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Flying... ughhh!

1403

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 18:51

Ok, so pretty much all our babies are frequent flyers, they have to be when living away from home countries. Flying with our DD used to be a breeze, when she was younger, obviously, because all they do is sleep on the plane.

DD is now way past that age of just knowing and expecting her to sleep when flying. Quite frankly, she literally will not allow herself to sleep on an aircraft. This is the only time I have sleeping issues with her and its really making me dread flying. She is such a busy-body and has to look at everyone and everything, even if she's that damn tired that her eyes are rolling back. She fights it till the very end, then when she physically can't fight it any longer then she zonks out. She has to walk up and down the aisles and stop at every seat to nod at everyone, its so tiring and becoming annoying as thats all she wants to do. She's too big for the bassinets on EK, tried her in one the other week and her head touches one end and her feet have to be raised, she hated it.

We have some serious flying to do in the coming months and I am not excited about it at all. I need tips/advice or even just plain 'ol empathy so I know I'm not the only mum with one of 'those' babies who will not just sit quietly on an aircraft and sleep when they should when flying. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to come across as a complaining mum as I am very thankful that she really is a very easy baby and has again proven this to us everytime we take her away, she slips into her routine very smoothly, but its just the flying thats doing my head in!!! She's not naughty, just too active and then when overtired she cries as she wants to sleep but her nosiness gets the better of her.

I am going to go nuts with the amount of flying we have ahead of us when all I want to be is excited.

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Anonymous (not verified)

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 31 August 2011 - 07:47

Don't let him do it, pentel. Just think of the times you may need to travel alone with DD, its not fun! Every time I think of flying now with DD I picture my friend warning me "Whatever you do, don't let her in the aisle!!!" and now I know why! LOL I've done 5 flights alone and 1 with DH.. guess which one was the most stressful!!

kiwispiers15400

2782

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 30 August 2011 - 21:36

Thats one problem about being in the bassinet row, everyone stops there as they line up for the toilets and they all smile and wave (and "click" lol) at the baby you are desperately trying to bore to sleep. Good for the extra legroom though and I still get the bassinet to keep all the toys in although I can't put DS in it at all.

1403

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 30 August 2011 - 21:15

Great advice, Dan Lou! Thank you!! I am very big on routine too so I will definitely start trying this on our next flight. Between now and mid January we have 8 sectors (flights) to endure, so I will certainly try my best and hope she becomes familiar with a type of flying routine, so to speak. Its worth a try anyway and I've nothing to loose. I love the idea of a black pashmina as a canopy. We did something similar when she used to fit in the bassinets and it worked a treat, I guess I just never thought of it for normal seating. I really think the canopy would help her a lot as it'll stop her trying to look at everyone that walks past.

761

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 30 August 2011 - 21:00

I hate to say it but now is the perfect time to "train" your DD to be a good flyer. I never ever let mine go up and down the aisles, and I don't say that to be smug, it's simply because I'm a control freak! Wedge her in next to the window and keep her busy busy busy! I used to wrap cheap toys/activities up and just bring them out as need be. It can be drawing, figures, food, a few new books, even looking at the inflight magazine and pointing out "car", "lady", "man" etc, take a few pieces of duplo and build towers. Just use a blanket on the tray table so it's not as noisy when they crash! Then when the meal's done (yours) and it's time for sleep if she still has a bottle give her that, then I used to put a black pashmina tucked into the seat in front and the top of her seat to create a canopy. This started to be a "sleep association" and even though she's now 5 she still asks for it. Of course it's hardly ever perfect but if you hold firm and keep YOUR eyes closed then she will learn over time to keep her eyes closed. It might take a flight, or two, or three, but hold strong! Of course I'm very big on routine so my kids have learnt "just another of mum's routines" so if that's not your thing then my suggestions may not work... If she really won't sleep then stay up all night and read books and play quietly. Someone once said to me that long haul's like flying.... It seems insurmountable and hard work, but at the end of it, it's DONE, and usually you've got something worthwhile out of it! So whether that be actually having a baby, or arriving at your destination (or home) then so be it. And you look back a day later and think, no big deal! So take it in your stride :) PS. forget the bassinette, if she's too big, that's just going to make you all cranky.

1403

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 30 August 2011 - 19:31

Don't let him do it, pentel. Just think of the times you may need to travel alone with DD, its not fun! Every time I think of flying now with DD I picture my friend warning me "Whatever you do, don't let her in the aisle!!!" and now I know why! LOL

Anonymous (not verified)

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Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 30 August 2011 - 14:00

I'm so showing this to DH.... his idea "oh we'll let her crawl up and down the aisle for a bit" oh yeah and then she'll want to do it aaaalllll the time!! he doesn't believe me.. oh well!! I'm taking ear plugs and an eye mask and seriously considering changing my seat to one far far away from him!!

1403

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 30 August 2011 - 10:46

btw a cabin crew member once got DS to sleep during flight by pressing his upper arm muscle repeatedly - she was like a snake charmer....:\: - may be worth a try I want that cabin crew person on my next flight!!! :D Those plane aisles are pure evil!!!

1403

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 30 August 2011 - 09:42

shelly how did your flights go? We have flown before(as you know) but DH was with us on the way out. Funny enough both flights with him were day flights but my 2 flights going back to Dubai are overnight by ourselves. Do you have anymore tips from your flights? My DH too is such a wiggler and hates to sit still! Ahhhhh. I'm hoping the overnight flights will help!! Hey L :) Both sets of flights went 'ok'. She wasn't naughty or anything, just very high maintenance as she wants to be walked everywhere and very wriggly when not allowed to walk so then she gets frustrated. She just will not allow herself to sleep, until she passes out from pure exhaustion... then its always a cabin crew person or some other kid being too loud, then she wakes. I know most mums prefer night flights, but with Z we are preferring day flights at the moment due to her not sleeping while flying. Its the obsession with walking that has done all this! My only tip, and this was passed onto me by another friend, is to never let them know what an aisle on a plane is like! Sadly I never relayed this to DH till it was too late and DD had already associated the aisle of the plane to freedom. We have just accepted the fact that she will be high maintenance when flying until such time when she can watch movies and be reasoned with. I hope your flights are ok and that M does get some solid sleep!! ;)

98

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 30 August 2011 - 08:53

shelly how did your flights go? We have flown before(as you know) but DH was with us on the way out. Funny enough both flights with him were day flights but my 2 flights going back to Dubai are overnight by ourselves. Do you have anymore tips from your flights? My DH too is such a wiggler and hates to sit still! Ahhhhh. I'm hoping the overnight flights will help!!

1403

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 29 August 2011 - 17:19

Same as you Kiwispiers, I was meant to travel to Oz alone with DD for the month of Ramdan but after our last trip I canceled it as she was just beginning to be too active and also the jetlag coming back from Oz was horrendous on her. So I thought an Oz trip in Aug, Oct and Dec was too much on her. Can't cancel Oct or Dec but DH will be with me and we're breaking the trip up with a stay in Singapore there and back. I just cannot put her through another 14hr direct flight - it was too horrible for her and us. Our journey will take heaps longer, but its all we can do at the moment as anything more than 6 or 7hrs is just torture at the moment. She took 4 steps on her own just before so I now have a feeling she may be walking before we fly in a months time. What perfect timing. LOL

kiwispiers15400

2782

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 20:05

Yep I actually didn't go back to NZ this summer because I couldn't brave the 20 hours of flying with a 1 year old by myself, waaaay too big for the bassinet, waaaaay too wriggly/distractable to go to sleep on mum. Have done a few 6+ hour flights lately and truthfully, they've been awful. Biggest tip, ask repetitively for the lights to be dimmed from the second you get on the plane, eventually they will do it. Small toys like a plastic mirror help kill some time as do snacks, preferably chewy ones that take a while to eat. I can remember flying back last time with my 4 month old (dream baby at the time) and it was so easy, and feeling so sorry for the poor Australian girl with 2 kids, desperately trying to convince her 1 year old to sleep in a bassinet and not squeal for fun for the whole flight....now its my turn this Xmas and I will remember her words of wisdom "it's work, don't expect to sleep AT ALL and you'll get through it"

1403

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 19:20

Yep, as I thought, she'll be a handful flying it seems till she can sit through a movie when she's older and I'm hoping I can use some form of bribery when she can understand. Guess its something I'll just have to suck up and always hope for the best till she is of an easier age for flying. So far with all our flights lately we've just had one old cranky man give us the head shake, but he quickly stopped when DH simply laughed at him. Ahhh flying... I really dislike it now!

Hello.Again.Kitty

1861

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 19:08

gin. Lots of. Nah, in all honesty, well, yes, it does help... but on the plus side, I've found that there's a window of real difficulty between the time that the kid knows how to walk and when it has the concentration to sit through a whole film, so generally from 10 months to 2-and-a-bit years old. Neither of my two sleep on the plane, or rather they will conk out upon landing, often as we're taxi-ing in. Sometimes they both will fall asleep, which was fabulous when I was travelling solo with them. The EK flights to and from the UK are quite good though because meals seem to appear at just the right time, namely when they're nearly through one film and are wondering what mischief to get up to. I always find we have a bit of a mad 30mins/ 1h at about the 5-6h mark, when they are truly bored of sitting down and just need to rampage. It's difficult because there's no real way around it - 5 or 6 hours is a long time for a toddler! Just try to do what you can and when all else fails, smile have a sip of gin. When I get people looking at you disapprovingly (not "if"!), I actually engage with them and kick off with something like "well, I think they've done quite well really, considering they've been told to shut up and sit still for the last 5 hours!"... funny how people change their tack when you do that! Oh,a dn wish me luck - I'm flying tomorrow. I'll be the one ignoring two children whilst trying really hard to not spill my drink! Maybe I'll even get to watch a film... nah, there's a limit! <em>edited by Hello.Again.Kitty on 28/08/2011</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 18:54

Forgot to add, DD is 10.5 months...

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