Tips and tricks for flying with and infant

 Before COVID my husband and I travelled a lot. We tried to  leave the country at least twice a year and loved to take smaller trips all over the US. Covid ruined that for obvious reasons and then we had a baby. Because we live far away from family we knew we would eventually have to take our baby on a plane. Here is a guide and what we learned from our experience to make your life easier.

1. Babywear 

Now I'm already slightly biased for this because of my hatred of strollers. While we do own a stroller, I would highly suggest baby wearing through the airport instead of using a stroller. We were traveling over the holidays and there were just so many people. I knew that trying to maneuver a stroller through the chaos would've been my own personal hell. 

Babywearing made everything so much easier. I was able to push luggage, get checked in, go through security- all while wearing him. Plus I felt like he was extra protected from people coming up to him and touching him which I am always a little afraid of. 

2. Dress your baby comfortably

Travel day is not the day for the cute outfit. We just kept our baby in a sleeper the entire day and it worked out nicely. I knew he was comfortable and warm the entire time. Plus diaper changes are easy for us in zipper sleepers. 

3. Bring an extra set of clothes and a wet bag 

Just assume the worst. That you are going to have a blow out while in the air. Bring an extra set of clothes and a wet bag to store the dirty clothes in. If you manage to make it to your destination without a blow out- consider it a win! Our baby blew out on both plane trips. 

4. Bring toys they've never seen 

The plane ride will be fun for a little bit but eventually they will be bored. Our baby is not used to being held constantly and while he does like to be held he also likes to explore so he was starting to get fussy. I had purchased some cheap baby toys second hand and packed them in our travel bag. Once he started to get bored and fussy I started to pull new toys out for him to play with. This worked out well because he was very focused on the toys because he hadn't seen them before. They held his attention for a lot longer than toys that he is familiar with. 

5. Use pacifier clips to clip toys to them 

I was worried that we would drop the toys on the floor and we would never see them again or they would become a germy mess. I brought a few pacifier clips and clipped the toys to him. This way if he dropped them or threw them they didn't go far and didn't end up on the floor. He also loves chewing on the pacifier clips so it was a win-win

6. When packing-less is more 

We just put everything we needed for the flight into a backpack. We were trying to minimize how much we had to lug around the airport with a baby. When in doubt don't overpack- you don't need a ton of stuff. Diaper/Wipes, change of clothes, toys, maybe a few burp clothes or bibs- really thats all you need to survive. 

7. Disinfectant wipes

Ok so I am a slight germaphobe but we were also traveling at the hight of RSV, Flu and covid with a baby so I was a little anxious and I know my baby will eventually get sick but if I can prevent it then I will. I brought a travel pack of disinfectant wipes. When we got  on the plane I wiped down every surface I could find. I just knew that my baby was going to touch it and then put his fingers in his mouth. He made it the whole trip without getting sick so I call this a win. 

 

8. Get a protectant bag for your car seat and use it for extra storage. 

So legally the airlines have to check your baby's car seat for free. You can check the car seat at the gate or if you don't want to haul it through the airport you can check it at the check in. Because we knew we were going to be doing a lot of traveling we registered for a car seat bag for airplanes when we had our baby shower. These are pretty inexpensive (roughly $30) and protect your car seat while on the plane. They don't publish this but the airline can't prevent you from putting other things into this bag. My biggest suggestion would be to get a bag to protect your car seat but then also put diapers and wipes or other soft things (blankets etc.) in the bag with the car seat. This is a great way for bringing a bunch of diapers and not taking up a ton of space in your personal luggage. We also used it for our winter coats- it was very cold outside when we left the airport but we didn't want to haul our coats through the airport so we shoved them in the car seat bag along with hats and mittens- then when we arrived we had our coats right away but we didn't have to haul  them. 

9. Accept that all of your typical rules and routines are out the window 

When traveling all of your normal routines go out the window. Normally I don't nurse my baby to sleep anymore- when we flew with him we though he basically spent the majority of the plane ride napping on my breast. It was a pain for me but it kept him calm and quiet. Also when he gets older I fully plan on bringing some sort of tablet for this situation. In my opinion with travel- all bets are off- you just need to survive without everyone on the plane hating you. 

Good Luck! I try to remember that some of the best things you can give your child are to experience new places and try new things. Yes sometimes traveling with them is hard but you are providing them with a well rounded education by showing them different parts of the world.