Flying with your baby is often not easy. There are some babies that don't get upset by the travel, that don't care if they are in unfamiliar surroundings and surrounded by new people and don't bother about being cramped!
Smaller babies in general are in any case often oblivious to what is going on around, but once your baby grows a little and starts getting more and more observant, he's not going to give you an easy time. Here are a few tips on how you can make flying with your baby easier.
Pram
When flying, take your baby along with you in a pram. This way you will not need to keep holding your baby in your arms all the time. Remember, flights are often delayed, and you don't want to be sitting around for five hours carrying your baby, do you?
You will not need to check in the pram when you get your boarding pass. You can carry the pram right up to the flight. Hand it over just before boarding the flight.
Early arrival
Arrive well before the arrival time. If you are traveling nationally and need to report an hour before the flight takes off, make sure you report at least an hour and a half before. This way, you will be ensured to get a seat of your choice. Although you may still not get the best seat on the flight, at least you will not be stuck with a middle seat, and would be able to opt for window or aisle. Also, always ensure that they put in a request saying that you will be traveling with a baby, and so as far as possible, they should leave the seat next to you, unoccupied. This way, if the flight is not going full, they should keep an empty seat next to you so you can place your baby on this seat every now and again, instead of having to hold him in your arms through the duration of the flight.
Feeding baby
Always make it a point to feed your baby during take-off and landing. This way your baby will not feel any pressure on his ears and will be comfortable. If you are breastfeeding your baby, ask for a window seat. This way, even if you are seated next to a man, you can always feed your baby from the breast near the window, and cover yourself with a shawl. Wear a t-shirt, so you can just hike it up. Your baby will cover your body from beneath the breast, and your t-shirt will provide ample cover from the top, even without a shawl. Avoid wearing a shirt that you will need to button down to give your baby access to the breast.
If you are not breastfeeding your baby, feed him through a bottle during takeoff and landing. Essentially, the chewing motion will help your baby combat pressure on his ears.
In addition, if you are not breastfeeding, opt for an aisle seat. Needless to say, this will give you more room to maneuver your baby. Also, your baby may be cranky during the flight, and if you have an aisle seat you can always just get up a little and walk up and down. This will calm your baby.
