travelling by plane with infants - the essential items to bring

It is easy when you have to travel on your own ...just pack your bags and head to your destination ...if you forget to pack some essential items, you can always (i) buy new one, or (ii) go without it ..but travelling with kids can sometimes be a nightmare ...especially travelling with tiny tots

adik at 4 months

Adik was 4 months old when I had to bring him to KL with us ...for his baptism ..by then he was already 3 months staying with me and my parents ...we were afraid of a lot of things - what if he cries in the plane? what if he is inconsolable? and many more questions ...my friend Elena told me to do a checklist of the things that a baby needs ...she pass me a copy of her checklist (she travels abroad a lot and her kids often travel with her) ...

here's the main item that she said a must when travelling by plane:

#1: birth cert / My card (and baby's clinic car - just in case, especially if it is a long holiday)
#2: formula, bottles etc - airlines do provide hot water for the formula, so it would be easier if you have a few bottles handy. We are ask the stewardess to help heat the bottles
#3: pacifier and comfort blanket (bantal busuk etc)
#4: fav toys or books - anything that you can use to pacify the baby when he/she is cranky
#5: spare clothing/ diapers/ etc - and also a spare cloth for yourself in case the baby puke on you!
#6: wet wipes - one of the best things ever invented!
#7: stroller - dont worry, airlines staffs will store these for you one you are at the door of the plane

What we did was to feed adik with a bottle during take off and another bottle during landing. That helps to ease his ear pressure. Apparently the sucking motion lessen the impact of ear pressure, which is said to be greater during take off and landing. The use of pacifier is also encourage in this case. Our pead, Dr Tan, told us to bring pacifier for adik when she knew we were taking him flying then.

another tip that I often get is that keep the baby up i.e. dont let the baby sleep before the flight ..this will make them tired and, hence, will sleep soundly (fingers crossed) when they are on board ..so far, we have never encounter any problem with adik during our frequent flights KL in his early years ...he is a great baby, he might cried a bit but can be pacified using his toys, or books or by feeding him ...

and my dad is always stressing on the need to use a small bag - so that it can be stored underneath the seat! Reason, it means that you'll have easy access to the items in your bags ...convenient especially if you are travelling alone with the infant. His motto is travel light - only bring the baby's items - you can leave your cloths behind or have them checked in :-)

adik aged 2.5 years - on our trip to KK ..he was reading most of the time!

and now he is turning 4 this sept - but getting to be harder to please during the flight. The recent flight to KL saw him getting impatient when the flight was delayed ...my mum just had to give him his bottle before we even boarded the plane ...thankfully, he did not experience any discomfort to his ear during take off :-

waiting to board the plane at 8.00am @ KLIA