To ask for your best tips for travelling abroad with a 6 month old?

[Teachervoice]

Tips please! Never done this before and now terrified! DS is 6 months old, breast fed, bottle refusing.

Flight is 3 hours to a Greek island next week.

Thanks!

6 months old and breastfed will be easy peasy, honestly! Feed on take off and landing, take more nappies and changes of clothes (for both of you) than you could think you’d need on the plane. Sling to carry baby in the airport as you don’t usually get pushchair back until after security. Cool clothing, snoozeshade for the pushchair, feed lots and offer water in between, don’t put in direct sunshine. If you have a terrace/balcony a little blow up paddling pool can be useful. In the evening do bedtime routine as normal, settle in pushchair, snoozeshade over the top and off out you go! Have a lovely time!

Definitely the easiest time to fly and travel is with young babies. As PP said, feed for take off and landing if you can and take loads of clothes and nappies. DD hadn't pooed for 3 days and of course had a massive poonami on the way back from Australia . Don't need to worry about sterilising or anything because you're breastfeeding. Have a fab holiday!

Relax! It will be fine. Lovely even :)

Take with you:

• travel black out blind (if darkness is important for sleep)
• monitor (so you can sit outside when he naps)
• adaptor plugs
• lightweight (cotton) sleeping bag
• a few plastic toys. Stacking cups are a good option. However lots of beach toys and balls available at Greek mini markets
• teething gel, calpol, baby nurofen, piriton, child safe mozzie repellent
• child sun cream (will be available there but pricey)

Is he weaning yet? If not I'd probably hold off till you get back.

Sling is good for the journey, you can take your buggy to the gate but a sling is useful if he needs to nap on the flight and before you get the buggy back at luggage reclaim.

We have just come back from a holiday with 6 month old- it was much easier than we were expecting and he slept the whole flight. On take off on the way I breast fed him but it was a bit fiddly with the seatbelts, and so on the way back we filled a sippee cup with water (also refuses bottles) and he sort of sucked and chewed at the teat. I think their ears can hurt if they're not sucking something at take off and landing?

Also found big light scarf of mine a great thing to take- used it to shade his legs without making him hot, and to wrap around when a bit of a breeze in the evenings.

Try to schedule feed and nap time for the start of the flight so the first hour (at least) is chilled with them napping. Might require keeping them up and a bit grizzly before you get on the plane but it really is worth it (did 18 flights during Mat leave).

Have a spare Muslin ready for when you land to catch the spew. About 50% of the 18 DS chucked all the descent milk all over both of us as we got up to exit the plane. Their tummies are delicate and have just been filled with milk and then been pressurised and depressurised. It doesn't always end well.

Brilliant advice. Just bought a snoozeshade Welsh.

Not weaning yet @minipie so will hold off on that. He turns 6 months the day before we go!

I've heard the seatbelt situation can be a bit fiddly so will take a sippy cup too, although he can't work out how to suck on it, at least he can have a chew!

I've bought a number of silent 'plane' toys and hidden them so that he sees them for the first time when we're actually flying - hoping this will be a good distraction technique!

We had to book a window seat with DH next to us and then someone else in the aisle seat...I really hope we don't have to ask them to move a million times

Also I found shorts and tee shirts a bit of a pain- all the Spanish babies had light clothes on (leggings or long light baby grows) and I'm definitely copying this idea next time!