All of you moms out there will already know all of this info., but for you more recent preggos, you will find this information helpful.
I was talking with one of my friends who is 24 weeks pregnant last week, and we were discussing how you are supposed to sleep when you are pregnant. She knew (as most people can figure out pretty easily) that you shouldn't be sleeping on your stomach. She also knew that she shouldn't be sleeping on her back anymore. This position causes your uterus to put pressure on your descending vena cava (the main blood vessel coming from your heart) and can diminish blood supply to your lower body, including the fetus. What she didn't know, however, was that sleeping on your left side is actually the best position to be sleeping in during the second and third trimester. Here is some info. I found on a website about this:
"Although there's no real harm in sleeping on your right side, lying on your left side is actually good for you and your baby: It improves the flow of blood and nutrients to the placenta and it helps your kidneys efficiently eliminate waste products and fluids from your body. That, in turn, reduces swelling in your ankles, feet, and hands. If you train yourself to sleep on your left side early on, you'll have an easier time falling asleep when your belly is bulging later.
During the second half of pregnancy, avoid sleeping on your back, a position that puts the full weight of your uterus on your spine, back muscles, intestines, and the inferior vena cava (the vein that transports blood from your lower body to the heart). Back-sleeping can also put you at risk for backaches and hemorrhoids, inefficient digestion, and impaired breathing and circulation. Lying on your back in the second and third trimester can also cause changes in blood pressure. For some women, it can cause a drop in blood pressure that can make them feel dizzy; for others, it can cause an unwanted increase in blood pressure."
Another issue when it comes to sleeping during pregnancy is that it can become very difficult and uncomfortable to sleep when you are pregnant. Here is a good article on some of the reasons why this is the case, more info. on good sleep positions, and other things you can do to help get a good nights sleep!
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/sleep_during_pregnancy.html
Sweet dreams!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Cloth Diapering
A friend of mine asked me to do a blog about cloth diapers about 8 months ago, so here it finally is!
Yes, I am a mom that does cloth diapers and loves it! I am a big fan, even having two kids in diapers at once. I love not wasting - money & material. I love knowing that I am doing something that is good for my babies, good for the environment, and good for the wallet. I actually do use disposable diapers sometimes when we are out and about because it is just so much more practical, but I don't like using them much. I am also able to be so much more liberal with how often I can change my kids diapers since it doesn't matter how many we go through in a day - it won't cost me any more to change their diapers 8 times a day than it would to change it 3 times.
Well, anyway, so onto the practicalities -- there are sooooo many different products people use for cloth diapering. As many who use them would say, these are not your mother's cloth diapers! The art of cloth diapering has come a REALLY LONG WAY since we were kids! It has become much easier and much more practical. So, anyway, if you are wanting to look into cloth diapers more seriously, I would recommend checking out one of the many websites that sell cloth diapers so you can get a better idea of what all is out there. One of the best websites I've found is Jardine Diapers, jardinediapers.com to get information about all of the different covers, liners, etc. This was where I bought my initial supplies from. You can also find a lot of cloth diapering supplies, even new, on e-bay.
Okay, so here are my recommendations from some of the different products and methods I've tried. My favorite covers are the Bumkins covers. They are super easy to use, really easy to clean, and some of the most waterproof covers I've found. I also like the Prorap Classic covers and the Kushies diaper wrap because they are very affordable and also are very waterproof and easy to clean. So, basically what I do is I have Chinese pre-folds, which are just the actual cloth part, then I have some extra absorbancy liners (which are just another think fleece lined piece of cloth in the shape of a maxi-pad) that I put on top of the folded main cloth part (which I fold into fours and lay in the cover). Then I also put a flushable liner on top (my favorite of these are Imse Vimse liners, because they are BOTH flushable & reusable - in other words, if there is no poop on them, just wash them with everything else and reuse them again).
I usually do a load of diapers about once every 3 or 4 days, in my normal washing machine in hot water on the longest cycle possible. A huge life saver in cloth diapering came for me when I got a diaper sprayer that attaches to the toilet and allows you to spray off the poop into the toilet before you wash the diapers. One of my children has always had very wet and mushy poop and most of his poopy diapers needed spraying. Fortunately, my daughter usually has thicker poop that I can just grab the disposable liner and flush it down the toilet. In fact, because of the ability to flush the poop down the toilet, I feel like cloth diapers are almost LESS gross than a disposable diaper where you are usually just stuffing poop into a diaper genie or something.
Yes, I am a mom that does cloth diapers and loves it! I am a big fan, even having two kids in diapers at once. I love not wasting - money & material. I love knowing that I am doing something that is good for my babies, good for the environment, and good for the wallet. I actually do use disposable diapers sometimes when we are out and about because it is just so much more practical, but I don't like using them much. I am also able to be so much more liberal with how often I can change my kids diapers since it doesn't matter how many we go through in a day - it won't cost me any more to change their diapers 8 times a day than it would to change it 3 times.
Well, anyway, so onto the practicalities -- there are sooooo many different products people use for cloth diapering. As many who use them would say, these are not your mother's cloth diapers! The art of cloth diapering has come a REALLY LONG WAY since we were kids! It has become much easier and much more practical. So, anyway, if you are wanting to look into cloth diapers more seriously, I would recommend checking out one of the many websites that sell cloth diapers so you can get a better idea of what all is out there. One of the best websites I've found is Jardine Diapers, jardinediapers.com to get information about all of the different covers, liners, etc. This was where I bought my initial supplies from. You can also find a lot of cloth diapering supplies, even new, on e-bay.
Okay, so here are my recommendations from some of the different products and methods I've tried. My favorite covers are the Bumkins covers. They are super easy to use, really easy to clean, and some of the most waterproof covers I've found. I also like the Prorap Classic covers and the Kushies diaper wrap because they are very affordable and also are very waterproof and easy to clean. So, basically what I do is I have Chinese pre-folds, which are just the actual cloth part, then I have some extra absorbancy liners (which are just another think fleece lined piece of cloth in the shape of a maxi-pad) that I put on top of the folded main cloth part (which I fold into fours and lay in the cover). Then I also put a flushable liner on top (my favorite of these are Imse Vimse liners, because they are BOTH flushable & reusable - in other words, if there is no poop on them, just wash them with everything else and reuse them again).
I usually do a load of diapers about once every 3 or 4 days, in my normal washing machine in hot water on the longest cycle possible. A huge life saver in cloth diapering came for me when I got a diaper sprayer that attaches to the toilet and allows you to spray off the poop into the toilet before you wash the diapers. One of my children has always had very wet and mushy poop and most of his poopy diapers needed spraying. Fortunately, my daughter usually has thicker poop that I can just grab the disposable liner and flush it down the toilet. In fact, because of the ability to flush the poop down the toilet, I feel like cloth diapers are almost LESS gross than a disposable diaper where you are usually just stuffing poop into a diaper genie or something.
Friday, October 26, 2007
"It Happened to Me"
There is a section in one of the parenting magazines I read that is called "It Happened to Me" and moms write in about accidents and things that have happened to their kids in an attempt to warn other moms so it doesn't happen to them. I've learned about some interesting and unsuspecting things to be careful about, such as letting your kids be outside when the lawn is being mowed (rocks flying at them), being careful when you're vacuuming (this one kid got his hand caught under the vacuum cleaner and it ripped his skin off), furniture falling on kids, babies getting their hands burned on the oven, and other such scary things. So, anyway, I had one of these types of things happen to me that now I want to warn other moms of!
This week I was at Costco and had my two kids (Samuel - 2 1/2 & Hope - 11 mo. now) in the shopping cart at the front seat part. (Costco's carts are great because they have places for two kids at the front!) So, they were both buckled in the whole time until we got to the check out counter and Hope started fussing, so I unbuckled her and picked her up for a few minutes. Then on the way out, I put her back in and for whatever reason, didn't bother to buckle her in again. Of course, I am sure you can tell where this is going... so, as I was unloading the stuff into my car in the parking lot, I hear this loud thump and look back to find Hope NOT in the shopping cart, and lying on the ground with her face down. I definitely about lost it, and panicked, running to pick her up and in shock that that had just happened. I really couldn't believe it and didn't know what to do. Fortunately, a lady who was close by and saw it happen came over and asked if we were okay. I was kind of panicking and asked her what she thought I should do, if I should take her to the ER. We both kind of seemed to agree that was the best idea, and she helped me finish loading the stuff into the car and get Samuel and Hope in their car seats so I could drive to the ER. Hope ended up being fine, but it certainly was very scary. I honestly didn't really ever think my kids would fall out of the shopping cart if they weren't buckled in, but now I know just how wrong this thinking was! So, learn from my mistake, and always always always buckle your kids into the shopping cart seat, even if you think it is only going to be a minute or two before you have them out again!
And while I am writing about this, when we were in the ER, I probed the doctor with a lot of questions about falls and head injuries and how to know when you really need to go to the ER, because I feel like this is something that most of us moms don't really know the right answers to. Of course, we think it would be obvious when we would need to go to the ER, but I have now taken my daughter to the ER twice in her first year of life, and both of those time I did not feel like it was a very easy and obvious decision. Yet both times it turned out that it was a good decision. Anyway, so kids fall all the time, how do you know when it is serious enough to warrant an ER visit? Here is what I learned. With children, the only way they can really know if there is serious damage to the head or brain is by doing a CAT scan. However, the radiation this uses has been found to have a negative effect on children and babies, and is a risk that is often not worth taking. Also, in order to do a CAT scan, the child has to hold completely still for 5 minutes. So, since this is pretty much impossible, they have to usually put them under for this procedure. Therefore, in order to decide to do this, there usually needs to be a pretty substantial reason to think there might be something wrong. However, if the child or baby is acting strange, lost consciousness, is vomiting or bleeding, or had a very far or hard fall, or has a pretty severe bump on the head, these things would certainly warrant an ER visit. The doctor said that the height of Hope's fall made it borderline for doing a CAT scan, but since he was able to see her and see that she seemed to be acting pretty normal, he decided against it. He just said that I needed to watch her very closely for the next 24 hours and make sure she seemed to be acting mostly normal and didn't have any of those signs I just listed. So, hopefully some of this information from my trip to the ER will be helpful to you all. (actually, hopefully you will never need to know any of this! :) Another thing I learned was that even if there is damage from the fall (other than stitches) the only thing they can actually do is if there is a blood clot, they would go in and do surgery to remove it. Kind of scary! Anyway, may none of us ever have to deal with this kind of stuff! Strap those babies in!
This week I was at Costco and had my two kids (Samuel - 2 1/2 & Hope - 11 mo. now) in the shopping cart at the front seat part. (Costco's carts are great because they have places for two kids at the front!) So, they were both buckled in the whole time until we got to the check out counter and Hope started fussing, so I unbuckled her and picked her up for a few minutes. Then on the way out, I put her back in and for whatever reason, didn't bother to buckle her in again. Of course, I am sure you can tell where this is going... so, as I was unloading the stuff into my car in the parking lot, I hear this loud thump and look back to find Hope NOT in the shopping cart, and lying on the ground with her face down. I definitely about lost it, and panicked, running to pick her up and in shock that that had just happened. I really couldn't believe it and didn't know what to do. Fortunately, a lady who was close by and saw it happen came over and asked if we were okay. I was kind of panicking and asked her what she thought I should do, if I should take her to the ER. We both kind of seemed to agree that was the best idea, and she helped me finish loading the stuff into the car and get Samuel and Hope in their car seats so I could drive to the ER. Hope ended up being fine, but it certainly was very scary. I honestly didn't really ever think my kids would fall out of the shopping cart if they weren't buckled in, but now I know just how wrong this thinking was! So, learn from my mistake, and always always always buckle your kids into the shopping cart seat, even if you think it is only going to be a minute or two before you have them out again!
And while I am writing about this, when we were in the ER, I probed the doctor with a lot of questions about falls and head injuries and how to know when you really need to go to the ER, because I feel like this is something that most of us moms don't really know the right answers to. Of course, we think it would be obvious when we would need to go to the ER, but I have now taken my daughter to the ER twice in her first year of life, and both of those time I did not feel like it was a very easy and obvious decision. Yet both times it turned out that it was a good decision. Anyway, so kids fall all the time, how do you know when it is serious enough to warrant an ER visit? Here is what I learned. With children, the only way they can really know if there is serious damage to the head or brain is by doing a CAT scan. However, the radiation this uses has been found to have a negative effect on children and babies, and is a risk that is often not worth taking. Also, in order to do a CAT scan, the child has to hold completely still for 5 minutes. So, since this is pretty much impossible, they have to usually put them under for this procedure. Therefore, in order to decide to do this, there usually needs to be a pretty substantial reason to think there might be something wrong. However, if the child or baby is acting strange, lost consciousness, is vomiting or bleeding, or had a very far or hard fall, or has a pretty severe bump on the head, these things would certainly warrant an ER visit. The doctor said that the height of Hope's fall made it borderline for doing a CAT scan, but since he was able to see her and see that she seemed to be acting pretty normal, he decided against it. He just said that I needed to watch her very closely for the next 24 hours and make sure she seemed to be acting mostly normal and didn't have any of those signs I just listed. So, hopefully some of this information from my trip to the ER will be helpful to you all. (actually, hopefully you will never need to know any of this! :) Another thing I learned was that even if there is damage from the fall (other than stitches) the only thing they can actually do is if there is a blood clot, they would go in and do surgery to remove it. Kind of scary! Anyway, may none of us ever have to deal with this kind of stuff! Strap those babies in!
Monday, October 1, 2007
Child Development
One of my favorite aspects of motherhood is getting to watch my children grow and develop. It is one of the most amazing things to see the tiny, helpless newborn baby you gave birth to grow up and learn to roll over, then sit up, then start eating solid foods, then crawl, stand, walk, talk, and continue to learn more and more things everyday. It all happens in such a short period of time, and yet you barely notice it happening sometimes because it is slow and gradual.
I believe getting to really see this process is something that only parents can really get to see, because even people who get to see certain children once or twice a week don't get to see every little gradual change, as well as the changes that sometimes happen in a moment. But as moms, we get to see it all! It is so great!
Often in a matter of a week your baby goes from sitting up to crawling, or can all of sudden clap or click her tongue! Hope just started getting so good at mimicing, it is amazing! She even tries to snap her fingers when we do. She can now sign "more" and "all done" and probably could do so much more if I took the time to work with her on it! And she is only 10 months old! She just started crawling a few weeks ago, and will come to me when I tell her to. I think one of the amazing things about how infants develop is that they really understand so much more than we think they do. She certainly understands when I tell her no or when I tell her to lay down and go to sleep. Of course, she often fights me in these things and likes to pretend like she doesn't know what I am saying, but I have come to realize she really DOES know what I am saying, and if I don't let her get her way, she obliges to what I have told her. Kids are so darn amazing!
I believe getting to really see this process is something that only parents can really get to see, because even people who get to see certain children once or twice a week don't get to see every little gradual change, as well as the changes that sometimes happen in a moment. But as moms, we get to see it all! It is so great!
Often in a matter of a week your baby goes from sitting up to crawling, or can all of sudden clap or click her tongue! Hope just started getting so good at mimicing, it is amazing! She even tries to snap her fingers when we do. She can now sign "more" and "all done" and probably could do so much more if I took the time to work with her on it! And she is only 10 months old! She just started crawling a few weeks ago, and will come to me when I tell her to. I think one of the amazing things about how infants develop is that they really understand so much more than we think they do. She certainly understands when I tell her no or when I tell her to lay down and go to sleep. Of course, she often fights me in these things and likes to pretend like she doesn't know what I am saying, but I have come to realize she really DOES know what I am saying, and if I don't let her get her way, she obliges to what I have told her. Kids are so darn amazing!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Motherhood Craziness
Well, I can't believe I haven't posted anything up on here ALL summer! So sorry everyone! We moved into a new house in July and then the rest of the summer has just seemed to be so packed with all sorts of things. Last night though I had a dream that I was hanging out with a group of moms and was sharing something and one of them said, "Can you please post that on your blog?"
Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly what it was I was sharing with them, but what I do remember was that it had something to do with how much of our lives as moms consists of dealing with any number of crazy situations, and to embrace it and know that it is normal and you are not alone!
For instance, this morning when I went upstairs to get Samuel out of bed, he tells me, "Pee pee Momma" and points to a large wet spot on his sheet. So I recognize that this morning is going to consist of a load of laundry and re-making his bed before nap time, among the normal hecticness of just getting us all fed and dressed in the morning times. After some time though, you start to realize that these sort of occurances should really just be expected and be considered normal. A poopy diaper that goes through all three layers of clothing...a fussy child that needs to be held an extra long time that day...three sets of dishes and cups that one child went through in one meal...picking up the massive pile of books and toys four times in one day (how do they manage to get so much out in such a short period of time?)...two or three baths in one day from a very messy meal or extra large amounts of dirt from playing outside or from a poopy that wipes just couldn't do justice...and the list goes on. I am sure we all have our own personal situations that make us sigh and wish we could just get away for a few hours.
And yet, it is just all part of the job, part of the blessing of being "mom". And I only have two kids, and they are barely old enough to talk yet! I can only imagine what my list might be when I have more kids and when I am dealing with all sorts of emotional issues that I haven't even come across yet!
Well, I guess the point is just that I am learning how to be more patient, more thankful, and less surprised at the daily ordeals of motherhood. I think one thing that helps the most is to remember to stop often and just enjoy my kids - just watch them and marvel at how amazing and adorable and funny they are! Many blessings to you all as you enjoy the craziness of motherhood and all the fun and wonder bundled into it all!
Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly what it was I was sharing with them, but what I do remember was that it had something to do with how much of our lives as moms consists of dealing with any number of crazy situations, and to embrace it and know that it is normal and you are not alone!
For instance, this morning when I went upstairs to get Samuel out of bed, he tells me, "Pee pee Momma" and points to a large wet spot on his sheet. So I recognize that this morning is going to consist of a load of laundry and re-making his bed before nap time, among the normal hecticness of just getting us all fed and dressed in the morning times. After some time though, you start to realize that these sort of occurances should really just be expected and be considered normal. A poopy diaper that goes through all three layers of clothing...a fussy child that needs to be held an extra long time that day...three sets of dishes and cups that one child went through in one meal...picking up the massive pile of books and toys four times in one day (how do they manage to get so much out in such a short period of time?)...two or three baths in one day from a very messy meal or extra large amounts of dirt from playing outside or from a poopy that wipes just couldn't do justice...and the list goes on. I am sure we all have our own personal situations that make us sigh and wish we could just get away for a few hours.
And yet, it is just all part of the job, part of the blessing of being "mom". And I only have two kids, and they are barely old enough to talk yet! I can only imagine what my list might be when I have more kids and when I am dealing with all sorts of emotional issues that I haven't even come across yet!
Well, I guess the point is just that I am learning how to be more patient, more thankful, and less surprised at the daily ordeals of motherhood. I think one thing that helps the most is to remember to stop often and just enjoy my kids - just watch them and marvel at how amazing and adorable and funny they are! Many blessings to you all as you enjoy the craziness of motherhood and all the fun and wonder bundled into it all!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
"14 Habits of Very Happy Moms"
I am mostly taking this list from a magazine article out of Parents magazine, but editing it according to my desires & adding my own comments because I can! It is a pretty good list with some good reminders for all of us moms out there!
1. ask for help (don't be afraid to admit you're not a super-mom & let people help you out!)
2. leave the house - now (I totally agree that getting out, especially to go outside and go to a park or over to a friend's house to play is one of the most fun and uplifting things to do, although it is very true that it is a lot of work. But most everytime I do this, I am glad I did!)
3. plan some big fun (like a vacation :)
4. exercise
5. find a way to have some alone time
6. find ways to serve & help others
7. don't be envious of other moms (& try to avoid those self-pity trips where you silently lament your lot in life of very little sleep, lots of unappreciated work, no pay, and little or no time off...that's just all part of the job description of "MOM")
8. hang with your gal pals (spend time with other moms in the "trenches of motherhood" with you)
9. spend some one-on-one time with each of your children
10. remember that nothing lasts forever (both to enjoy all the blessings that won't be there forever, and to patiently endure the difficulties that will be gone soon enough)
11. laugh & smile a lot (one of the things that makes me the happiest is just to watch my kids & realize how cute and funny they are -- to just enjoy who they are in all of their specialness)
12. dance & play music (kids love this, and it makes mom happy too!)
13. give & get lots of cuddles, hugs & kisses!
14. and the one I would probably consider the most important: BE THANKFUL! Many women these days can't even have children. Remember what a blessing it is that you have been given children, & learn how to love every minute of being a mom, because it is one of the biggest blessings God can give us!
1. ask for help (don't be afraid to admit you're not a super-mom & let people help you out!)
2. leave the house - now (I totally agree that getting out, especially to go outside and go to a park or over to a friend's house to play is one of the most fun and uplifting things to do, although it is very true that it is a lot of work. But most everytime I do this, I am glad I did!)
3. plan some big fun (like a vacation :)
4. exercise
5. find a way to have some alone time
6. find ways to serve & help others
7. don't be envious of other moms (& try to avoid those self-pity trips where you silently lament your lot in life of very little sleep, lots of unappreciated work, no pay, and little or no time off...that's just all part of the job description of "MOM")
8. hang with your gal pals (spend time with other moms in the "trenches of motherhood" with you)
9. spend some one-on-one time with each of your children
10. remember that nothing lasts forever (both to enjoy all the blessings that won't be there forever, and to patiently endure the difficulties that will be gone soon enough)
11. laugh & smile a lot (one of the things that makes me the happiest is just to watch my kids & realize how cute and funny they are -- to just enjoy who they are in all of their specialness)
12. dance & play music (kids love this, and it makes mom happy too!)
13. give & get lots of cuddles, hugs & kisses!
14. and the one I would probably consider the most important: BE THANKFUL! Many women these days can't even have children. Remember what a blessing it is that you have been given children, & learn how to love every minute of being a mom, because it is one of the biggest blessings God can give us!
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Flying with Babies
oh my goodness everyone! I'm so sorry it has been so long since I wrote a post...a month! Well, I was in Hawaii for a week, and then we are moving at the end of the month, so I have been trying to start getting rid of stuff and packing to get ready for that! So hopefully after June I will get a little more consistent with writing posts!
So after my 5 and a half hour flight to Hawaii with a 6 month old baby, I thought I should write a post with some helpful hints I've learned and heard about flying with infants. I've also flown a lot with my son to visit my parents in Texas, a much more doable 3 hour flight.
Well, first of all, you've just gotta pysche yourself up and tell yourself you can do it, no matter how hard it may be at moments! The goal really is getting there, and sometimes that might be a messy process. While I am sure many moms have had great flying experiences with their children, and I've had my handful of relatively easy ones, there can also be moments where you feel as though you're on the brink of disaster and aren't sure if you will survive! But take heart, you will!
Okay, so on a more practical note... if you're traveling with someone else, don't sweat it. You'll have someone to help bear the burden and to help you put all of that stuff through the conveyer belt at the security check! On that note, gear yourself up for the security check, because it is one of the more intense brief moments of flying with a baby.
Well, this post is a little sporadic so far, so let me take you through flying with an infant somewhat chronologically and give you some tips as I go.
First, you need to remember to take the car seat with you as you get out of the car to go to the airport unless you already have one wherever you are traveling to. Also, I highly recommend taking the stroller too, because it is great for lugging all of your baby stuff through the airport, and you can check it at the gate. They actually make traveling with your stroller super easy.
So, you go into the airport dragging all of your luggage, pushing the stroller with the carseat in it, and finally make it to the check in line. I recommend doing the original check-in style with a real live person, because you have to tell them you are flying with an infant. Also, you should always ask how full the flight is, because if it is relatively empty, they will often book you an extra seat for the baby for free, then you can take their car seat all the way onto the plane, and you are set! Don't panic if the flight is full and you can't though. You'll still be fine (I had to have Hope on my lap the whole time flying to and back from Hawaii).
So, then you get your tickets and get all checked in. With a baby, I highly recommend checking all you can at the ticket counter, except the stroller, and I also choose to not check the infant car seat until the gate. You can either check it at the ticket counter or the gate, it is up to you, but I have found that it gets taken a little better care of if they check it at the gate and it doesn't have to get all tossed around with the rest of the luggage.
Alright, then the security line! This gets a little crazy because you have to get your shoes off, get all of your stuff up on the conveyer belt (diaper bag, purse, car seat, stroller) and then carry the baby through the security line. My advice is to just not stress, take your time, and don't worry about the annoyed people in line behind you :) You're doing the best you can!
So then as you wait at the gate, at some point you have to get a tag for the stroller and car seat to be able to check it at the gate. You just go up to the person at the counter at the gate and ask them for this.
I also would recommend taking a baby carrier in case you need to use this while you wait. I used my Ultimate Baby Wrap when travelling with Hope to get her to fall asleep several times. Another random tip is to choose carefully if possible the times you are flying. Try to set it up where you will be ON the plane for nap time, not sitting in the airport, or getting off right in the middle of a nap. Most babies (at least mine), DO NOT sleep through all the commotion of getting on and off the plane, even if it is in the middle of the night.
Alright, boarding time. Sometimes I've chosen to take advantage of the early boarding you can do with infants, but more recently I've decided against this and instead choose to be one of the last ones on the plane. This is because I find that the less time with a baby on your lap in a small space where you can't stand up, the better!
So, now you're on the plane... depending on the age of the baby, it can be pretty hard to get them to sleep until the plane has actually taken off (but at which point it is usually pretty easy for them to sleep because of the lull and humm similar to a car). So, I use this time before take off to play with a toy or something to keep them occupied. It is always a good idea to bring a few toys/books on the plane, even with a 3 or 4 month old. You never know when you might need them.
-TAKE OFF: often babies will cry at take-off and landing because their ears pop like ours. To help with this, nurse them at these points, or have them suck on a pacifier.
-IN THE AIR: don't be surprised if at some point on the flight, your baby has a melt-down. I've had it happen to me several times, and you feel really helpless and miserable, but it usually ends before too long. Here are some tricks I've found to help in these moments:
- don't be afraid to use nursing as a calming tool at any time during the flight
- pull out any toys or use any fun tricks to get your baby happy again
- bounce them up and down on your lap
far and away, the most helpful is the nursing though!
So, hopefully your baby will sleep all or at least part of the time while flying in the air. If not, hopefully they will be able to play contently on your lap or in their car seat. And if they don't, at least you'll be able to look back one day and laugh!
The good news is that when you get off the plane, most of the time your car seat and stroller will be waiting for you just out the door of the plane!
Okay, I think that is about it for now. Hope this helps in some way! Happy Flying!
So after my 5 and a half hour flight to Hawaii with a 6 month old baby, I thought I should write a post with some helpful hints I've learned and heard about flying with infants. I've also flown a lot with my son to visit my parents in Texas, a much more doable 3 hour flight.
Well, first of all, you've just gotta pysche yourself up and tell yourself you can do it, no matter how hard it may be at moments! The goal really is getting there, and sometimes that might be a messy process. While I am sure many moms have had great flying experiences with their children, and I've had my handful of relatively easy ones, there can also be moments where you feel as though you're on the brink of disaster and aren't sure if you will survive! But take heart, you will!
Okay, so on a more practical note... if you're traveling with someone else, don't sweat it. You'll have someone to help bear the burden and to help you put all of that stuff through the conveyer belt at the security check! On that note, gear yourself up for the security check, because it is one of the more intense brief moments of flying with a baby.
Well, this post is a little sporadic so far, so let me take you through flying with an infant somewhat chronologically and give you some tips as I go.
First, you need to remember to take the car seat with you as you get out of the car to go to the airport unless you already have one wherever you are traveling to. Also, I highly recommend taking the stroller too, because it is great for lugging all of your baby stuff through the airport, and you can check it at the gate. They actually make traveling with your stroller super easy.
So, you go into the airport dragging all of your luggage, pushing the stroller with the carseat in it, and finally make it to the check in line. I recommend doing the original check-in style with a real live person, because you have to tell them you are flying with an infant. Also, you should always ask how full the flight is, because if it is relatively empty, they will often book you an extra seat for the baby for free, then you can take their car seat all the way onto the plane, and you are set! Don't panic if the flight is full and you can't though. You'll still be fine (I had to have Hope on my lap the whole time flying to and back from Hawaii).
So, then you get your tickets and get all checked in. With a baby, I highly recommend checking all you can at the ticket counter, except the stroller, and I also choose to not check the infant car seat until the gate. You can either check it at the ticket counter or the gate, it is up to you, but I have found that it gets taken a little better care of if they check it at the gate and it doesn't have to get all tossed around with the rest of the luggage.
Alright, then the security line! This gets a little crazy because you have to get your shoes off, get all of your stuff up on the conveyer belt (diaper bag, purse, car seat, stroller) and then carry the baby through the security line. My advice is to just not stress, take your time, and don't worry about the annoyed people in line behind you :) You're doing the best you can!
So then as you wait at the gate, at some point you have to get a tag for the stroller and car seat to be able to check it at the gate. You just go up to the person at the counter at the gate and ask them for this.
I also would recommend taking a baby carrier in case you need to use this while you wait. I used my Ultimate Baby Wrap when travelling with Hope to get her to fall asleep several times. Another random tip is to choose carefully if possible the times you are flying. Try to set it up where you will be ON the plane for nap time, not sitting in the airport, or getting off right in the middle of a nap. Most babies (at least mine), DO NOT sleep through all the commotion of getting on and off the plane, even if it is in the middle of the night.
Alright, boarding time. Sometimes I've chosen to take advantage of the early boarding you can do with infants, but more recently I've decided against this and instead choose to be one of the last ones on the plane. This is because I find that the less time with a baby on your lap in a small space where you can't stand up, the better!
So, now you're on the plane... depending on the age of the baby, it can be pretty hard to get them to sleep until the plane has actually taken off (but at which point it is usually pretty easy for them to sleep because of the lull and humm similar to a car). So, I use this time before take off to play with a toy or something to keep them occupied. It is always a good idea to bring a few toys/books on the plane, even with a 3 or 4 month old. You never know when you might need them.
-TAKE OFF: often babies will cry at take-off and landing because their ears pop like ours. To help with this, nurse them at these points, or have them suck on a pacifier.
-IN THE AIR: don't be surprised if at some point on the flight, your baby has a melt-down. I've had it happen to me several times, and you feel really helpless and miserable, but it usually ends before too long. Here are some tricks I've found to help in these moments:
- don't be afraid to use nursing as a calming tool at any time during the flight
- pull out any toys or use any fun tricks to get your baby happy again
- bounce them up and down on your lap
far and away, the most helpful is the nursing though!
So, hopefully your baby will sleep all or at least part of the time while flying in the air. If not, hopefully they will be able to play contently on your lap or in their car seat. And if they don't, at least you'll be able to look back one day and laugh!
The good news is that when you get off the plane, most of the time your car seat and stroller will be waiting for you just out the door of the plane!
Okay, I think that is about it for now. Hope this helps in some way! Happy Flying!
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