Tips Traveling With Baby – As a first-time mom or parent, flying with a baby can be an overwhelming task. But looking back on flying with a baby compared to flying now with two toddlers/preschoolers, I’d take the baby in a heartbeat. Flying with a baby is a great way to take advantage of the age of immobility and no opinions. With my first child, I flew alone with her when she was 6 weeks old. I tore off the band-aid of fear immediately and we never looked back. Now, at 6 years old, she has been on almost 100 flights. Not only will you survive flying with a baby, but you will thrive! Put your worries aside and use these travel tips to make flying with a baby easier and more relaxing. This guide is the perfect checklist for traveling with baby to fly!
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive commissions for purchases made through these links.
Tips Traveling With Baby
I pumped a bottle for my daughter who is notorious for getting distracted on airplanes during takeoff and landing.
Practical & Encouraging Tips For Traveling With A Baby
1) Nursing or feeding the baby during take-off and landing is the most common advice given to new parents before flying with baby for the first time. I agree with. As a mother who flew nursing babies for several years, I can say that I usually breastfeed during this time. But if I was flying solo with my baby, I usually brought a bottle of pumped milk (or, if you’re not breastfeeding, a pre-measured container of formula) and was prepared to offer a bottle. My babies often got distracted by all the excitement on the plane and didn’t want to stay. A bottle offered me the chance to follow their moving head and keep them nursing during this time. If the flight is not during the baby’s normal feeding time, I dip a pacifier in Gripe Water and let them sip it for takeoff and landing.
Babywearing + carrying my backpack while flying solo with an 8 month old from florida to washington dc
2) Babywear the child through security. For babies, I love using the Ergobaby soft baby carrier. This carrier gives the child a safe place to ride along and leaves the parent hands-free. In the US, if you’re flying with a baby, TSA screening processes are straightforward, but you’ll have to have your hands swabbed and may be subject to a small, non-threatening pat down. Another benefit of the soft baby carrier is that it keeps your baby close to you and out of the reach of well-meaning strangers who might want to touch the baby. Carrying a baby in an airport is one way to protect the baby from the endless germs that airports and airplanes bring. Babywearing is especially useful when flying with a baby during covid.
Traveling with a baby and toddler means streamlining our gear. Baby in the carrier on the front, backpack on the back and toddler in the GB pocket!
Tips For Traveling With A Baby
3) Use a backpack-style diaper bag instead of a shoulder bag. We always have because we also use the backpack as our day bag wherever we go. The backpack style also usually has more room to store items. But the main reason for this suggestion is that it allows you to carry the baby on the front, the backpack on the back and be hands-free for other airport tasks. When flying with infants and flying with a toddler, this stylish diaper bag is extra useful for multiple diaper sizes and feeding tools.
We always make sure to pack extra food, breast milk and whatever we absolutely need to last us 24 hours.
4) Pack enough formula and diapers to last the entire trip plus 10-15 hours. There are very clear rules from the TSA that allow travelers with infants/children (within the US) to bring liquids, medicine and food on a flight. Even over 3 oz. Always prepare for the trip to take longer than expected and know that many airports do not offer formula, so pack enough supplies to get you through another 5-10 hours of travel. If your child eats solid food, take the same precautions and pack enough for the entire trip, plus. Flying with a baby internationally will bring its own requirements, so check the local regulations for that country when flying back to the US.
5) Bring your medications and medical equipment to the plane. One mistake I made once was packing my daughter’s infant medicine in my checked bag. But during our first flight she got a fever and I needed the medicine. I couldn’t access it during our layover either and the airport had nothing. Although she was fine (albeit very thorough), it made me realize that I would be packing essentials like that in my backpack in the future. I now carry infant Motrin and a bottle of water in my backpack when traveling with an infant just in case. I have also brought my breast pump on the plane and used it to pump on a long layover. We have an American Express Platinum credit card (I highly recommend for travel) and it gives us access to airport lounges all over the world. These lounges have been great when flying with an infant because I have clean, comfortable spaces to breastfeed and pump.
Five Tips To Make Traveling With Your Baby Easy
You never know when a blowout is going to happen! Here we are changing our 5 month old on a flight from Paris to Atlanta
6) Pack at least one extra outfit for the child and one extra shirt for yourself. I have, more times than I can count, been spat on, pooped on or spilled in the air. I pack this wet bag in my backpack (see tip 3) and I put 1-2 extra outfits for the baby and an extra shirt for myself inside. When the clothes get dirty, I just put the wet items in the wet bag and everything else in my backpack stays clean! A wet bag is at the top of my must have travel gear for flying with babies!
7) Flying with a baby Identification requirements: You need an ID for a baby. Even if you fly with a baby domestically, you may be asked to prove the child’s age. A copy of the birth certificate, the actual birth certificate, a military ID or some other form of government identification such as a passport with work. I’ve never been asked for ID for an infant, but it happens, so be prepared. If you are flying with a toddler approaching 2 years of age, you will likely be asked, so have your documents ready. If you are flying with a baby internationally, I also take photos of all babies to identify them (in addition to wearing them) in case anything is stolen or lost on the trip.
8) Ask the gate agent if there are any open seats on the plane. Of all my tips for flying with a baby, this one has been such a life saver. Many times I have bought an “infant in arms” ticket, but asked a gate agent if there are any open seats. When there are seats available, they have accommodated the infant by offering us to move near the open seat. This means that the child gets his own space. It might not happen every time, but it’s definitely worth asking. Otherwise, wait until the plane reaches altitude (and when it’s safe) to move to an area with an empty seat so you can spread out. This tip is also useful if you are flying with an infant who you want to sit in their car seat on the plane – when they have their own seat, the airline will allow them to sit in their car seat for the entire flight!
Travel Tips For Flying With A Baby
When traveling with babies on the plane, which seat is best? I prefer to sit in the aisle seat when traveling with an infant in my arms. This gives me some room to expand and the baby is not as likely to bump my seatmate. In addition, it will be easier to get up and down! But if you’re sure you can get your baby to sleep on the plane, the window seat would be great so your neighbor doesn’t need you to get up when they need to use the restroom.
When I fly solo, I take advantage of preboarding! I like getting a seat and getting the kids positioned! (1 and 2 years)
Boarding: If you are flying solo with your baby and you have a carry-on item, it makes sense to board first to get yourself seated without the pressure of a long line of passengers waiting for you. However, if you are flying with another adult companion, let the companion board first with all equipment. Then the other parent gets on board very last so that the child does not sit on the plane and become restless through boarding. In short – when I fly solo – I board during early boarding. When I fly with one
