Flying from Seattle to Boston with wife and 5-month-old in 3 weeks. Have done the research, have the car seat, have the bottles. But I'm still catastrophizing about everything that could go wrong. Anyone taken a long flight with a baby this age? What were the actual problems vs. what I'm imagining?
Five months is totally doable. The ear popping part is the real wild card with babies that age. Stock up on pacifiers and maybe time some feeds for takeoff and landing.
Don't stress too much. Babies fly all the time. Just have a plan for feeding and diaper changes and you're golden. The flight crew is used to this stuff too so ask for help if you need it.
We flew cross country with our 6mo last year and honestly it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. The people around us were way more chill about baby noise than I expected.
The diaper situation on planes is rough. Bring way more supplies than you think you need and don't rely on the airplane bathrooms being functional.
Honestly the hardest part is just the anxiety about disrupting other passengers. But most people get it. You're going to be fine and your baby will probably sleep through half of it anyway.
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Pro tip: book a seat for the baby if you can swing it. Lap infant is cheaper but having an extra seat for a bassinet makes a huge difference on a long flight like Seattle to Boston.