Tips: Traveling with a Baby

 
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10 months old. 4 countries. 4 different climates. 2 stressed parents. 

Virginia, USA: 3 months old. Breastmilk + bottle feeding.  Warm and dry weather. Stayed in a private apartment. Flight was 2.5 hours

Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, MX: 6 months old. Weaning off breastmilk. Bottle feeding. Warm and humid weather. Stayed in a guest room + all inclusive hotel. Flight was 2 hours long. 

El Algodón, El Salvador: 9 months old. Full bottle feeding. Hot days, cool nights. Stayed in a small house (think third world country shack with hammocks and limited electricity) 1 layover. Longest flight was 3 hours. 

Ghent, Belgium: 10 months old. Bottle feeding + food. Stayed in a fully furbished Airbnb. Very cold and dry weather. 2 layovers. Longest flight was 8 hours. 

12 Tips for a smooth flight with your baby

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  1. Buy a car seat travel bag. Car seats are free to check at airports so make sure to take advantage of that. We also put our pack and play in that same travel bag. I’m sure we shouldn’t be doing this (since pack and plays are not free to check) but nobody has ever opened our bag to make sure we only have the car seat inside.
    Car seat travel bag
    Cosco travel car seat
    Lotus travel pack and play with sheet and blackout cover.

  2. Use a baby carrier at the airport. It takes up less space plus your arms are free to handle passports and such. 
    Bonus tip: If you can, get a stroller that folds flat and fits into the overhead bin. My sister-in-law let us borrow their mountain buggy. It’s more expensive than a regular umbrella stroller, but it’s a huge space saver.
    Baby carrier
    Mountain Buggy

  3. Use a backpack diaper bag. Put in diapers (one diaper per hour of travel) toys (I keep various toys in a travel bag and I give him a couple toys at a time when he gets fussy) extra outfits, medicine such as baby tylenol and a nose frida, Clorox wipes, and anything you need for feedings (including snacks). All water, formula and baby food is free to pass through TSA. Just let them know it’s a diaper bag. They may check the liquid, but we’ve never had any issues.
    Diaper bag

  4. Feed baby during takeoff. The sucking helps with ear pressure pain. Try to hold off until you’re actually taking off, and not while the plane is taxying. I fill the bottle with the necessary water beforehand and I mix the formula in while we are boarding- I have to make sure to hide the bottle from J because as soon as he sees it, he starts crying for it. This tip was easier to do while I was breastfeeding.
    Baby formula dispenser

  5. Dress baby in their pajamas.

  6. Buy diapers (plus any other essentials) at your destination. 

  7. Push naps as far as you can if your baby is +9 months. Let them play, crawl and wear themselves out at the airport before boarding. This way, by the time you’re taking off baby is nice and tired. Plus, if you do feed them a bottle during takeoff, the airplane noise and movement and dim lights are the perfect ingredients for a nap. J typically falls asleep in my arms at takeoff.

  8. Reserve a bassinet with your airline. If your baby is too big for the bassinet then sleeping in your arms is doable. If there is an empty seat next to you, place a blanket down and baby can sleep across the seat. Side note: You are allowed to buy baby his own seat and take a car seat. We’ve never done this, but I do see the benefit of having a car seat for them to sleep in for the extra long flights.

  9. Make sure baby is well rested the night before the flight. Josias was sleep trained at 5 months. This helped immensely with traveling. We knew what to expect as far as sleep patterns and we kept his bedtime routine as close as possible to what he was used to.

  10. Don’t be afraid of change. In El Salvador, him sleeping in his pack and play was not working for him. Since there was no AC where we stayed, his bedtime routine was different than normal. I had to readjust and we co-slept. As soon as we went back home it was back to our original routine. It happens.

  11. Stay flexible. It’s not impossible to travel with babies, just different. Before baby, Alden and I would travel with one carry-on bag. We never checked anything. Now, it takes a lot more thinking ahead. Flexibility plus (a lot of) patience is key.

  12. Have grace for yourself. If baby has a bad flight, then they have a bad flight. Most people have headphones. They will get over it. Don’t stress yourself out over strangers. Babies will be babies.

There you have it, the things we have learned on our outings. Do you have any tips you’d like to add? Feel free to comment below!

 
Travel, BabyIvonne PerlaTravel, Baby1 Comment