With work taking me away from home again, I decided to drag the family along with me so that we could explore Chicago and celebrate my birthday.
Of course, I was a bundle of nerves (masked well with a high pitched, sing song voice and a calm demeanor) as we prepare Malia for her first airplane flight. I read up on United guidelines (boooo to the elimination of family boarding!) and the TSA guidelines….but of course, still held up the line as we figured out just what exactly had to be done at security. Note to self (and to others who may need it): Car seat and stroller go through the machine. Break it down as soon as possible. 🙂 Luckily everything else went smoothly, liquids were properly displayed, I had flipflops to keep it simple for me, and had minimal bags for ease.
The plane ride itself was a huge success, in my opinion. I already had a bottle ready to go. She likes it at room temperature or even a little cold, so no need to worry about warming up. I kept her up as long as possible, gave her a bottle and she was asleep just as we were taking off. At the descent, I got her bottle ready again, and prepped her for landing. Once again, fell fast asleep. That’a girl!
Toys were abundant, but the stewardess knew better. She gave Malia a plastic cup and absolutely made her day. Why I bother buying toys is beyond me….but I do it anyway.
We traveled with our entire Graco Travel System. I LOVE this stroller. It’s more bulky than I would prefer, but I love the versatility. Easy to use with the carseat or I can use it as a stroller with recline or with it laying flat. Perfect for those naps while out and about. Malia loves it and prefers being able to face forward to explore the world around her.
I was a little worried about the car seat, but it is sooo easy to use it without the base so jumping into a cab was no issue at all, and I was able to be comfortable with her in a car knowing that she was strapped in. Since shuttles and cabs are considered public-service vehicles, it is not required to use a car seat, but I’d rather play it safe. It does limit Malia a bit, having to sit in a car seat loaded onto the stroller, but we also came with a carrier for her to be carried around in. I’m all for versatility when it comes to keeping her happy.
Survival! Whew! Now we’re ready for Hawaii. 🙂
Hawaii!!! I’m jealous of the little munchkin world traveler :). On an aside, that was the key with Nathan on the airplane as well. Both times I kept him up and had the bottle ready for take off and landing. No crying, no wailing, and just the limited discomfort of holding him so he could sleep comfortably. We’ll see how we do with them when their 1-3 years old… hehe I predict it might be more interesting.