Flying with your CDH Baby
Flying with your medical complex CDH baby, all of their equipment and the fear of germs can be very overwhelming! We have put together a list of our best tips and tricks to make this experience as stress-free and easy as possible.
Pre-Flight
If budget permits, book an extra seat for your CDH baby (you can put the car seat on it if you wish) so that you can have more room, especially for the oxygen concentrator (the baby will likely need one of those to fly). OR book one first-class ticket for you and your baby so that you have lots of room and fewer people around, which translates to less germ exposure. For slightly older kids, a car seat will give them boundaries in a seat they are used to sitting in, while also limiting the number of things they can touch.
If you have an early morning flight, check to see if a hotel is physically connected to the airport. Book a room in the airport hotel so that all you have to do is walk to the gate in the morning. The bellhop will come to your room, load up all your bags, and walk them to the check-in counter for you. If you are transporting LOTS of breastmilk, call and ask to speak to the hotel manager to see if they would be willing to store your milk coolers in their walk-in freezer. REMEMBER: keep the cooler lids open when storing in a walk-in freezer so that milk stays frozen. Close the lids and secure with electrical tape prior to checking the coolers at the airline desk.
Call the airline ahead of time to set up accommodations for your breastmilk if you fly home from the hospital and ask about getting the baggage/weight fee waived!
Most airlines SHOULD wave the luggage fee for breastmilk coolers provided that they are informed well ahead of time. Call the CORPORATE customer service line of your airline to get an agent to waive the fees due to medical necessity. For good measure, ask your baby’s doctor/surgeon to write a letter indicating that the milk is a medical necessity to have on hand if questioned at the ticket counter.
You can check your stroller at the gate. I recommend bringing it because you will have LOTS to carry without it. Just make sure to bleach it down as best you can once they bring it back up to the jetway.
Be sure to dress comfortably and in shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Leave your watch and things you would need to remove in your carry-on.
Bring a pulse ox with you. If you are not given one, you can purchase one at the pharmacy for about $25. This will provide good peace of mind while in the air.
Check-in online to save time in the airport and choose seats as close to the front as possible. This will expedite the time it takes to get off the plane and allow you to avoid germs. Also, place your CDH baby next to the window. Doing so will lessen the number of people walking by them and thereby reducing the chance of picking up germs.
Fully-charge phones, laptop, and/or tablet.
Packing: For old CDH kids and siblings, be sure to pack a little bag for each. Include a small bottle of hand sanitizer, snacks, crayons, a notebook, a few new items (think dollar store) to entertain them, and a change of clothes “just in case.” When packing the diaper bag, keep essential things easy to grab (pacis, hand sanitizer, etc.). Also, include disposable toilet seat covers and include few receiving blankets that you can lay down for older kids to sit on/play on or to change your baby on.
A few weeks prior to leaving, be sure to have everyone old enough take vitamins, elderberry, probiotics, vitamin c supplements, or some immune boosting supplements.
Check-In and Security
Be sure to arrive early so that you can navigate security and get to your gate without needing to rush.
At the ticket counter, ask if there is a way that you can walk through the first-class security line. Some airlines allow you to do this for an up-charge to pay at the counter when checking your bags.
Ask the first TSA agent you see (the one who screens your ticket before sending you to the lines) to have a TSA agent help you through security. They may be able to open up a security line just for you since you have the baby, stroller, oxygen concentrator, and/or formula- requiring more extensive security screenings.
You CAN get breast milk and liquid formula through security. Ask the agent to put on a clean pair of gloves before inspecting the bottles (they have to do a manual inspection of all bottles). Store the bottles in a pre-frozen Pack-It lunch box cooler. The bottles should stay cool long enough for a cross country flight.
Baby-wearing will be the easiest option. However, if you decide to use a car seat and stroller, use a car seat cover to cut down on germ exposure.
Before getting on the flight, have everyone use saline nasal spray. Some studies show that it helps prevent germs from entering the sinus passages. Couldn’t hurt, right?
Flight
Pack easily accessible “Clorox to Go” bleach wipes and wipe all surface area down before sitting down (start with trays, then buckles, armrests, and finally windows and video display, etc.). Not all sanitizing wipes will kill big germs, be sure to read the labels.
Ask for an aisle seat (if you couldn’t book one) to have a bit more room. If there are open seats, ask the flight attendant if you can move to an empty row to have a bit more space.
Wear the baby under a nursing shawl to protect from exposure (a boppy can be handy to have so that your baby can lie inclined on your lap).
Make sure to pack all g-tube supplies (venting tube, extra tubie pads, etc.) in an easily accessible place. And don’t forget hand sanitizer!
Bring an EMPTY hot water thermos (Tommy Tippie makes a travel thermos) through security and then either fill with hot water at a coffee shop or ask the flight attendant to fill it before takeoff so that you have a way to warm a bottle in the seat.
Consider allowing older kids time to use tablets or phones to watch a movie or play games.
Thank you to Christa Porter, Ashley Smith, and Olivia Cason for contribution to Flying with your CDH Baby!
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