Tips for Traveling With a Baby
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Something I have received so many questions about is advice for flying with a baby! I had to travel with Davis at just 3 months old and it was definitely intimidating. I had talked to a lot of friends of mine who were experts in this area to get some advice before hand and I definitely learned a lot during my first couple of flights with him.
We are flying next week to California for Thanksgiving, so we are about to do it all over again! I am traveling with him quite a bit this year, so this is something that is definitely important to me!
Packing:
Packing is extremely important when it comes to traveling with a baby. The first time I traveled with him, I was going to my parents’ house in St. Louis, which was slightly different than packing for staying in a hotel since I was able to send some things we needed to my parents’ house before we got there.
I’m going to make this packing list for if you are staying in a hotel and you can adjust as needed if you do not need certain items! Remember, less is more! Simplicity is best – do not over pack, especially for your carry on)
Carry On:
- Birth certificate or shot records – I had no idea they needed this and thankfully I keep some of his medical records on me, so I had his shot records.
- Portable sound machine – this one is our favorite
- Pacifiers
- Pacifier Wipes (incase the pacifier falls on the plane so you can clean it)
- Toys/Entertainment – this varies depending on age and what your baby likes. Try to bring smaller toys!
- Change of clothes for baby (I usually pack a couple pairs of footie pajamas)
- Change of clothes for mom (pick something that doesn’t take up much room and is easy to change into)
- Travel pack of wipes
- Diapers
- Milk Snob breastfeeding cover – click here for the one we have
- Baby Carrier – we will be using this Baby Bjourn carrier
- Burp cloths
Suitcase:
- Click here for the suitcase I bought for Davis
- Owlet sock monitor (because of Davis’ health issues early on, we still use this every time he sleeps)
- Sound Machine – We are bringing our Hatch sound machine since it’s small enough to go in his suitcase
- Diapers
- Big pack of wipes (this may vary depending on how long you are gone)
- 1 outfit for each day and a couple extra
- 1 pair of pjs for each night and a couple extra
- Baby toiletries and any medicine – click here for the toiletry bag I got for Davis
- Mini Crib Sheet – Most hotels have a crib that you can use. I am bringing two mini crib sheets of our own for peace of mind. Click here for the ones I ordered from Amazon.
Navigating the Airport & Security:
Putting this on here again incase you didn’t see it earlier – bring your baby’s birth certificate or shot records! You need to give yourself time to check in at the desk (not the kiosk). I flew Southwest and they make you check in with a baby up front. They will give you a boarding pass for your baby! If you are bringing a stroller through security to check at the gate, ask for a tag for it (they may tell you to get one at your gate, but just make sure you get one before it is time to board).
Before getting to security, get organized. Make sure you have all I.D.’s and boarding passes ready to go. If you have any liquids or electronics, make sure they are easily accessible to take out. The last thing you want to happen while going through security with a baby is get flagged for your bag to be searched.
Security is the worst part of all of this (in my opinion). If you are flying alone, start befriending the people in line with you or ask security for help. Davis did not like his baby carrier when I first flew with him so when I took him out of his stroller (I travel with the Doona carseat stroller), I had to have my mom hold him while I folded up the carseat to put on the conveyer belt. If your baby is fine in their baby carrier, I would recommend wearing them through security so that you do not have to pull them out of the stroller during security. If you are traveling with someone, getting through security isn’t too bad since you can pass off the baby to one another while you put your own belongings up.
Once you get to your gate, make sure you confirm you have the claim tag for your stroller/carseat if you are checking it at the gate. If they did not give you one when you originally checked in, ask for one at the gate before boarding starts (my mom and I learned this the hard way).
Once you are at the gate, take a moment to get organized again. Make sure you have everything that you will need in a bag that can fit under the seat in front of you. I typically travel with my Freshly Picked Diaper Backpack and a large tote bag. When I get to the gate, I make sure that everything I need in flight is in the diaper bag since that is what I will have by me.
In Flight:
The first time I flew with Davis, he was only 3 months old and sleeping a ton, so thankfully he slept through our first two flights. Next week, we will be on longer flight and we are flying during his worst time of day (early evening), so we will see how it goes. Thankfully Cody will be with me this time, which will be helpful in calming him down if he gets upset.
During the flight, I would suggest trying to sit close to a bathroom and in the back of the plane to be polite. You want to make sure you have a couple things to distract/entertain your baby while in flight if they start to get fussy. If possible, try time time your travel so that baby is awake during airport & security and sleeps on the plane. I’ll put an ideal schedule at the end of this post.
During the descent I would try to give them a bottle or nurse them to help with the pressure in their ears. We did this on the first flight and it was a huge help. He slept the entire time on our second flight.
Before you get off the plane, double and triple check to make sure that you have all of your belongings. Things can get a little crazy when you are so focused on getting off the plane with baby, so make sure to pause and make sure you have everything. If you checked your stroller at the gate, it will be waiting for you as soon as you step off the plane. Most of the time they will even set them up for you!
