Maybe I’m aging myself with this feature image, but I loved this movie as a kid. And now that I’m all grown I get to live it over and over again every time I fly with my family!
I’m being dramatic. Flights aren’t that bad. But flights don’t bring out the best in anyone, and now that Joaquin is bigger and we travel with his sister too I feel pretty depleted by the time we arrive at our destination. So much planning has to go into a flight depending on how long it will be:
- How many meals will I have to prepare for Joaquin?
- How many times will I have to give him meds? How many rescue meds should I pack?
- How many times will I have to use his pump? Will I need to be able to charge it during the flight?
- How many diaper changes are we talking about? Plus at an extra change of clothes for each meal and diaper change.
- How much extra meds and/or equipment should I bring in the carry on, just in case our bags are lost?
- medical documents list of meds (generic and name brand names listed with doses and times). Dr’s note permitting travel if you are traveling out of the country is a good idea.
I’ve learned that just to make the flight comfortable for Joaquin I have to bring 2 king size pillows and a blanket, plus a sarong for lying on the floor and changing him if I need to. These ensure that he will stay comfortable in multiple positions and that if I need to prop him up to feed him I will be able to. (I will add pics after our next flight).
Because Joaquin has to eat soft foods, I usually bring as many meals as are needed for the flight plus an extra one for when we land so I won’t have to immediately think about what to feed him next.
A word on documentation: When we were traveling in Columbia, my husband decided to stay on with some friends and travel a bit longer. I had never had this happen before but the airlines would not let me on the flight until a Dr. certified that Joaquin was ok to fly. I also had to have written permission from Nathan giving the OK for Joaquin to leave the country. This is to ensure kids aren’t being kidnapped I think. Luckily they had a MD at the airport who gave us travel permission and Nathan brought us to the airport so he was able to give permission. But, I would have been in big trouble if Nathan hadn’t come with me!
Also, most countries are very accommodating to families traveling with kids with special needs. Typically you do not have to wait in custom’s lines as they have special lanes for those with disabilites. Just ask, or point at your kid and shrug your shoulders if you don’t speak the language and an official is usually glad to help.
Best place to sit? Bulkhead is prefered for long flights as I can put Joaquin on the floor for short amounts of time to help him stretch out, it’s also great for doing incognito diaper changes. But recently they have started charging more for these seats! I also prefer the front of the plane as its easier to board and close to bathrooms. Joaquin always gets the Window seat as there is some extra serface agaist the wall to prop him up on. I don’t know why but its seems impossible to get prearranged seats these days. The airlines say we have to do it at check in. Usually people take pity on us and manage to get our seats together as a family, but occasioanlly we have had to appeal to people on the plane to switch seats.
Wheelchairs and stroller- in America they are very good at having your stroller ready at the gate, but in other countries they do not typically understand the need to get it straight off the plane. You must tell both the gate attendants before take off at the baggage counter, and the flight attendants before you land. Still, more often then not we have to carry Joaquin all the way to the baggage claim to get the stroller. It might be more obvious if it’s a wheelchair that it needs to be available at the gate. I’m not quite sure how to make sure this doesnt happen in the future- maybe a laquered diagram of a wheelchair attached to the stroller so the baggage handlers can understand?
More info on flying:
http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2012/01/09/a-special-needs-pre-flight-checklist/
I recently read this article written about plane-travel by a mom with a kid even more complex than Joaquin. Lots of great info for traveling with O2 and bigger kids.
http://complexchild.org/articles/2016-articles/march/options-for-air-travel/
A product that might be worth checking out:
http://kidsflysafe.com/instructions/cares-for-special-needs-flyers/
This mom is a great resource!
please don't cue the sad music 