Looks like we are going to visit Mr. Hunter’s family. In Illinois. In February. We live in California. The dubious wisdom of this plan did not strike me until after we had already told his whole family we were going, and now we kind of have to go (we’ve already done the bait and switch once where we told his parents we were thinking about going but then didn’t, and although his parents are lovely and didn’t hold it too much against us we really can’t do that again).
So, okay. Cross-country flight with year-old child. Never flown with her before. What should we be aware of? I know to give her a pacifier to ward off ear-popping trauma (I’d nurse but she doesn’t nurse except when she’s good and ready). What about soiled diapers en route? (She’s guaranteed to have at least one, given her current pooping schedule.) Can we change it on the seat – putting a clean pad down so as not to mess up the seat, of course? Can we change wet diapers in the airport seats or would that be super weird/gross? What about jet lag?
Also, what is the minimum amount of necessary equipment we need to shelter a little California baby from an Illinois winter? Some sort of bunting, I suppose. Mittens? Shoes? She has a coat but I doubt it’s warm enough. I’ve never bought her shoes as she doesn’t walk yet.
I take my California child to Toronto often and just got back this week. If it’s a bigger plane there is a change table in the lavatory. My toddler won’t wear a hat but in the cold I put her in a one piece from Columbia. You can buy winter clothes at Rei or online. A pacifier works for takeoff and landing. I’ve never changed her on a seat before but during a connecting flight I change her off the plane. Most babies sleep through the flight. If you want shoes you can buy infant uggs.
No. Do not change your baby’s diaper on the seat. You may not be disgusted by your baby’s poop or pee filled diaper but everyone around you will be, and will hate you and your baby. Use the washroom.
I found sugar-free lollipops handy too, because sometimes they won’t take the pacifier with all of the noise.
Bring a bag to put the diaper in and hand it to one of the attendants after, they can dispose of it. Another possible changing place (with a pad underneath) is in the back on the floor near the lavatories.
Have a couple blankets regardless of the coat and other gear. Wrap the kid up in blankets if it’s cold and you can flip the end up over the kids face as you carry them from sheltered areas to sheltered area. Remember that extreme cold affects them way faster than an adult, because all their parts are smaller.
Yes, general rule of thumb is two layers more to an infant that what you would wear (that’s including undershirts). When my daughter was little, she had the onesie/undershirt, clothes (usually long sleeved), sometimes a sweater, her snowsuit, hat, mitts (boots once she was walking), and a blanket over her when outside or a scarf once she was walking.
Fun thing you will find out - most kids HATE their snowsuits…
A lot of the buntings available are technically not compatible with car seats; all the extra padding they provide makes the car seat less safe because in an impact the padding collapses and the kid then has too much room to move under the straps. This includes BundleMes. I think for a one-year-old I’d go with a puffy coat and hat and mittens, and jeans or corduroy pants on the bottom so the car seat straps can be tight.
Note: I’m still gestating my first kid, all this is just what I’ve read on mommy forums. Reality might differ.
The 4 flights I’ve been on have been through Southwest, and in all of them the bathroom was barely large enough to accommodate a person who was even slightly overweight. Definitely no changing tables in there. Once you book your flight, if you haven’t already, you should be able to find out what size and model of plane you will be on (and thus the size of the bathroom), and plan accordingly.
Would it be possible to get a rubber diaper or something over the regular diaper and just not change the kid on the plane itself? I’ve flown nonstop from Chicago to Reno, and it was about 4 hours iirc.