Flyin’ Solo in a Pandemic
Recently, I took my first flight solo with the kids. Two children, under the age of 3, a global pandemic, while moving cross country, and carrying all the items I would possibly need immediately upon landing (i.e. car seats, stroller, diapers/wipes, baby food, formula, all the snacks) led to extreme anxiety for weeks prior to travel and reading tons of tips and tricks from other seasoned mamas who live this crazy foreign service lifestyle and do this frequently. I have to admit, it wasn’t nearly as horrible as I envisioned.
I need to preface with a story about my last travel experience with Audrey at 12 months old. Picture it…I had an extreme case of food poisoning, and was in the urgent care that morning hooked up to IVs to help get me through the flight, which left Jamari to pack the hotel up and handle things with Audrey. We were flying from South Carolina to California (6 hours with a layover in Houston), I felt horrible, and the moment I stepped foot onto the plane Audrey decided to have an epic melt down. The kind of tantrum that they kick kids off the plane for and you hear about in the news. She refused to stop crying THE ENTIRE FLIGHT; so bad, that random strangers were taking turns carrying her up and down the aisle because we obviously looked like we needed help. Said experience, is when Jamari vowed not to fly with her again and hasn’t. So, after that hellish moment etched into my memories forever, I completely feared being solo with her and Maxwell so I prepared, organized, and sort of enjoyed the experience.
Covid(ish) Precautions
Obviously, we are in a strange time with a global pandemic and traveling is not ideal, but I had no choice. I will probably maintain a lot of what I did as cautionary for Covid in upcoming trips because planes are gross and travel with little kids means lots of touching and licking random surfaces.
Stroller was mandatory.
I was given a Joovy ultralight umbrella stroller (Thanks, Georgie!) which folds up easily and has a shoulder strap which was my go to for this.
Kids strapped into the stroller means no wandering, no touching things, and complete control of their movement.
I could maneuver quickly through the airport and maintained social distancing because Lord knows Audrey likes to walk up and talk to everyone (or tell them not to talk to her, it’s a phase we’re working through)
You can take a 12oz bottle of hand sanitizer onto flights right now and a large container of disinfectant wipes.
I put my bottle of sanitizer into the seat pocket in front of me and frequently used it.
I wore Maxwell in his carrier as I boarded the flight and told Audrey to stand on the seat (to let other passengers by) as I wiped down the seats, the arm rests, the trays, EVERYTHING. FYI- my wipes were brown/black with filth after they “sanitized” the plane before us boarding.
I put a fitted crib sheet over the seat bottoms and had a garbage bag packed to dispose of it after deplaning. I knew Audrey would lay on the seats and get comfortable and her face on the seat skeeved me out.
Masks
I wore a mask from the moment entering the airport until I got out of my next airport. I did not make Audrey wear a mask and I received more comments on that than offers to assist. This is the thing; she’s 2.5. That mask isn’t going to be left alone, she is going to touch it, take it off, put it on the floor, etc. It was a bigger risk for me to have her dragging the mask on the floor and then putting it on than omitting the mask. Yes, I talked with her doctor about it before we left and it was a mutual decision that the mask is pointless for her age.
Maxwell obviously can’t wear a mask at his age either, but I did cover his car seat with a light muslin blanket to help with germs and the lights of the plane while he slept.
Toys
I attached to Maxwell’s car seat using pacifier clips and I rotated them as needed, but he slept for the majority of the flight.
Audrey’s blankets were something I wasn’t sure about, they are her comfort but I hate the idea of them on a plane. But, survival mode won that argument and she got them to relax and chill and I washed them upon arrival.
Ultimately, I was precautious but not fearful. I am mindful traveling on a regular day because being 35,000 feet in the air with recycled air and strangers always leads to a germ fest so I tried to be reasonable and mindful at the same time because I don’t foresee Covid, the flu, or any other contagious illness disappearing overnight.
A few other tricks I’ve been using from flying with Audrey that I carried over with this trip:
Ziplock bag with a piece of painters tape inside to be taped to the seat in front of me for easy trash collection.
I tie Audrey’s water cup to the arm rest so I don’t have to use the seat pocket and she always can reach it, same for Maxwell’s bottle so it doesn’t get tossed when he’s finished.
Maxwell flew in his car seat which meant I could have both hands available and ready. I think this was key for me. He was able to sleep comfortably and I could focus on Audrey’s needs. When Maxwell was fussy, I could easily take him out if needed but return him back to his seat to play with toys or have his bottle.
Put a diaper (for each), wipes ( in a small separate baggie), and a puppy pee pad in a zip lock bag as “diaper changing kits”. It’s easier than trying to fumble through the bag searching for diapers and wipes, and the pee pad is a disposable changing pad. I also put Audrey and Maxwell in overnight pull ups when we flew because it is much easier to change a child standing than needing to find a changing table and lug all my gear into a bathroom stall. I have a poo only change rule if the flight is less than 6 hours. An overnight diaper is absorbent enough for 6 hours and they sleep 12 hours solid at night so…no worries there.
I prep bottles with water prior to boarding and have my pre-measured formula. A bottle or straw cup at take off and landing helps with ears popping. I keep a little canvas bag in my diaper bag that can be pulled out easily to put my snacks and bottles in as soon as I board so I don’t have to riffle through the diaper bag trying to find them. I also put a ziplock bag over the tray table when Audrey wanted a snack because tray tables are truly disgusting, then I use the same bag for her trash when she’s done.
You can take liquid, food, and medications on flight when traveling with kids, specifically babies for milk and water. I reached out to a friend who is a TSA officer for some advice so I didn’t have my formula tossed like last time and this time the officer said, “Wow, you’re a seasoned traveler, you have everything in order like you travel with kids for a living.” No, no sir, I’m not, I cheated and asked a friend.
Keep water in sealed bottle until through security checkpoint
Put liquid formula or milk in a clear bottle so they can test it easily (I poured Audrey’s milk into a large clear reusable water bottle and used powdered formula for Maxwell)
Put all food/snacks/pouches/liquids in a separate baggie for easier scanning
Ice packs must be frozen solid (like the old school lunch box ones)
Audrey was too little to remember her walking up and down the aisles with strangers on the last flight, but I have a no walking rule. She asked multiple times to get up and walk to see people and the answer is no. I tell her that it’s against the rules because the last thing anyone wants is to deal with a toddler walking past them 35 times asking them random questions while stuck in flight.
I have activities packed for entertainment but I didn’t pull anything out because she didn’t ask. I’m fine with her watching her iPad for hours if we are stuck in a metal tube thousands of feet in the air. I really didn’t want to be switching from activities trying to entertain her. Some things I packed were Color Wonder pages and markers, window clings, and mini princess figurines that we could play with.
I normally buy $5 Starbucks gift cards for passengers close to me because no one likes sitting next to a crying baby, let alone two; but, this time absolutely nothing was open in LAX so I skipped that.
So, this is my take away. Parents are super hero’s. Just kidding…kinda. I boarded the flight telling myself I won’t see any of these people again so if it was a complete disaster I would be fine with it and handle each hurdle one by one. Thankfully, the stars aligned and God threw me a blessing after my last flight and I didn’t have much to worry about. I am prepared for the worst but was relieved it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. I will say, that when traveling you need to be prepared to do everything by yourself; so packing what I can manage solo, lift solo, maneuver solo is key. I use my backpack diaper bag, an over the shoulder cross body bag, the double stroller, the carrier attached to my waist, and carried Maxwell’s car seat over my arm while pushing the stroller. Not a single soul asked if I needed assistance which is why I think it is crucial to test what you have and your limits before trying to travel. Now that I got my confidence up, and plane fare is at an all time low I feel more trips with the kids coming in our future.