Need help, nightmare trip with infant ahead!!

[drvns]

Here is this nightmarish trip that I shall soon be taking, an 18 hr long flight with 4 stopovers each of 3 to 4 hr duration.I shall be taking my infant son (10 mnths) old with me, travelling with my dad.I am a first time mom and have abs No IDEA how to travel with baby.I have been preparing myself by reading other people's experiences, but need help.Please give me all your suggestions on what I shall need to pack or get in terms of baby gear.I already have a baby bJorn, planning to carry baby on that, no car seat or stroller and he has a bulkhead bassinet.I wanted to buy a food or bottle warmer to warm his food jars, but do I need anything else? Please help, all suggestions are welcome and deeply appreciated
thanks

[ahrimie]

I don't think you need to buy a bottle warmer (unless you want to). You can just ask for hot water to put the bottle in or just mix some hot water with cold water to make bottles. Plus, you'd have to think of where you can plug that in (if it's not battery powered).

Do you like you bjorn? I'm not sure if you've worn it for many hours before. Even at 5 months, I couldn't wear my bjorn for more than 30-40 min. I love my Ergo though and would recommend something you can wear for a long time. For your baby things, I would use a rolling carry on bag since you won't have a stroller with you. Also, pack a couple extra light blankets from home so that his bulkhead bassinet will smell like home and you can use it as a mat on the floor while you're waiting in the aiport.

Have you thought about how your son will eat solids? Can you just hold him and feed or will you need some type of travel high chair? You could take the kind you hook onto tables--those don't take as much space too. And yesterday, I bought disposable tablemats for my DD to eat off of in public places.

But yikes.. good luck! :)

[JdrKuhnert]

I agree with PP that you probably don't need a bottle warmer. The flight attendants should be able to warm the food for you. I've found that they are extremely helpful, especially on long international flights. . Also, did you order an infant meal for your child? For my next flight, I ordered one for DS2. I didn't know that was possible.

I recommend that you bring more diapers on the plane than you think that you would need. For some reason, whenever we fly my son goes through more than usual. I don't know if it's the excitement or what. Also, you never know when there will be a delay,etc. While it may seem like a lot, my general rule of thumb is 1 diaper per hour of flight. I usually have leftovers, but I don't want to be stuck without one. Also, an extra outfit or 2 is helpful. On one flight, DS2 had to go without because he had a blowout and I didn't have something for him to change into. I also limit my carry-on to baby gear, my toiletries, and a book. You might want to take a small toy to keep the little one entertained.

I usually give my boys something to drink for take off and landing to help with the air pressure for their ears.

You might want to rethink not taking a stroller with you. For such long layovers, it would be very helpful. If you gate check it, you can get it back on the layovers. It's also a good way to transport the diaper bag.

Also, take advantage of preboarding. If they don't announce it, I always ask if it would be possible. Traveling with an infant isn't easy, but it's manageable if you give yourself extra time and are well prepared.

[drvns]

Thanks so much, all your hints are valuable, yeah I'd better reconsider the stroller thing, I was just worried about lugging around the extra weight when we check in.

[Zansu]

Make sure your baby will fit in the bassinet. They are different sizes/capacities on every airline.

[jayali]

I also recommend bringing change of clothes for you. I have been on a few flights when parents have been puked on - they always had changes for their child but not for them. Their is nothing worse then sitting with the smell of vomit on your clothes.

I definitely recommend the stroller. You can use it to navigate your gear through the airport and you may really get tired of the Bjorn. Gate checking is a breeze.

[lowrioh]

Ditto to everything that the PP have said.
Definitely check that your baby will fit in the bassinet. DD was 5 months old when we went on our international flight and JUST fit on the way there and we didn't even bother on the way back. The flight attendant also warned us that if the baby can sit up on their own that they can't use the bassinet.
If you can't use the bassinet you might reconsider the bulk head. In our case, you couldn't raise the arm rests in all of the bulkhead seats which limited how we could lie her down. We were very lucky on the way back because the flight was half empty and I was able to get a row of 4 for the two of us. Check with the attendant when you check in and they may be able to block the seats next to you if the flight isn't full. Also check with the flight attendants when you get on the plane to see if there are any empty row. I figured that EVERYONE would benefit if the baby was happy.
One suggestion is to get a really big pillow that you and your dad can put across your laps so that DC can lie down.

I would check with the airline about whether they give you infant food on the plane. For our 15 and 18 hour flights they provided 2 meals and 2 bottles of formula.
Take your stroller and gate check it. It is easy as can be. I had DD in my Ergo and put all the other carry on bags in the stroller and pushed it around. The Ergo made security at the airport easier too because they let me keep her in the Ergo so I had my hands free.
This is what I took on our really long flight.
15 diapers and wipes (5-6 in the diaper bag for quick access and the rest in the rolling bag)
Small toy (linking rings)
2 Receiving blankets
Book for me
A clip to hold the blanket over my shoulder for nursing
2 bottles of expressed milk (I froze them right in the bottle so they wouldn't go bad)
Ergo
Tissues
Clean shirt for me and DH
A blanket sleeper with a zipper and 1 sleep and play (I put DD in her sleeper because I think that the planes are really cold and it is really easy to zip instead of mess with snaps).
Good Luck!