Flying with baby at 9 months

At the Ottawa Airport, 6 am. V is unimpressed. Poor little guy.
He was such a good sport.

I did it! I actually travelled alone with my Little man to Thunder Bay to visit a friend. We travelled in luxury via Porter. Oh ya, I heart Porter :)

I don't know if I have the energy to describe the entire trek, but do know it's a lot of work, a LOT! A lot of planning, a lot of lifting and a lot of fussy around. A great learning trip, but I may have avoided it if I knew what I was getting into!

I love bullets! So here are a few pointers if you will be flying with baby:

• Travel documents: Ok, this was very frustrating for me! I could not find any clear instructions regarding flying as a solo parent on a domestic flight with an infant. At the end of the day, even the airline couldn't give me a straight answer. So here it is. "You do not need ID for anyone under 17 years old on a domestic flight." You also do not need a letter of consent. But be warned, they can ask for ID (and THEY ALL DID), but you don't need to show them anything! Does this not sound like the most ridiculous thing ever? Just make it mandatory people! I mean, it's not an outrageous request. You could easily be kidnapping a baby. Good thing I have a passport for him :)
• Plan ahead and pack light! I bought an umbrella stroller at a garage sale for our up coming trip to Mexico in January. It's light, folds nicely and reclines so V can nap! It was solid enough to shlep my purse and diaper bag too ;) I packed 1 large suitcase (Heys hard-shells are amazing, they glide really nicely too), 1 diaper bag and 1 large over the shoulder purse. I also had a jacket, which I should have kept in my suitcase. Too bulky and it's extra weight to carry around.
• My diaper bag was light and strategically packed: a few new toys and miniature Munsch books, diapers, wipes, changing pad, warm blanket, Manduca (life saver), cooler bag with food and enough formula for the flight), pacifier, bib, spoon, and snack for me.
• We were on two short flight (1hr and 2 hrs). It broke up the trip nicely and allowed me time to feed in between. Little V did great on the plain and didn't cry. On the way back, our flight was delayed and he was exhausted. It was 3 hours past his bedtime and I could tell he was trying to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. Because we had someone next to us, it was really thighs and awkward. Poor guy, eventually passed out both times.
• Getting on and off the plane is challenging. You need to carry baby and all your things into the plane while explaining with your feet how the stroller folds up to the airline staff! haha It's always best to make it to pre-boarding because then you are not that "mom" who is delaying the flight.
• Going to the washroom on the plain is hard for you and baby! Porter plane are tinier than normal and don't have a changing station. I did it on the seat next to me. Sorry people, that was a sticky diaper! I handed V to a fellow mom who offered to help me, while I went to pee. Not that you want to burden another mom, but mom's are awesome and can handle it!

Here are some pics of us on the plane. Please feel free to ask any questions if there is something I missed! Are you going on a trip soon? Are you nervous about anything?

Me in V jet setting to Thunder Bay! PS- this was NOT us on the way back!
V was teething the entire trip and was not himself.
We also were not as lucky to have an entire row to ourselves. What a nightmare! 

Entertaining V in the best way possible, with a Porter magazine! There was a Dex ad with a blond girl that V fell in love with. It was so sweet to watch him coo and pet her face.

Enjoying the Porter Magazine and standing up! His two favourite things on flight!

Having fun with a photo shoot at my friend's cottage in Thunder Bay!
V is all packed up and ready to go with his tiny suit case. He is also the pilot in his blue bomber jacket ;)
BON VOYAGE!