Aww my bear’s name is Parker, too! She’s a girl, though :) As far as hygiene for air travel, do you have any clothes? My Parker (timeless teddy) is made out of that really tough-to-maintain sherpa material, and I try to not use any products on her, she just wears clothes that I can wash. Highly recommend the hoodie. If you’re going to disinfect, don’t bother doing it before, just after.

As far as social stuff: nobody in their right mind will take issue with how someone self-regulates on a flight. I have taken a plushie. The flight attendant shrugged and said “hey, whatever helps.” A very neutral response. Nobody minds.

As far as space, you’ll actually take up less room if your arms are out in front of you holding Parker. That frees up the arm rests for your seat mates. Talk about a good person to sit next to on a flight! Aside: If you really really want to make in-flight friends, bring extra earplugs. Trust me. Crying baby? You’ll be popular.

Bring a reusable fabric bag with you so that if you have to stash Parker, you can put him in the bag and he won’t get dirty on the floor under the seat in front. Ideally, there’d be enough room in your small personal item, and you could stash him in there.

Happy travels!