Air travel with a baby can be extremely challenging. I've done it a few times now (once immobilized in a leg brace) and wanted to share a some tips for flying with a baby to make it a little easier!
11 Tips for Flying with a Baby
1) Birth Certificate - Bring the baby's birth certificate! Just in case.
2) Stroller - If you are not checking your stroller - always fold it down yourself. This will prevent the chances of it being broken when you get off the plane! (Yes, I learned this the hard way and so did Meagan. Meagan has had at least 3 strollers broken when checking at the gate.)
3) Free checked items - It is free to check a car seat and free to check a stroller. Take them with you to the gate and they will tag it for you or check them with your luggage. Your choice!
We recommend the Doona Car Seat Stroller It’s The Ideal Travel Stroller
4) Arrive early - Try to show up at your gate a little early. Sometimes a sympathetic employee can shuffle seats around so you can have a little extra room to yourself and even use the car seat.
5) Milk/Formula - If you have a baby you can bring breast milk or formula through security. You will have to take it out and show it to the security workers, but once they see what it is you are good to go.
6) Keep their ears popped - Help soothe your baby's ears by nursing during take off and landing. If you are not nursing then bring a pacifier and make sure they are using it during take off and landing.
If you are worried about this there are a few products Meagan has tried with her kids over the years. She was unsure if they would work for an infant, but here are the two she recommended:
- EarPlanes – EarPlanes Relieve Ear Discomfort, Clogging, And Popping By Naturally Filtering and Regulating Air Pressure. The label says these are for kids ages 1 – 10. So, she was unsure if they would work on a baby.
- Eustachi – This little device allows you to clear your ears, whether because you are on a flight or if you are sick.
7) Snacks - Pack plenty of snacks to keep your child happy in flight. The baby food
8) Toys - Bring a couple of baby's favorite toys along to keep them entertained.
9) Extra clothes - Pack an extra outfit or two in their diaper bag. The one time you don't your baby will have a diaper blow-out!
10) Stay warm - Bring an extra blanket in the diaper bag. Sometimes those flights get really cold!
11) Stay powered - Bring a phone charger. If your child is on the verge of having a melt down you can always resort to watching a little Baby Einstein
Have you flown with a baby? How did it go? If you have any tips to share, please leave them in the comments below!
How to Change a Diaper on a Plane
#6 is huge! That made a big difference when we first flew with our son at 5.5 months old.
We flew with our son on 10 round trip flights during his first year. Early on we decided to get him a passport and passport card. He only traveled internationally once, but the passport card goes on every trip. This serves as proof of age that some airlines require for a lap child and is easy to keep tucked into my wallet. It makes me much less worried compared to carrying the birth certificate with us (which we only did once).
Great tips! #3 has been a lifesaver for us! We usually have a ton of stuff so its great to be able to hang bags from the stroller, lol.
Excellent advice! Extra clothes in the carry-on are mandatory – I packed an extra pair for myself too. It can get messy ;)