Traveling with a Baby
As someone who has a 10-month-old who has been on 15 flights and works at an airport, allow me to make your travel experience with your little one significantly easier!
Please note that I am also still human and have had a traumatic flying experience with my baby. Because of that, I will probably be a bit over-cautious with some things but will note that as it comes up.
Some things you should invest in immediately:
- Stroller check bag
- Car seat check bag
- Snack-le box (depending on age)
- Baby harness
- Stroller clip
If it is in your budget, check a bag!
Until I worked for the airport, I never did this because I hate spending money if I don’t have to but it truly does make your life significantly easier to have less to lug around. HOWEVER, make sure you have diapers, wipes, and plenty of backup outfits for baby on your person in case luggage gets lost (this is just good travel advice in general).
If you don’t check a bag, pack stackable. What I mean by this is, don’t back multiple roller bags or multiple backpacks. While traveling with kids is nice because you can get away with a lot more than just a small personal item and a carry-on, it is a double-edged sword. Get a nice weekender bag or something similar that has a luggage handle pocket so it can secure to your roller bag. clip the diaper bag to the stroller or wear it.
A NOTE ABOUT ALL THE EXTRAS: with a baby, present or not, you CAN travel with liquids over 3 ounces if it is breastmilk! Frozen is significantly easier because the security screening is quite a bit simpler but it does not HAVE to be. You can also request it be hand-checked instead of going through the x-ray machine if you are not comfortable with that. It’s not any different than you going through the x-ray with it in your boobs still and there is no proven information that it alters/harms the milk but you are still allowed to make the request (I do!). With a child, you can also have (sealed) applesauce/yogurt packs even if they are over 3 ounces! Take the small wins where you can! 🙂
Babywear whenever possible!
It leaves you a free hand to maneuver your other bags as well as prevents a wiggly, curious baby from slowing you down.
YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BABY WEAR THROUGH SECURITY, THE HARNESS WILL HAVE TO COME OFF!
Have shoes that slip on easily.
Because you will be holding your little one when you go through security, it’s a lot easier not to have to bend down repeatedly to take them off and then put them on.
Gate check your car seat and stroller!!
(This is where my traumatic experience makes me overly cautious). While you can check these items all the way through to your final destination at the check-in counter, it also increases the chances of things getting lost. Plus, having a stroller to navigate the airport is very convenient if you have a long layover and don’t want to baby-wear that entire time. If you have a TIGHT connection on the other hand, gate checking could be risky since you will have to wait for your car seat/stroller in between flights.
On the note of strollers, whenever you check them, make sure they are folded up! If you have a check bag for them, this will obviously already be done. If you DON’T, folding it yourself is not only considerate to the staff but can save time and avoid damage that comes from people trying to close it incorrectly.
Wear a fanny pack or cross-body bag (if possible with how you are baby-wearing).
In this bag, you will have only the essentials: an extra diaper and a travel pack of wipes, your license or other identification, boarding passes, a credit card/cash, and your phone. This is where you will tuck all these things as soon as you get them and keep them until they are needed. Not only will they be close to you to avoid pick-pocketing but the fact that the bag’s contents are limited will make finding them when they are needed easier.
Nurse/feed the baby to sleep during take-off/landing.
This helps with their ears popping and makes them (and you!) much more comfortable for the travel. This is where the “Snack-le” box comes in handy too to keep them occupied if a nap isn’t an option.
Keep them moving in the airport!
Crawling, walking, running, playing. Whatever you are safely able to do without significantly disrupting other travelers, do it! Get them tired and get the wiggles out before they have to be contained in a seat (or your arms!)
ALSO, don’t stress about other people in the terminal too much. Yes, you don’t want your child to be a menace to society. However, you also need to remember that kids are kids. Their acting appropriately looks different than an adult acting appropriately. And, let’s be real, once you get on that plane, they very well may be upset but we live in the 21st century – headphones are maybe $30 so people should be able to tune out the big feelings of a little person quite easily. Especially if your kid(s) don’t travel a lot so this is new/scary/overstimulating to them, it is unrealistic to expect that they will act perfectly. They may, but it is unlikely. If you have one of these kiddos, that’s just an extra blessing!
Board LAST!
This is more preference but, since my little one has become mobile, I have found that this works much better than taking advantage of the pre-boarding. It allows them less time being contained and more time to just do their thing and explore. However, if you are traveling on your own, I would play devil’s advocate and argue that you are going to want the extra time to manhandle all your stuff onto the plane without feeling like you’re holding up every other passenger! If you are traveling with someone, I would recommend having one of you pre-board when allowed with all the bags while the other stays with the kid(s) until the end to get the best of both worlds!
Take it in stride!
Much like any big event (for example, your wedding day), just resolve yourself to the fact that you are preparing as well as you can, and there still may be things that go completely wrong or get missed. All you can do is roll with the punches and handle things for what they are. Don’t stress about it before it happens (because it may not) and don’t expect the worst (less you manifest it).
