Everyone has heard horror stories about flying with a baby that cries non-stop. It’s stressful for the other passengers, for the parents and most of all for the baby.

On a recent trip to Washington DC with my nearly 7 month old, I learned a few tricks that I thought might benefit other parents flying with a baby:

1. Plan your flight around baby’s schedule. If your little one has a melt down at 8pm every night like mine does, that’s not the best time to be boarding an airplane! Try choosing a departure time when baby will be awake and happy. Once on board you can make him or her comfortable and deal with any problems that come up.

2. Help baby pressurize his or her ears by encouraging swallowing. Whether this means nursing, fedding a bottle or using a sippy cup – swallowing is the best way to help your baby avoid uncomfortable ear pressure. The most important times are on take off and landing. 

3. Make sure you have a change of clothes. For baby and for you! There will undoubtedly be spitup and spills so make sure you have something handy so that when you land you can both have a clean, fresh outfit.

4. Take a fully stocked diaper bag as one of your carry on items. Not only will you be thankful to have all of your supplies if you need them, but if for some reason your luggage is not waiting for you when you land you’ll have everything you need for baby. 

4. If your baby’s bedtime occurs during the flight, try to keep your usual routine. Most babies take their normal bedtime routine as a cue that it’s time to settle down for the night. If you usually put baby into pajamas and then read a bedtime story, do the same thing on the plane.

5. Ask for help if you need it. Flight attendants are generally very good about helping passengers with babies. If you need someone to give you a hand with something, don’t be afraid to ask.

Halloween safety is an important issue at this time of year. As all the little ghosts and goblins prepare to take to the streets, make sure you share with them these important Halloween safety tips:

1 Be visible. Have them carry a flashlight, attach reflective tape to their costume or wear glow lightsticks as bracelets/necklaces. All of these will make them more visible to cars.

2. Stay on the sidewalks. With the excitement of the night, kids sometimes forget to stay on the sidewalk. Make sure you discuss with older children how important it is that they not walk on the road. 

3. Stick to neighbourhoods you know. If you’ll be taking your kids trick-or-treating you can take them only to houses that you know are safe. But make sure older kids are given strict instructions on what neighbourhoods they’re allowed to visit.

4. Know how to get help. If a child is ever in danger, make sure he or she knows to run to the nearest house with a light on. It’s also a good idea to make sure your child has a quarter to phone home if needed.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Cloth diapers are definitely less expensive in the long run than disposable ones. They’re also better for the environment, expose your baby to fewer chemicals and encourage children to toilet train earlier.

And surprisingly they’re not that much extra work!

The average child wears diapers for 2 1/2 years and goes through 6,500 diapers! Studies show that most families see a savings of $800 – $1600 when they use cloth rather than disposable.  

Although the upfront investment is higher, the ongoing costs are minimal. In fact cloth diapers do best when washed in vinegar (which is certainly affordable). Another cost saver is that cloth diapers can be reused for other children. 

The other alternative is to use a diaper service. With this option you can expect to pay almost as much as you would for disposables. But don’t forget, there are many other benefits of using cloth diapers.

Weaning your baby from the bottle can be a very stressful time for both your and your child. If you’re fortunate enough to be reading this before its time to wean your baby, you’ll hopefully have an easier time of taking away the bottle and moving to solid foods exclusively.

I am so grateful to my mother for giving me this tip when my daughter was first born. It worked so well that it took the stress and frustration right out of weaning. In fact, I hadn’t even realized that my daughter wasn’t drinking from a bottle until two days after she was fully weaned. She never fussed or asked for her bottle once during the transition from formula to solid food.

So, here’s my number one tip I received from my mother. Starting today, don’t let your baby hold the bottle. That’s it – that’s the magic formula. It worked wonders for me and if you start early enough, I know it can work wonders for you too. Here’s why:

By letting your baby hold and play with their own bottle, they associate it with things other than feeding. This isn’t a bad thing, but once you try and wean your baby from the bottle, they’ll miss it as a toy or source of comfort.

During the period from 6-12 months of age, your baby will gradually be eating more solids and drinking less formula or breastmilk. If they only use the bottle as a source of food, they won’t miss it once its time to wean because they’ll be eating plenty of solid foods to satisfy them.

I held my daughter’s bottle for her since day one. I had been dreading her first birthday because I assumed she would turn ornery every time she expected her bottle instead of solid food. To my surprise, she had transitioned from formula to solids so easy that I wasn’t even aware the weaning process was over. By using this tip, I hope you will have the same experience as well.

More tips for weaning your baby from the bottle.