Travel to USA

Going to America: Singapore to Seoul to San Francisco US

We really aimed to travel more before baby Zara turns 2. She is currently 16 months old. 

An opportunity to go to USA came up and we grabbed it right away. The plan was to see as much as we can and visit family. 

We had to reroute our travel via South Korea instead of Dubai because of the 'Middle East flu like virus' notice we read from KK hospital last time we had to rush baby Zara because of an allergy attack. The flight will cover Singapore to South Korea transit, to San Francisco USA. 

For easy immigration scanning process with a toddler, make sure you both wear slip on shoes, for easy removal and wear them back on fast, no belts, no water, no opened baby food, and no metals or too much liquid in the baby bag. My baby bag is like a small luggage in itself as i don't want to have any hiccups within the 7 hours travel to South Korea followed by 11 hours to San Francisco USA destination. We left the house in the morning and baby Zara is still half asleep. We rushed to check-in and good thing we did not have stroller so we walked faster as Zara clung inside the baby carrier. 

Once inside the plane, Zara became active and I had to get some toys and activities to make her busy before the take off. By now I know the routine, ask for the baby buckle and make sure baby is buckled. The bassinet will arrive shortly and that I can place Zara to play or sleep. I let Zara play in the leg space as much as she wants before take off and buckle her just when the plane is moving, this way she enjoys the view in the window or will be engaged into something like the magazines (Thanks for kiddie magazines onboard). 

The flight went smooth. I suggest to eat fast when the baby is asleep and ask your hubby to eat first so you can enjoy food when its your turn as eating together can sometimes be impossible when the baby gets up and wants to play. I know I should learn how to pack less, but i brought bunch of toys to make sure Zara is occupied : crayons are good, battery functional toys can be noisy but okay better than baby crying, the best are stickers, small baby book is also fine, small flash light torch can also be cool when the lights went off, musical toys are also ok, flashcards not to much, and writing board sets are fun too. At any point you need to throw or forgot these toys it should be fine, so bring the not so expensive toys.

I am full-time breastfeeding as baby Zara has milk protein allergy, this gives me an advantage to get her cuddled and tuck her to sleep in a quick way. She slept half way to Seoul and woke up just about when we land. We let her walk around and check-out the nearest SNOOPY cafe and took some photos. Baby carrier is a good thing to have to free off your hands from the baby and be able to push the cart or easy access to take out passport etc. from your purse. 

Sarfraz Safir, Nadine Sarfraz and Zara Sarfraz

I think I slept off from exhaustion and woke up when food was being served. Baby Zara was friendly enough to be sleeping without much fuss. 

Helpful items: neck pillow rest (bring one even if there are pillows on board), jacket or shawl for extra comfort cover up, baby pillow (baby can smell comfort and familiarity)