Traveling With Baby (part 1)

The holidays are upon us and for many, that means traveling to spend time with family and friends. But travel with baby is a whole new ballgame and there are some tips and tools that will make this experience as (relatively!) easy as possible.

Part one of this two part blog is covering air travel and part two will be covering road trips. So if you are heading somewhere with your baby this holiday season (or whoever you read this!), I’ve got you covered! 

First: the absolute-do-not-leave-home-without-essentials

My #1 suggestion for traveling by plane with your baby is this: pack extra patience and flexibility and get to the airport way too early. Things with babies just take longer. You have more stuff, you have to have TSA check the stroller and formula, you need to change a diaper and wait for the family restroom. It all just takes longer so give yourself extra time. 

Try to go easy. Have patience for yourself, your baby, your partner and other people around you. Be flexible with how the day goes and try to take a very zen approach to all things. This is easier said than done but it’s good to start out trying to keep your cool because travel days with baby are just long and tiring and expecting this will help you feel more in control of the uncontrollable. Whenever you need to during the day, take a deep breath and say to yourself: I am doing my best. They are doing their best. (Who is “they”? Maybe your baby. Maybe the flight attendant or person in your row. Who knows!). 

What else do you need?

If you are breastfeeding, then you have already packed your number one essential travel item (hint: it’s you). If you are bottle-feeding breastmilk or formula, then make sure you have bottles and lots of extra milk. TSA is more flexible with liquids for babies than other travelers so you should’t have an issue bringing along pre-made formula or breastmilk. At the time of this writing, TSA says it allows “reasonable quantities” of formula, breastmilk and juice for babies. Click here to see the latest from TSA so your info on this is up to date.

If your baby is a bit older, snack foods serve double duty as keeping your little one’s tummy full and keeping them occupied on the flight. Win win!

Another thing to make sure you have and have lots of: diapers. You don’t want to be dealing with a dirty diaper and no options when you are 30,000 feet in the air. Bring more than you think you will need!

Baby wipes are great to have on hand when traveling. Not just for diaper changes (although, make sure you have them for that!) but also for wiping faces, hands, surfaces and whatever else gets dirty during your travel day.

Pacifier wipes like these will help if you drop pacifiers, bottles, or toys on the plane or airport floor. You don’t want to be running to the airplane lavatory to rinse a pacifier every-time it lands somewhere gross. 

A change of clothes for you and for baby. Spit up, blow outs, food and milk spills…babies are messy in general and travel days are no exception (and can maybe be worse?). A change of clothes will feel so much better if you run into any major messes. 

Yes, it may seem like a lot to lug around but a stroller, carrier and carseat will make the whole travel day a little bit easier in a lot of other ways. A small umbrella stroller (or stroller with carseat attachment) helps as you walk through the airport and (bonus!) it can hold bags, jackets and other items. You can check it under the plane when you arrive at the gate.

A carrier is great for helping your baby sleep on the go and helps them stay snuggly and secure when riding on the plane (especially if you choose not to book an extra seat and put baby in a carseat). It helps to have a couple of ways to move baby around so you can go with their mood (and yours) and have options for soothing and carrying.

A carseat: Now, it’s true that you can have your baby on your lap when you fly. But if you can swing it, getting baby their own seat generally means for a smoother flight for everyone. Baby is secure and safe. You can have free hands for yourself. Often, babies will sleep in their carseats when it might be harder to achieve this on your lap or in your arms. Do what feels right (and is affordable!) for you but it might be something to consider. Also, if you are bringing a carseat on the plane, make sure it has a label that is is approved for travel by the FAA and that you know where that label is on the seat. The flight attendant may ask and you don’t want to be stressed trying to find it (trust me – I speak from experience on this matter).

All the above will help keep your baby happy, safe and contented on the plane but there are some extras you can do and bring to help keep your little one comfortable. 

Nursing or bottle-feeding during take off and landing helps lots of babies feel more comfortable by reducing pressure in their ears.

New toys can grab and hold baby’s attention on the plane so consider buying or borrowing a couple new-to-baby toys before your trip. Pinterest has lots of cute ideas for DIY toys and activities depending on your little one’s age.

A blanket may seem like a no brainer but when you are packing, it can be easy to forget or skip in the name of saving space. But blankets really can help your baby sleep on the plane or you can lay it out on the floor of the airport or in your seat row to give your baby space to do tummy time or crawl and play. 

Make sure you have water and snacks to keep your energy up during this busy day of air travel. It can happen so automatically to be focused on what your baby will need that you forget you will have needs during the day too! Packing or buying some healthy, protein rich snacks can help you ward off fatigue or headaches during the day and hydration is important too (also, if you bring a baby carrier, it’s a little easier to take bathroom breaks!).

While you might not get a chance to use them, bringing along some light and easy to pack things for yourself like headphones, a magazine or e-reader can provide a moment of calm if your baby is sleeping or being occupied by your partner. Of course, if that happens, you may also want to take the moment to close your eyes!

Traveling with your baby is definitely a bigger challenge than when you flew in your pre-baby days but armed with the right tools and with a zen-like mindset (and an extra hour at the airport!), you can survive and get to your destination with a bit of your sanity intact!