Flying with a 1 year old, the Good, the Bad and the Smelly
I have flown with my daughter Mackenzie (age: 1) many times. Previous flights were quite easy, breast feed during takeoff, landing and anytime she started to make a peep. This time was different! Mackenzie now does not breastfeed during the day and did I mention she’s running around like a crazy person, always busy busy, no time to stop?! This time I was VERY nervous and had to be prepared. Below are few things I did to prepare myself:
- Checked into Southwest Airlines exactly 24 hours in advance. I wanted off the plane as quickly as possible!
- Packed these nifty ready-to-use milks. They come with a straw or you may pour it into your child’s sippy cup/bottle. (Did you know you can carry on liquids for your baby? It’s true, I had two of these and got them through no problem.)
- Brought Mac’s purse filled with toys which included the small Baby Einstein board books. She found friends that enjoyed them too.
4.  I downloaded a bunch of Apps on my ipad but our favorite was Kids Doodle. The best part is it’s FREE!
- Pulled out the old trust burp cloth! Came in handy during goldfish snack time. (side note: don’t wear a white shirt)
Flight numero uno was a breeze! We snagged the first row with plenty of leg room to allow Mac to stand up and play for a while. The only thing that stunk about this flight was Mac’s diaper. About half way through the flight she pooped. As much as this shouldn’t embarrass me…it did. We stunk and I had NO idea how I would change this stank bomb. Well, it turns out those teeny tiny bathrooms have a changing table. The rest of the flight she napped and played. Looking out the window was very exciting too.
Flight numero dos was a totally different story. I did not check it early consequently was pretty far back on the plane. The flight was delayed one hour. To top that off after boarding we sat on the runway for another 45 minutes singing, bouncing, rocking and trying not to lose it! This was just enough time for Mac to make ANOTHER stank bomb! Finally we took off and Mac slept over half the flight.  So yeah, I guess it could have been worse.
All-in-all flying with a 1 year old isn’t too terrible. There were lots of babies and kids and they all did great. For the most part I found people very helpful and understanding. So I guess my message in all of this is: don’t worry about stinky situations. You will make it through them and get where you’re going all in one piece.
