Our First Flight :: We Got Our Wings!
My daughter “got her wings” on her first flight recently.
I thought I would share a few tips, tricks and just a few “this is how it’s gonna be” that helped make our flight pretty seamless.
1. You will have a lot of stuff!
There’s no way around it. If you’re not okay with it, then probably just wait to fly until your little one is older and they, by nature, have less things. In my current season, I have more time than money – so I am unable to just “buy it when I get there.” We flew Southwest and would be gone for five nights with a lot of uncertain plans, which means we definitely had to take advantage of the two bags fly free. Along with that – I had my personal item (that was filled with items to occupy my toddler), her diaper bag, her stroller and her car seat. In total, SIX ITEMS. I pushed the stroller with one hand and was able to roll the suitcases. I’m used to it …
2. Snacks!
I was always the person/friend to have snacks but I took it to another level on this trip. I saw on TikTok a mom put a bunch of snacks in a tackle box. I’ve also seen a fold-out shower caddy, but the tackle box fit perfectly in her diaper bag – so I went with that option. I filled it with sweet and salty snacks and her favorite fruits. When I posted it to my social media, several people commented how they would make one for themselves. Haha!
3. Pre-check!
You definitely need it. It was a breeze! This was my first flight having TSA Pre-check and I’m not sure why I waited so long to get it. I literally just walked through the machine. I didn’t have to take out my laptop, bring socks to take off my shoes so I wouldn’t be barefoot, or anything. IT WAS A COMPLETE BREEZE! The TSA agents also screened her bottle of water so I was able to bring that with me instead of paying $6 for a bottle after security.
4. Car seat booksack!
My best friend and baby’s godmother lent us her car seat book sack. It was heaven sent and a huge game changer. I was able to check that and ensure it didn’t get damaged because it was protected in the bag. I could also add a few items in the bag once the car seat was in, if needed. It also can knock someone out, so be careful swinging it around!
5. Toys!
I wouldn’t say I’m a crunchy no-screen time mom, but I haven’t really introduced the iPad. My daughter has one (I won it from an Instagram giveaway when I was pregnant and said I would save it for her. I was glad I didn’t have to actually purchase one! Okay, getting off track…) but she doesn’t really use it. She likes one or two games but she’s not a kid that NEEDS her iPad to get through the day. We were gifted a LovEvery subscription, and those toys (along with a few others) helped get us through the flight. The LovEvery boxes have Montessori based learning toys that help with gross and fine motor skills as well as cognitive skills. The coloring sheets and latch toy helped keep her occupied.
6. Fruit snacks!
These helped her tremendously to combat the dreaded ear popping. I scowled the aisles for the healthiest version and settled on Welch’s. Once before, I made fruit snacks. Like made them myself. With beef gelatin and fresh fruit; I went all out. I enjoyed them but when I offered them to my kid – she handed them back to me HAHA! The takeoff didn’t bother her as much as the landing did. That was really the only time she turned into the kid that nobody wants on their flight. But it was short lived once I gave her the fruit snacks.
All in all, our first time on a plane together was great.
I was very anxious because I’m a planner and I didn’t know what to expect. When I asked Facebook, I was inundated with advice – so I had to just kind of pick and choose what would work best for me.
Let me know what works for you!
