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Flying Alone With A Child? Read This!

11 May posted by
Fly Away

What would come to your mind if I ask you about flying with a baby/toddler alone?

I can tell that I will first get a knot in my stomach! Then the worry wart me starts kicking in.

Here are some steps by steps guide to prepare yourself BEFORE the actual flight(s):

1. Read, read and read:

Don’t let the horror stories scared the heck out of you. Let them instead prepare you to face the worst case scenario! With plenty of preparations and reading – there are plenty of great resources out there if you Google up flying tips with small children, you can armed yourself with load of information’s. Check out this lady, Jamie Hassen. She’s a pro and very helpful! My personal favorite websites loaded with these tips are here, here and here. Learning about the rules of different countries is also helpful as it will help you prepare what to pack and what not to pack.

2. Documentation & paperwork:

  • To fly internationally your child need his/her own passport and visa (depending on the country of destinations).
  • Either you fly domestic or locally, it is always a good idea to keep a notarized copy of your child’s birth certificate to confirm their age should the need arise. I keep this in a small pocket where I keep the passports and tickets.
  • If you are flying alone with your child it is a good idea to have a Consent Letter from the other parent. So far I never need them but I’ve heard stories of when they come in handy.
  • Bringing a copy of your child’s medical record will also help especially if you are traveling internationally and should your child need medical assistance abroad this will help the physician to check your children’s record.

3. Booking for your flight(s):

  • Check out the airline’s website prior to make the booking so you will be familiar with their rules and policy regarding minor passengers. Different airlines have different policies. Some are sticker some are more lenient.
  • Paid extra to get your child his/her own seat is always better – yes it is more expensive but from the safety side it is always safer for them. Plus, having a child on your lap for 15+ hours flight can really hurts your butt!
  • Choosing your seats: For infants, bulkhead seat is better because you can request for a baby bassinet, they have a bigger leg room there. They only have limited numbers of available baby bassinet so it’s based on first request first served basis. It is important to remember the downside of bulkhead seats is you can’t lift their armrests. For bigger child I would rather pick another seat, yes there are always risk they will kick the seat in front of them but if you got lucky and have another seat next to your child’s empty you can lift all the armrests and have your child lay down. Never pick a seat right next to emergency exit door. Check out Seat Guru as different airlines have different seating configurations.
  • When you make the booking you can request for additional help and they will mark your ticket that you will need assistance as you are flying alone with a child.
  • If you have connecting flights ask if they can do a check-in-through for your baggage meaning, you will pick up your luggage at your final destinations.
  • Meal requests, most international flights even for economy class will have this. You can ask for children’s menu or if their children’s menu doesn’t sounds compelling for you, you can go for kosher. Also put in a request for milk, most flights have milk, some only serve 2% (aka low fat milk) so it never hurts to ask.
  • Transit times: Ask if you can collect your gate checked stroller (this means your stroller will be stored inside the cabin instead of down in the checked-in baggage compartments) if you have to deplane for transit.
  • Car seats: I never bring one on-board but I’ve seen parents struggling with them but now I chose to use CARES instead. Read more about using Car Seats here.

4. If your child never fly before it is a great idea to actually take them to the airport and let him/she gets excited about flying and its concept. When you are flying with an infant it’s easier – really.

5. Get your child an a-okay from their pediatrician prior to the trip.

Make sure your child is not teething (believe me flying with a teething baby is a nightmare!) or having ear infections. Also do not medicate your child hoping they will fall asleep on board. Some of the tale about Benadryl can backfire as some child will become more active as a result. Always and I mean always consult your doctor before and if they doctor prescribe you with something to make the trip a little easier for you, always do a try out at home first and see how your child reacts to the medicine.

6. What to pack:

I found this great diaper backpack and after so many flights and being dragged around across several countries it still holds up its duties fairly well. Read more about what to pack here and  here.

7. Big D-Day (Departure Day):

  • Always arrive early for your flight. Going through security checks these days alone takes time for a grown up let alone for parents with small children.
  • Early boarding/Late boarding: Some airlines offer parents who travel with small children to do an early boarding. This is great to help you settle down before other passengers’ starts to board. Sometimes this will work; sometimes it won’t as your child might get bored while you wait for the flight to fly. Chose wisely depending on your child’s temperament, for my son we opted for late boarding because he will quickly gets impatience and wants to fly right away.
  • If your baby still nursing do nurse them when the plane is in a taxing position and getting ready for takeoff or for older children, giving them something to drink or eat will help with the ear pressure thing. Some children are more sensitive to this, mine never have a problem. Also, those warm towels they handed out…that can actually helps to relieve the ear pain for your child too. Just put them on each ear for a few minutes or at the bottom of two paper or Styrofoam cups, then hold the cups over the ears.
  • Depending on the airline, sometimes the flight attendants will be nice enough to offer to watch your child for a little bit or to take them for a little walk up and down the alley. Do take it as you will get that lavatory breaks you need but do not expect them to wait on you on their hands and knees. Always be nice to them no matter if they returning the favor or not. Personally, I try not to bug them too much. What I can do by myself I’ll do it — this will make them see you as an independent parent(s) and more often they will gladly offer a helping hands.
  • Whip out your stash of toys/activities one at a time or only when you see your child is getting bored. Also, those little portable TV on-board really does helps, most airlines will have some cartoons. If you don’t allow your child to watch too much TV at home, make an exception for the trip. You’ll be glad!
  • Have fun! Your child picks up on your emotions so if you’re panicking, they will starts to mirror you. Be thankful and accept any offer or helps you can get but do not expect everyone to come to your aid. I find most fellow parents have high tolerance to other parents traveling solo and sometimes you can see it from their understanding nod and smile or from their kindness gesture. Be thankful. Ignore those who thinks you and your child doesn’t deserve to fly, besides what are the chances you’ll run into them again?!

There…rinse and repeat for the flight home! It’s not easy to fly with small children but it’s do-able and it is rewarding to be able to go to different places and expose your child to it. My son now loves flying, he can’t wait to get on board and since his father works with airplanes he’s been in the cockpit and knows how fun it is to fly.

Good luck and who says having a baby/child means you are home bound until they are 18?! :-)

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Filed Under: Travel

First Flight: Conclusion (Part 2)

11 May posted by
Uncle D & his nephew

This is part two of our First Flight stories. Read the first part here.

After what seemed like the longest 7 hours flight from hell with Lil’ A who was crying almost the whole way, boy, was I glad to landed in Jakarta. The smell of ‘kretek‘ (cloves) cigarette welcome my nostrils like a long lost buddy, I was home!

My brother, Danny met us at the airport and we all went back straight to a hotel since at that time my family were still living in Balikpapan, East Borneo.

The next morning, we were ready to tackle another leg of the journey, a two hours flight to Balikpapan. Oh and guess what, the mystery of why he was super cranky during that flight was solved in the morning before the three of us went to the airport again! Top tooth popped out! No wonder!

We flew with Garuda Indonesia. Superb services as usual but I noticed they handed out an infant seat belt and since I thought it was only a two hours flight we did not buy Lil’ A his own seat, so technically, he was an infant lap. What shocked me was how this infant seat belt works. You attached it on your own seat belt through a hoop, buckle your baby, and voila…you have an attached baby on your lap. Can’t help but wondering what would happens (knock on wood!) if there’s a bad turbulence. My baby will be my air bag, literally! This experience later turned into my finding of the best gadget for tiny traveler after we were back in Dothan…CARES. Do check out my review for CARES and visit their website.

We also flew to the place where I was born, Makassar and where my Oma (Grandmother) lives also where I still have some families. It was only a 45 minutes flight from Balikpapan.

For our flight back, it was quite an experience as well.

Our flight was delayed for over 30 minutes in Jakarta and it was late, passed Lil’ A’s bed time, so understandably, he’s cranky and tired. Saying goodbye to my brothers were hard so I guess I lingered a bit longer and we were a little late. By the time we reached the gate, they are already boarding and when I pushed his stroller in with him crying and screaming, saw this Korean guy, presumably Korean Airline’s staff talked in broken English to his Indonesian staffs and pointed at my screaming boy. Mind you, he wasn’t exactly talking in a nice tone although I barely catch what he was saying. All I could hear was he repeatedly saying No, No, No.

Excuse me – “Are you talking about my baby?” as I came facing him. He was quite shock to see me staring at him like that. I just can’t stand people like him, talking about my baby as if I’m not even in the room! He told me that I can’t board the plane if Lil’ A is still crying. Boy, did that got my blood boiling! Told him straight in his face that my baby is tired, it’s past his bed time, and chances are he’ll fall asleep any minute and we have a long way to go home also it’s not like he’s an infant lap who fly for free, and he can’t tell me that we are not allowed to fly just because he’s crying. Furious of his reactions and I was so ready to pick a battle with him, when an Indonesian staff, a lady approached me and said it’s better if we boarded last until every body else are settle because they had another 15 minutes delay. Well, that is understandable and makes sense. How hard is it to explain this in a nice way instead of pointing at my baby as if he’s such a pain in you know where?! So I sat there waiting and  he did fell asleep even before we boarded the plane.

Sometimes you just have to stand up for your baby when things are tend to discriminate you! It’s not easy flying with a baby alone – but it’s doable. Get your game face on and don’t be afraid!

We made back home in Dothan in one piece, well except for our checked in luggage that somehow didn’t board our Delta flight until the next day.

In total, we flew with 10 planes during the whole trip, 50 hours of flying time, travel about 23,379 miles by air, went to 5 different cities in 3 different countries! To ‘introduced’ my family and friends back in Indonesia to my baby…priceless!

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Filed Under: Travel

Flying With Children – What To Pack

10 May posted by
Urban Backpack

If you are flying alone with a child, there are more things to prepare even before you get to the packing steps.

First, get yourself a sturdy diaper backpack. Why backpack? It will free your two hands to deal with your child or pushing the stroller in the miles long airport.

I highly recommend this backpack from One Step Ahead. They are a bit on a heavy side especially if it’s well packed. Take a look at this:

See why I love this backpack? It makes finding things so much easier with their plenty of mesh compartments. You can even put your laptop on the back compartment.

Things you should always pack in your backpack/carry-ons:

  • Make sure you have enough baby wipes, diapers, small tube of diaper rash cream (stash a larger tube in your checked in luggage) and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Do packs plastic bags, the ones from your grocery stores will suffice. Wrap those dirty smelly diapers/pulls up with plastic bag before throwing it in the garbage cans inside the lavatory or you can wrap up wet clothes too.
  • If your child has a lovey, pack that first and foremost!
  • Medications for your child. If they are on special medications make sure you bring along the prescriptions copy to show airport officials when they checked your bags. Put them in clear zip-lock bags.
  • Change of clothes. Make sure you brought more than enough just in case your child had an exploded diaper, vomit, or your luggage get lost/delayed. Include socks too!
  • Change of clothes for you! Yes, I had the unfortunate happened when my son vomited all over me and I forgot to pack an extra pair of pants!
  • Snacks & baby foods! Milk, juice & water is allowed just make sure you declare them at security check. Also always pack a spare (or two) of clean baby bottles/sippy cups.
  • Make sure you pack enough toys/activities pack to entertain your wee ones onboard. Opt for toys with minimum sounds to avoid disturbing other passengers. Books, coloring books, a doodle pad, and sticker books are great. One of our favorite is play dough! My son loves them and can play with it for hours on end.
  • When your child is big enough to have their own carry on, let them pick one at the store. Trunki is a great invention and I’m planning to get one myself very soon.
  • Children harness. This will comes in handy at the airport, your little one can roam and wonder around burning some of those energies and you would still be keeping a tab on them.
  • I had list it before – but -  I’m going to list it again, iPod is awesome, just load them up with plenty of your child’s favorite movies, songs, shows.

It may seems a lot and yes, I still find that sometimes I wish I can pack the kitchen sink too!

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Filed Under: Travel

First Flight: Dothan – Korea

8 May posted by
korea

Incheon International Airport - Korea
Creative Commons License photo credit: WSTAY.com

This is a story of my first flight ever with Lil’ A. It’s a long story so I will ‘chopped’ it off to several parts.

Our journey to go to Indonesia started on October 22, 2007 when Lil’ A was 10 months old. Early flight out of Dothan, AL to Atlanta, GA then from there we flew Korean Airline to Incheon, Korea.

During that longest leg of our trip (almost  15 hours), Lil’ A was behaving so good, he slept most of the time. There was only one thing on that flight that upset me, they claimed to be out of bottled water when I asked for one  to make Lil’ A’s formula then later I saw bottled water on their drink cart. Oh, I did brought like 5 big bottled water but only managed to squeezed 3 bottles in my backpack and the rest I had to tucked them inside my carry-on suitcase. So, mommies, do try to bring your own bottled water for your babies needs.

We got to Incheon, Korea after 5 PM local time and guess what…we got lost inside the huge airport!

Back in Atlanta, I was told to find Korean Airline desk and pick up the hotel voucher (since we had to stayed overnight there) once we landed at Incheon, then go to the hotel. After so many steps here and there, 2 levels down, stopped and asked around, and between being ping ponged to many directions there, I finally found the right booth, got the voucher (including our meal coupons). Does it end there? Nope! Had to walked from Door 2 to Door 11 to get to the hotel’s shuttle bus. All these walking involved maneuvers of pushing a toddler in his stroller who were getting cranky, a heavy backpack strapped to my back and one rolled small suitcase.

We didn’t get to the hotel until almost 9 PM with a totally cranky and tired baby and one exhausted mama! That poor boy just had enough and so did his mommy so we stayed in, didn’t even bother with dinner (boy got his Gerber!) and his mommy just wanted to stretched down. He fell asleep pretty fast. The hotel, Grand Hyatt Residence was a really nice hotel. As tired as I was and with no sleep at all during our Atlanta – Korea flight, I only managed to get roughly 4 hours of snooze that night.

In the morning, I just let Lil’ A be completely free to roam around our room, crawling and pulling himself up all over the place. Had breakfast and lunch before we went back to the airport for our next flight to Jakarta. Unfortunately, Lil’ A started to get really cranky while we were still waiting by the gate. He cried and cried and cried and I failed to soothe him. Enough said, I was pretty aware of other passengers stare at us, at me. Since I’m traveling alone with a baby, we got the ‘privilege’ to pre-board before others, I tried just about everything to calm him but nothing works, some people offer their sympathy by trying to cheer him too but that also doesn’t help much. Then I saw that his nose was runny and he had a little cough, that’s when I realized he must not be feeling well. He only slept for half an hour or so during that 7 hours flight to Jakarta and spent most of it crying. Poor baby!

They provided us with a baby bassinet, which he totally hates. Due to some turbulence, I can’t carry him around the plane too much, thanks God the flight attendants were all pretty helpful. There’s this one flight attendant that seems to worried about Lil’ A and how I got my hands full that I can’t even eat or drink anything, she went so far to help us by holding a cup of water for me so I could drink it (mind you, I did not ask her to do that, she offered it to me). Their services were much better than the Atlanta – Korea route, maybe because they have a joint service with Garuda Indonesia airline, who knows…

After several hours of dealing with a sick and cranky baby, and panicking asking what the heck did I got myself into, I just decided to ignore those ‘you’re not doing enough‘ or ‘you’re a bad parent’ stares people gave me and put on my ignore goggles, because you know what…there’s only so much you can do as a parent to calm your baby and sometimes you just had to let them cry it out especially when you’re in that situation. Lil’ A finally settled down in the last hour before we landed.

That was the longest 7 hours ever!

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Filed Under: Travel

Makassar – Revisited

15 Feb posted by
Seafood galore

Knowing that I was born and still have families in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Mr. X decided to took us along with him for one of the outstation audit program. Since my mom and bothers couldn’t make it, I took my aunt with us.

We suppose to leave Jakarta at 4:30 PM but around 10:00 AM, Mr. X called and told me an accident had happened with one of their fleet so he will have to stay behind and took care of things but he will try to hop on the last flight to Makassar that night or the first flight out in the morning. Thanks God my aunt was there! Our flight was delayed for almost an hour and it’s really hard keeping a plane crazed little boy to stay put at the gate. I was in a bit of a foul mood after knowing Mr. X can’t come with us and I was worried that he won’t be able to make it after all, so when a guy cut me right in front of the cashier in a small café I really can’t help but asking him “Are you in a hurry, Sir?” he looked puzzled and said “No…” then I snapped at him “Then why are you cutting me off? I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m waiting in line here before you came out of nowhere?!!!” Gosh, I hate people like this and I don’t care if you’re way older than me, if you can’t wait in line and cut me off I’ll voice my objections! Same thing happened when we were called for boarding, my Aunt was holding Little A’ when a woman just cut right in front of her and pushed them aside. “Hey! Pushing your way to the plane won’t make you get to Makassar any faster, won’t it????!!!” I yelled at that inconsiderate woman! Good Lord!

We had to do a 15 minutes transit in Surabaya. I never been to Surabaya’s Adiscipto airport before, but OMG that place was filthy! I mean FILTHY with garbage cans overflows and scattered garbage on the floor of their waiting area. We reached Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar after 9:00 PM local time. Someone from the airline was already there at the bottom stairs to pick us up. He handed our luggage tags to another guy and we were ushered inside the arrival terminal where my Aunt Jane, her husband Uncle Ferdy and their daughter Ella greeted us. I was impressed with the new airport, it was modern and big.

After the staff collected our entire luggage, we parted ways with my Aunts. They went to go get dinner then meet me back at the hotel. The staffs drove me and Lil’ A to the hotel, I wasn’t familiar with the roads anymore but I was flabbergasted when we got off the new toll road and passed rows after rows of pubs and clubs with so many ‘chicks’ looking for their ‘job’. Too bad I couldn’t reach my camera from my bag since Lil’ A fell asleep on my lap. Never seen a red light district in Makassar before but then again I haven’t been there for ages.

The staffs took us to Sahid Hotel, it’s an old hotel but it looks pretty nice on the outside and their lobby. Check-in was a breeze but I was greeted by an unpleasant smells when we stepped out of the elevator on the 4th floor. The room smells like old closet that you haven’t open in years! Since Little A and I were obviously too tired after the trip, I didn’t even bother to take any pictures or ask for another room, heck we didn’t even take a shower as tired as we were. The carpet was so dirty (proof showing on Lil’ A’s feet!), the bathroom smells so old and rusty. I couldn’t really sleep that night because the smell was strong but Lil’ A slept the whole night through. In the morning, I found out that the hot water is not running and the old tub was clogged. “We are doing some maintenance work, Ma’am.” explained the receptionist when I called downstairs. Mr. X couldn’t make it that night so I messaged him and told him I want to move to another hotel. So I spent the early part of that morning looking for a new hotel and most of them are full considering it was the weekend and with Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day fell on the same day, I guess most of the hotels are only selling twin rooms. (I should know since I was once a reservationist in a hotel!)

Around 11:00 PM I found a hotel, Mercure’s Royal Regency Hotel and we quickly checked out and I briefly called the station Manager there to informed him of my decision to move. I explained to him, I don’t mind if the room doesn’t have internet access or other little things and it’s not that I want a 5 stars hotel (although I wouldn’t refuse it either!) but if they don’t even have any hot water, I’m out! Lil’ A likes his warm bath/showers. He apologized and asked if we needed a ride to the new hotel and when I told him no thank you, my uncle will take us there he said he will personally drive Mr. X to the new hotel.

Mr. X didn’t showed up to the new hotel until after 2:00 PM. Then we all went out for a late lunch, the best Coto Makassar in town! A driver picked Mr. X up back at the hotel at around 5:00 PM; it is after all a business trip. After Mr. X left back for work, the rest of us went to the nursing home to visit my Grandmother.

From the nursing home, we all went to my other Grandmother’s house, which is now owned by Aunt Jane and her family. There, I got to meet some old childhood friends, I had spent 1 year living in Makassar to finish elementary school before we moved to Borneo. It’s quite amusing to watch Little A ran around with the other kids, on the very same little street where I used to do the same thing many years ago.

When we returned to the hotel, Mr. X was already there and he was done with his audit but he still have to do some more work on the phone and computer. We decided not to go out for dinner with the family because Little A was already so tired from the long day. After he fell asleep, I decided to ventured out and find us some late dinner. Took a becak ride down to the beach side, an area called Pantai Losari. The place had changed a lot and all the street food sellers that used to line up the beach side has been temporarily moved to one spot while the government is building a manmade island to place them in the future. All these information came from the becak driver who happily fills me in on how much the area had changed.

On Sunday, our last day in Makassar, after we checked out and left all our stuffs at the concierge, we went out to find some food & souvenirs but unfortunately because it was the Chinese New Year’s most stores and restaurants were closed. My Aunt Jane teased us that we couldn’t picked the worst timing to come there! Fortunately, we did found one souvenirs store that’s open. Boy, Mr. X went overboard with the stuffs there! Too bad we couldn’t bring home the famous pork bakpao (Chinese buns) or the delicious Makassar’s fried noodles. Mr. X asked if we could eat seafood so Uncle Ferdy took us to this seafood restaurant, I forgot the name of the area. That place was packed! It’s two stories and seems like since most restaurants were closed, people went there instead. The seafood’s were fantastic and super fresh!

We stopped by at the nursing home after lunch so I can see Grandma one last time before we left and to introduce Mr. X to her, they never met before. From there we found Pisang Epe (grilled press banana served with durian and brown sugar sauce) seller on the side of a road and we ordered some to bring back to Jakarta. At 3:30 PM a driver from the office were already waiting at the hotel to take us to the airport to catch our 5:25 PM flight. We said goodbye to Aunt Jane, Uncle Ferdy and Ella.

By the time we reached the airport, it was raining so hard you could barely see the road. Oh and since they changed our flights to the later time, we doesn’t have any tickets whatsoever, fortunately Mr. X’s badges works like charm! We checked in, and went upstairs.

The new airport kind of remind me of the Baiyun airport in Guangzhou, China, and I like the new design, way better than how it used to be. The bathrooms were pretty decent and clean. Unfortunately, I saw some spots where it leaks! I was told that they built the airport in such a hurry to finish it up alongside the new toll road that connects it to the city. Things were a little chaotic by the designated Gate for our flight because the passengers were not allowed to go inside. Some people were already complaining and the flight was obviously delayed again. Mr. X immediately got busy. I can’t write too much about that here but let’s just say that I too gave a piece of my mind to one of the airline’s staff.

Our flight finally left for Jakarta after 6:00 PM. An hour delay! A weekend is definitely not enough to enjoy Makassar!

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Filed Under: Indonesia, Photoblog, Travel

10 Packing Tips For International Flight With Children

24 Jan posted by
Happily Flyin'

From the age of less than 9 months old, Little A and I has been flying internationally.  After a lot of researched on my part and from personal experience I decided to share you this list.

10 Packing Tips For International Flight(s) with Baby/Toddler

  • Snacks & Food: Pack enough snacks/foods to last you for  7 days on a boat from Alaska!
  • Change of clothes: Bring extras for your baby/toddler and also for you. You never know when you’ll get soaked with spit ups or worst vomits.
  • Bring a Tylenol/Benadryl: I’m not advising you to drug your child but some had sworn it works, better consult your doctor first. Benadryl never works for mine tho’ it makes him hyper!
  • Ipods: or other movie player that’s not too bulky. Make sure you get some covers at least to prevent those curious fingers from playing with it and just focusing on watching. This is useful especially if you’re on-board flights with no personal entertainment units (those little TV behind the seats). Portable DVD player is also favorable but it can be quiet bulky. I found this cute little movieplayer from Walmart and had put our portable DVD at home instead. They’re cheap but my son have a kick out of it.
  • Toys: If you can afford new toys for the kiddos on by all means go ahead and get some new toys but don’t give it all at once. One at a time whenever boredom strikes. Sometimes I ‘recycle’ my son’s toys by going through some of the toys that he haven’t played with in awhile and hide them, wrap them with colorful wrapping papers. Believe me, toddler get a kick out of unwrapping their presents. Doodle board, sticker books, crayons and coloring books are some of my son’s all time  favorite. If you’re flying a really long haul flights with an overnight transit, put some more toys in your luggage that you can take out for the next leg of flights.
  • Plastic bags: Just carry some plastic bags from your groceries, folded them up and put in in your carry on. From stinky poopy diapers to wet clothes (if your child/baby vomit), this will comes in handy!
  • Sponge: Yes, wet the sponge, soak it with dish soap and let it dry. Once dried, cut it up into small peaces. Put these in a zip lock bag and use them one by one, throwing each away after use. Comes in handy when you have to take an overnight layover in a hotel inside (or outside the airport) so you can wash those sippy cups! This could be used for any trips away from home and not just flying.
  • Ear plugs: When your child started to throw a tantrum, kindly offer the ear plugs to other passengers closer to you or you can use it yourself!
  • Small treats: Like small chocolates, candies, etc. This one is especially for other passenger if your baby/toddler did have a meltdown and inconsolable. Handed them out  to the nearest passengers before your flight end and maybe that will make them smile.
  • Pack your patience and prepare for the worst. If and when your child got a tantrum (mine cried for almost 6 hours from Korea – Jakarta because he was teething and I was clueless!) do put up a brave face, most people will understand and to your surprise will even go out of their way to help cheer up your child. If you got one of those ‘you’re-a-bad-mommy’ stares just ignore them, chances are you will never see these people again.

No matter how well prepared you are things can still goes very wrong when it comes to flying internationally with a minor. Try not to stress out too much because your child will pick up on that, I know it is easier to said than done especially if you are flying solo but believe me it can be done. It would be great if you can grab your spouse/parents/uncles/or other relatives to come along but sometimes you will have to just go solo. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help and if someone offer a help, by all means take it!

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Filed Under: Toddlerhood, Travel