Breastfeeding and car trips

I've talked a lot about airline travel just because we have so much experience with it and tend to travel that way a lot, but car trips with a baby can be equally stressful!

When Baby was between 4 to 8 months old, I traveled about 3 hours one way by car by myself and it was definitely stressful since I couldn't really check on Baby unless I stopped the car and if she was upset, I had to stop wherever I was to console her or feed her. Luckily, I knew the route I was traveling like the back of my hand so I knew of good and safe places to stop. However, a few times, I was caught unaware with a hungry baby who was rejecting her bottle and I had to pull over on shoulders to breastfeed. One time, I pulled in the parking lot of an abandoned and dilapidated restaurant and another time, it was just a 'park area' in a wood area. Scary. I sat in the back of the car with Baby hoping for a fast feed so I could get the heck out of dodge!

My biggest tips to breastfeeding moms whose babies won't take a bottle during the drive is to carefully study the route ahead of time (if you don't already know it well) and pick out good places to stop along the way. Always try for a populated area but as my experience has shown, it's not always possible! Ask friends/family for recommendations and perhaps check out the route on Google maps to identify large population areas where there could be a convenient area to pull off.

I don't have any experience, by the way, of pumping while in the car (I'm assuming the pumping is not happening while driving!), so if anyone has any thoughts to share on the subject, please do so!

Travel toys!

We just returned from a 10-hour round trip transatlantic flight. We weren't concerned about going over to Europe as our flight left at bedtime and sure enough, a few hours after we took off, baby fell asleep and promptly slept most of the flight. Coming back though, we knew would be a completely different story as it would be broad daylight and our baby isn't the greatest of sleeper when removed from the 'comforts' of home.

When looking for entertainment for an airplane ride, here are some of the things we are looking for:

1. We want a quiet toy so we don't bother other passengers. To be honest, more and more people are using noise cancelling earphones (my husband uses Able Planet noise cancelling headphones
2. We want a toy that doesn't roll away when dropped. The last thing we want to do is chase a toy all the way down the aisle, especially if the flight attendants are in the aisle with beverage/food service. 
3. We want a toy that doesn't have a lot of pieces that can get dropped/lost/render the toy inoperable for the duration of the flight.
4. In the past, we wanted a toy we could use with a lanyard (we used Baby Buddy Secure-A-Toy for this purpose; worked great with pacifiers, but not so great with the type of sippy cup we used -- handles left a gap for the lanyard to slip out!).

A couple of toys that have worked well for us in the past for both airplanes and cars include the Bright Starts Clack and Slide Activity Ball and Freddy Firefly. We've always had decent luck with our Kindle Fire as a diversionary tactic, but while overseas, our child become unbelievably fascinated with the Kindle and constantly wanted to watch 'Elmo'. I was able to stream short bits of Sesame Street on the Kindle, but I knew that would be an issue while flying home. So while I was able to download Elmo Loves 123s (Kindle Tablet Edition) "just in case" and many other apps, I knew Elmo and the Kindle wouldn't last the full 10 hours home!

We also knew Baby had pretty much outgrown the toys I mentioned above and so I wanted to get her something new for the trip. Before we left, a friend recommended stickers as a good toy for an airplane. We loved the idea and set about searching for an appropriate book. The friend had suggested a Melissa & Doug sticker pad set and we liked that idea because right now we're trying to keep Baby as free from 'commercial influences' as possible (a losing battle as all parents know!). Because I didn't have enough time to get the set from Amazon and couldn't find a similar Melissa & Doug in stores, I ended up getting a gigantic -- and I mean, gigantic! -- activity book with 1000+ stickers, sketch pad and 'scene pages' from Costco for $12.99. It was Disney-themed, but we decided to let it go for now given the shortness of time.Best $12.99 we've ever spent as Baby spent much of the flight pointing to stickers, sticking them on the 'scene pages', resticking them and occasionally decorating us and the seats around us with the stickers.

Since a sketch pad was included, we also picked up triangle crayons from Crayola; they don't roll AND they are washable! The latter became especially important when Baby decided all she wanted to do was color on the tray table! It didn't take more than a single swipe of a baby wipe to clean up the mess and baby was completely happy. Also, whenever she dropped the crayon, no matter where, it stayed put. Love, love, love. We will definitely be using these again.

The items kept her occupied enough that I didn't have to break out the Kindle for entertainment purposes. This was definitely a concern as I wasn't able to fully charge the Kindle before leaving the hotel and also because I knew Baby would protest mightily when we had to take it away during take-off/landing. I'm still glad we had the Kindle and the apps/videos on it as back-up, but am really glad we didn't have to use it at all for this particular flight.

Strollers and American Airlines

When flying with children and the 'special equipment' that comes with them, ie the car-seat and/or stroller, it's always a good idea to check the baggage allowance requirement first. Airlines have been really cracking down lately so it's best to be prepared. I'm bringing this up because of an American Airlines' policy that recently came to my attention (as a note, I do not typically fly American Airlines so I have no direct experience with this policy or how it would affect travel).

According to American Airlines' policy, which can be found here, strollers that are large, non-collapsible or over 20 lbs. must be checked at the ticket counter. There is more detail here and the good news is that it looks like checking a heavier stroller won't incur baggage fees, but you have to check it at the counter. This means if you were counting on using a jogging stroller or a double stroller through the airport, you'll have to come up with a Plan B.

Movie Complaints Leads to Flight Diversion

Parents complained about the movie showing on a United Airlines flight on the overhead screens; plane was eventually diverted and the family removed from the plane. Complete story here.

Link of the Day

Today's link of the day: Airlines launch child-free zones

Changing diapers on an airplane

If you're on an airplane for any length of time, you know you're going to have to change a diaper. Our standard operating procedure is to change baby a few minutes before boarding and then hopefully she can hold out until we land (provided the flight is 3 hours or less). However, we all know this isn't always possible.

I've heard different schools of thoughts on changing diapers on planes and there is a certain segment that advocates changing the baby right on the airplane seat. Let me stop you right there. Don't do it. The flight attendants won't like it (and one actually stopped me the first and only time I attempted it with a stern "No"), the other passengers will not like it, and finally, it's simply not sanitary. Remember, those planes are only cleaned in the most cursory manner between flights so any bacteria etc left behind from the diaper change will be traveling along with others long after you're gone.

The best place to change the baby is in the airplane restroom and most airlines do have changing tables. Trust me, I know it's not easy to move in one of those bathrooms, I know you have to wait in long lines sometimes because not all of the stalls on an airplane have changing tables, and I know those bathrooms are not always clean and sanitary. Still it's the most considerate and hygienic thing you can do for your fellow passengers and the best part is, you have no issues actually disposing of the diaper and wipes as the trash can is right there.

Here are some tips to make the diaper change on an airplane easier:

1. Undress baby as much as possible at your seat.

2. Take only what you need into the bathroom. Leave the diaper bag behind and carry a changing mat, a small pack of wipes, diaper rash cream, and a diaper into the bathroom. On one super long flight, we made individual baggies holding supplies for the diaper change, including disposable changing pads, and when it was time for the change, that's all we took into the bathroom. We then put the wipes, dirty diaper, and changing pad into the baggie and disposed of the whole thing right there.

3. If the wait is really long for the stall with the changing table, do ask the flight attendant if they can help you. We once waited 15 minutes and finally asked the flight attendant for help.They called up to First Class, found out the bathroom was empty, and promptly escorted us there for the diaper change.

4. Handle any change in wardrobe at your seat. It's easier and most people aren't going to get bent out of shape by seeing a baby receiving a wardrobe change.

While most airplanes do have a changing table that folds out from the wall just behind the toilet, there are a few models of aircraft that don't. United Airlines' 757-200 series of aircraft do NOT have changing tables in any of their bathrooms and it makes for a very, very uncomfortable diaper change. I put the cover down on the toilet and changed baby there. I hated every minute of it and so did she. I've flown that particular model of aircraft twice in the last two months and every time, I've dreaded the diaper change. In the most recent flight, a flight attendant offered me a blanket to lay over the toilet and while I didn't take her offer, in retrospect, I should have. I'm still looking for good ways around this situation, so if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Link of the Day

Apologies for the hiatus; I was actually traveling overseas for the last 3 weeks with the little one and of course I have gathered up plenty of information to share here. Still, as we're recovering from severe jet-lag, here's a story on absurd airline fees.