International flying with a teething toddler on my lap

Do I even need to write anything? Or has the title allowed me to gain your sympathy?

Pre-flight

In the middle of May, I flew with Danny (17 months old)  from Shanghai to St. Louis on my own because Josh had to work (he joined us a month later and we flew back together btw). 

Unfortunately there are no direct flights from Shanghai to St. Louis. We flew 11+ hours to San Francisco, had a 2.5 hour layover, then finished our journey with a 4 hour flight to St. Louis. It should also be noted that we time traveled 13 hours into the past. That's always a hoot.

And also, Danny had EIGHT teeth coming in at the same time. EIGHT. Four were MOLARS.

Below find......

 "Brit's Tips on Flying Internationally with a Teething Toddler by Yourself"

1. Expect the worst: In every manageable way, expect and be prepared for the whole thing to suck. Expect to not get sleep, expect to not watch an inflight movie, expect for a huge poop blowout, expect endless crying. Because, if any or all of it happens, you are totally ready for it.
2. Bring tons of supplies:
1.  For you: snacks and an extra shirt. (This is really all I brought for myself. And some of my snacks were candy as a halfway point reward!) Again, I had no expectation of reading a book on this flight, so why bring the extra weight?
2. For baby: all the old favorite snacks (bring lots), toys, books, electronic devices + charger and external battery. But also bring new stuff (play-doh and crayons were the newest excitement for D on this trip), medicine (no, I did not drug my baby with Benadryl to make him sleep but I did give him Tylenol because he was teething hella bad. Poor guy!), a change of clothes, and double the amount of diapers than you will really need (just in case your flight is delayed or cancelled).
3.   But also, pack light: I checked 2 bags, had a carry-on suitcase, a backpack, a purse, and a stroller. Once the bags are checked, it's pretty easy to manage a backpack and a small carry-on that fits in the stroller basket. The suitcase was a bit annoying to try to roll along with the stroller. And then it was quite a sight when I retrieved my checked bags and had to roll all three of them through customs. But I did it! 
   
4.  Cherish the nap time: D only slept for two 1.5 hour chunks of the flight. I was unable to sleep, but I did manage to relax a little. Every little bit helps.
5. Don't get a soda every time the drink cart comes by: this goes for everyone. Drink lots of water throughout the flight because that recirculating air is dry and nasty. I always feel way worse when I drink a lot of soda or juice on those long flights anyway.
6. Always choose an aisle seat: Seriously. If you are able, also try to reserve a bassinet seat. I never was able to get one when Danny was small enough to fit in the actual bassinet, but this time I reserved the seat. They're near the bathrooms and have way more legroom. But in regards to the aisle seat, you'll need to escape your seat at a moment's notice! And with that said...
7. Go for walks: Those planes that fly internationally are huge and there is plenty of room to get up and do laps down the two aisles.This is probably the very best thing you can do for you, your kiddo, and the other passengers. The planes are so big and loud that you can't hear a baby crying throughout the whole plane. You only hear it in your immediate area, so by all means move around and mix up the people you "disturb."
8. Ignore people's dirty looks and comments: I'm still learning how to do this one..........

 Now I bet you'd like to know how terrible it really was, right?

Sorry to disappoint, but the flight from Shanghai to San Francisco was a dream! Danny was a champion. He spend the first couple hours just taking out and putting back the magazines in the rack. I just really watched him, and if he seemed restless or grumpy, I did my best to head it off by taking him for a walk or offering him a book or snack. He did cry a bit, but it didn't last long. The flight attendants loved him and were impressed with his good behavior and that he was awake for most of the flight.

We arrived late morning in San Francisco, surprisingly bright-eyed. We managed to get through immigration and customs with time to spare so we enjoyed an early lunch while waiting to board our final flight. After 11 hours cooped up on a plane, I couldn't believe he was still smiling and happy.

On American soil!

And it pretty much went downhill from there.........

Once we were on the second plane, also known as an "airbus," Danny was DONE. It was a perfect storm: A jet-lagged baby, a mama who has not slept in about 24 hours at this point, and a tiny plane with no place to walk and 100 faces of disgust glaring at us......It wasn't crying, but screaming for 3 out of the 4 hours.

If I had a nickel for every heavy sigh I heard and eye roll I saw.......grrrrr...... one lady turned around and said in a snotty voice, "Can't you give him something?' and I very rudely replied, "No, there's nothing I can do. We just flew from China, and he's really tired." The only place to hide was the bathroom. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I locked the two of us in the lavatory and we cried together for a long while. I was so tired. Danny was so tired. Fellow passengers were not helping. By the end of the flight, D had cried himself to sleep. Only when we landed, did everyone change their attitudes about us and offer their sympathies. "Oh that poor boy, flying all the way from China. Of course he is tired!" Thanks a lot lady, you can shove it.

And my final piece of advice:

9. Minimize connecting flights and layovers as much as possible: I think we saved a couple hundred bucks by flying into San Francisco instead of Chicago (only an hour from STL)... I don't know, but I don't think it was worth it.

 But we did it! We survived! My little dude is a trooper and so am I. At 19 months old, he already has 14 flights under his belt. Pretty impressive, kid.