How to Help Your Baby Sleep on a Plane (and What NOT to Do)

It’s baby’s first long flight – how exciting!

And the flight has gone surprisingly well up to this point.

What feels like an endless circus act has kept baby entertained thus far.

But wait.

The lights are dimming.

You feel the pilot and hundreds of baby-less passengers silently signaling to you, “Ok, now, it’s quiet time.” (which means ni-night time)

Over-stimulated, restless, and squirmy – your baby is one very long cry away from getting into sleep mode.

But there’s hope. With our several-times-tried-and-true method, baby can fall asleep and stay asleep, with little to no cries. And if baby does cry, this setup keeps the screams from projecting to the opposite end of the plane.

All you need is:

• a blanket
• stroller clips
• a graceful touch (to carefully clip the blanket)
• milk and patience won’t hurt either

To help baby sleep on the plane:

1. Make sure they have expended all of their energy. This won’t go well if they have been stuck in a car seat all day. Have baby sit and play, stand on the floor between your feet, bounce, walk the aisles, climb around their car seat, whatever they can physically and safely do, let them do it. Just disinfect their hands after. I brought a sheet on our first flight to Europe so our 6-month-old could crawl and roll around before boarding while avoiding the germs.
2. Then, fill that belly. I know it sounds so simple. But the hectic excitement of travel may put a damper on hunger signals.
3. Do your best to simulate your usual home bedtime routine (e.g. night diaper, pajamas, song/book/sound machine, milk, rocking…)
4. Keep the window shades closed and avoid bright lights.
5. Once baby seems ready to settle, have them in the window seat (either on your lap or in their own car seat). I prefer they have their own seat with a travel car seat if the flight is over 3.5 hours. International flights also offer bassinets in some of the bulkhead seats. I like British Airways because they have an open rocker seat instead of a tiny box bassinet. My tall six-month-old did not fit well in the baby cot / bassinet but he slept great in the rocker seat on the return flight.
6. To block distractions, hang a blanket between the window seat and the middle seat.
7. If baby is in the car seat, clip the blanket directly to the car seat and the plane seat headrest. Make sure the air vent above the seat is open and there is adequate air flow on the sides of the car seat as well.
8. If you are holding or wearing baby, you can tuck the blanket into the back of the headrest of the seat in front of you and to your own headrest. It may be easier to keep it in place with stroller clips. If there is no headrest, try the magazine holder, closed tray table, pretty much wherever you can wedge the corners of a blanket to stay.
9. Stay patient and calm. Baby may need extra time (or MILK!) to wind down from the excitement.
10. If baby wakes too soon, I usually wait a couple minutes to see if they go back to sleep on their own. If not, I usually give a bit more milk. The key is to not be seen. Once they see you or make eye contact, game over.

Stick with this routine every time you fly. It should get easier as baby starts to learn the drill.

What NOT To Do:

Steer away from oral medicines or supplements. They can have the adverse effects.

I’ve heard too many horror stories of overly excited children after taking Benadryl. I’ve also spoken to mothers whose children reacted oddly to melatonin.

If you are still intent on giving something, ask your pediatrician if it’s safe, and then ask if it’s safe to trial it at home weeks before the flight.

If your baby’s first flight doesn’t go perfectly, don’t give up. It tends to get easier as they get used to flying and you start to find what works best for you.

You got this!

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions… love to help.