My husband travels a lot for work.  Not to super exotic places, but places generally more exciting than our neck of Texas.  When he took the job he knew it would require him to be away from home frequently, but we both agreed this would be “perfect” because then Kendall and I could travel with him and enjoy the “experience” together.  Mind you, this was before we actually had the baby.  This was back when we thought traveling with a baby just meant bringing an extra bag along with you (well, and the baby, of course).  ”Babies are adaptable!” we thought.  He will just go with the flow.

My child “goes with the flow” like a Salmon swimming upstream to spawn.  To date, we have only been on 3 business trips with Scott, and each one of them we arrived via car.  We had grand plans to visit Colorado with him in February.  I was going to purchase a plane ticket for myself, seat my (at the time) 9 month old on my lap, and fly three hours, orchestrating our luggage, car seat, stroller and child all by myself to meet up with my husband for a one week “vacation” (as much as a week in Colorado in February can be considered a vacation).

Needless to say, I chickened out.  I had only been on a plane one other time with Kendall, and he was only 4 weeks old.  Don’t get me wrong.  That was an extremely overwhelming experience, but at least I could keep him contained and strapped to me the whole time in my trusty Moby Wrap.  He slept 90% of the time and didn’t have the ability to wriggle free from my arms and boogie down the aisle.  After I finally conveyed to Scott just how apprehensive I was, we both agreed that it would be best to hold off on flying for the time being.  It felt like the right decision, but it made me sad.  I don’t want our traveling options to be limited just because we are scared to fly with Kendall.

That was when I met Anya Clowers, RN and author of Jet With Kids.  She heard my cries for help on Twitter and chimed in with some wonderful advice (follow her @JetWithAnya).  She also sent me a copy of her book to read.  I wish I would have read it a long time ago!

From JetWithKids.com

Flying with children is not a simple thing to do. New airline security regulations and airports that are more crowded than ever can be tough to figure-out; add an infant or toddler to the mix, and you can see preparation has never been more important. With down-to-earth advice and recommendations from experts, Jet with Kids will prepare you for a safe andfun flight with your kids!

Inside you’ll find valuable information for your next trip:
¤	Is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA’s) Lap Child policy safe?
¤	What 3 things do pediatricians recommend to pack for your flight?
¤	Which travel products lighten your load, entertain your child, and keep them well behaved?

The book was full of helpful tips for how to make that dreaded plane flight easier, whether it’s with a baby or a pre-schooler, domestic or international. The chapters take you step by step, from booking your ticket (with a very informational chapter on the pros and cons of purchasing a separate ticket for a child under 2), to preparing kids for the stressful process of boarding and deplaning.  

The seasoned traveler may find some of the tips to be common sense, but everyone can at least benefit from them as reminders.  The book also has a ton of great websites listed, though some of the links are a tad long to type into a browser and may be found quicker using Google.  Overall, still an excellent source of information for the family that plans on flying together anywhere at any point in their child’s early life.  This would also make an excellent baby shower gift for that jet-setting friend or a military mom.

In addition, Anya has a wonderful website www.JetWithKids.com, and she’s a delightful and valuable Twitter friend (she helped me get in touch with @Starbucks re: the changing table issue, which I hope to blog about soon).  She is also generously giving away 7 copies of Jet With Kids here!  Here’s how you can win:

4 copies will be given way via the Contest Machine.  Just fill out the information in the box below.

3 copies will be given to anyone who posts a comment and either
          a. leaves their own traveling with kids tip
          b. follows me on Twitter (@babyrabies), just leave your Twitter name in the comment telling me so
          c.  re-tweets this giveaway on Twitter (again, leave a separate comment telling me so)
          d. subscribes to my feed (separate comments for all of these, please)

Will draw on Wednesday, April 22 at 11:25 p.m. CST

You can also purchase the book from her website.  Regular price is $19.95, but readers can get $5 off with code JWK5

Good luck!

***** CONTEST IS CLOSED AND WINNERS CHOSEN ********

Contest Machine chose Kaitlin, Vanessa, Starrinad and Kim9212
Random Number Generator chose commenters 1, 10 and 26 (Emily, Katie and Lindsay)

Congrats!  You all have been contacted via email (and/or Twitter).  

Thanks to everyone for entering!