby talk for a whole lot of gear disguised as one) and I was able to take to the gate. Since there were no available seats, they checked it at the gate, which was nice, because it was waiting for me right when I got off the plane. I nursed during take off and landing (much to the dismay of the 2 gentlemen sitting next to me, but oh well, like they've never seen a boob before) My baby was great, the "white noise" of the plane lulled her to sleep for most of the trip. I put one of those airline pillows on my knees, and laid her on my lap with her head on the pillow, and she slept.

I second the pack light advice. There is nothing you need that you can't buy in San Fran.

Take a picture of her first plane ride.

Call the airline and ask if the plane has a changing table (some smaller planes do not have one) and plan accordingly.

Oh, and while going through the security checkpoint, you'll need to take her out of her carrier (if you brought it) and carry her through yourself. (Much easier with two people--by myself it was crazy. And my carrier got stuck going through the x-ray machine)

All in all, it was not as nearly as bad as I thought. Don't stress about it. Remember, your baby can smell fear...

Good luck!

We flew on a short flight (1 hour) with our 4 month old recently. She nursed on take off and landing and napped a little during the flight. It really wasn't all that hard. I think the best thing I brought was my boobs, not all the toys and blankets and crap. We boarded the plane early and it was no problem - Lily just sat and watched all the new faces pass by. And I don't know how comfortable I would be using a rental car company child seat. We just brought ours with us and they stowed it during the flight. We brought it to the gate with us and they had it ready when we landed, and much faster than I thought possible. The airlines know how to deal with all of that stuff.

As far as what to bring, I always pack too many clothes. But my theory is you never know when you are going to have poop-up-the-back or puke-down-the-front.

Don't let everyone scare you. It will either be easy, hard, or somewhere in between. Even if it sucks try and make the best of it! I hope you guys can enjoy your trip.

If you are not comfortable with breastfeeding in the plane, her doctor may perscribe an eardrum numbing drop. They give it to kids when the have an ear infection.

I have learned that children are the worst when you interrupt their routine. Try to stay on the same routine, take naps at the same time, eat at the same time. Don't take her out of the daiy routine.

Good Luck and remember to just have a ton of fun!

Drop her off at my house when you get here!

I just want to say that, contrary to all these people who are shocked - SHOCKED! - at some of the things you say in regard to Leta, I think it's great that you haven't succumbed to the notion that you aren't allowed to have a sense of humor or irony or sarcasm now that you're a mom. Your honesty and wry humor in relating the frustration and mistakes and fears you encounter as new parents are, I think, so much more helpful and reassuring for other new (or potential) parents to read than some rose-tinted, Stepford-wife litany of bliss. Keep on rockin', Dooce and DJ Blurb, and good luck on that trip!

My son is 2 now, i agree with a previous post that you should travel now because once they can talk all bets are off. I have only 2 things to add.
1. Stop at the dollar store and pick up anything that might amuse her. A set of plastic measuring spoons and cups were the shiz-nit to my son at that age. The best part is since these things are only a dollar, you can use them during the flight and not worry about toting them around for the rest of the trip. Just hand them off to any parent waiting for their flight on your way out of the airport.
2. I am far from a new age type attachment parent, but when we went on trips, the family bed always worked great. There is just as much research saying it is the best thing for the child as there is to the contrary, so it's a personal decision, but the extra closeness always helped my son fall asleep far from home. One warning though, if you do need a couple shots of whiskey after the flight, do not try this option.

Well, this seems superfluous considering all the other comments -- and I admit I haven't read them all, so I may be repeating stuff.

WE TRAVEL WITH OUR 7 MO. OLD on an airplane EVERY WEEK. Yep, you read it right. We commute between Austin and Madison, and that kid is a pro flyer/traveler now. So am I.

1. Get to the airport early -- going through security with a baby takes a few more minutes.

2. Definitely bring the carrier part of the car seat. Like someone said, you can usually ask at check-in that they block a seat, then you'll be able to put Leta in it. If not, they will check it at the gate.
DO NOT RELY ON THE RENTAL CAR baby seat. They're usually nasty, and you don't know whether it's been in an accident. Well, that's my little paranoia. Do what you like, of course.

2a. If you go to Burlington Coat Factory, you can buy, for $35, a hideous Kolcraft carseat carrier "frame" -- it turns the carrier into a stroller. They rock. You don't care when it gets checked at the gate if they mess it up (they won't, but ya know), and IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO NOT TRY TO CARRY THE CARRIER THROUGH THE AIRPORT. It also has a GIANT basket underneath that is totally key when walking around a city all day. Ours holds our diaper bag, two full grocery bags, etc. etc. -- but it folds down VERY easily and is very light (since it's just a frame). Also good cuz a lightweight stroller (umbrella) would not work with a baby as young as Leta (not sitting up well).

3. MOST AIRLINES DO NOT ALLOW PRE-BOARDING ANYMORE. But it's not that big a deal. Ask, though -- it is always nice.

4. It is not bad practice to give the baby Tylenol before the flight -- in fact you're supposed to. It doesn't drug them or make them tired, but it protects their ears a bit. Don't know if you bottle feed, but giving a bottle at take-off and landing protects their ears, too. That being said, my baby has never complained from ear pain, not once in over 20 flights.

Benadryl would be an excellent idea if Leta were 12 months -- before that is not good, from what I understand. When we get to that age we might do it (WILL BE GOING TO SYDNEY WHEN MAX IS 12 Mo. .... HELP ME GOD), but not without a practice run at home to make sure the effect on him.

5. Bring the Bjorn, for sure. You'll regret it if you don't.

6. As for "stuff", just bring baby tylenol, a thermometer, lotion, baby spf, a sun hat, and nail clippers. I've never "needed" anything else I couldn't get at a corner pharmacy.

7. For the airplane, be sure to bring more diapers than usual and TWO extra outfits in the diaper bag. That way if your luggage is lost, you aren't.

8. Good luck with the sleeping arrangements: the playyards they give you in hotels as "cribs" suck -- I personally can't drop my baby 4 feet down to the bottom. We always make a pallet on the floor with the big ass quilt we never use from the hotel bed, surrounded by rolled up towels/pillows/whatever.

I think it is great Leta only sleeps in her crib. Some people have babies who will only sleep in swings n shit. That sucks.

Well, that's all -- and remember, I do this professionally (would that I got paid for it). You'll find out you just don't need to stress. I know, you won't know that til afterward, but it's true.

Think of it in a good way: Leta will never be more portable than she is now.

Our experiences traveling with the kids while they were about Leta's age:

1) Do not rely on renting a car seat. Our experience has been that they are grody (dirty, old, nasty) and only ever Toddler-sized. We explained very clearly when reserving our rental car(s) w/ car seat that we needed an INFANT, rear facing 5 point harness seat. The reservation person said: "Uh huh, yeah, no problem". The people at the car rental place laughed in our face when we pointed out that the seat wasn't an "infant" seat. Plus, it is nice if you have one to strap into the window seat in the event of turbulence. (Or fear/guilt of chance of turbulence.)

2) Expect that your stroller, which you gate check as you enter the airplane, will be damaged. The airlines will do JACK CRAP about this. Even if you write a really good letter with before & after photographic evidence of the damage. Fuhgeddaboutit. They don't care. Remove anything attachable on the stroller (the cup holder, any attached toys, etc.) if you ever want to see them in one piece again.

3) If you have the good fortune to be traveling together with your partner in addition to the bambino..send one parent ahead at "pre-board" time to load all the baby gear you aren't checking and to get situated in your seats (i.e. install the car seat, stow the baby gear) ..while YOU stay holding the baby, off the plane until the last possible moment before take off. The waiting area/terminal is WAY more entertaining to baby (and you can move around) and the less time you're stuck sitting still, the better.

4) Most passengers will be FAR nicer to you than the flight attendants. (With a few magical exceptions.. most flight attendants are pre-disposed to thinking you're going to be a pain in their butt--asking for extra this and that --generally expecting parents w/ small children to be "high maintenance".)

5) Be sure to get the policy on car seats in the airplane printed out and maybe stuff 'em in the diaper bag/your purse.. Seems like the flight attendants don't nec. know all the exact policies--and may disagree with each other about what is permitted/not permitted. We thought two flight attendants were going to come to blows right in front of us when one freaked over our having a car seat with us on the plane, and the other said it was OK, as long as it was in the window seat. Then a third, more senior attendant happened along and said it could be in ANY seat as long as it wasn't blocking an exit row. She shut the other two up, and the flight went on..but we were persona non grata for the rest of the flight and were intentionally "skipped" when beverages were passed out later by flight attendent #1 (who didn't think we were allowed to have our infant car seat with us).

6) Bring your own baby bedding. The Hotel Pack-n-Play or crib will prob. be OK (if Leta will even go for that..) but most hotels don't have baby bedding for their cribs and just fold up a regular bed sheet. Bringing a familiar smelling set of blankies and crib sheets from home will be a big help and worth the minimal space in your luggage.

Having just endured a flight from Des Moines to Denver (about 2 hours) with my 6 month old...yes, nurse on take off & landing. the other thing that Zoey did a lot of on the flight was eat biter biscuts. they are those rock hard teething cookie things. She gummed those things most of the flight. good luck!

"...how the hell do you travel with a baby?.."

Very carefully. All 3 of you will be fine.

P.S. If I turn out to be half as good of mother as you are, I will be the luckiest girl in the land...oh, and so will our baby.

When we travelled to San Fran with an 8 week old we were insanely cocky about the whole damn thing. I had my breasts and some dipes and figured that would be all she'd need. Until of course she reacted very neagtively to all of the GARLIC in my BREAST MILK from having eaten at the Stinking Rose. Then she screamed hysterically whenever she tried to nurse, waking up everyone in the Hilton which left me crying in the bathroom trying to express breastmilk and worried that M was going to starve herself and or get us kicked out onto the street. So we hopped in the rental car and drove around all night until she finally slept. Then we went back to the hotel and broke into the minibar which resulted in the single most expense hangover I've ever had. Good luck ;-)

uh. in opposition to one of your posters who said it was rude to bring a baby on a plane (yeah, hi. mothers are not allowed to travel. certainly not WITH their kids!)

if she screams on the plane, screw it. how many times have you had to sit through a flight with a screaming baby on board? that's travel. the truly screaming-baby averse folks can take a bus. ha!

i don't have kids therefore i have no advice whatsoever. when i fly, i don't even think about the screaming babies, i think about how i don't want to die.

she'll prolly surprise you, though. kids do that.

Whatever you do DON'T BRING THE CAR SEAT ON THE PLANE!!! Send it through luggage...it's obnoxious and no fun to lock your kid in it, and it won't save her life if you crash. If you crash...you die...carseat or not. I've flown from la to ri many many many times with my son (he's 7 now) trust me on this one. Oh and pack an extra outfit in case of blow outs.

Hi. I've traveled with my daughter 3 times so far: 1 mo. old, 13 mos. old, and 2 yrs. old. The first and last trips were traveled with just the two of us since I'm a single mom, and it's worked out fine. I do have to admit, my daughter's not a crier so my advice may be exempt. But-here's what's helped.

1) Travel at bed time in hopes that she'll sleep-I bought a ticket and used her carseat since my daughter has NEVER fallen asleep in my arms.

2) Bring treats. This may go against your better judegement, but an eating/drinking baby is a quiet baby. The nursing is excellent for ear popping.

3) Be goofy and tickly and see if you can make her laugh. Public humiliation may be the only way out.

4) Be super nice and let people see how adorable your baby is so when she starts crying they'll think, "oh that adorable little angel is crying, poor thing;" instead of, "shut that brat up!"

5) Also, don't do carry-on. Take you, your baby, a backpack of necessities and that's it. You won't have time to read, look out the window, or do anything that you used to enjoy on the plane unless you use your bourbon trick.

Sorry to ramble on, I just love talking babies.Good luck!!

Nurse on take off and landing.
they will stick you near the back of the plane, so if you're lucky the roar of the engines might keep her asleep.
I also suggest a snugli or foldy stoller. Leta will get mighty heavy racing from one end of the airport to the other.

A friend sent me a link to your journal after reading yet another of my teary LJ/blog journals in which I denounced ever wanting to be a mother and praying to the Lord above for one - yes, just ONE! - full night of sleep. I've gone 10 bliss-full months with my wonderful always-sleeping, always-eating, always-smiling son - only to find now that he's been replaced by some extra-teresterial nightmare that WON'T STOP CRYING.

You make me feel sane. Can we be best friends?! :P

*links journal*

V xx

Erika (No. 51) and Julia (No. 76) have a lot of good suggestions.

I'll just repeat briefly:

Gate-check stroller and car seat (if they don't have a separate seat available for Leta).

Bring extra clothes for you *and* her on the plane. We flew with our daughter something like eight times before she was 2, and she had a diaper blow-out on EVERY flight. Only about half the planes we used had changing tables in the restrooms, but the others let us diaper her on the floor in the galley area.(yum!)

At Leta's age, you don't need a lot of toys and junk in the plane. Either she'll sleep or she'll scream. Cheap plastic measuring cups *are* a great travel toy, though -- you can use them in the bathtub OR the sandbox.

If you're lucky, you're staying with friends who live in Noe Valley, and every child-related thing you need will be about a half a block away from you (including a really cool second-hand store for anything essential you forgot to bring). If you're at a hotel, ask at the desk where the nearest playground is. There's a pretty cool one across the street from Grace Cathedral in downtown SF; there's another one in Chinatown, but I think it's got more stuff for older kids than babies.

Here's my worst baby travel story ever: She's about 2-1/2, she's toddling up the aisle of the plane ahead of me, and the tape on one side of her diaper comes undone and a GIANT POOP BALL rolls down the leg of her pants and out onto the floor. Fortunately, I had the napkin from my drink in my hand. I scooped that sucker up without changing the expression on my face and no one even noticed!

I feel for you. Tomorrow I take my three kids, ages 6,3,and 1 on a flight to AZ by myself, and I make the trip with much trepidation. (What was I thinking?)

If you're going to bring a Pack and Play start letting her sleep in it. For survival on the plane bring ladybug book, Morrisey CD, money for drinks. Have a drink before you take off, and ditto on the breastfeeding and ditto on what Jae said about boarding last. Give the benadryl a test run(medicating babies when they are not sick is not abuse).

96 comments on how to travel with a 5 month old? If she only knew.

I also travelled to San Francisco with my daughter when she was about the same age. Here's my advice, for all it is worth: 1. Bring a cooler (w/icepacks) with bottled breastmilk/formula, ready to drink. 2. The flight attendants can refrigerate things if you need it. 3. Fly Jet Blue and let your daughter watch TV. 4. United and Jet Blue have good changing tables in the bathrooms. 5. Look for a place in SF that rents baby things. On a trip to FLA we rented everything - bouncy seat, crib, toys. 6. Buy a new toy for the flight. 7. Remember you can call your doctor for advice if needed. 8. Bring infant tylenol for teething. 9. Bring spare set of clothing for baby on plane. 10. Don't worry about other passengers. Hard to hear baby over white noise. My baby fell asleep for entire flight thanks to the motion and white noise. Have a great time!

Have fun..remember..if Leta screams on the airplane, take solice in the fact you've PAID for her right to SCREAM the entire way.

Short of that, feed her on takeoff and landing if possible, take lots of pictures to document her first flight and have fun.

good luck.

In keeping with the "good" parent theme, leave Leta at home and let Chuck babysit. Then you can party it up in San Francisco without having to worry about anything!

Babies are basic creatures, of course. When she's tired, she'll sleep (or scream). When she's hungry she'll eat (or scream). What's there to worry about?
I'm JUST KIDDING. Have as much fun as you can, and if she screams, think of how great her lungs will be when she's older. Maybe she'll be a singer, who knows? And finally, never, ever forget the oxygen masks in the ceiling. They're there for a reason.

Heather:

Thanks for the opportunity to tell you directly how much I enjoy your site.

My advice (from experiences with my niece:)

Anyone who is nasty to you about any crying (if Leta even cries - my sister's experience was that it was easier when my niece was under a year old) can and should be told that if they don't want any screaming babies on their flight that they should by a first class ticket next time. You have as much right to travel as they do. Plus if that does happen we might get a funny entry out of it...

2) I second (or third...) keeping your hands as free as possible on the plane. Check whatever you can, but have the essentials with you.

3) My sister's experience is that car rental companies charge too much (on a long trip) to justify renting a car seat. Plus, Leta's will be familiar to her.

4) I also second keeping Leta on schedule. THe worst bout of screaming my niece did while visiting was on a day when naps and feedings were off kilter. She was not happy and everyone in that ice cream parlor knew it.

If only I'd had scotch tape or a paper towel.

For some reason I was always eerily quite as a child...my mom would take me to her politcal meetings and I would never make a sound..hmmmmmm

Speaking for all of us who don't have children, burn the tickets. I have a friend who had a baby over a year and a half ago and they're yet to fly anywhere. He said they're not going to travel until their child is old enough to do it without making it a living hell. If only more people had this attitude.

Ok, so this isn't a comment for Dooce, but for Jenn, a commenter somewhere up there.

Skip the cheerios and pretzles because she's only 5 months?! My son was eating WHOLE slices of PIZZA at that age! I think that the wonderful and talented Miss Leta can handle a couple of pretzles. ;o)

If Leta watches TV, definitely the DVD thing. My insanely energetic nephew can be calmed with the DVD. It's only an hour and a half and really, the vast majority of the world understands a screaming child. Having travelled a LOT, the only thing that really freaks me out is when there are 10+ infants on board. very. scary.

#1 Relax.

#2 Remind Leta that you'll tell embarassing stories about her and this trip at some point in the future, so she better co-operate!

#3 Realize before you start that there's going to be at least one thing that you forgot, should have tried, or didn't do. And forgive yourself for it in advance - you'll know better next time!

#4 Have a great trip!

Definitely have water or milk with you, easily accessible, on the plane. The swallowing will help Leta's ears pop (yes, pop) and she won't cry if her ears are popping.

Likewise, Mom & Dad, take gum (or milk or water) to help your ears pop.

1. Befriend all airline personnel.
2. Beg them to let one of you board first to get your area set up before the other boards with Leta.
3. Whichever one of you has Leta should board at the last possible second.
4. Feed Leta during take off and landing.
5. Take a Neat Sheet (plastic sheet you can fold into diaper bag) with you, so that if you have to change Leta, you can put her on the floor without catching Lord Knows What Grows on the Floors of Airplane Bathrooms.
6. Make sure you do 2 shots before attempting steps 1-3.
7. Relax, and remember no matter how many hateful stares you may get, you'll never see these people again.

Keep a boob in her mouth the entire time you are up in the air. I'm not kidding. It will help her ears to pop, plus it's difficult to scream with a boobie in your mouth. I flew cross-country with my oldest when she was 6 weeks old, and in this manner managed to make the trip with a minimum of misery for myself and my fellow travelers, except guess what? She didn't poop for an entire week before the trip, and then in the space of the six-hour flight, pooped FIVE TIMES. I hope Leta spares you that.

It has never failed me to calm screaming babies with their own reflections. Whether it's your compact or the airplane bathroom mirror, little faces are mesmerizing.

I don't really have any advice on traveling with a baby. I just thought I should comment because everyone else in the world did. Sheesh, Dooce! You're famous.

Coming to SF, eh? Fab! Remember to bring a carseat for the taxi and earplugs for all of the other plane passengers....they do not, I repeat, do NOT think your baby is cute enough to listen to her scream during take-offs and landings. When you get here, go to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market on Sat/Sun mornings...Leta will be amazed by all the colors and smells of the organic wonderland. Eat at Taylor's Automatic Refresher and have a beer in the sun. Go up to Marin and eat lunch at Fish, a brand new place right on the waterfront in Sausalito. Leta will love the friendly dogs roaming around and you will heart the great selection of Napa wines and yummy beers. OOh! And then go have dinner in the Haight at Magnolia Pub and have a beer. Tell them that Jo or Dave sent you and ask to see photos of their new little girl, Lily. She was born a day after Leta was, but Lily is a hippy Haight district baby. A nice one, nonetheless. Have fun in SF!!

Ha ha ha! I'll add this dilema to my stack of reasons why not to reproduce. I'll live the experience through you... Revert to the old standby and make sure she has lots of paper towels to chew on.

Just kidding, don't let her nap until your on the plane and b-feed her as you take off & land. Hopefully she'll sleep most the time. Good luck.

Since I'm #133 to get here, someone may have mentioned it before, but they make baby eardrops so there will be no screaming when the plane takes off and lands - they worked like a charm on my niece. Also, speaking from an experience my Mom apparently had with me, put those plastic underpants on over the nappy, disposable or not. Kids will always choose the most inconvenient time to get sick and have the runs.

On another subject, after looking at your posting I almost got the Nikon D70 this weekend, but since it was being purchased as a gift for me and I wasn't sure I needed that much camera I went with the coolpix 4200. But thanks for the camera info.

8-) Jenny

I've travelled a few times now with my almost 8 month old little one, who HATES car seats, and we haven't had a problem (yet). In addition to the advice you've already gotten about nursing and hotel cribs, bring bedding that is familiar to Leta for wherever she sleeps. And we borrowed an inflatable bath tub and a very portable foldable booster seat (both fit into a duffel bag and were checked) for our last trip, and they were life-savers. I tend to freak out about everything and anticipate the worst, but it really was okay. (And on the last trip, my baby got sick and started teething and pulled an all-nighter in the hotel room.) And yes, routines get all weird, but for us, they always went back to normal within a few days.

You've got loads of great advice here so I won't add more. I will say that you should be doing this! If you can Jon like to travel, you want Leta to travel too. The sooner she gets used to it, the better. The first trip may be rough (and may not). Whichever it is, it will be an adventure! Good luck!

BOOZE--LOTS AND LOTS OF BOOZE (for you, Jon, AND LETA!)

Listen to Kristine (post #1). She sounds like she's done some travelling. Pack light & remember to keep up posted.

BTW, if people think you're being serious about hanging Leta from the roof by her toes, then they deserve the smartass comments you hand back!

Good luck!

Expect it to go terribly. Expect her to violently shit her diaper and it get all over you on the plane. Expect her to vomit, scream and annoy the hell outta the other passengers. Expect her to spew pea-green soup (even if you didn't feed it to her) all over the airplane seats. THEN...when it doesn't go AS BAD as you thought, you'll be relieved. I'd say, Pray, Benedryl (fuck the paper towel nay sayers) and have yourself a shot or two of Benadryl....or make husband sit with her while you go to the back and chat it up with flight attendants. You'll do fine. I love your BLOG. LOVE IT DAMNIT!

You know, you did manage to house that thing for 9 months. Assuming the episiotomy hasn't healed over completely yet, any chance you'd consider a re-insertion for the duration of the trip? Snake in a discreet breathing/feeding tube, and away you go! Sure the kicks will be a little harder now, but that adipose container will also cut down the scream volume about as well as duct tape...and without tearing out her nascent upper lip hair later!

On Benadryl overdoses and babies:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/
09/02/earlyshow/health/health_news/
main571181.shtml

Lady I wish you luck.
One thing to keep in mind when you fly with infants. You know that fuuny thing that hapens to your ears when you fly. We know that adult protical entitles us to chew gum. when our ears have poped then we are fine. Infants on the other hand dont know how to do this and you might encure large amounts of screaming. Tip hold off from giving them a bottle or feeding them till after about 10 min into the filght. The swallowing should help there ears.
Goood luck and have a crab sandwich for me.

Looks like everyone has the travel thing covered. Just wanted to say that your website keeps me sane. I have a 3 month old daughter and I've been reading your site since my last month of pregnancy. Nice to see someone going through the same things and having similar reactions. I don't feel so bad for wanting to have a few shots when she's screaming in my face ;P Keep up the great writing and the sense of humor!

When I traveled with my daughter (at 10 mos.) to Florida from Missouri I met a pilot's wife who assured me that what always worked for her children was gas drops, such as Mylicon. Apparently if she has even a little gas it becomes extremely painful in air, which could be why some babies cry on planes.

Good luck!

Calpol!! We have that in the UK and I'm not sure if it comes under the same brand name there but it's basically a kind of drowsy cough/cold/headache medicine for children. I know a LOT of people who were practically reared on the stuff when they were infants & suffered no harm.. I'm not suggesting it for everyday use but maybe to get you through the journey.... ! :)

Good luck, I know babies are all different and everything but my nephew (and his mum, on her own!) made it back alive from Ireland to England when he was a week old - it IS do-able and I'm sure your other half has a special geek machine to soundproof the air around your seat anyway..

Well done for being such a good mum anyway, you seem to be doing brilliantly. I must advise against too much morrissey though as he really is a miserable bastard malcontent!!

Get her her own seat - after 30 flights (duration 2-6 hours each flight) with my daughter before she was 16 months - I can attest that your arms will want to fall off after about 35 minutes in the air... And bring cold medication - cause she'll probably catch one the second you look at the aircraft.

Have a blast!

Whilst I know nothing about babies except for how they're made (I think), I'm reckon you might want to practice some off-the-cuff sounding remarks for the people transmitting their "please-god-don't-be-sitting-next-to-me-with-that-potentially-screaming-baby!" thoughts.

Bon Voyage!!

I think everything has been said so I want to emphasize what I think are important points given 26 years of parenting.
1. Pack light
2. Breast feed throughout
3. Forget everyone else. You'll never see them again.
4. RELAX. It's NOT going to be that bad!

My crazy Aunt decided this summer to bring her twin baby girls, both 13 months old at the time, from Germany to Canada. Even crazier still, she did this on her own. Despite having the desire to flip out on a couple occasions, she stated repeatedly that if it hadn't been for the incredibly kind flight attendants, she would not have been able to do it. I thought that perhaps this would be inspirational if nothing else. ;) Good luck and have fun!

Rachel didn't go anywhere until she was 4 months old, but I assure you, she loved San Francisco! But then it's only an hour flight for us.

Advice? Sorry, but you're gonna have to take everything under the sun. Leta will have her own suitcase and you and your hubby will have to share a bag. That's just a given. You do need a carseat, but you don't need a stroller. Buy diapers when you get there.

We tried to make sure that Rachel drank something on the takeoff and landing, but I don't think she was fazed one bit.

Oh and Rachel has already been to Hawaii twice and she will turn 2 next month and we haven't bought a seat, yet. Ask for the backrow. There is usually an extra seat there.

BTW, I think a carseat provides baby with something familiar on the plane.

We used Benadryl. He had ear infections and it totally knocked him out. He ended up sleeping from takeoff to landing.

just remember to relax (as much as that sounds clich), leta is at the age where the new stuff that she'll see may just astound her into total silence! (yes..babies can be cute and adorable and SILENT).
try taking a "practice/prep flight" a few days before the trip. dont let her sleep too long the night before...but if she does..oh well. give her a warm bath, maybe some "calming lotion" (they make it with chamomille and lavender and it even works on me and I'M an almost 25 y.o problem sleeper!). then just take a short road trip. if she can pull through that..the rest is as easy as bourbon goin down.

bring a new and old toy. something to keep her occupied that DOES NOT MAKE NOISE! (even a teletubbie doll ::gasp::)

i flew for the first time when i was two weeks old..and seeing as im still here...my parents survived and didn't drown me for making a scene.

and last and maybe kinda important. leta is one of the most smooshiest, cutest,
angelic (looking) baby on the web...(people will often time excuse alot for a cranky baby if she is a cutie pie).
weither she freaks or falls asleep. this is a milestone. remember ever moment and use it for blackmail when she starts asking for money in a couple years..

1. Don't be smug when you get to preboard the plane. "Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah" will get you nowhere.

2. Get your hands on some free drink coupons and hand them out to the people who have to sit around you. A guy with three kids did that for me once. How could I complain when he'd plied me with free liquor?

suggestions?

other than don't take my flight?

as i am a self proclaimed expert at all things airport, i can offer you all kinds of suggestions. however, i have limited experience in taveling with babies. i'll try to apply what i know to the new parent.

stay home. not an option? basically, you're fucked.

bourbon. lots and lots of bourbon. not for you - for all the people who sit around you.

print your tickets out first, and don't try to go through the security check point with more than two items. one pissy agent and you end up checking leta.

i hear those vibrating seats work wonders. i'm just sayin it's what i heard.

ipods rule. turn that puppy up loud enough and you won't hear a peep from leta the whole flight.

never ever ever ever fly southwest. assigned seating rules.

dont wear any shoes with metal. no rings, shanks, buckles, etc. i can't stress this enough. don't try to get through security wearing a goddam pair of hiking boots. seriously pisses everyone off. and don't hide any firearms, bowie knives, or handcuffs in her car seat.

fly on a weekend, and leta will have lots of other screaming kids to keep her company.

most reasonable hotels do have cribs. they also have high speed internet, mini bars, tickets to STOMP, and access to call girls should you need that too.

finally, who gives a fuck. SLC to SFO is only an hour or so anyhow and i'm willing to bet she has screamed for more than an hour before. you will do great.

I concur with the bottles to drink (to relieve pressure on her ears), and the motrin or tylenol (or whatever you normally use to relieve her pain) an hour before take-off, and something familiar from the crib.

And remember, no matter how much you pack, you're likely to forget something anyway.

I hope the sleeping situation goes well!

no advice on the traveling, since my son is just now 7 weeks old and our 3-hour road trip to houston and back wasn't too eventful--he slept almost the entire way there and back. but i do have to say that our kid LOVES THE NEW MORRISSEY ALBUM, particularly 'i have forgiven jesus', just like leta. this irks the shit out of my husband, since he's not so big on the morrissey, but it delights me to no end.

I'm the bazillionth commenter - woohooo!!!

Well should you *somehow* not have any other friends here (doubtful) and you can *somehow* leave Leta with someone else - and I'm in town whatever weekend you're coming out here - then let's go to a show!! My music calendar is updated :) Have a wonderful trip no matter what! xoxo

I'm not even going to try and finish reading the others but here's mine. Quickly. Yes to nursing.

Please don't borrow or rent a carseat. This advice has scared me beyond belief. It could have been in a wreck. Or if you get it with a car at a rental place you have NO IDEA what has been done to it. If you can at all, you need to bring your own carseat. It helps on the plane like many others have said. And a lot of times you can get an extra seat. If you can't bring your seat for some reason, you can get a decent seat for $40 dollars at ToysRUs and if you don't bring it home you can donate it.

Other than that, you'll do fine. You guys love her and she just wants to be with you, wherever that is at the moment!

Oh. My. God. One hundred seventy-five comments! From people who LOVE you and your family. Well, make that 176.

On a 15 hour flight from LA to Melbourne, I put up with a screaming..and I mean SCREAMING..toddler who would start up for 45 minutes, then sleep for 15..every hour, like clockwork! I'd switched seat rows with his family so that his mother could put the middle armrest up, which meant I was now right in front of him. (The mother told me that she'd left his carseat with checked baggage because it was hard to carry and it was now obviously a huge mistake)
The thing is, despite my having almost no sleep, and a pounding headache upon arrival, I could not blame the child, or even the mother. It happens, everyone reacts in different ways, and you'll never be able to predict what's going to occur. Some of these suggestions sound pretty wise...so at least you have some new ideas!

If you pass this milestone with flying colours, why not give yourself even more fun next time and bring Chuck along too!?

I have to get the "you rock" out of the way. That said, as someone who works with 18 month to 3 year olds in daycare and has been forced to make many trips with them (because no one not being paid for it would do it, and it's hard to convince someone who is being paid for it to do it), pray that she sleeps. And usually on trips, kids aren't too bad even if they don't sleep so long as you sit them by a window so they can watch all the things passing by. Now once we get them to whereever we may be going, they go crazy and make me wish I hadn't decided to work in daycare and oh my god why won't they stop... but lucky for you Leta doesn't walk yet, so you don't have to worry about her wandering off. And she'll probably do better than you think with the whole situation, so long as her routine stays relatively normal.

Hope all goes well!

Let me relate to you the most savvy piece of child-rearing advice ever perpetrated upon me. When I was teething, my father would pour a shot of whiskey, dip his finger in it, rub the finger over my gums and pour the rest of the shot into my bottle. After that (and, one presumes a shot or two for himself) there were no teething difficulties. How does this relate to traveling with a baby, you ask? Sedatives. Some for you, some for baby, some for everyone else on the plane. Dope 'em up and fly happy!

BRING A CHANGE OF CLOTHES FOR YOURSELF. If you do nothing else, do that. I've been puked on by my kids so many times that I packed a spare t-shirt and bra under all the diapers in the diaper bag. She's not going to like the air pressure, so feeding at takeoff and landing will be good, however please consider bringing a pacifier "just in case" - you never know, might not want to flash a boob when people are boarding and leaving. Good Luck!

I've traveled cross-country with my daughter several times a year (she's two now). Never had a problem, and she's a screamer too. When she was an infant, she rode on my lap; later she got her own seat. Again, never had a problem. All the advice above is good (with the obvious benadryl-as-child-abuse/don't-bring-your-spawn-on-my-flight exceptions). The only thing I can add is this: it is much better to have a diaper you don't need than it is to need a diaper you don't have.

A friend once told me this story, and oddly enough, while on a plane from NM to NY this weekend, a father did the exact same thing:

The kid had been crying for an hour. Not just crying-- screaming. Not just screaming-- ear drum gorging, brain swelling, sinus splitting wails that I surprised didn't disengage the emergency exit doors due to air pressure fluxuation.

Calmly, the dad stood up, little 5 month-or-so in arms, opened up the luggage compartment, and pretended to stow his child.

The couple who were sitting next to me had one of those wimp-ass rat dogs in a sherpa carrier. They offered it to him.

In all seriousness, screw the other people in the plane. Obviously, you want Leta to be comfortable (and you want to be comfortable)...but beyond that, the rest of the plane can just suck on it. It's not like you're flying to Malaysia.

I have no advice to offer but how could I possibly pass up a chance to make this page just that much longer. Afterall it isn't everyday that dooce allows comments. Booya!

I have travelled with 2 kids- one who was an awesome traveller starting at 8 months and one who was and continues to despise being anywhere but in his own home.

If you don't need to pre-board, don't. Send Jon in to pack away the carry ons, etc. and then come on last. If you board early, you will sit there and fret about people taking their sweet time getting settled, etc. and in the meantime, Leta could get hungry and you'll miss the golden opportunity of nursing her with the whirring engines in the background that might lull her to sleep.

Take the aisle seat so you can walk with her or a flight attendant can take her or she can look at your seat mates across the aisle. If she's a flirty, smiley girl, some other passengers are gonna have a hoot with her and that might keep her entertained.

I don't think you need to bother with the dollar store toys 'cause she's not big enough to appreciate the "newness" of them. I didn't start doing gifts, etc. on the plane until my girl was 18 months old and could unwrap them. Bring her favourites- toys, books, etc. as the familiarity will do wonders for her sense of security.

Check a pack and play. Bring a blanket or sheet from home to line the bottom of it so that the plastic isn't rubbing her face. I hated hearing the kids roll around or turn over on plastic covers... it's not soothing and I think it woke them up, too.

Definitely take a change of clothing for you, Jon, and Leta. Spit up flies far and you don't know what kind of traveller she is yet.

Definitely breast feed during take off and landing... unless she's sleeping then obviously, relax and enjoy the peace.

If you can take a car seat on board with you, do. If you are lucky enough to get a 3rd seat, Leta might enjoy having her own space.

A flight attendant once told me that I wasn't the first mom to travel with kids who were having "difficulties" and I certainly wouldn't be the last. Again, that was with my son- my first born daughter was a dream (and continues to be) on any flight.

Have fun!!

:)

After going through 4 of those little monsters now, I have to say that travel with a 5 month old is a walk in the park VS. 20 - 36 Month olds. Hell, enjoy it why you can.

Most of the good advice has already been said, so I will add only this:

1) Careful on the drugs--my girls react to it with the "opposite" wiring effect, as previously mentioned

2) I flew across the country with 8-month old twins and survived, if that is any consolation. :)

3) Try not to panic.

sorry if i'm repeating what some one else have already said. i admit that as a new mom, i'm just too tired to read through all 200-something posts. and it's election day here and Canada and going to the voting booth while being a mom took the wind out of me!

so anyway, we took our little one at 3.5 months of age over to my husband's home tome by plane.

she doesn't sleep well unless she's in her crib but we were able to get her calm down on the way up by feeding her right before the plane took off.

also was told that coming down hurts their ears more then going up.

so i was told to try and feed our baby on the way down.

yeah... like that's easy to do when the baby happens to not be hungry at that time.

sure enough, the pilot descended too rapidly and our baby girl screamed like a wild banshee.

however, the screaming actually helps relieve their pain.

it may not help the pain of those around you, but who cares about them... they only have to suffer for about 20 minutes.

as a parent, it's better for them to scream out the pain then, then to leave the airport screaming for a very long time.

good luck!

oh.. and i concur with dooce's husband... to tell them not to take their baby on their travels with them isn't called 'helping!'

dooce and jon. it's not that bad. honest. we survived with a younger baby on a plane (who was colic) so i am sure you guys will pull through fine.

but just in case, bring some of her favourite toys.

Oh dear, did I forget to mention....baby tylenol is POISON!

I'm sorry. If you don't feel like POISONING your baby then you should just stay at home.

I have no problem POISONING my otherwise healthy babies just for my own personal comfort. This makes my life as a mother so much easier really.

Ease up people.

Wow! You sure get a lot of comments!

My husband and I brought our 6 month old home from China in 1999. She's a "Leta"--sort of temperamental and fussy. Believe it or not she took to airline travel like a pig to mud. The stimulation actually seems to CALM some temperamental babies.

Do bring TONS of diapers and a change for you and Jon, too.

Buy a cheap stroller at Walmart and roll that sucker right up to the plane gate. It will be waiting for you when you get off the plane. Our $10 stroller from Walmart traveled to China twice and lasted 3 more years until somebody stole it.

Believe it or not Madeleine has been to San Fran and Hawaii from South Carolina (age 18 months), and we just got back from a trip to New York City with a 5 and a 3 year old that went very successfully. You can have adventures even with very small children. We're planning to take them to London when they're 7 and 5.

When my sister was 6 months old, we flew from Vancouver to New York, stayed there for a week, then bought a bus and drove home. (My parents are insane, don't ask.)

Their ideas for travelling with a baby were quite simple: Bring me, the then-22 year old older sister so that when she was driving them nuts, they could pass her off on me and vice versa.

We also brought tons of crap. Between the three adults, we had our maximum allowance for luggage. Of course, this also included a suitcase of tools for the previously mentioned bus, but then, my parents are insane.

And they do have seatbelts for babies. She sits right on your lap, and is strapped to you, so even if the plane crashes horribly and somehow you survive? Don't worry, she'll still be stuck to your chest whether you hang on or not.

That said, when was the last time you heard about a plane crashing with survivors? I wouldn't worry about it. :)

The only really nasty experience we had was while driving back, we stopped in Niagra Falls for the night on my sisters fathers birthday. I said "Go, have dinner, celebrate!" and sent them off on their merry way. My sister proceeded to scream bloody murder for the next 45 minutes solid. Not being a parent and not WANTING to be a parent, I started getting a little neurotic. I was waiting for the hotel security to come banging on the door at any moment to ask me why I was beating the baby, and couldn't I please stop because hey, she's a loud little fucker?

They didn't. My parents eventually came home, I went for a walk because after that much screaming, I needed the nice quiet serenity of a tourist town on a friday night. *snort*

I actually prefer Motrin over Tylenol. My daughter is almost 1 year and she calms down much quicker with that. I've been giving it to her since she was about 3-4 months old and it's worked great. Good luck!

No advice from me....I'm childfree. Good luck. I'm sure it will be a memory to remember. :) Good or bad, it will be something to write about. Have a great time...SF is great! I'm in LA and the husband and I drive up the coast often....You two are really great parents! Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise....LORI

Okay, this one is easy. Don't give the crying a second thought. Instead, assign Leta a "backstory" that you can provide to any co-passenger who dares to shoot you a dirty look. For example, "Sorry about all the noise. We just told her she's adopted." It'll shut up your fellow travelers and give you something to laugh about the rest of the trip.

Tip on how to endear yourselves to other passengers (who see you with a baby and want to killkillkill): Buy a bottle or two of those foam earplugs at the drugstore and offer them to everyone seated around you. Seriously, if you do it with a bit of humor (our standard line is, "We've already lost our hearing from the screaming, but you don't have to!") your fellow planemates will love you and think you are exemplary human beings and parents.

Bringing along several changes of clothes is a great tip. But a better one is to fold up a few trash bags so you can stash any messy garments. And bring a few Ziplock (or similar) bags to deposit a messy diaper and wipes -- the flight attendants will love you, too!

You'll all be fine! Have a terrific flight and a great vacation.

My daughter is almost the same age as Leta and has been on several plane flights. She actually does much better on them than she does in her car seat (which she hates). She tends to be fussy and for the first flight I was really nervous so I took a box of earplugs (enough for about 10 people) so I could give them to nearby passengers. I breastfed her on the runway and she was asleep before we even took off, slept throughout the entire flight and woke up when we were pulling up to the gate, so we didn't even need them! So maybe it will go better than you think! Also, we rented our car seat from Hertz instead of lugging ours around and it worked out great (as I said before she hates the car seat, but loves the Bjorn).

DONT USE THE BENEDRYL! Don't knock her out. It is a rather short flight and you want her awake and swallowing during approach and landing to equalize the air pressure. Otherwise you are going to be greated by the worst screaming you have ever heard when she wakes up!

One interesting thing you might do is get a middle seat between two strangers, particularly if you get airsick. Nothing is more inspirational than sitting hip to hip with a woman with a screaming infant who is spewing all over the fully upright and locked tray table. The effect is even better if you need to sit on the tarmac for a while without air conditioning upon landing. Ah ... the memories of travel.

Hi, It's me #96 again. I love advice and suggestions as much as the next clueless mom, but sweet merciful crap, I would be feeling a wee bit overwhelmed with all the "help." It really won't be that bad, have a great time!

BTW, I think the reason you have so many comments is we're all suffering from comment deprivation. I'm gonna close comments on my blog just to see if I'm flooded the next time I deign to open them.

I was on a plane once and a woman from 10 rows behind me put her two week old baby in my lap and said that she had to go to the bathroom. She jetted and I sat holding her baby for 10 minutes watching for the bathroom door to reopen. Probably not recommended, but apparently considered a viable option for one mom out there! A whole plane full of possible babysitters for Leta.

My husband and I are foster parents..yea major shock to my system...anyway, we had our first child about a month ago and he was 3. About the only way to get him to fall asleep was to take him for a ride..in about 20 minutes he was out COLD. But, that was in a car..the whole air-plane thing...yea, I think you might be screwed!
Hopefully it all goes well...oh, but I do have some words of advice for you...cough syrup, my friend..cough syrup.

I am commenting without reading the other ones, so apologies if anyone has had the same bright ideas.

Dose Leta with Benedryl, as people have advised. Wrap her in paper towels. Put her in the main luggage, with a teated (is that even a word?) bottle of burbon in case she wakes up. When you get to San Fran, expect your luggage to be a bit messy.

Oh, and WHAT ABOUT CHUCK???

cargo areas are marvellous places to ditch your little one. Noone can hear her down there.

Have a great trip ! Enjoy your first trip with Leta...it will go smoooooooth !

a 5 month old babe is much easier to travel with than one who is already mobile! just to add to the huge mass of advice that is already here:
- take the baby bjorn. it's easiest and she'll probabyl be happiest next to you /jon. unstrap her when you/jon sit down, but just take the front off, leave the arms on so you cna easily get her back in when you disembark
- definitely give her a breastfeed on take-off / landing. it equalises the pressure in her eardrums and also helps to calm her should the take-off (big loud noise) scare her. i used to travel quite a bit with max when he was small and i always found myself feeding him pretty much the whole way until he fell asleep.
- i don't know how ong the flight is to san fran, but just remember, you have jon there with you, there are two of you to one adorable babe, so the ratio looks good! maybe she will sleep, and maybe she won't, but you'll be fine!

- good luck! enjoy san fran!

unfortunately i don't really have much advice. i'm currently 6 months pregnant with twins (both boys)...and this is my first pregnancy! i can't do any travelling this year, so we plan to go to the beach with them next summer and that will probably be the first real travel experience.
i think you guys will be fine w/ leta. just enjoy yourselves!!!

We have an 11 month old daughter, and although we haven't flown, we've traveled with her quite a bit (several overnights).

Try not to stress too much leading up to the trip...it really isn't too bad. We found that the change of scenery and new things to look at kept her very occupied.

Note: As long as my wife brings her boobs with her, Nora is just fine...they are the instant calming devices. :)

Well Dooce, after all those suggestions, mine won't matter, I was going to suggest baby hypnosis, it's normally done by waving the breast in a simultaneous rhythm back and forth, back and forth, until the baby falls into a deep trance... I don't know if this works on girl babies, but it works on all boy babies...

I was once on a plane to New York next to a woman who massaged her baby right above the ears for almost the entire flight, and he seemed to be perfectly content. He also breastfed a good deal of the time.I wouldn't stress - if she cries, she cries - you and Jon are used to it, and feeding/dosing her should alleviate the worst of it if she gets her diapers in a twist. :) If anyone on the plane is that insensitive, give them the old double eagle salute. ;) Good luck!

This is for a previous poster: Who the hell gives their 5 month old a slice of pizza to eat?????????

I like that massaging above the ears thing. I heard that babies cry on planes b/c of the pressurized(sp??) cabin. It seems to hurt their ears way more than our ears and they cant do that popping (not pooping!) thing. The massaging above the ears seems soothing and might help to relieve inner ear pressure. Thinking more, more children vs. adults get ear infections so maybe baby ears are way more delicate. Good Luck!

Oh jeez, do not, repeat DO NOT rent Fearless (a la comment number 151). I don't have children OR a fear of flying but I seriously lost my shit watching that movie. Like, the sobbing uncontrollably kind of losing my shit. Seriously. Don't watch it until Leta is 37 years old. And even then, it might be too much.

Take it from an experienced flyer with babies, BUY A BABY DECONGESTANT!!! If you give Leta a decongestant 1 hour before you fly, this will HELP SO MUCH with hurting ears during the flight. I recommened childrens liquid advil decongestant if available to you. If Leta experiences this type of pain her entire flight and probably that entire day will be absolutely miserable. Other than that i suggest just take it all in stride and have fun, take lots of pictures. If you want to keep her busy on the plane buy/bring something NEW and FUN that she has not played with yet or is normally not allowed to play with-which will be ok now since you are sitting with her the entire time. Bring a walkman with headphones playing morrissey, shit bring some people food for her, fruit, something out of the ordinary that won't kill her. Get a window seat. Next time fly jet blue they have tv's with cartoons.

If you'd like to minimize dirty looks from other passengers, take along half a dozen earplugs for those around you (I know, you barely have time to think about your own self let alone the wellness of strangers) & a change of clothes for yourself to carry-on in case Leta spews all over your carefully chosen matching, well accessorized flight outfit. We'll be going from MA to CA with our son (who'll be 8 months) in Dec, so I'll be bookmarking this page for my own selfish reasons! Let us know what worked for your family.

Dear Dooce,
Since you have finally opened your comments - I thought I would take this oppertunity to just say that I think you are doing great with Leta. She is a beautiful little girl, and is very, very lucky to have parents like you and Jon. I wish I had some advice, but I'm only 16 - and thankfully not with a child of my own yet. Regardless, had I a child, I probably could not supply any information not yet given. Nevertheless, have a wonderful trip, take lots of pictures, and don't worry about how people on the plane react should she end up screaming, as chances are you'll never see the people again anyway. Best of luck,
Kristylyn

Stuff with wheels is key. I have carried many a diaper bag for some poor woman struggling to carry on the baby, the diaper bag, the car seat and the giant mommy purse. I know Jon will be there, but even a small bag gets heavy fast and he needs all his strength to carry the Jim Bean.

I flew with my daughter when she was 15 days old, then back home again when she was about 3½ weeks old. I nursed her going up and coming down and she slept the rest of the time. The sucky thing was that the seats were so small and I was sitting next to a large man, it was hard to nurse her comfortably and discreetly (back in those days I cared about people seeing my boobs). I checked my carseat at the gate - I had too much other stuff to carry on! Bring the Bjorn - that thing is amazing!

Most of all - don't forget to have fun. Even if she screams, one day you'll look back and laugh!

Visit this site: www.babysaway.com
They have everything from cribs to strollers. So you can see if they are in San Fransisco and that way you don't have to carry 100 pounds worth of gear!!!

The baby books/websites/mags. have so many articles and tips on traveling with your eyes will wear out before you are able to read them all. Unlike asking the web, most of their advice will be useful, not web crazy.
Oh, and hair gel for all three of you. You dont want to get to the city with plane hair.

Somehow, I never have a problem with babies screaming on planes, mainly because they can't help it. I take issue with adults who act obnoxiously, or shoot dirty looks at moms or dads trying to do their best. THEY can help it. You do sarcasm well -- just look back at them and say, "Oh, sorry, that was my fault. I pinched her to see if I could get her to scream, but I meant to aim her at the person next to you."

I don't have kids yet, but I want them, and reading your site is helping me deal with the deep-seated fear of being a mom. So, thanks. A lot.

Hi.
Great Project! First time that I came here, but I will return.

My mother-in-law runs a Russian daycare (seriously). Leta can hang out with the the kids, learn cyrillic, and eat borscht.

I will be a voice of dissent in the hundreds of comments.

Please get a seat for Miss L. If you can't use her carseat in the current proper rear-facing form, turn it forward. In the event of even moderate turbulence, a baby makes a really shitty projectile.

You can get a nylon carry case with straps like a backpack to haul the carseat around airports for all of $25 at amazon. You're going to need the carseat anyway and who wants to rent someone's used, befouled-by-another-foul-possibly-contagious-baby carseat? Blech.

Westin Hotels changed their infant cribs and sheeting in 2000 to match the adult sheeting--their big thing is that you sleep like a dream at their hotels. When you bring an infant to a Westin, you're getting a big, safe, crib, not a rickety, overused (again, befouled, nasty, possibly germy) deathtrap.

Get the kid a ticket. Please. She's worth it.

Serial commenting:

I don't work for Westin. I just recommend staying there.

Signed,
Stephanie, who loves traveling with her child

Wow! A brave move but I really think you will get through it as with everything else!

I'm going to have to agree and say you might consider buying another seat for Leta. Even if she is in your lap the entire time it'll give you the whole row and more room to move around and park appeasement toys.

I also recommend you take some valium or alcohol in large quantites or some such as I'm sure you're going to be extremely stressed out about the situation which will prob wind up being a non-event anyway :)

Oh my goodness, how can you possibly read 280 comments? I'm only commenting because I assume you'll never get to mine. This is truely amazing. A true celebritiblog.

Bwahahahahahaha. Sorry. I took my child to SF when he was five weeks old and to Hawaii when he was nine months old so I guess I am experienced (and have the mental scars to prove it).

1)Do bring a package of diapers. You'll use them up and have "extra" room for whatever you acquire.

2)Bring crib sheets and maybe a stuffed animal from home. (Hotels usually have cribs, but if you're lucky like us your child will choose the first night of vacation to learn how to stand up in the crib and not know how to get back down.)

3)Accept that you will be exhausted. Don't try to do too much.

4)Remember a baby thermometer and tylenol or motrin.

5)You'll survive and the pictures will make it all worth it. (Extra points for baby pictures on the GG Bridge).

Have f-u-n on the trip!! Make sure you have family members at the gate (or in most airports at the other side of security) that you can dump child, baby seat, excess luggage, diaper bag, squeek toy, kitchen sick and cobwebbed pacifier. The key to visiting family you don't see regularly: use and abuse, dude. Use and abuse. crap, it doesn't even have to be a relative. You can just lure (cough, persuade) one of your readers to meet you under the guise of "getting together for drinks." It works every time. I mean, good luck with that ;)

And once again, Have the F word!!! F-U-N

Baby Benadryl BUT, test it on her first, some babies, well, they have an opposite reaction. You're breast-feeding, right? You don't need anything else. People will understand more than you think. They may even help. Relax. Sorry, I'm not very clever. Have a good trip.

relax, 'cos by the time you finish reading all 290+ comments, you will have missed your flight.

i'd invite you guys over if you make it to sf, but i don't like kids. maybe just bring the dog instead? i like dogs.

I'm sure it's all been said by now, but I'll add my two cents anyway.

In my experience, traveling with kids always sounds much harder than it actually turns out to be. Plus, Leta is at a great age to travel with -- past the tiny, fussy baby stage but still little enough to be (mostly) easily entertained. I'm sure your trip will be great, and I can't wait to read all about it!

Cripes. I got as far as #6 and I want to shove paper towels down that person's throat and light them on fire.

Okay, back to reading.

the whiskey sounds like a good idea...maybe one of those portable pet carriers too...

I don't have time to read all of the advice you've been given here so forgive me if I'm repeating bits you've heard. All the baby stuff is covered so what I'm saying is you and the mister should remember to wear no metal and shoes that go on and off easily. It's gotten to where I just about travel in my pajamas after being asked to practically strip at security. Get there plenty early to go through the long security lines and remember no pointy stuff in the carry ons - they'll take it away from you. Have a blast in San Fran - one of the best cities in the world.

As a frequent traveler, I usually encounter screaming babies on planes. Eh, they're babies, they can't help it. The screaming doesn't bother me - that's what earplugs are for.

HOWEVER - I beg you: please please please do diaper changes in the airplane bathroom. Breathing recycled poop-air is just... ugh.
Good luck.