When I first learned that our vacation to the Caribbean was a “go” I immediately bust out into the happy dance. Then reality hit me and I realized that traveling from Hawaii to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands would take us a total of 8 flights (roundtrip), over 10,000 miles, two full days of traveling and through five different time zones… all with a 6 month old infant. Considering we live on an island and have never traveled more than 30 miles in any direction with our son, this travel marathon posed some obvious obstacles.
As hubby and I thought more and more about what we were up against we began to have second thoughts about going on our trip altogether. What were we thinking putting ourselves, our baby and our fellow travelers through all of this?
But then I remembered this article Modern Day Moms editor Emily had posted a while back. Not only does Emily give some great recommendations for traveling with a wee one but she also mentioned a great product that doubles as a hammock while in flight and a portable high chair for on the go. This miracle product is the FlyeBaby and it saved my vacation, my back and my sanity throughout our recent travels.
Our first go around with the FlyeBaby didn’t go exactly as planned but keep reading because the story gets better I promise! Our first flight was on Hawaiian airlines and after safely taking off (FlyeBaby is not to be used during takeoff, landing or taxi) and reaching a steady altitude we pulled out the FlyeBaby. The amount of straps seemed daunting at first but after reading over the instructions and utilizing the color coordinated straps and buckles we managed to get the FlyeBaby secured to our tray table only to find that it unfortunately wouldn’t close. The tray table by itself was such a tight fit that we couldn’t get the latch to close all the way, and so we sadly packed up the FlyeBaby and crossed our fingers that it would work on our next flight.
Lucky for us everything worked out great on our next flight from California to Florida! After practicing the set up on our first flight we were easily able to attach the FlyeBaby to our tray table and enjoy the comfort of traveling hands free. Not only was the FlyeBaby perfect for me (my back, arms and neck were so sore from our first five hour flight of holding baby) but my son lounged in comfort. The FlyeBaby makes face to face interaction possible and I was able to sing songs with my son, read stories and play. As we all know, an entertained baby is a happy baby and without FlyeBaby I don’t think our flight would have gone so smoothly. This second leg of our trip was also an overnight flight and so once baby had played and worn himself out I was able to put him down for the night. The FlyeBaby comes with a five-point harness and so with him secure and sleeping I was able to grab some zzz’s and rest up for the next two flights ahead of us!
Not only does FlyeBaby help you while traveling but it makes enjoying your destination a breeze as well. The FlyeBaby can be used as a portable high chair and works on the majority of dining room chair styles meaning you score twice with one product. The portability of the FlyeBaby is also incredible as it tucks away into a compact drawstring bag that can be tossed into any carry on or day bag.
After completing our half way around the world journey and putting FlyeBaby to the test on multiple airlines I would absolutely recommend this product to other families. Here are a few things I would take into consideration when deciding whether or not FlyeBaby is right for you:
* FlyeBaby is for infants under 25lbs
* There is a maximum height for FlyeBaby and my son at 27″ was pushing the limits
* I had help setting up and taking down the FlyeBaby. Without assistance, setting up the FlyeBaby while juggling your baby would be challenging but not impossible.
If you have plans for traveling with an infant FlyeBaby is a must! Check out the FlyeBaby website for more information, instructions and photos.
Aloha! Heather is a wife, mama to one and a chick who loves to surf. She has a background in Early Childhood Education and everything she has learned about being a great mama, she has learned from those around her.
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