Ok, you're all probably thinking "whoa, two blogs in one day!" Yep, you're right. Hubby has been hard at work on the computer, but he's off in the village today, so I'm trying to catch up on our blogging. As our big trip back to the US is fast approaching I thought I'd post a blog on some tips for plane travel with little ones. Little Eden will be enjoying her 5th major international journey (Canada, East Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and now back to the US) and we've learned a few things along the way.

• Four month olds are much easier to travel with than 11 month olds (we'll see how it is to travel with a 19 month old). Eden wasn't able to walk well yet at 11 months and was cognitive enough to know that there were some major changes going on around her, but couldn't understand them. 15/16 months was a little easier as well.
• I'm a big early starter dork. I get stressed when I do things at the last minute (I'm so blessed that the good Lord in all His wisdom matched me with a hubby that works really well under pressure- we're a good team). I find it helpful to make a list of everything that you need to get done before you leave for the trip. It seems like there's always a million little things you need to do at the last minute. Also, make a list of what you'd like in your hand luggage, your carryon luggage, and your packed luggage. I've found this helps me to go through different scenarios and decide where is the best to put everything. That way, when it's time for me to pack, I just get my list and go.
• Check out websites like http://www.seatguru.com/ before you book your flights. You can find out which flights will most likely have personal TV's (a big deal for me), which seats are recommended, and how wide the seats are.
• For those long overnight flights try to bring along as many elements of their familiar nightime routine as possible. We bring along her pj's, a blanket she knows, and a favorite bedtime story.
• Our verdict is out as to if you should try to prepare your child for the new time change or not. With an 11 month old it really doesn't seem to help. Maybe there's small things you can do when your child gets a little older. My hubby does a few things to try to start acclamating himself to the new time zone, for example: eating meals on the plane in accordance to meal times in the new times zone, changing his sleep patterns). It seems to work for him. I just sleep whenever I can and eat whenever I get the opportunity.
• Pack comfy clothes for your child and for yourself as well. This extends to underwear as well. Do not wear your "B Team." You'll just be miserable.
• Also, pack plenty of tasty snacks, things they really enjoy. It seems like Eden never eats as well on the planes (except for bread, butter and cheese- she licks the butter and cheese off the bread) so it helps to have some familiar snacks along. I usually fill her sippy cup with Cheerios (so they don't get smashed in all the crazyness of security, customs, and plane travel).
• This one is a no brainer- pack extra clothes (at least one set of warmer clothes as the planes always seem to be a bit on the cool side and extra diapers) not only for the baby/child but also for yourself. Something always seems to get dumped on me or my handsome hubby. And who wants to be stuck wearing dirty, sticky, wet clothes for a big trip?
• Bring a sling. We've found that on flights where there's not an extra seat available for our little one (most airlines allow children under two to have lap seats on their parents), it's helpful to have a sling for them to rest in and fall asleep on you, and you don't have to wear your arms out holding a heavy child in an awkward position for hours on end. I'm so bummed that our favorite sling for this purpose got lost somehow on our travels back from Turkey- sad face.
• From what we've encountered most flight attendants are extremely kind and helpful to parents traveling with small children. Make good friends with the one attending your row. Pray for them. It's good to appreciate your flight attendants anyways, they've got a big job which often has a lot of challenges.
• Hide a couple of favorite toys/books for a few weeks before the trip, then introduce them on the plane. The child will be excited to see these favorite toys and they'll keep them occupied for much longer as well.
• Your sanity is worth it. If there's a flight that's a little more expensive but has better flight times, GO FOR IT. Having a 22 hour flight plan versus a 28 hour flight plan is a BIG DIFFERENCE.
• This one is the most important one: HAVE GRACE with one another and with your child. Long flights are not easy for anyone. Ask people to pray for you. I can't even begin to tell you what a difference this has made in our journeys.

Well, that's my two cents worth. Blessings.

And a few other ideas I remembered since initially posting this blog:

• Find out if the airline provides infant meals. Some may require you to notify them in advance.
• Bring along toys that won't be a major loss if they're lost. One time I brought an old book (she was really into tearing apart books at the time) and an old set of keys for her to play with. She loved them. This time I'm bringing along a small bag of shells we found at the beach last time we went. I'm also planning on making her a "coloring book" made out of old scrap pieces of paper (hopefully I can figure out where her crayons went-wish me luck!).
• Remember, it always seems like your child is making a whole lot more noise than they actually are. I remember on one trip, Eden was pretty upset about something. I was extremely frustrated and was completely sure the passengers around us would be just about ready to heave us out of the plane. I looked around though and no one seemed concerned, in fact, I realized, it was hard to hear the ruckus she was making over the sounds of the jet engines.
• Wear slip-on sandals if possible. It's a bit easier to make it through security quickly if you can just slip your shoes off and slip them back on again.
• Have all your carry-on liquids already combined into a Ziploc baggie. Put this baggie in an easy to reach location.
• Put all your travel documents in one location as well (of course it's always smart to have copies made of all your important documents in another location as well- in case one gets lost). We use a plastic envelope binder thing. Works wonders for our organization.