Flying alone to Hawaii with 1 year old...

[Anonymous]

Ok, so mostly alone. My DH is going to San Fran and then Honolulu for business for two weeks, so DD and I are tagging along. Except we are leaving a couple of days after him because I didnt want her to miss/reschedule her 1 year well check up appointment. We are meeting him in San Fran, so our first flights there are alone. Luckily, we have the same flight to Hawaii so he can help me. But the flights back to DC will be solo.

So instead of being excited about a vacation, Im terrified of the idea of traveling with a very active 1 year old who loves to climb over mommy if we are sitting down. Im most scared about the 8.5 hour flight from Hawaii to Chicago to get back to DC. It will be a red eye, so hopefully she will sleep most of it.

Im bringing our car seat and a umbrella stroller that has an adapter bar for the car seat. I also have an ergo for wearing her when I gate check the stroller and car seat. Im just nervous about the idea of going through security with all that gear plus a heavy diaper bag. Plus what if she is too excited to sleep and wants to crawl out of my arms on one of the long flights. Im still breastfeeding her, so I plan to do so on plane to calm her. But I know its a lot to expect her to stay in a seat that long.

Im just thinking I lost my mind when I decided to book that ticket.

[Anonymous]

Be afraid. Be very afraid. It's hell that you describe. It will be difficult. Have you flown w/her before? Go to the dollar store and buy a big bag of cheap plastic stuff and pull it out s-l-o-w-l-y. When you reach your destination, put the bag away and don't pull it out again until you get back on the plane for your return flight. Expect the worst. Remember it's temporary. You will recover, eventually. The TSA will probably be more lax w/bringing foods like yogurt b/c you have a baby. Good luck. Remember, it's temporary. Take lots of photos so you can remember how much fun you had on the beach and why you suffered through that horrible flight.

[Anonymous]

You will be fine. You will have a blast. On the redeye, just do normal bedtime stuff, and remember that inside an airplane there are dim lights and white noise.

Here are some good things to read:
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com/
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-children-221/

[Anonymous]

I feel for you.... I really do. I flew only to Florida from DC with my daughter at 12 months alone and it was miserable. The only thing that kept me from going crazy was to let her watch movies on my iphone.... which she insisted in throwing down the isle over and over. You should buy a portable DVD player and strap it to the back of her seat so you can play her favorite movies. 12 months is a rough age to fly, my daughter did great at 3 months and 6 months... not so much at 12. Pack mum mums, stickers, above post about toys is great, a change of clothes for yourself, and a gift for everyone else on the plane that your child will terrorize. I'm totally kidding about the last one My daughter will watch this dvd in the car over and over: http://amzn.com/B0001GWBOG Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Reschedule her 1 year well check up appointment!!

[Anonymous]

Seriously, just reschedule her appt. It is just a checkup.

[Anonymous]

I would buy DC her own seat, if you can. That is a long flight, and there is NO WAY you are going to get sleep with a lap baby. Also, I've found flying over the Rockies consistently turbulent.

DC flies like a champ--we just keep DC in the car seat, shoes off, light blanket, seat tilted slightly back, and the drone of the plane puts DC to sleep right away. We've flown to Honolulu a couple of times, and the car seat was a life saver.

[Anonymous]

OP here, i probably shouldve rescheduled it but since ive already bought the nonrefundable ticket i think it'd be expensive to switch dates and even moreso to get on the exact flights as hubby. We tried to get the same flight back to DCA together as hubby but it was an extra $600 on top of the $1200. I only bought myself a ticket but afterwards regret not buying her one especially after reading about turbulence. In the future I will always buy her one or if I cant afford it not fly. I guess Im an old fashion cheap girl. Im sure I'll learn my lesson on this trip. I just pray she isnt miserable, its got to be so hard on a 1 year old being stuck in a seat for so long. The more I contemplate this I think of calling United to see how it'd be to cancel my ticket.


Good idea about buying the other passengers a gift. Maybe I should offer to buy them a drink before take off.

[Anonymous]

I plan to bring her carseat and see if I can get a open seat next to me to install. As of right, now only of the flights are completely booked and its only a week away to the trip. So im hoping i have a good chance on some. Next time i'll definitely not play th chairs game and just buy a seat!

[Anonymous]

If you want something to give to passengers around you, bring a box of earplugs. I've done this before on flights, but never had to give them out, thankfully!!!

[Anonymous]

You're taking her as a lap baby? Oh god. I hope it goes well for you but that would be a surprise. You're setting yourself for failure and I feel sorry for your baby and the peopel around you.

[Anonymous]

Oh, pish posh.

I've taken my now 20 month old as a lap baby on dozens of flights, long haul and short haul. You CAN sleep with a lap baby. And "failure"? What on earth is "failure" in this circumstance? Making the plane crash?

OP, don't be scared, but do PLAN PLAN PLAN. Make sure you have everything you need at your fingertips. Make sure you have 2-3 plans for various contingencies.

[Anonymous]

I would have rescheduled the 1 yr appt in a heartbeat. Esp. if she is flying as a lap baby. It is very hard and crowded when it is just you and you don't have someone to hand her off to. I would echo what PP said and be sure to bring a change of clothes for both of you. On one of my flights DD got airsick and threw up all over us both (was fine the previous 4 times we flew). Thankfully I had a bag to throw all the soiled clothes in and she was in a dress which made it easy to change. Can husband change to your flight home?

[Anonymous]

Im going to call United and see what my options are for cancelling or changing the flight. I dont expect the flights to go smoothly but based on the majority of comments Im scared sh*tless now. She tolerates me holding while she's asleep and I can usually nurse her to get her calm. But if she's not tired, yeah it will be hard as hell keeping her entertained and seated.

Im not sure I can get on all the same flights as DH w/o paying an insane amount. We tried to get same return flight and it was an extra $600. He gets a goverment rate. I guess cancelling the trip is best.

[Anonymous]

It may be hard but I wouldn't cancel. Just be prepared. I think most of us can agree that we've had those bad flights. You'll make it and you may even be pleasantly surprised.