Flying with baby, the aftermath

Alex and I just returned from our trip to NY to visit my parents. We had to stop once each flight with a short layover. I was really nervous if you remember my previous post asking for advice. But, honestly everything went better than I could have asked for. Sorry for the long descriptions, but I thought it might help someone.

To NY:
We got to the airport a little later than I had hoped, seeing as when I put Alex in the carseat to leave he proceeded to fill his diaper so we had to take a few extra minutes and change him. Getting through security was pretty good. The guy sent me down the crew line and I went right up to the machines first in line and no one behind me. There was another TSA officer there and he folded up my stroller for me and put it through (and a second pulled it down and set it up when it made it to the other end). I brought 2 bottles of milk just in case and there was no problem with those. I made it to our gate without too much trouble. Of course there was a couple there that gave me the look like oh great a baby on the flight (mind you it was 5:00AM). When we were on the first leg of our flight, I knew that the seats weren't full, so I asked if I could bring the car seat on and she said yes. We headed straight to the back and had our own row to ourselves plus the row across from us and several rows in front of us (plus a small one behind us). Everything went great. I fed him on the way up. We had 2 mid-air diaper changes but other than that he was pretty happy. We got off and had a little bit of trouble because we had to go down the steps of the plane to the tarmac and then get gate checked bags (stroller frame) and then back up the stairs to the terminal. Someone carried the frame up the steps for me and there were no problems.

The next leg was a full, jam packed small plane. Someone from the airport came and carried the frame down again and bagged up the caraway for me. The flight was rather bumpy with lots and lots of turbulence. He slept most of the flight. I had planned on feeding him on the way down but given the bumpy ride and how full the plane was I decided to wait and he was fine. I nursed him after we got our bags.




To NC:
The airport in NY was a little bit more difficult on the way back. There was only 1 open security line and they basically took my entire bag apart because I had too many electronics on top of one another in 1 bag. So keep that in mind next time you pack! The airport personnel weren't helpful here getting things on and off the belt or when trying to get on the plane as they were here in NC. Also it's really hard to get a carseat in the bag when you're alone, but I'm glad I did it. The first leg was full but I sat next to a nice lady and fed Alex mid-flight and he pretty much slept the rest of the time.

The next leg was a bigger plane and I did have an extra seat next to me but wasn't smart enough to check before hand. It was only a short flight and Alex again slept.

Getting on/off both of these legs of the trip there were some other passengers that were super helpful and I am very grateful for their help!




What I packed (what I used in italic):
Change of clothes for me
Change of clothes for Alex
Burp Cloths/Lap Pads
Nursing Cover
Swaddling Muslin Blanket (Used while nursing also)
Diapers (~8)/Wipes
Bottle/Milk
Pump (Only because I didn't want it in my checked bag)
Scout the Dog
Layers for Alex/me
Bag for carseat (worth the $19 at BRU and the seat did not get dirty)
Kindle/iPad

What I'd do differently:

• I didn't ask if the flight was full, totally my fault when I could have brought the carseat on the second leg of return flight.
• I would try to pack a smaller carry on. I was trying to be efficient and packed a few things that wouldn't fit into my checked bag in the carry on.
• Don't pack so many electronics on top of one another in your carry on!

All in all I felt pretty good about it. It was super tiring. I was exhausted when I got home yesterday, hence why I didn't get a post up. Hopefully next time I fly I won't have to do it alone.