Mamas we finally did it! We took our first flight as a family! Nerve wrecking...yes, God's faithfulness...unmatched!
After Jeremiah was born, we worried about what traveling would look like for us. What packing would look like? Would we be able to take him on a flight? How would he do? Would the change in air pressure affect his breathing? What would we do about his nutritional formula? What about all his supplies? Will we pack enough? With all the questions running rampant in my head, the time had come.
At the end of 2023, my family decided that we were traveling to New Orleans for summer vacation to celebrate 2 graduating family members. New Orleans is 9 hours away by car. Our trip was planned for 4 days and 3 nights, we wanted to maximize all of our time, so Jeremy and I decided that we'd fly.
I'm sharing some things I'm learning along the way, right here on the blog. Keep reading, take what you need and share with whoever comes to mind.😉
First, we had to select which airline to take. We started out asking ourselves, "what are our top 3 expectations for this first flight experience?
Safety
The goal is to always have a safe flight, right? As a medically complex family, safety looks like:
arriving to the airport early
finding an accessible parking lot
getting all of our luggage checked in and clearing TSA with all of Jeremiah's medical equipment
💡Mama tip: Contact the airline with any questions you may have. No question is crazy or dumb.
2. Comfort
Most airlines offer a few different seating arrangements. They range from first class, comfort plus and main cabin extra. It was Jeremiah's first flight, so we wanted to make sure he was comfortable.
3. Convenience
Book your flight early. Earlier booking allows you to select your seating before the flight gets full. Secondly, we didn't want a flight with a lay over. Our goal was a non stop flight, and guess what? It only took us one hour to get there from Atlanta's airport. Thirdly, children and passengers that require extra help and support board the plane first.
Now let's pack the medical supplies!
Jeremiah packed:
one carry on luggage - that held most of his medical supplies.
suction machine w/ charger
an extra trach, neck gauze
g-tube (gastrostomy) supplies - an extra mickey button, 5 ml syringe, feeding extension sets and 60 mL syringes
HMEs (heat & moisture exchangers) - these connect to his trach
pulse ox
normal saline
suction kits
trach care kits
one checked bag
an extra set of clothes & crocs
activity supplies aka a "busy bag"
a blanket
a portable fan
one book bag (cooler) - exclusively for his medical formula
tylenol / ibuprofen, zyrtec
epipen (not pictured)
measuring cups and syringes
his emergency bag which was connected to his check bag
💡Medical mama tip: Any medical equipment your child may need while on the plane, can go with them on the plane.
Question! If you see a glass of water that has 50% of water in it, would you say it's half full or half empty?🤔 Here's my 2 cents: So my Stank aka Jeremiah's mouth isn't like mine and yours...would that mean he's non-verbal?
Me: "No! Of course not! He is very much verbal, but that depends on how you see the glass and your definition of non-verbal. 👀
Jeremiah communicates with an augmentative and alternative communication device, communication cards (the cards pictured are from IG handle: aacforall) and he uses ASL (American Sign Language).
So what did we do in NOLA, right?! LOL...keep reading!
When most people think of New Orleans, they relate it to food, night life, beads and bourbon street, right? ... Okay, they didn't lie about the food part though- the Charbroiled Oysters from Drago's are a MUST have.
I read a post once that stated, "take your kids to see the world too" and something else they stated was "lets normalize traveling with our kids" (immediately double taps post ❤️). I couldn't agree more.
💡Mama tip: Search cities and states you plan to travel to and look for family friendly activities.
Here's my top 3 family friendly things to do in NOLA:
Storyland was literally a story telling playground! Name one of your favorite childhood stories? Yep, they had it! From the most memorable fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and fables Storyland was definitely created for a family fun day.
Engaging with animals is always on our family list. The Audubon Zoo was a sight to see and an experience to encounter from the peacocks walking around unbothered to the mischievous alligators gliding through the duckweed.
💡Mama tip: While you're visiting with the alligators, go grab a shrimp po' boy from Cypress Knee Cafe! 😋
The public transportation street car was so much fun! It allows for you to see the entire city all while enjoying a ride in a trolly like train.
💡Mama tip: Don't forget to download the public transit app. It's super helpful. 😉
There are tons of family oriented activities to do in NOLA. Please let me know if you've visited or plan to soon. When are you traveling? What were your favorite things to do while you visited? I'm excited to hear all about it! I hope this blog helps, encourages, motivates and makes your next vacation prep & travel a little lighter, you got this Mama!
Well Mamas that wraps up our first family flight vacation! Whew! 🙌🏾 Make sure you check out Mama & Jeremiah's YouTube vlog with all the fun memories captured!
And don't forget to like, comment, subscribe and share with another Mama!
Happy TRAVELing Mamas!
With Pace & Grace,
Whit
Disclaimer: This blog is not sponsored or affiliated with any business or entity mentioned.
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