First Flight with 3mo old

[Anonymous]

Not seat related but if you time it so they are hungry on takeoff, sucking will help clear their ears. I’d always board with a hungry, fussy baby (that often cleared out our row). Then I’d nurse or give a bottle once airborne. They’d usually sleep rest of the flight. Doesn’t work if there’s a delay but otherwise worked great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have our first trip coming up. About a 3hr flight.

Our baby is fairly chill but obviously we are a bit anxious. What would you guys do in terms of seats? She will be in our lap for the flight.

We can get the first two seats in First class so we will have more room or we can get 2 seats (aisle and window) in the second to last row of the plan. The flight is less than a week away and it is only half full so the odds of the middle seat in the back of the plan being taken are slim to none.

The question is - what is better with an infant? A large seat and more legroom or an open seat in the middle of us at the back of the plane?

Completely wrong on this one. The plane with most likely be full. Lots of seats don't get assigned until the day of. I wouldn't count on an empty seat-most planes these days are full if not oversold.

Take the first class seats.

[Anonymous]

I would get a row in the back and put baby in car seat. If you are holding baby, what seems like a light baby in the beginning starts feeling like a heavy baby as time passes, especially if fussy.

Also, no matter what, if you care, if your baby is fussy in first (there are travel forums and the complaints about this are endless) you are going to get glares and heavy sighs.

If you don't care and are going for first, the problem with the first row is you can't have anything at all at your feet during take off and landing. So you will have to store everything in the overhead bin, then get up to take things down once airborne, then put back up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would get a row in the back and put baby in car seat. If you are holding baby, what seems like a light baby in the beginning starts feeling like a heavy baby as time passes, especially if fussy.

Also, no matter what, if you care, if your baby is fussy in first (there are travel forums and the complaints about this are endless) you are going to get glares and heavy sighs.

If you don't care and are going for first, the problem with the first row is you can't have anything at all at your feet during take off and landing. So you will have to store everything in the overhead bin, then get up to take things down once airborne, then put back up.

I don't choose to annoy people based on whether they are rude about it. If the people in economy are polite about babies, and the rich people are rude, then that's an indication that the rich people are ones who deserve to be subjected to the baby. If someone is going to get annoyed, it might as well be the selfish jerks.

But really, I'd buy three seats and use a carseat. I couldn't justify the less safe choice for more money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd gamble on the extra seat and use the car seat, if your child likes it. When our baby was 3 months old he loved sleeping in his car seat and happily slept through the whole flight like that.

If your baby is only a contact napper then I'd forget about trying to get an extra seat and go for more legroom.

It will be great! Flying at that age was so smooth.

+1 to the bolded. YMMV, but we never had luck with the car seat on the plane. Easier to hold (and not that difficult at that age). Breastfeed or bottle during takeoff, otherwise gentle rocking and soothing.

And definitely no bulkhead or first row. You want as much of your “stuff” as possible within arms reach, not in the overhead compartment.

Personally, I don’t like it when anyone - kid or not - books two non-adjacent seats in the hopes that the middle will stay open. Just book the two seats next to each other. You don’t need a full extra seat between the two of you for the infant if you’re not using a car seat. (And if you are using a car seat, you should pay for that seat.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would feel guiltier in first class if the baby is fussier so I would choose 3 regular seats as well. It is also safer. If the other people in first class who paid for comfort do not stress you out then I would choose first class.

I feel the opposite. Rich people have easier lives all day every day and can deal with a fussy baby while drinking free liquor in their cushy wide seats. People in cattle class are already going through it: why make it worse?

There are a lot of working stiffs who get upgraded based on their status because they have to fly a lot, not everyone is some aristocrat to be shat on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would feel guiltier in first class if the baby is fussier so I would choose 3 regular seats as well. It is also safer. If the other people in first class who paid for comfort do not stress you out then I would choose first class.

I feel the opposite. Rich people have easier lives all day every day and can deal with a fussy baby while drinking free liquor in their cushy wide seats. People in cattle class are already going through it: why make it worse?

There are a lot of working stiffs who get upgraded based on their status because they have to fly a lot, not everyone is some aristocrat to be shat on.

People who fly a lot for work are usually in pretty cushy jobs.

But even if they aren't, if they're exactly the same as the people in coach, why would they deserve to be more protected from the crying baby?

[Anonymous]

Because that's what the back of the plane is for.

[Anonymous]

Op here - thank you. I think we’ll stick with the back of the plane!

Never thought about the bulkhead issues/storage so thanks for bringing that up.

[Anonymous]

For a short domestic flight, 1st class is almost all upgrades anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here - thank you. I think we’ll stick with the back of the plane!

Never thought about the bulkhead issues/storage so thanks for bringing that up.

Pp here and I think that’s a great choice. I really enjoy the cameraderie of the back of the plane- I had people with older kids help us out when ours were younger and tend to do the same.

[Anonymous]

I was just on a three hour flight with a maybe 2-3 month old in front of me. The mom wore her a lot of the time and the dad also held her. It was a very turbulent flight, and I was actually worried for the baby. Your baby needs to be in a car seat. Planes can have very unexpected turbulence and you don’t want your baby flying around an airplane. You don’t hold your baby in the car do you?
Anyway, the baby slept basically the entire time. Bring a pacifier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would get a row in the back and put baby in car seat. If you are holding baby, what seems like a light baby in the beginning starts feeling like a heavy baby as time passes, especially if fussy.

Also, no matter what, if you care, if your baby is fussy in first (there are travel forums and the complaints about this are endless) you are going to get glares and heavy sighs.

If you don't care and are going for first, the problem with the first row is you can't have anything at all at your feet during take off and landing. So you will have to store everything in the overhead bin, then get up to take things down once airborne, then put back up.

Was just on a fight where they didn’t take the seatbelt sign off the whole flight. Was really regretting putting my bag in the overhead bin and not under my seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here - thank you. I think we’ll stick with the back of the plane!

Never thought about the bulkhead issues/storage so thanks for bringing that up.

Pp here and I think that’s a great choice. I really enjoy the cameraderie of the back of the plane- I had people with older kids help us out when ours were younger and tend to do the same.

WTAF. Cameraderie?? It’s Lord of the Flies back there. Have you been on a plane recently? I’m guessing no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was just on a three hour flight with a maybe 2-3 month old in front of me. The mom wore her a lot of the time and the dad also held her. It was a very turbulent flight, and I was actually worried for the baby. Your baby needs to be in a car seat. Planes can have very unexpected turbulence and you don’t want your baby flying around an airplane. You don’t hold your baby in the car do you?
Anyway, the baby slept basically the entire time. Bring a pacifier.

Wearing a baby in flight is really unsafe. Don't do that.

A baby thrown clear of you in turbulence is more likely to survive than a baby crushed in a carrier.