10 Tips for Traveling with a Baby ✈️
Traveling has always been a big part of my life. It’s a passion. It’s a love. I will never stop.
… not even with a baby 🙃
I’m not going to lie, traveling with a baby truly is intimidating at first. “What do I pack? How do I uber with him? Can I bring milk through security?! Do I bring the carseat?!” These were just a few questions I personally had swirling around in my mind!
It’s just one of those things you need to experience a couple times in order to get a little more comfortable with all the inevitable unknowns. That’s just parenting though, isn’t it!? One big learning curve, one day at a time.
With a few roundtrip flights under our belt with a (now) 5 month old baby (our recent Scottsdale recap here), I figured I’d pass along a few tips & tricks I’ve picked up so far.
10 Tips for Traveling with a Baby ✈️
Travel Southwest- the chances of you getting a free seat for your babe is usually high, and you can ask the agents at the check-in kiosk if it looks like it’s going to be a full flight. If you have the extra $ funds and want to pay for a seat to ensure you have one for baby, by all means do that!
Bring your stroller through security- we brought both his carseat + stroller through security so that we can easily charter him around through the airport, which I absolutely recommend. When you board, you have a few options. IF you find out you’ll have a seat for the baby: 1. bring both carseat + stroller onboard if you have a compact stroller that’ll fit overhead OR 2. Bring carseat on board and gate check the stroller. This was free on Southwest, but I believe this would be free for most (if not all) airlines!? Worst case scenario and there aren’t extra seats, gate check your stroller and carry babe on your lap. In this case- use a muslin cloth OR carrier to help hold him/her throughout the flight.
Purchase a COVER for your stroller/carseat- if you end up needing to gate check your stroller and/or carseat, I highly recommend bringing a cover or purchasing one at the check-in kiosk (it was like $15 at Southwest!). Just imagine the germs that will come in contact with if uncovered. ehh.
Pack a portable sound machine- yes, the airplane is one giant sound machine, BUT the actual white noise is familiar to your babe, and will help drown out the little noises around him, ie: the rattling cart passing by, people talking, etc. It’s also great to have handy in the stroller & hotel for naps and bedtime. This is the portable sound machine we packed.
Feeding during takeoff and landing- giving baby a feeding during takeoff and landing will not only help keep them calm, but it’ll also help their little ears from hurting! I also recommend packing EXTRA milk, just in case of delays. Remember that they will have to test the milk at security, but that typically only takes a few minutes. We also gave Wilder ‘Gripe Water Nighttime’. It helps with gas pain, and KNOCKS Wilder out. Wins all around.
Bring a few muslin blankets- big, thin muslin blankets like these are AMAZING to have in general, but especially when traveling. Drape over the carseat to help block out light, lay down on the floor/bed/crib as a cover, use as a blanket if chilly, etc.
Carseat around town- did you know your carseat works WITHOUT the base?! I hate to admit this, but I didn’t know that prior to having Wilder. 🤭 So if there’s one person that this can help— mission accomplished! Most (if not all!) carseats have loops specifically for strapping in without a base. So we easily brought him in and out of our Uber’s and rental car.
Request a crib from your hotel- we called our hotel ahead of time to make sure they had cribs. They ensured us that they did, and that they’d have one set up in our room upon arrival. IF they don’t and you’d rather not pack a big pack & play, order a cheap one like this off Amazon and get it delivered to your hotel the day of arrival.
Bring familiarity- we brought Wilders favorite book, toys, blankets, etc. Familiarity will help them feel comforted amongst all the new and exciting things going on during your trip!
Forget the schedule- we personally didn’t worry about a schedule at ALL on our last trip, and I think we were all way happier because of it. Follow baby’s cues- feed when hungry and let nap when tired. Wilder slept in the carseat, at the cabana by the pool, in my arms at dinner and all around town! He ended up being well fed and well rested, without a schedule.
If you have any specific questions about our personal experience, leave a comment and I will get back to you. Also, if you have any good tips for traveling with a baby, please do share below!
xx, jen
