Flight Time W/ Baby

[brutes]

I'm trying to convince my wife to take a trip with our 8 month old son. Has anyone else tried flying with an infant? If, so any tips? Did you use ear plugs, head set, etc? I need the flight time and the family time. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Brutes.

 

[Typhoon1244]

Eight months?!? And you still haven't taken the little guy flying?

Don't sweat it. It's not a bad idea to clear it with your pediatrician...particularly if your wife is concerned. My mom ran my down to Gurabo, PR on an Eastern DC-8 to visit relatives weeks after I was born, and I turned out okay...[tic]...[tic].

#1 suggestion: try to time it so that you can give the kid a bottle as the descent is starting and the cabin altitude starts to come down. It'll make it much easier for him to clear his ears.

And remember, when your kid is yelling and people are looking at you: they were all loud babies once, too!

 

[bigD]

If I had an infant that flew with me, I'd buy him a logbook and start giving him dual.

Then he'd be the only 17-year old taking his private checkride with 2,000 hours!

 

[TRLpilot]

that sounds like good advice with the bottle while changing altitudes.

i wasn't able to find ear plugs that worked well with a toddler, much less an infant. same for a headset or even ear muffs. ended up trying a short flight near the airport and the noise didn't seem to bother them, especially since they were snoozing by the time i was departing. after talking to some other folks around the airport it seems pretty common for young ones to fall asleep.

 

[troy]

If you are worried about the loud noise there are earplugs that are molded to the childs ear (the outside of the ear). I took my infant nephew flying and they worked great. sorry, I don't have a brand name, though. check walmart....

 

[310]

Try shooting muffs- ones with strap over top of head, not behind.
Think about flying lower; like 4000- 5000 feet instead of 10000 and making gradual altitude changes. There are earplugs that will work for little ones. I used both plugs and muffs when my kid was really small.

 

[Vector4fun]

I'd be real careful if the kid is prone to colds and/or ear infections. Infants can't clear their ears or sinuses as easily as an adult. The pressure changes can cause serious problems.

I personally know of a controller that took a FAM in the cockpit with a head cold. It screwed up her sinus cavities so bad, they had to make an un-scheduled stop to get her medical attention. I understand she was bleeding from the eyes and nose pretty freely.

 

[cvsfly]

If I had an infant that flew with me, I'd buy him a logbook and start giving him dual.

Then he'd be the only 17-year old taking his private checkride with 2,000 hours!

My son got some Dual at 6 mo. in a Mooney. Tried the ear plugs - he just pulled them out - he didn't seam to mind the noise. Ditto on the bottle feeding. Since then he's flown at 10 mo. in a Cessna, a King Air at 1 yr. It wasn't until he was 14 mo. that he had to slum it in an airliner. He's pretty good when flying, but we are always prepared with alot of distractions to keep him occupied. Last commercial flight the FA thought she would be cute and helpful by teaching him about the Call button - she said she didn't mind - THANKS! But now we will get dirty looks on future flights when he tries to push it.

 

[TrimixDeepDiver]

just give em a little codine or robitussin at the beginning of the flight and out they go for the whole flight.....works everytime...

 

[501261]

If you’re airlining, and it’s financially possible, buy him a seat. I know you can have a lap child until 2 years old, but my kids’ screamed bloody murder if someone tried to hold them for the entire flight. It was much simpler to simply let them crawl around on the empty seat next to mine.