Baby Travel - Booking Your Flight

by: LiLing Pang



Booking your flight:


Your first experience flying with baby can vary dramatically based on the time of day you fly, the timing of layovers, and the seat selection you get.  So, what matters most in stacking the odds for a good flight in your favor?

 

For most domestic flights, you’ll have the luxury to choose the time of departure.  I’ve found that the ideal time to depart is between 10am and 1pm.  Departing during this window allows you to get up and have some time to gather your things and close up the house properly before heading off to the airport.  When you’re on the flight, you are still fairly well rested and if you end up having to entertain like a clown the whole trip, at least you have the energy to do that without feeling resentful.  You’ll also arrive at most domestic destinations before mom and dad’s bedtime.  When flying during daylight hours, other passengers also tend to be more patient with a noisy child.

 

Direct flights are worth just about any price, because each time you take off and land getting on and off the plane and dealing with air pressure in baby’s ear on the way up or down is a pill. For older kids on long flights over 8 hours, a layover might be a good idea, but with baby, minimize traveling time as much as possible.

 

Seat Assignment:

 

Booking a seat for baby makes a huge difference!  Do it if you can afford it.  Otherwise, try to get an aisle seat far from slamming bathrooms doors and the galley.


One more consideration.  If you plan on breastfeeding on the plane and need lots of elbow room to get the right positioning or have a long baby, usually an aisle seat will give you the most flexibility.  The only downside of an aisle seat is having less privacy and sometimes other might passengers accidently side swipe you.

 

Continue to Baby Travel - Packing for Your Flight


Related Tips:

updated: October 16 2009 by TravelPangs

Comments
at 09/24/2009 09:43AM Terry wrote:
Re-emphasizing the importance of seat selection based on lessons learned in recent travel. When checking in, confirm your seats have armrests the lift and seat backs recline. In many cases, seats and/or armrests will not move. It's predetermined and aircraft specific. If you intend to permit your children to rest on your lap, these two 'luxuries' become especially important. Ask the gate agent if your assigned seats will recline and confirm the armrests will lift. Else, confirm this when you board the aircraft and before you unload all of your carry-ons. If they don't, consider switching seats with your neighbors. It can be the difference between a restful trip for you, your children and surrounding seat partners, or not. Another consideration to give when booking your flights, our family of 4 tends to book 4 seats in tandem such that the more active child will sit directly behind known family (i.e. mom, dad or sibling). While this doesn't guarantee a kick-free experience for the family member in front, it does reduce the amount of unnecessary stress that comes when trying to govern the actions of your children who might otherwise be providing a passenger in front with extra, unwanted, lumbar support. We always book four seats two in front and two directly behind.
at 09/24/2009 09:57AM Terry wrote:
Another consideration to give when booking your flight is to give some thought to the distance and time you'll be spending in the air. In our case, the transcontinental travel our trips require is too long for our kids. Our toddlers lose the excitement approximately 45 mins into the flight and afterwards the discomfort of the travel tends to With several hrs left in a non-stop, we have found that intentionally booking a flight that stops for a brief layover mid-continent gives our children an opportunity to stretch their legs, burn off some energy, grab a quick snack and explore some before we board the plane again for another exciting pushback and takeoff. We always plan two legs to complete the trip.
Write a Comment


Please sign in to write a comment.
All Tips
General
Budget Travel
Nurturing Curious Kids
Air And Car Travel
Health And Safety
Travel Gear
Special Interests

Mentioned
in this story:

World
Previous Button 1 of 2 Next Button
Sign up for your FREE newsletter.
View newsletters

View All »

Other Air And Car Travel Tips

TrayKit, a beautiful combination of organization and entertainment

Britax Frontier 85 SICT - Side Impact Protection Technology in a car seat

Baby TrendZ FastBack 3-in-1 Car Seat

Coping with Motion Sickness in Kids – thanks Psi Bands!

Holiday Travel Survival Guide: Dealing with Delays and Flight Cancellations