After months of anticipation, we finally did it! We flew with our 6 week old from Paris, France to Orlando, Florida USA.
We went to the mairie of the city where she was born and applied for her French passport when she was only 2 weeks old. They do not photograph newborns there since it is extremely difficult, so we had to get it done by a local photographer. We were going there anyways to take family portraits. It was ready for pick up when she was 4 weeks old.
American Airlines charged us about $170 for her to fly on my lap. They only allowed us to bring a stroller, car seat and diaper bag. No extra baggage allowance. We did not want to take our stroller or car seat, so we only had the diaper bag. I packed disposable diapers because dirty diapers would require extra space, of which I had none.
I wore her in a Moby scarf wrap. The only hassle was going through security. They had me hand her to my husband and then I walked into a glass area where a manual check was done to see if I had anything hidden in the scarf wrap. But then there was a dilemma. In order to get the baby, I had to walk back out to grab her from my husband. They could not let him walk initially through with the baby (not sure why). So I ended up walking out to get the baby from him and wait for them all to discuss how to handle me and the baby going through again.
From all the delays of the check in counter and security, we were running late. I had some empty water bottles that I wanted to fill at a water fountain before getting into the plane, but never had a chance to fill them. When we arrived close to the gate, some people ran up to us asking if we were the Le Bras family… apparently, we were the last ones to arrive.
Juliana slept most of the time on board. When she was not sleeping, she was nursing. I wore one of those shirts that conceal me when breastfeeding, so no one can actually see anything. We were very discrete. American Airlines put us in the middle aisle where there are three seats. They left one of the seats free for us, so that we could have extra space. Only if this flight would be fully booked would they let someone reserve it. Luckily for us, the flight had plenty of available seating for those booking last minute. We even got the third seat on the connection flight as well.
I nursed her at take-off and landing so that her ears would not hurt. She showed no signs of being uncomfortable. One time she did not feel like nursing, so I tried placing plastic cups over her ears (got this tip from several websites). Well that was a disaster! Juliana would not keep her head still so the cups kept sliding all over. I gave up and she did excellent without them.
She is now almost 9 weeks old and much more alert. I am sure the flight home will be an entirely different experience because we have to entertain her. ShI just hope she will be as comfortable and content as the trip to Florida!
Isabelle says
Yay! I am so glad this went well and she is adorable. I have been reading your blog for ages now and following your experience of the whole pre-natal and birth process. I am a family doctor myself and have worked in obstetrics so to hear genuine opinions from a mother is so interesting and very valuable. As I do family medicine as I do a lot of prenatal and postnatal care, so I hear a lot about ladies’ hospital experiences, but “uncensored” feedback is rare when you work in obstetrics in Ireland at least. I do not work in France but I think a number of your observations are 100% applicable to most European countries anyway. Listen to the mother! Congratulations on your beautiful baby and I look forward to continuing to read your blog 🙂
Katherine LaRochelle says
I just wanted to add something regarding flying with lap babies.
I know that you intend to fly with your precious little one again before she is 2 and obviously beyond. I want to use this opportunity to encourage you and all of your readers to ALWAYS secure your child in an approved safety restraint! Just because the airline “allows” you to let her fly on your lap does not mean that it is safe!
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/07/14/safety-advice-airlines-wont-tell/?intcmp=obnetwork
Restrain babies. As the FAA makes clear on its website (http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/), there is no debate over this topic: Under no circumstance is a “lap child” as safe or safer than an infant or toddler properly secured in an approved restraint system.
Since 1953 all airline passengers over the age of 2 are required to be restrained, but the loophole for the most vulnerable passengers has never been closed.
The reasoning behind the FAA’s refusal to heed the NTSB’s advice and ban lap kids is complex, and I address it at length in “Attention All Passengers.” But this policy leaves a gaping hole in the safety net.
Thousands of parents and caregivers are unaware of the dangers of not purchasing a separate seat for a child restraint, and educational efforts by the FAA and the airlines have not done enough. If you’re in doubt, go ask a physicist: No mortal can fight g-forces well enough to properly restrain an infant during a crisis in a commercial aircraft. Whatever the cost, an infant seat is the only safe solution.
Please, I urge you and all parents to consider your child’s safety above saving some money on a flight. If you can’t afford to buy her a seat, can you really afford the trip?