We just returned from a wonderful (albeit short) vacation to Scottsdale, AZ to visit my cousin and her family. Jin and I were quite worried about taking the little rug-rat on her first airplane trip, but Bella handled everything like a champion! Several key baby-essentials helped to make this trip as streamlined and successful as it was:
EarPlanes
According to the ad, these little ear buds not only function to filter out the noisy sounds of the plane engine (it blocks an impressive 21 decibels), but it also contains a small ceramic air pressure regulator, the CeramX filter, that reduces discomfort from sudden changes in air pressure. A miracle, I thought. If these babies could do what it boasted, then it just might be worth the nearly $6.00 per pair price tag (plus they’re “disposable” meaning that it’s recommended that you not reuse them – what a marketing scam!).
But then I remembered Bella. If there's one body part that she is particularly protective of, it's her ears. Every time I try to clean them or touch them, she swats my hand away as if I'm a fly buzzing in her ear. She reminds me of the character Warren from, There's Something About Mary, where Warren is forced to wear earmuffs to protect his over-sensitive ears.
Warren loves his ear muffs
Although the advertisement piqued my curiosity, I was immediately skeptical of the EarPlanes because a) would Bella allow me to even get close enough to her ears to put them in? b) would they fall out in mid-flight? and c) would they even work? There was only one way to find out.
Nearly three weeks later, the EarPlanes finally arrived in the mail, just in time for our first airplane excursion. As we headed for the gate, I quietly slipped the buds into Bella’s ears. Wow, easy. She was dazed and tired from missing her morning nap so she probably didn’t even notice I was near her ears. We boarded the aircraft and scanned for an open row. We were on Southwest so we chose our own seats. The first 5 – 10 rows were occupied by other families with small babies. I winced at the thought of the cacophony of cries and screams from the babies on board.
Which brings me to a side note about traveling with kids or small babies. Perk #1, you get to board before all other passengers no matter what boarding class you were originally assigned (this is also a perk during pregnancy – but only if you are noticeably pregnant). Unfortunately, you still have to board after all the geriatrics with wheelchairs, (which there were plenty of since we were traveling to Arizona), but still, you marched proudly past all the other peons in coach class waiting with eyes of desperation in their respective A, B, or C lines.
We settled into our row and as the loud engine roared to life, Bella seemed to not even notice. The attendant screamed from the overhead speakers as she instructed the passengers about the aircraft safety devices and still, Bella sat calmly in her seat. We ascended into the air and even as we descended, babies in other rows squirmed and cried uncomfortably while Bella snoozed away in Slumberland. The EarPlanes were a success!
The Sit ‘n’ Stroll Stroller
Some may think I was a little excessive when ordering this next contraption. At $200.00, this fine piece of machinery was no cheap find:
Yes, this seat may look ridiculous as you stroll your baby low to the ground in a half stroller/half car-seat hybrid, but the convenience factor that we were afforded far outweighed the looks of ridicule and snickers that we encountered. Those who have not traveled with children are likely confused about the utility of this apparatus so let’s break it down:
First, when you take a child under 1 years of age on a plane, you can either purchase an extra seat for the child or hold the baby in your lap. Seeing that our dear Bella weighs more than 20 pounds, there was no way on God’s Green Earth were we going to hold a 20-pound weight in our laps for more than 2 hours. So, we decided to book seats on an under-booked flight and hoped for open seats for Bella to sit in. Luckily, she had her own seat and all free of charge! Yes!
Then, once you reach your destination, there’s the issue of traveling in a car with your child. Even if you get a rental, you must place the child in a car seat. Case and point, Britney Spears who recently received heat from Child Protective Services for driving with her then 6-month baby in her lap:
Big no-no.
Which means if you add this all up, you are traveling with a huge car seat, a stroller, and all the extra baby peripherals that the baby needs (don’t forget the baby).
Enter the Sit N’ Stroll. Conveniently folds from an FAA-approved airplane seat, to a car seat, and then to a versatile stroller with wheels. What more could a mother want?! And best of all, Bella loved it!
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