Yay! You’ve decided to take your baby with you on your next adventure. Whether it’s to grandma and grandpa’s house or your first little family vacation, here are all the tips for traveling with a baby! When my daughter was born, my brother was living in California. My husband and I decided to take her with us to visit him before my maternity leave ended. This meant she was only 3 months old when she first flew on an airplane. We have continued our travels throughout her life (she’s 3 now) and as we have continued to grow our family. So let’s get down to what you need to know (or what I wish I knew)!
If you can fit a trip into your Parental or Baby Bonding leave, we highly recommend! When our son was about 8 months old, we took a trip to Florida as part of our unpaid Baby Bonding leave…you can read more about that trip here!
This post will explain everything you should know for your first airplane trip with your baby!
Tips for Booking the Flight
When booking the flight, consider if you want to have your baby in your lap or in their own seat.
Option 1: Baby’s Own Seat
You may think I’m insane picturing your newborn in their own seat, but don’t worry! Your infant’s car seat will fit in the seat. However, we have experienced the extra seat lifestyle because our first trip with a baby was in 2020 (COVID) and airlines were not booking middle seats. This meant that on any flight that had a middle seat available we could use the car seat. Using the car seat on the plane made flying so easy! We put our baby in her seat, and she slept for the whole first flight. This was a unique situation for us, but it definitely made our first flight so much easier.
Option 2: Infant in Lap
We typically try to save money wherever we can, so historically we always add “Infant in Lap” to one of our tickets. While using the car seat when empty seats are available is nice, we have never paid the extra money for our kids under 2 years old to have their own seat. The good news is that flying with an infant in lap is pretty manageable – especially a really small baby! They’re so little and sleep so much and they don’t mind being in one spot for hours at a time! Plus, who doesn’t love to snuggle with their new baby?!
Baggage Questions
If you plan to purchase baggage when booking your tickets, keep in mind the following items can be checked for FREE with most airlines. Please double check with your specific airline before booking!
- Stroller
- Car seat
- A breast pump and associated cooler bag on the plane as an additional free carry on item
- You are allowed one diaper bag per child as an additional free carry on item
Airport Packing List
- Stroller or car seat bag(s) – this bag fits a lot! We can fit a double stroller or two car seats.
- Diaper Bag
- Extra clothes for baby (even if your baby doesn’t typically need them)
- Extra shirts for parents – on our last trip we forgot these. Our baby threw up all over my husband…thankfully we were not on the plane and on our way to the baggage claim! It could have been way worse if he had to sit with puke on him for hours.
- Dog poop bags – these save us every time we travel. This is where I put soiled baby clothes, diapers, trash, pretty much anything gross.
- Hand sanitizer
- Disinfectant wipes
- A few small toys (baby rings, rattle socks, etc.)
- Snacks (baby food, kids applesauce and yogurt pouches are accepted by TSA)
- Baby spoon if your baby is old enough for solids, but not old enough to eat from the pouch 🙂
- Bib
- Disposable placemats
- Formula/Milk – TSA will test these items, but will not pour them out
- Travel formula dispenser
- Burp cloth
- Nursing cover (make sure the fabric breathes well since the plane can get hot)
- Diapers & Wipes (obviously!!)
- All your other baby basics & must haves
- Portable Sound Machine – this is helpful for the destination more than the plane, the plane is white noise on its own!
Tips for Navigating the Airport & Flight
Arrival: Parking & Navigating to Terminal
Arrive to the airport as prepared as possible. Understand where you will park (or be dropped off) and how to navigate to the ticketing counter and security from the parking lot. When we travel with kids, we pay a little more to park in a parking lot that removes one mode of transportation. So, instead of taking a shuttle bus AND a train, we only have to take a train to get to the terminal.
Look up what terminal you need to get to beforehand. It is not fun trying to keep track of a bunch of baby gear while retrieving your phone to see what terminal you need!
You can either check your stroller and/or car seat at the ticketing counter or at the gate. This is up to you. When traveling with our infant, we brought our Mockingbird stroller with the car seat attachment and car seat all the way to the gate. This way our baby had some personal space before take-off and we didn’t have to physically carry so much. We checked a pack and play and our other luggage.
Security Quick Tips:
- Children do not have to remove their shoes, even if you do not have TSA Precheck
- If you decide to use a baby carrier in the airport, use one that does not have any metal parts. Otherwise, you will have to remove it.
- Put any items that will require TSA screening (liquids) in the same bin – that way you can recombobulate yourselves while you’re waiting for that bin to finish
At the Gate:
If you kept your stroller or car seat, talk to the gate agent to get any required baggage tags for them. Then, wait for the boarding process to begin. As you wait, change your baby’s diaper one last time and make sure you have everything you need before boarding.
Once boarding begins, families can board first if they choose on most airlines. We like to board the plane right away even though it does mean extra time on board for the kids. It is nice to ensure all of your bags are close to you and that you can get settled with plenty of time. However, some people say it is silly as your kids could be expending energy vs. sitting on the plane. This works for us in our stage of life.
Do what seems right for you and your family!
Regardless of when you choose to board, if you brought your stroller and/or car seat to the gate, once boarding begins, you should collapse them and put them in any protective baggage you have.
On the Plane:
- Feed your baby on take off and landing, this helps their ears. If you’re lucky, the feeding + the airplane’s white noise will put them to sleep for the first bit of the flight
- If your baby needs a diaper change, do not change the diaper in the aisle or other common area. The plane bathrooms have a decent sized changing table, especially for a small baby!
- If you have a connection, familiarize yourself with the airport map via your airline’s mobile app so you know exactly where to go once you land. This is especially helpful if you have a shorter connection.
- Try to relax, I fully believe our babies can sense how we are feeling. If you are calm, hopefully your baby will be too!
Landing & Leaving the Airport:
You made it! Piece of cake! Once you get off the aircraft, your stroller and car seat will be gate side if you checked them there. However, we have had one instance where they were forwarded on to the normal baggage claim. It was annoying, but you just have to go with the flow sometimes! Now that you’ve landed head to baggage claim to retrieve any other items. If you have a rental car, depending on the airport, the process of getting the car can be a hassle. Consider one parent staying with the baby at baggage claim while the other retrieves the vehicle and picks up the family.
Enjoy your first vacation as a family!
