Flying with
Snack
Mid-air
babies
attack
massage
Sofie Jacobs, registered midwife, recommends:
•
When travelling by plane on your own with a baby, you never
seem to have enough hands, so find out whether your departure
and arrival airports offer a meet and greet service that could
help you.
•
Use a lightweight sling on board, as this will make it easier for
your baby to sleep, rest and feed, and you won’t have to worry
about dozing off and dropping the baby.
•
If you are breastfeeding, make sure you are well hydrated in the
days before, during and after travelling, as dehydration and
jetlag can decrease your milk supply. Take bags of “Mother’s
Milk Tea” with you and drink it while you are travelling. If your
milk supply is on the low side, you can take fenugreek, a dietary
supplement that increases your milk supply.
•
Babies cannot regulate the increase in pressure in their ears
during take-off and landing, so at these times, make sure your
baby suckles by either breastfeeding or sucking on your finger
or a pacifier. For older children, Sarah Walker, registered nurse
at Annerley, recommends giving your children organic lollies or
tubes of yogurt during take-off and landing to help clear the
ears and prevent painful build-up of pressure.
•
If your baby follows a fairly strict feeding schedule and you are
travelling to a different time zone for more than a few days, it
is worth adjusting toward the new time zone a few days to a
week before you travel, by gradually moving the feeding times
backward (travelling west) or forward (travelling east). Do the
same when you head back home.
Sarah Walker, registered nurse and certified CPR and
first aid trainer, recommends:
•
For older toddlers, to help pass the time, pack
individual snack packs on long-haul flights so that
every hour or two the child receives a new paper
bag with a small activity and a healthy snack. It is
easy to find individually packed dried fruits, biscuits,
crackers and yogurts at most children’s stores.
•
Never introduce new foods to infants during flights,
as any allergic reaction would be difficult to deal
with and potentially dangerous.
Donna Watts, infant massage instructor, says:
•
Massage can be used to relax and make a child feel
secure and less anxious when travelling. Small, gentle
strokes can calm a baby or toddler and help settle a baby
who is dealing with a different time zone.
jeopardy
Jetlag
•
When you arrive at your
destination, expose your child
(
and yourself) to daylight and
spend as much time as possible
outdoors while you are awake,
as this helps you adjust to your new time zone.
•
Travel and jetlag affect all of us to one degree or another. Be
patient and understanding, and remember that travel means
a temporary, rather than permanent, setback when it comes
to feeding and sleeping routines.
January 2013
27