airplanes and children

I should be packing right now. But I don't feel like doing that I feel like writing. So I suppose I should write something productive and helpful. How about how I have managed more than 15 travel expeditions that include flying with at least one toddler, most of which I was the only adult with them?

Scoop and I on flight #12

Yup, thats me. I will probably never forget the extreme loathing I felt radiating off of the other passengers that first flight. I was the enemy, I walked on the plane with my 18 month-old singing. I mean, seriously, he was a baby just singing a little made up tune of his. But for some reason others saw that as a bad omen for a horrible flight, and felt the need to make sure we felt their contempt.

After the first few fiasco flights that involved screaming babies feeding off each others screams, poop explosions, and breastfeeding next to a creepy man, I felt like an old pro. I would like to share my wisdoms and funny stories in hopes that you too will feel like an old pro or at least know that in your situation some one else (me) has been there too.

First, and probably one of the most important tips I feel like I can give is you only need ONE BAG for carry on. You really want to make sure that that bag is a hands free bag as well. There isn't much worse than trying to grab all of your bags and stroller to chase after a toddler to only have your strap fall off your shoulder/ everything fall out of your cute hobo purse/ having to drag (not roll because its upside down) a rollie bag.

So just one bag, I use a super size back pack that has all sorts of pockets. That way when I need to go in search of what I need I know where to find it. No bottomless pit digging is a big plus in my eyes.

Second is baby wearing. Really its awesome. I know you guys know that I am a strap-them-to-you kinda lady but when traveling its even better. Especially if you are traveling with more than one child. Again hands free is just worth its weight in gold. When traveling I use my soft structured carrier (SSC) the Ergo Performance. Maxx on my chest, Theo in the stroller, backpack on my back and we are ready to roll.

When going though security keep in mind that if you are wearing a ring sling regardless you will have to take it off because of the rings and the metal detecter. But you have the option to keep the little ones on if you are wearing a SSC or a woven wrap. The TSA will ask you to please step aside and they will run a small cloth over your hands and process it through a machine to test for explosives. It takes no more than five minutes.

Third is having enough time (and a safe spot) to let your little one burn some fuel. Find an empty gate and let them run loose for thirty or so minutes chase them, play with them and help them to move freely before the flight.

Forth, if you have an overly stimulated child already scratch the above idea and find a (quiet/ solitary) place to help them unwind. Nurse them, read to them, walk with them whatever works best for you guys. Hide under a coat or blanket together and tell stories. Help them to shut out the stimulation from the airport. And if all else fails I use Calm Forte 4 Kids, it a homeopathic blend to help to unwind and get sleepy.

Next, come prepared in that super sized and organized back pack.

Chasing tiny pieces or tiny toys around on a moving plane isn't fun. My boys LOVE all things robots and rocket ships. I make sure that my back pack has at least two chunky robots for them to love on.

A nice movie they love and a good pair of big wrap around your ear kind of headphones. Its not my favorite way to distract them but it helps to let them shut all else out and just relax.

An extra set of clothes, for every thing that may spill, drip, explode, or get them wet you want an extra pair of clothes.

Wet bag/plastic bag and wipes for any of the above you have to clean up.
Attention cloth diapering parents! Consider a 'sposie that is chlorine free/biodegradable, I know it kills me too about having to throw away another thing. Out of sight is not out of mind for my conscience. If you would still like to cloth diaper while flying remember that the used diaper takes up more room than the clean one you are taking out. Leave enough room for those pee soaked ones. And that you may have to go longer than usual without a diaper change, so double stuff/heavy wetter prefold/ extra flat whatever you do for a leaky diaper is a good idea. Bring an extra travel wet bag that zips, just trust me on that one.

If a movie doesn't work bring along a "Craft" for the kids to do to kill time. I say this hesitantly because it depends on how old your little ones are. I have brought play dough to mold on our trays en route, window stickies, crayons and paper, and reusable stickers. As it turns out they are great way for Theo (4) to kill time and he loves all of the above, so does my youngest. But the difference is the Maxx (15 months) wants to have fun eating all of the crafts and my oldest actually crafts.

Last flight Maxx had grabbed a handful of window stickers and shoved them in his mouth before I could scrape them out he had swallowed them. They are bright and colorful and look like gooey candies. I spent the next three poops making sure that he had passed all of them. Not fun.

Snacks! Bring your own. I always feel like I might be paying with my health and soul when we buy airport food. Sheesh that stuff is expensive and pretty yucky. So solutions is bringing a favorite food along for the trip. Try something that won't melt, doesn't need refrigeration, and doesn't need to be heated up. Last trip our snack bags had kale chips, fruit leathers, granola bars, apple slices, homemade chicken nuggets and burritos. I try to make enough munchies for the plane ride and a meal in between flights. It doesn't always work out that way but I would rather have too much food than a screaming child from hunger.

You are getting ready to take off! Its loud, so for the older ones that might get scared pretend its a rocket ship and look like you are having a blast. For the little ones repeat step one but nurse/bottle/pacifier while you get adjusted to altitude.

Laugh, sing, let them sort through your photos on your phone, when the seat belt sign is off let them walk up and down the aisle a few times, explain how the plane works, and remember to be patient with your babies. It is a new and fun experience to fly for the first or even tenth time and they may need a little more time than usual.

Its tough and can be a tiring expedition but YOU CAN DO IT! *weird character in water boy voice*


Anything I miss? Tell me how you fly with your kids and your stories of woe or fun while doing so!

Dan<3

Let's get crunchy!

Recently friends and family had asked me why and how I came to choose the parenting style I use. Most of our friends and family were doubtful of our choices when Theo was born. They had expected us to rear a demon, so just questioning how I use it is a HUGE step in the right direction. In a previous blog I mentioned that I tend to dance in the green pastures of “crunchy granola mama land”. By this I mean that I practice Attachment Parenting also know as Peaceful/Gentle/Hippie/Granola/Crunchy/Natural Parenting. In this blog I’m going to roll through the major ins and outs of what this is to us, how we use it, and a few more details.

I will not go so far as to say I am an expert on this parenting style but what I do with my children work in our home and are loosely based on Attachment Parenting. Not all of this is what all AP families do. AP parenting is about meeting your baby's needs.

First off in Attachment Parenting (AP) many families begin their parenting choices when they are pregnant. By this I mean that they choose to see a midwife instead of an OB-GYN, they chose to omit ultrasounds and invasive procedures, and choose to birth their baby naturally without any drugs. These families go with trusting the mother’s body to do what it was made to do, grow healthy babies. 

I am so happy to say that both of our boys were born naturally with the help of a midwife. What was best about a midwife was that they knew me and what I wanted in each pregnancy and birth. They saw me each time at the appointment and cooed with me at the lubdub noises of the baby's heart. Both my midwives cared about me and my baby.

Theo was born at home into David’s waiting hands in a warm tub of water. Max was born in the hospital (due to a rare blood condition making our pregnancy a high risk one) to my waiting hands that scooped him up to my chest. Both boys didn’t leave my arms until they had been calmed and told they were loved a million times. (Skin to skin contact immediately after birth, it is a precious gift that only you can give your baby.) Once they did leave it was only for the shortest of time to find out their measurements, and then were quickly returned to me and rarely left again in the following weeks. These weeks that passed too quickly were the most tender moments I have ever shared with them and I will never forget their lovely newborn noises.

Another HUGE practice in AP is breast is best. Breast is best. Breast is best. Breast is best. Did I mention that breast is best? In my family’s case I take this to an "extreme". We use baby led weaning and yes that means that I nurse into toddlerhood (gasp!). I don’t particularly like pumping, bottles, dummies, or frankly anyone else feeding my baby. So with this comes nursing in public. I couldn't give a hoot if someone doesn't want to see my baby eat; I’m going to feed him. Max likes to wear his cover as a turban rather than a cover, so I really do try to sit in a discreet area because I don’t want to show my boobs to anyone but if it happens then whoever got a peep usually gets an apologetic smile and I go back to nursing.

Max and I nursing in public. Notice the turban like cover. 

I love that my baby solely depends on my body to nourish his body. I really love sitting down and nursing a cooing little one that looks at you like you are the sun, moon, stars and earth all wrapped into one. With that being said I wouldn't say that it is a simple task, or that there is no sacrifice in it. Most days when I sit down to nurse, Max is so squiggly wiggly that we end up both being sprayed in the face with milk, at least twice. Sometimes if Theo is close enough he’ll get a face full too. Yeah, a distracted active baby (in other words a healthy happy baby) isn’t the easiest to nurse.

But some women cannot even get the chance to nurse their children because of lack of support. It is my belief that many women are faced with the worst difficulties of nursing (low supply, thrush, mastitis, engorgement, and more) and are unable to fight through because of the ill informed society we live in. Simple information and support from loved ones and people trusted can work miracles. Having faced each of the listed problems above I understand the extreme struggle it can be to just feed your baby. My advise to any nursing mother would be to trust your intuition, not your grandmothers saying that your milk is too thin/that baby needs a bottle/you’ll spoil him if you let fall asleep nursing. Do some research, find a lactation consultant, talk to other nursing mothers, and mostly follow your babies cues.

After nursing babies is co-sleeping and bed sharing. This is the act of having a family bed where parents and babies all sleep together. Some cases the family all share one bed, in others cribs or bassinets are attached to the bed and sleep directly next to the parents bed, and in others children sleep in separate beds in the same room. Yes, we bed share in our home. No, I am not going to roll onto my baby in my sleep. Breast feeding mothers have heightened sense of awareness of their babies, especially in newborn days and infancy. (Wooooohoooo mom magic is real!) 

Originally when I first brought Max into our bed it was just Theo and I because David was on deployment. I slept in-between the boys so Theo wouldn’t round house kick Max in his sleep. All was well. Then David came home, and we were a tad smushed in our queen-sized bed. Theo woke up after less than a week of this sleeping arrangement and told me I wanna sleep in my bed Mama, its too smushy in here. And just like that it became just Max in our bed. And every now and then Theo crawls in too and we all snuggle up. I love bed sharing its the best. I don’t have to wake up, and get out of bed, every time Max wakes up needing to nurse.  I simply roll over plug the boob in and fall back to sleep. Awesome. I know.

Another common AP practice is baby wearing. Its one of the new aspects of parenting to me, so please forgive me for not being able to give you every detail. Baby wearing is when instead of using a travel system like a stroller or the cart in a store you carry your child on your body. Some families like to wrap their babies in Moby Wraps or Sleepy Wraps (best for newborns only IMO), some like to buckle them in soft structured carriers like Ergo or Boba, while others sling them with woven wraps or Mei Ties. Some do a little of it all! There are many different baby carriers out there and each different family has different preferences.

I have found that the best part of babywearing is the ability to still do activities and have a happy baby. Baby won't let you set them down for nap? Strap them on to your back/front! How awesome is that? In fact, I write this post as Max snoozes in my ERGO Performance Carrier.

I know it looks like Max is broken here but as soon as I wrap him up he usually passes out. Hence the limp neck form!

BEWARE! Since baby wearing has become more and more popular, more and more retailers are selling less than adequate carriers . "Crotch Danglers". A proper carrier should hold your baby snuggly to your chest, back or hip and shouldn't  face your baby outwards. Your baby should not look like they are rocking the newest bikini when they are in the carrier, they should have their weight rested on their bottom with their legs slightly bent in a hugging position.

http://store.ergobaby.com/
http://www.didymos.de/en/?gclid=CN_k48bxs7UCFYqk4Aodf3QALg
http://www.mobywrap.com/
http://www.bobafamily.com/

The last large practice in our home that I find many other AP parents doing as well is natural medicine. Instead of seeing a doctor every time a cold rears its ugly head (which isn't often), I usually pull out the mega doses of Vitamin C, Echinacea, and water. When Theo became a walking bruise, with each lump, bump and scrape I wrapped his owie in arnica or calendula ointment and ice. We do not vaccinate until our children have a completely developed immune system and even then we will omit many vaccinations. We very sparingly use any other the counter medicines, and Theo has only been on antibiotics twice in his life.

I was raised in a home that practiced homeopathic medicine, and I have spent all of my life living it in granola land. It is a lifestyle that takes practice, patience, knowledge and the right resources, but all that you put in comes back hundred times in good health. And let's face it, what is better than good health?


The stuff above is just the tip of the iceberg! Other common AP practices that we use:

• Anti-Infant Cosmetic Modification. Sounds like a no brainer right? Leaving your baby to chose for themselves if they will modify their body. It means leaving babies bodies alone. No circumcision, no ear-piercing, no modifications. My take on it here.
• Elimination communication. No diapers, not potty training but just reading your baby's body signals to go potty!
• Cloth Diapers that disposable diaper you just tossed will be around to meet your great grandchildren. Gross, look into cloth diapering.
• Child led weaning/ baby led solids: skip the cereal, the airplane spoon, and nurse into  toddlerhood. No its not unnatural. In fact our society is the only one that thinks it is.
• Anti-Cry-it-out method. Its one of the most cruel and unusual methods we use on out babies. We are still parents after the sun sets. 

All of these practices work wonderfully in our home but this may not be the case for anyone else. Now if you'll please excuse me I have to go crunch on more of my granola ways!

Dan