Somehow I became that mom with that screaming baby every passenger on a plane dreaded, and we hadn't even taken flight yet. I could feel the side-eyes and stares as I baby-bounced my way to my seat, at the back of the plane, which I swear kept getting longer every time I looked up to flash a fake smile of confidence. I was like yeah, I totally got this; I've done this a bunch of times. I could tell the passengers weren't buying it; secretly hoping I wouldn't have the empty seat next to them.
This was actually Liv's second plane ride, a short one from Maui to Oahu, but I could tell it was going to be a long one. Of course, I didn't imagine it going this way. No way was I going to be that mom. Decked out in full mom gear, a baby sling vest with a pacifier and clip-on rattle as ammunition, I was ready for this flight. I've read a ton of mom blogs, packed extra everything, played out every worst-case-scenario...but then, witching hour happened. It wasn't a thing for Liv when I booked the return flight. Four months later, it was taking full effect...on this plane.
More baby bouncing and shush-shush-shushing later, and Liv finally fell asleep in the baby sling. And while I swore I'd never fly with a baby again, I realized a few things that quickly changed my mind.
Find the right flight. Witching hour doesn't happen for every baby, and to be honest, I had no idea what that was, being a new mom and all. I just knew Liv got super gnarly around dusk. It didn't last forever, but it did have really bad timing for our trip. Looking back, the extra fee to get on an earlier flight would've been worth it. It's not their fault they're tired and probably more over it than you. Now that she's older, I book flights around her naps or a red-eye, before her big night's slumber.
We're all that mom. Whether it's dressing your baby in ridiculous outfits you'd swear you'd never buy or resorting to a pacifier as a first-line of defense, we all take on that mom persona at some point; the mom that everyone judges. In the end, just do what's best for your kid (and let's be honest, your sanity). After accepting this notion, I felt like a better mom - even if that meant breaking the rules, like splurging on screen time or giving extra snacks before dinner.
Prepare for a shit show. I wanted my first post to be of my worst traveling mom moment because it's something I look back at and laugh. No matter how prepared you are, just know that there's a chance nothing will go as expected. And there's a chance it will. I say this more in a positive light than a negative one; a hope for the best, prepare for the worst kind of way. Because, much to our surprise, Liv slept almost the entire 10-hour flight to Australia! That was definitely an outcome we had hoped for, but you better believe we were also prepared for 10-hours of hell!
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