What good mothers and fathers
instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all."
Benjamin
Spock
Our trip to Parents Palooza in Atlanta began and ended on a plane. Our toddler is a perfect angel so
long as she isn't being told "no" and she's not being confined. So,
in some respects, putting her in a confining space like an airplane
seat is the equivalent of cruel and unusual punishment.
So, we bribed
her with snacks, iPad
games and toys on the plane. For the most part, the bribery worked. However, on
the way to Atlanta she had problems with her ears and she cried on the descent.
Those were the only tears on the entire flight though and they were somewhat
subdued. I got off of the plane feeling like a rock star mom. And I was
confident that the trip back would go just as well.
Clearly, I forgot the first lesson of motherhood,
"enjoy the good times, but take nothing for granted..."
On the way back, we had a similar experience. She
was entertained by the same games and toys. We also had reinforcements. Andre
bought her pizza in Hartsfield
Airport. So, eating pizza took up the initial part of the trip. I think it
helped distract her from her ears too. Also, I bought her a stuffed monkey in
Atlanta and her daddy "made it talk". The talking monkey made her
laugh. It made her laugh so hard that she made a poopy. (The poopy may also
have been a result of all of the raisins she ate before we got on the plane
too!)
Traveling on an Airplane With a Toddler Who Has a Dirty Diaper is Inconvenient!
Babies can poop at inconvient times and being on an airplane with time to go is one of them!
I had a decision to make. I could ride it
out--finish the trip with the toddler in a dirty diaper or change her on the
plane. Each option had a down side. Ultimately, I decided to leave her in the
diaper until we landed because I couldn’t figure out how to change her diaper
safely.
Changing her on the plane was problematic because
airplane bathrooms are cesspools of nastiness.
According to the Today Show all sorts of germs and bacteria reside in
there. They are also small and cramped. With the germs and the bathroom size, I
didn’t think that any good could come from trying to change my squirmy toddler—who
likes to touch everything and then put her hands in her mouth--in the airplane
bathroom.
I hoped that I could conceal her dirty diaper from
the other passengers, but I was mistaken. While we were on the plane every once
in a while she would exclaim, “poopy!” Normally, I would have been happy about
this sign of her development. I hear that when a child realizes that they have a dirty diaper they are really close to becoming potty trained. However,
since we were on a plane I cringed. I
knew that her exclamations had notified the other passengers ofthe source of the bad smell that I
was beginning to notice. I think that I caught some dirty looks…
I think that I made the right decision, but I am
curious. What do you think that parents
should do when kids get dirty diapers on planes? Is there some magic deodorizer that you can keep for situations like this??? This woman actually got kicked off a bus
because his diaper smelled so bad. All I know is that it’s a good thing that
option doesn’t exist for planes!
My sister, me and the toddler at the Hartsfield Airport.
Comments
Just roll with it!