New parents who haven't yet flown with their baby for the first time often write in to ask how (and where) to change a baby's diaper on an airplane. My most recent flight was a good reminder of how cumbersome this can actually be! After changing countless in-flight diapers, here are my best tips.
Change 'em before you board: If that diaper is starting to get wet and heavy, change it just before boarding. Not only will you avoid one in-flight diaper change, but you might just avert the dreaded in-flight blowout.
Ask for a changing table Most midsized and large airplanes have a changing table in at least one bathroom. The door is generally marked, but if you aren't sure where to look ask a flight attendant
Have a helper Even with a changing table, a slippery surface and turbulence mean that you won't want to root around in a diaper bag searching for the wipes. Gather everything you need in one hand before heading to the bathroom, and if possible have a traveling companion stand just outside the bathroom and hand you what you need as you need it.
Use a disposable changing pad Disposable changing pads are less bulky than cloth pads, and if one gets soiled in-flight you won't be wondering how to manage the next diaper change.
Use your seat When there is no changing table available, the next best option is to use an empty seat. Be sure to cover the seat carefully and raise the armrest between your seat and the "changing seat" to give yourself a little more room. Expect to dispose of that dirty diaper in the bathroom yourself. Remember that a flight attendant might be in the process of handing out drinks or snacks and it would not be sanitary for him or her to dispose of it..
Stand up baby When even using a seat isn't possible, stand baby up on your lap (with the changing pad covering your legs) and do your best.
Don't expect perfection If you are worried about the low quality diaper changes you'll probably be giving in the air, slather on the ointment before you leave home and expect to give baby's bum a thorough cleaning upon arrival.
Bring a Bag Pack a few disposable plastic bags in your diaper bag. Your fellow passengers will thank you for bagging a soiled diaper before you throw it in the trash, and you can also use plastic bags to store any clothes that become soiled en-route.
Bring Your Sense of Humor You'll land soon!
Do you have any other tips or tricks? Tell me in comments.
Related Links
Tips: Bring Diapers For Potty Trained Kids
Airplane Carryon Checklist for Flying With Baby
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10 comments |
Posted on March 30, 2010 |
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Look at Miss "Speedy Quick" running through the airport to catch her flight. Her new backpack is almost as big as she is (don't worry, it's light), but she isn't slowed down at all.
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Posted on March 25, 2010 |
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We were invited guests of the Clam Cannery on this trip. I received no other compensation beyond the room and a lovely "welcome basket", and the hotel did not require that I express a particular point of view.
Port Townsend, about 60 miles north of Seattle is a popular weekend destination, and a great stopping point if you are on your way to the Olympic Peninsula. Most of the hotels here are in restored mansions, and filled with the type of elegant (and delicate) period furnishings that you would expect. I'm always afraid to stay in these old, thin-walled B&B's. With three kids under 5, even when they're well behaved, there's always a certain amount of noise, unscheduled night-waking, and early morning exploration. Add to that the fact that we need a fair amount of space and our own bathroom. In a town like Port Townsend, that can make it tricky to find a place to stay.
On this trip, we were invited to stay at the Clam Cannery, in historic "downtown" Port Townsend. The Clam Cannery is, in fact, a historic Clam Canning building. It sat vacant for 40 years before it was carefully restored by the current owners. The property is built out over the water, and all of the rooms have lovely views of the Cascades, the Olympic Mountains, Whidbey Island and the Strait of Juan DeFuca. At night, our room was completely quiet, making for a very restful night of sleep.
The historic brick building has been restored using one-of-a-kind artist created details you wouldn't normally see in a hotel. Our room (we stayed in the one bedroom "Sand Dollar Suite") had a full kitchen, a living room, a separate bedroom, and a full-sized washer and dryer. The kitchen was luxurious - with a subzero refrigerator, a pot-filler on the stove, and a complete set of pots, dishes, silverware and even spices, olive oil and other cooking essentials. The bathroom had details like hammered copper sinks, and some rooms had hand-crafted lighting and counter-tops.
Our suite had two beds, one in a bedroom and the other in the living area. Both were very comfortable with high thread count sheets and down pillows, but were also very high off of the ground. Poor Darya needed help to get in and out of bed.
If you like to relax with a movie when you're on vacation, you will enjoy the huge flat-screen TVs in the bedroom and living area. Instead of a traditional pay-per-view system, the hotel has made both Netflix streaming and Netflix Streaming and Amazon Video on Demand.
The hotel has concrete floors throughout, and those unforgiving floors made this a difficult place to stay with very young children. I worried all night about the kids rolling out of bed (we padded the floor with extra pillows), and poor Eilan clearly didn't want to crawl on the cold, hard floors. Parents of babies and very young children should be aware that the studio apartments have Murphy beds.
The Clam Cannery wasn't quite completed when we visited, a few odds and ends were missing (things like towel hooks and shower curtain liners). When the downstairs renovation is completed by fall 2010 a new boiler system will provide more hot water for longer showers (we had trouble squeezing in two warm showers, and a family of four would really have to rush). The boiler will also provide radiant heat for the concrete floors. The owners plan to do more to make the hotel family friendly as well, including providing a portable crib and a dish set for kids.
If you would like to stay at the Clam Cannery, the Seattle Tour Saver has a coupon you can use to get your 2nd night for free (The Tour Saver is an advertiser on DeliciousBaby, but even if they weren't I'd recommend investigating the this coupon book if you plan to visit the area. It's a great resource for saving money.)
Related Links
City Guide: Port Townsend With Kids
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Posted on March 23, 2010 |
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We were guests of the Clam Cannery on this trip. I received no other compensation beyond the room, and the hotel did not require that I express a particular point of view. We paid our own way at each of the activities and restaurants we visited on this trip, and those businesses did not know that I would be blogging about my experiences.
I'm the first to admit that I haven't properly explored Washington State. I enjoy exploring cities, so when we hop in the car for a local road trip, we tend to head to Portland or Vancouver. Because I grew up in California, I don't have childhood road trips to draw on. Washington is beautiful, though, and many tourists use the Seattle more as a launching off point to explore the Pacific Northwest rather than a stand-alone destination.
To get to Port Townsend from Seattle, you head north and then take a short ferry ride to Kingston. The kids think there's nothing more fun than driving our car onto a boat and then exploring the snack shop, and they were thrilled to be off on an adventure. We left for Port Townsend at the end of the school day, when everyone is tired out, so it's lucky that the boat ride is short, and that even the kids enjoy watching the view change.
When I planned this weekend, I thought we'd want a snack after the ferry ride, and after searching for ideas around Kingston, I found out that CB's Nuts factory is just a few miles from the ferry terminal. CB's nuts is a local small-batch roaster of nuts. I have seen their peanuts at Whole Foods, but have never splurged on a bag. Somewhere in between childhood and adulthood, I forgot how great fresh roasted peanuts can taste, and started associated peanuts with inexpensive dessert toppings and food allergies. Still, I'm never one to skip a factory visit, especially if it involves snacks.
I'm so glad that we did stop in, because this is one of my favorite memories from this trip. The owner, Tami Bowen, was working in the shop. Her husband, Clark was in the back roasting peanuts. The shop itself is small, and it seems to serve mostly as a place for locals to stop in and pick up bucketfuls of the fresh roasted nuts.
D and E were hungry, and excited to finally be somewhere, especially somewhere with snacks. They weren't very interested in the nuts, but then Tami ground up some fresh peanut butter, and dipped pretzels in it for the kids. Wow did they love it! After school lunches with sunbutter and jelly sandwiches, I think they we were all surprised at how great real peanut butter tasted. E was bubbling over with enthusiasm for the peanut butter, for Tami, and for being on a road trip. Tami let him peek in the back, showed him how to crack open peanuts and how to grind them into peanut butter, and let him eat lots and lots of peanut butter.
We walked away with a huge container of peanut butter and another filled with pretzels - and they served as great snacks for the rest of the trip. Peyman and I loaded up on roasted nuts, including peanuts fresh out of the roaster, and so hot that I was instructed to wait 30 minutes before cracking open the first one. It turns out that fresh roasted peanuts are pretty much the perfect road trip food, and I imagine that a stop at CB's will become a ritual after future ferry crossings.
From Kingston, it was a short drive up to the Port Townsend where we checked into the hotel and then headed out to dinner at Fountain Cafe. The Fountain Cafe was a great find, and I owe a big thank you to Pam who recommended it (you should read her review of Port Townsend area restaraunts). The restaurant was the sort of dark, quiet and cozy place that you wouldn't normally think to bring children, but they did have a children's menu and the staff was very welcoming. More importantly, our food was delicious. The Fountain Cafe specializes in local seafood, and serves traditional seafood dishes like Cioppino, Paella, and crab stuffed mushrooms. This type of food is more about great execution than creativity, and I really enjoyed the returning to the savory (and sometimes heavier) seafood dishes I grew up with.
Related Links:
City Guide: Port Townsend with Kids
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Posted on March 22, 2010 |
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While I was thrilled to see the train engine I climbed as a child still at Dennis The Menace Park in Monterey, I was also surprised to see that kids are still allowed to climb all over it. California is a particularly litigious state, and I imagine that local parents have fought on and off through the years to keep the train at the park. It must cost a pretty penny to insure - especially if the insurance company has figured out that this sign is totally ineffective.
Related Links
City Guide: Monterey, CA With Kids
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Posted on March 18, 2010 |
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It's difficult to write about returning to the place where you grew up without resorting to cliche. We left Monterey when I was 8, and yet everything looks so familiar. There are few things that I remember explicitly, yet at one point we were driving down the a windy road and I announced "this is where we used to turn off to get home," and after looking up the address on Google maps, we found that I was correct.
One of the few things that I do have strong memories of is Dennis The Menace Playground. This was a favorite destination after school, on weekends, and especially for birthday parties. Besides the Monterey Bay Aquarium, this was the top item on my agenda for our visit.
I kept my expectations low, the park has been renovated a couple of times since I was a child, and not all of the original features remain (some of them would never pass today's safety tests). Plus, you never know how your kids are going to feel about a particular destination. I was hoping to just run around with my own preschool age kids and enjoy the playground that I enjoyed so much when I was in preschool.
I couldn't believe how the memories started rushing back to me when I finally did step onto the playground. See this? It's the train my brother and I used to climb all over as children.
This seemed like a surefire hit for E, who has been completely obsessed with trains lately.
As usual, E had his own ideas about how to best experience it. He is on a mission to learn how to write words, and carried a pad of paper and pen everywhere with him on this trip. When he saw the train, he rushed off, climbed to the very top, and sat down to write for 15 minutes or so. Who knows what secrets lie in that journal of his?
D had her own ideas. Not interested in the train, she raced away to summit the sunshine bridge. Just looking at this bridge makes me feel happy - and it seemed like she felt the joyful too. If not, a quick ride down the rollerslide (and then another, and then another after that) certainly fixed that. She wishes we had a playground like this at home.
Before we left, I made sure that both kids had a drink from the lion drinking fountain. I can remember exactly how it felt to be preschool-height and stick my head in the mouth of a lion!
Dennis the Menace Park isn't just a fond childhood memory, it's a local gem, and if you visit Monterey with kids, I'd strongly encourage you to check it out!
Related Links:
City Guide: Monterey, Carmel and Pebble Beach With Kids
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Posted on March 17, 2010 |
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I write a lot about the different adventures we take the kids on, and about what we all get out of them. Today as I was searching for a Photo Friday picture it struck me that this is one of my favorite recent shots. Still in pajamas, D is all set up at her grandmother's (my mom's) kitchen counter mixing up pancakes for breakfast. You never know what aspect of your trip is going to turn into a special moment, and I'm so glad we didn't have every moment of this trip choreographed.
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Posted on March 11, 2010 |
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The Monterey Bay Aquarium is considered one of the best aquariums in the world, and the lines outside certainly back that up. Luckily we had purchased our tickets in advance and waltzed straight inside. We're lucky we did, as the day went on, the museum grew increasingly crowded, and it was nice to view the exhibits before the crowds became overwhelming.
The aquarium was built long after I moved away from this area, so I have no childhood memories of it. I do remember my first visit, in college, and how absolutely floored I was at the thoughtful design that lets you view marine animals in something as close to their natural habitat as possible. That type of exhibit is becoming more popular now. Still, even after visiting aquariums in cities around the world, the Monterey Bay Aquarium stands out and I'd recommend a detour if you are visiting the San Francisco area.
One thing that makes the aquarium so special is the way that it features local wildlife in realistic environments. The kids were absolutely in love with the "Sandy Shore" aviary.
There's something so soothing about watching waves lap softly against the shore and following the birds as they wade against the edge of the waves and forage for insects in the sand.
We finally had to drag the kids out to see more of the aquarium. If it was up to them, we would have spent the entire day in the aviary.
The touching pools were a little too crowded, so we headed instead to the Kelp Forest. This tank is 28 feet deep, making it one of the tallest aquarium exhibits in the world.
The kids don't realize that, though, they're fascinated to see the schools of fish they've read about in books in real life. It's hard to imagine so many fish moving together in unison until you see it in person.
Like most of the exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Kelp Forest tank is at a height that works well for my 3 and 5 year old, letting them stand and take it all in for as long as they want (without moms arms tiring out). That's good... I'm sure I've never seen them this engrossed in anything on TV.
Without planning to, we optimized for depth instead of breadth on this visit, and as hard as we tried to get the kids into the shark exhibit, the penguins, and the seahorses they eventually just ran out of steam and couldn't take in any more. I know they deeply loved what they did see, so that doesn't stress me out, but it does leave me plotting to make a future trip to the aquarium in which we reverse today's itinerary.
Pam of Nerds Eye View would probably refuse to share any more cupcakes with me if I didn't mention the aquarium's excellent Seafood Watch Program. Seafood Watch's handy pocket guides help you choose environmentally responsible seafood when you shop or dine out. They're cute, easy to use, and fit in your wallet. Or, better yet, download the Seafood Watch iPhone app
Related Links
City Guide: Monterey With Kids
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Posted on March 9, 2010 |
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I lived in Monterey until I was 8 years old. Even after we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, we made an annual pilgrimage to Monterey to revisit our old haunts. I still have some very specific memories of my preschool days, and my elementary school. With my own children now in preschool, I have been yearning to revisit the area with them. Even if they don't care about playing on mommy's old playground, the excellent Monterey Bay Aquarium should be a slam dunk.
No road trip is complete without road trip food, and that's no less true with kids along. We were just beginning to get hungry as we passed through Castroville on our way to Monterey. I can remember stopping here with my mom to get big flats full of tender artichokes when they were in season. Today things are quiet, it's not high season, and we can see signs for the Giant Artichoke Restaurant from the highway. I've never eaten here, it isn't one of my memories, but it seems like the perfect place to stop.
Clearly, even from the outside, this isn't a glamorous gourmet restaurant. It's a bit run down, it has seen better days. But you know what, the steamed artichokes were among the best I've ever eaten. It was fun to try the huge artichoke platter, loaded with a steamed artichoke, artichoke bread, and (my favorite) deep fried artichoke hearts. The artichoke soup was delicious and fresh tasting. When I was done with all that, the standards (hamburgers, grilled cheese, buttered noodles, etc) were all great too. Perhaps this is a new family road trip tradition?
When we finally arrived in Pacific Grove, we wanted to move a bit and explore a bit. We ended up in the funky Rocky Coast Ice Cream Company.
The walls here are covered in memorabilia, ranging from Beatles bobble head dolls to comic books and children's books. Have you ever seen so many plastic sleeves? This reminds me of the ex-hippie-run sort of place you used to find in San Francisco. The owner doesn't serve "dangerous" tap water, and instead distills and sells his own (it's delicious, actually).
With our sweet-tooth filled, we explored a bit, stopped in a local bookstore to cuddle up for a story, and then enjoyed a light dinner - tomorrow we'll rediscover Monterey!
Related Links
City Guide: Monterey, Carmel, and Pebble Beach with Kids
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Posted on March 8, 2010 |
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Lately Eilan has been modeling this adorable t-shirt that Mara of Mother of All Trips sent him when he was born. Thanks Mara!
I don't usually tell people I don't know well about my blog, so it's been funny (and a little humbling) to have moms at the various classes we attend say "Hey, I read a blog with that name the last time we went on a trip"
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Posted on March 4, 2010 |
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