Tips for traveling with a baby
So, Harrison just turned 8 months old last week and I want to say that we have taken somewhere between 22-24 flights. Think I'm crazy? Well, maybe I am, but it actually hasn't been too bad! I've had several friends ask me what I've done to survive and I figured I may as well write out some tips and tricks in a (somewhat permanent location) to make things easier. I have traveled by myself, with my husband, with my mom, with my brother...so needless to say we have been in just about every situation as far as traveling with a baby. I am going to give some basic tips and tricks and then walk you through two scenarios that could work well depending upon your circumstances! Hopefully this information is a blessing to those who are willing to take on the adventure of traveling with an infant. I added some fun pictures along the way as well. :)
Basic tips and tricks:
1. My number on tip is to remember that no matter what happens you are the best mother to your child, you WILL survive, and you will never see these people again!! (Unless they happen to be on your return flight, haha)....If your baby cries the entire hour of the flight and everyone is annoyed you know what, you'll survive!! If your baby has a blow out and you forgot a change of clothes and you have to travel with poop on you, you know what...You'll probably share that story when they get married or have their own child! If you spend $6 on an overpriced Starbucks coffee and then bring it on the plane with you in one hand and have baby in the other and end up spilling half of it on you, burn yourself, low key cry, and then feel dumb for thinking you could carry both your baby and coffee....then I'm here to tell you that you will survive!! And I still buy those coffees. All that to say, you are brave and it's worth it!
2. Travel more when they are smaller! (If you want to.) Once you have your feeding plan down (that breastfeeding curve is steep and if you are a pumping mama I know you are traveling with an elephant sized handbag), BUT if you feel comfortable with feeds out in public traveling can be a breeze. We took our first trip when Harrison was 3 weeks old to see my parents in D.C. and it was probably our easiest trip yet. Except for the part where our train broke down from the airport so we waited for 2+hrs and ending up Ubering...BUT the flight...easy peasy.
3. Invest in a nice travel bag for your car seat if you plan on traveling frequently. We got an $8 one off amazon and it started ripping after just 1-2 uses. Yes, a nice bag may cost you $40, but it's worth it. Especially if you spent a pretty penny on the carseat to start with.
4. Try to plan your trip in coordination with your schedule. Think you're not following a schedule? You probably are even if it's not intentional! I will give you two examples:
Example 1: Harrison and I flew out of Chicago to go to my SIL Bachelorette party and he was about 3 months old. I was traveling alone and knew I was going to have to drive up there, park, take a shuttle, etc. He was still sleeping a lot at this point, so I planned my flight for early afternoon and we woke up, had our normal morning routine, I fed him, let him play for a while and then right when it was time to go down for his morning nap we hit the road. He slept the entire way there including the ride on the shuttle and woke up when I took him out of his car seat to check the car seat. I was so grateful the timing worked out! (Obviously you cannot always control when they sleep, wake up, etc...but you can try to line things up!)
Example 2: Fairly recently Ross and I were flying back from Colorado and our flight got delayed. We were going to get home at 4am and then have to drive home an hour and then Ross was basically going to shower and go to work. We knew that while Harrison would probably sleep that entire time he WOULD wake up at 6am like normal expecting me to give him his full attention. So, we called the airline (cannot recommend Southwest enough for this exact scenario!!) and they let us get on the first flight the next morning (at 5:40am). We stayed in a hotel connected to the airport and woke Harrison up at 3am to go get through security (he was dazed and confused so hardly any fussing) and then we were able to take our car seat on the plane since it was hardly full and he slept the entire 3 hour flight (as did we!). Re-arranging our plans was the best choice we could've made to make things work a little better for our schedule.
Example 3: This is about driving, but I'm going to throw this in here! Harrison isn't a huge fan of his car seat or riding in the car, so when we need to take long road trips (7-10hrs) we will go to bed at like 8pm and then wake up at 2/3am feed him and then hit the road. More often than not he will sleep from 2-7am and then our trip is practically over! Obviously you need to make sure you are in a suitable condition to drive, but we made the mistake of leaving first thing in the morning one time and it was the longest road trip of our lives. Also, this is why we fly so much more. ;-)
5. ONLY BRING THE BASICS: I wrote this in all caps because you need to be ruthless. You will think you need ALL the things...but you don't. Your baby will be happier chewing on your boarding pass than all of the teething toys you brought. Here are our basics:
* We put our pack n play inside of our suitcase (and then we use the other half of the suitcase for clothes)...you can also check a pack n play like a carseat, but we just prefer to do it this way because then I only have one big bag to roll when I'm alone.
* Backpack for mom: One book, extra shirt, toiletries, headphones, laptop, wipes, and wallet/keys
* Diaper bag - Diapers, wipes, medicine, 2 outfits - one being pajamas, 3-4 toys (depending upon size & bring toys that you can wipe off easily, no stuffed animals), nursing cover or formula, snacks
* Carseat & Umbrella stroller or Snap N' Go (gate check or check when you check big bags depending upon preference)....I HIGHLY recommend buying a cheaper ($50-100) stroller or like I said snap n' go that you don't mind getting trashed. This way you aren't worried about it if anything happens. We have these two: stroller & snap n go
You think you need "all the things," but you really don't. You will likely be wearing the baby or pushing the baby in the carseat/stroller the majority of the time.
6. Get a window seat: If you get a window seat then you can explode over to the side and you can also shove your sweater, water bottle, and toys in the little crack between the arm rest and window. Plus you can control how much light is on the baby
7. Sign up for TSA pre-check. You should do this even if you don't have a baby!
8. Print your boarding passes. I know it seems like using your phone would be easier, but with printing you can shove in the back of your jeans pocket with your ID and pull it out and (at least for me) I usually keep my phone in the side pocket of the diaper bag and trying to get my pass pulled up with one hand on my phone is usually less efficient. Plus the baby loves to hold the boarding pass and chew on it! Haha!
9. Keep a copy of your babies birth certificate in your diaper bag (I just have one in a ziplock bag I keep in there all the time since we travel so much).
10. If you can fly Southwest, fly Southwest! I said this before, but with Southwest they let you pick your own seats and if the flight isn't full they will let you bring your car seat on, therefore basically guaranteeing the baby their own seat. And the carseat must ride in the window seat, which means you are in the middle and most people are not picking that aisle seat, believe me! This isn't a guarantee, but when it happens makes for a much more comfortable flight.
11. Everyone says to nurse/bottlefeed your baby on take off and landing to help pop their ears, but personally I have not noticed a difference. I think you should feed your baby when they are hungry and if they seem to be uncomfortable with their ears then of course you can try to get them to feed again. You know your baby best though, so do what's best for you! I would just not recommend making your baby "hangry" just to be waiting to feed on take off.
12. Accept help as you feel comfortable.
"Ma'am can I fold your stroller up for you?" Why YES!! "Actually here why don't you hold the baby for a minute while I fold it up since it'll be quicker that way."
"Could I hold your coffee while you strap him in? Yes please!"
"Oh here, can I throw your backpack up there for you? Oh yes, thank you!! While you're at it can you reach in the outside pocket, grab my headphones, and shove them in the back of the seat pocket as well. You're the best!"
Lady seated closest to the toilet: "I wouldn't mind holding him while you go to the bathroom if you'd like." Me: "Oh, great!" *takes an extra 5min to have alone time* **they can only run so far with your baby while in-flight** ;-)
13. Make a plan and then remain flexible....below I will list the two approaches I've taken that you can consider, but overall (you probably know this already) it just takes a bit more planning when you have children. I like to have a rough idea in my head of how things will go and then adjust as things happen. Ex: Flight is at 11am. We will wake up at 6am feed, play for 20min, get dressed, get in the car to go to the airport at 7:30am (nap time is at 9am so we are a little ahead of schedule)....hoping for a nap in the car on the hour drive to the airport. Baby wakes up upon arrival to the airport. Park in long-term parking and feed in the car. Then strap baby in to carrier or car seat. Take shuttle in, get checked in, go through security, time is now 9:45am....Mom will take baby to the play area to wear him out while Dad gets coffee and breakfast/snacks. Everyone goes to the bathroom and then you are waiting around for boarding. Time to board at 10:30am. Board with family boarding so you have time to be a hot mess. Feed baby right when you get settled into your seat. Take off and hopefully baby naps! Voila! (And obviously survive any meltdowns along the way...you are traveling with a baby after all!)
Now I am going to move on to the two different approaches you can take. They are:
1. Check everything & wear baby in a baby carrier OR
2. Check your bag & keep the car seat and the stroller to gate check
I will tell you the PROS and CONS to both and my personal preference...
Option 1: Check everything
Pros: You don't have to worry about any of your stuff while going through security and while waiting for the flight. Also, if you check the car seat you can shove your boppy and/or boppy lounger, diapers, wipes, etc into the bag when the baby is little. Now that Harrison is older I never bring all of that extra stuff and I just buy diapers/wipes when I arrive. When you go through security you can walk right through while still wearing your baby. If you have a more sensitive baby they may feel safer being on you rather than in the stroller. You may feel more secure too! The baby may be more likely to stay asleep/happier because they are in your arms the entire time. Or out looking around and checking it all out. You can hold your Starbucks in one hand mosttt of the time (Ha!)...this is a huge plus for me!! Mama needs coffee.
Cons: I found it to be pretty difficult to wear my backpack while having Harrison on the front of me. Obviously do-able, but felt a little awkward (this could be my carrier though because the straps are thick). You have to keep wearing the baby when you go to the bathroom if they are sleeping unless you take them out for a diaper change at the same time, but again if sleeping...don't wake the baby! You might get sweaty wearing the baby the whole time (or maybe it's just me?). Your arms also basically don't get a break if you have them out of the carrier as there is no where to set them down. Although I did let him sleep on his blanket on the floor of the airport one time, lol!
Option 2: Check your bag & keep the car seat and stroller to gate check
Pros: Right away I will say that this is my preferred method. We have an umbrella stroller that can flip so we can put our carseat inside of it and it's kind of like a makeshift travel system. When you have the stroller you don't have to carry as much. I put my diaper bag underneath and wear my backpack. You can go to the bathroom more peacefully. If the plane isn't full (this is true for other airlines, not just Southwest) you can bring your car seat on. Aka moms arms get a break on the flight too - and you might get a nap! You have more control over your car seat/stroller getting banged up. If you buy the nice car seat bag then it's likely not getting banged up at all, but I know that they are just folding up my stroller, grabbing the car seat, and throwing them in at the last minute and then pulling them out first thing. Some people will say no to do this with your car seat and it is a risk, but personally I feel like two throws isn't too bad considering you have no idea how much the luggage is getting thrown around. But it's probably thrown more than twice (another reason to get the padded bag if you are checking it!).
Side note: If you have a soft carrier (I have the Baby K'tan) you can always throw that in your backpack so that if you want to carry the baby you can still do so hands-free and push the stroller. Second side note, if you bring a neck pillow you can use it to hold the baby in your lap and then you have a makeshift tray table for snacks (pictured above, hehe).
Cons: When you go through security (even if you have TSA pre check) you have to fold up your stroller and put the stroller, car seat, diaper bag, all of that through the security machine. That is a pain in the booty FOR SURE. I won't sugar coat it, it stinks. However, I usually leave Harrison in the car seat and send everything through and then pick him up, throw the car seat through and then carry him over to the other side. More than once I've had people comment, "I don't know how you just did all of that so quickly." Praise for learning how to do things one-handed! Mom skills, amirite?? It also stinks to get him out of the car seat if he's sleeping. And last but not least, harder to carry your Starbucks. I have on more than one occasion spilled my coffee trying to leave everything down at the end of the walkway, but ya know what?? Worth it for my coffee!
So, I probably didn't convince you to do it the way I prefer to (haha!), but I really think it's preference and considering all of the aspects of the trip. I am frequently traveling alone, so even though there are a few more annoying things with bringing the stroller it is a God-send for me to be able to put Harrison down for a while and be able to rest myself. I also find it easier to manage all of the bags when I just have to wear my backpack, push the stroller, and pull the one rolling bag. But again, you need to decide what is best for YOU!
Now that you've made it through this novel, you can easily travel with your baby!!! Overall, try to enjoy yourself and remember that this is a season and your baby can be along for the ride rather than limit your ability to participate in trips and fun experiences! They will love it and if they don't they probably won't remember. :) Happy traveling!
xo,
Katie
Basic tips and tricks:
 |
| Harrison loves coffee too! |
1. My number on tip is to remember that no matter what happens you are the best mother to your child, you WILL survive, and you will never see these people again!! (Unless they happen to be on your return flight, haha)....If your baby cries the entire hour of the flight and everyone is annoyed you know what, you'll survive!! If your baby has a blow out and you forgot a change of clothes and you have to travel with poop on you, you know what...You'll probably share that story when they get married or have their own child! If you spend $6 on an overpriced Starbucks coffee and then bring it on the plane with you in one hand and have baby in the other and end up spilling half of it on you, burn yourself, low key cry, and then feel dumb for thinking you could carry both your baby and coffee....then I'm here to tell you that you will survive!! And I still buy those coffees. All that to say, you are brave and it's worth it!
2. Travel more when they are smaller! (If you want to.) Once you have your feeding plan down (that breastfeeding curve is steep and if you are a pumping mama I know you are traveling with an elephant sized handbag), BUT if you feel comfortable with feeds out in public traveling can be a breeze. We took our first trip when Harrison was 3 weeks old to see my parents in D.C. and it was probably our easiest trip yet. Except for the part where our train broke down from the airport so we waited for 2+hrs and ending up Ubering...BUT the flight...easy peasy.
 |
| You can use your diaper mat and portable sound machine to recreate your home sleep environment on the road |
3. Invest in a nice travel bag for your car seat if you plan on traveling frequently. We got an $8 one off amazon and it started ripping after just 1-2 uses. Yes, a nice bag may cost you $40, but it's worth it. Especially if you spent a pretty penny on the carseat to start with.
 |
| This was our first trip and here is the bag! |
4. Try to plan your trip in coordination with your schedule. Think you're not following a schedule? You probably are even if it's not intentional! I will give you two examples:
Example 1: Harrison and I flew out of Chicago to go to my SIL Bachelorette party and he was about 3 months old. I was traveling alone and knew I was going to have to drive up there, park, take a shuttle, etc. He was still sleeping a lot at this point, so I planned my flight for early afternoon and we woke up, had our normal morning routine, I fed him, let him play for a while and then right when it was time to go down for his morning nap we hit the road. He slept the entire way there including the ride on the shuttle and woke up when I took him out of his car seat to check the car seat. I was so grateful the timing worked out! (Obviously you cannot always control when they sleep, wake up, etc...but you can try to line things up!)
Example 2: Fairly recently Ross and I were flying back from Colorado and our flight got delayed. We were going to get home at 4am and then have to drive home an hour and then Ross was basically going to shower and go to work. We knew that while Harrison would probably sleep that entire time he WOULD wake up at 6am like normal expecting me to give him his full attention. So, we called the airline (cannot recommend Southwest enough for this exact scenario!!) and they let us get on the first flight the next morning (at 5:40am). We stayed in a hotel connected to the airport and woke Harrison up at 3am to go get through security (he was dazed and confused so hardly any fussing) and then we were able to take our car seat on the plane since it was hardly full and he slept the entire 3 hour flight (as did we!). Re-arranging our plans was the best choice we could've made to make things work a little better for our schedule.
Example 3: This is about driving, but I'm going to throw this in here! Harrison isn't a huge fan of his car seat or riding in the car, so when we need to take long road trips (7-10hrs) we will go to bed at like 8pm and then wake up at 2/3am feed him and then hit the road. More often than not he will sleep from 2-7am and then our trip is practically over! Obviously you need to make sure you are in a suitable condition to drive, but we made the mistake of leaving first thing in the morning one time and it was the longest road trip of our lives. Also, this is why we fly so much more. ;-)
 |
| Even Harrison looks a little rough at 5am ;-) |
5. ONLY BRING THE BASICS: I wrote this in all caps because you need to be ruthless. You will think you need ALL the things...but you don't. Your baby will be happier chewing on your boarding pass than all of the teething toys you brought. Here are our basics:
* We put our pack n play inside of our suitcase (and then we use the other half of the suitcase for clothes)...you can also check a pack n play like a carseat, but we just prefer to do it this way because then I only have one big bag to roll when I'm alone.
* Backpack for mom: One book, extra shirt, toiletries, headphones, laptop, wipes, and wallet/keys
* Diaper bag - Diapers, wipes, medicine, 2 outfits - one being pajamas, 3-4 toys (depending upon size & bring toys that you can wipe off easily, no stuffed animals), nursing cover or formula, snacks
* Carseat & Umbrella stroller or Snap N' Go (gate check or check when you check big bags depending upon preference)....I HIGHLY recommend buying a cheaper ($50-100) stroller or like I said snap n' go that you don't mind getting trashed. This way you aren't worried about it if anything happens. We have these two: stroller & snap n go
You think you need "all the things," but you really don't. You will likely be wearing the baby or pushing the baby in the carseat/stroller the majority of the time.
 |
| This is the Snap N' Go...I can easily fold it with one hand, huge plus! |
6. Get a window seat: If you get a window seat then you can explode over to the side and you can also shove your sweater, water bottle, and toys in the little crack between the arm rest and window. Plus you can control how much light is on the baby
 |
| Window = perfect nap spot! |
7. Sign up for TSA pre-check. You should do this even if you don't have a baby!
8. Print your boarding passes. I know it seems like using your phone would be easier, but with printing you can shove in the back of your jeans pocket with your ID and pull it out and (at least for me) I usually keep my phone in the side pocket of the diaper bag and trying to get my pass pulled up with one hand on my phone is usually less efficient. Plus the baby loves to hold the boarding pass and chew on it! Haha!
9. Keep a copy of your babies birth certificate in your diaper bag (I just have one in a ziplock bag I keep in there all the time since we travel so much).
10. If you can fly Southwest, fly Southwest! I said this before, but with Southwest they let you pick your own seats and if the flight isn't full they will let you bring your car seat on, therefore basically guaranteeing the baby their own seat. And the carseat must ride in the window seat, which means you are in the middle and most people are not picking that aisle seat, believe me! This isn't a guarantee, but when it happens makes for a much more comfortable flight.11. Everyone says to nurse/bottlefeed your baby on take off and landing to help pop their ears, but personally I have not noticed a difference. I think you should feed your baby when they are hungry and if they seem to be uncomfortable with their ears then of course you can try to get them to feed again. You know your baby best though, so do what's best for you! I would just not recommend making your baby "hangry" just to be waiting to feed on take off.
12. Accept help as you feel comfortable.
"Ma'am can I fold your stroller up for you?" Why YES!! "Actually here why don't you hold the baby for a minute while I fold it up since it'll be quicker that way."
"Could I hold your coffee while you strap him in? Yes please!"
"Oh here, can I throw your backpack up there for you? Oh yes, thank you!! While you're at it can you reach in the outside pocket, grab my headphones, and shove them in the back of the seat pocket as well. You're the best!"
Lady seated closest to the toilet: "I wouldn't mind holding him while you go to the bathroom if you'd like." Me: "Oh, great!" *takes an extra 5min to have alone time* **they can only run so far with your baby while in-flight** ;-)
13. Make a plan and then remain flexible....below I will list the two approaches I've taken that you can consider, but overall (you probably know this already) it just takes a bit more planning when you have children. I like to have a rough idea in my head of how things will go and then adjust as things happen. Ex: Flight is at 11am. We will wake up at 6am feed, play for 20min, get dressed, get in the car to go to the airport at 7:30am (nap time is at 9am so we are a little ahead of schedule)....hoping for a nap in the car on the hour drive to the airport. Baby wakes up upon arrival to the airport. Park in long-term parking and feed in the car. Then strap baby in to carrier or car seat. Take shuttle in, get checked in, go through security, time is now 9:45am....Mom will take baby to the play area to wear him out while Dad gets coffee and breakfast/snacks. Everyone goes to the bathroom and then you are waiting around for boarding. Time to board at 10:30am. Board with family boarding so you have time to be a hot mess. Feed baby right when you get settled into your seat. Take off and hopefully baby naps! Voila! (And obviously survive any meltdowns along the way...you are traveling with a baby after all!)
Now I am going to move on to the two different approaches you can take. They are:
1. Check everything & wear baby in a baby carrier OR
2. Check your bag & keep the car seat and the stroller to gate check
I will tell you the PROS and CONS to both and my personal preference...
Option 1: Check everything
Pros: You don't have to worry about any of your stuff while going through security and while waiting for the flight. Also, if you check the car seat you can shove your boppy and/or boppy lounger, diapers, wipes, etc into the bag when the baby is little. Now that Harrison is older I never bring all of that extra stuff and I just buy diapers/wipes when I arrive. When you go through security you can walk right through while still wearing your baby. If you have a more sensitive baby they may feel safer being on you rather than in the stroller. You may feel more secure too! The baby may be more likely to stay asleep/happier because they are in your arms the entire time. Or out looking around and checking it all out. You can hold your Starbucks in one hand mosttt of the time (Ha!)...this is a huge plus for me!! Mama needs coffee.
Cons: I found it to be pretty difficult to wear my backpack while having Harrison on the front of me. Obviously do-able, but felt a little awkward (this could be my carrier though because the straps are thick). You have to keep wearing the baby when you go to the bathroom if they are sleeping unless you take them out for a diaper change at the same time, but again if sleeping...don't wake the baby! You might get sweaty wearing the baby the whole time (or maybe it's just me?). Your arms also basically don't get a break if you have them out of the carrier as there is no where to set them down. Although I did let him sleep on his blanket on the floor of the airport one time, lol!
Option 2: Check your bag & keep the car seat and stroller to gate check
Pros: Right away I will say that this is my preferred method. We have an umbrella stroller that can flip so we can put our carseat inside of it and it's kind of like a makeshift travel system. When you have the stroller you don't have to carry as much. I put my diaper bag underneath and wear my backpack. You can go to the bathroom more peacefully. If the plane isn't full (this is true for other airlines, not just Southwest) you can bring your car seat on. Aka moms arms get a break on the flight too - and you might get a nap! You have more control over your car seat/stroller getting banged up. If you buy the nice car seat bag then it's likely not getting banged up at all, but I know that they are just folding up my stroller, grabbing the car seat, and throwing them in at the last minute and then pulling them out first thing. Some people will say no to do this with your car seat and it is a risk, but personally I feel like two throws isn't too bad considering you have no idea how much the luggage is getting thrown around. But it's probably thrown more than twice (another reason to get the padded bag if you are checking it!).Side note: If you have a soft carrier (I have the Baby K'tan) you can always throw that in your backpack so that if you want to carry the baby you can still do so hands-free and push the stroller. Second side note, if you bring a neck pillow you can use it to hold the baby in your lap and then you have a makeshift tray table for snacks (pictured above, hehe).
Cons: When you go through security (even if you have TSA pre check) you have to fold up your stroller and put the stroller, car seat, diaper bag, all of that through the security machine. That is a pain in the booty FOR SURE. I won't sugar coat it, it stinks. However, I usually leave Harrison in the car seat and send everything through and then pick him up, throw the car seat through and then carry him over to the other side. More than once I've had people comment, "I don't know how you just did all of that so quickly." Praise for learning how to do things one-handed! Mom skills, amirite?? It also stinks to get him out of the car seat if he's sleeping. And last but not least, harder to carry your Starbucks. I have on more than one occasion spilled my coffee trying to leave everything down at the end of the walkway, but ya know what?? Worth it for my coffee!
So, I probably didn't convince you to do it the way I prefer to (haha!), but I really think it's preference and considering all of the aspects of the trip. I am frequently traveling alone, so even though there are a few more annoying things with bringing the stroller it is a God-send for me to be able to put Harrison down for a while and be able to rest myself. I also find it easier to manage all of the bags when I just have to wear my backpack, push the stroller, and pull the one rolling bag. But again, you need to decide what is best for YOU!
Now that you've made it through this novel, you can easily travel with your baby!!! Overall, try to enjoy yourself and remember that this is a season and your baby can be along for the ride rather than limit your ability to participate in trips and fun experiences! They will love it and if they don't they probably won't remember. :) Happy traveling!
xo,
Katie
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