Tips For Flying With A Baby

flying with a baby

We recently got back from our trip to Indiana visiting friends and family. It was our first time flying with Noah and we had no idea what flying with a baby would be like. I hadn’t done much research on flying with a baby, but I wish I would have. I love sharing blog posts like this because I feel like I’m really helping someone out. With next week being Christmas a lot of you will be traveling, and I hope this blog post can be a little life-saver right before you head out of town. These tips saved us!

  1. Buy new toys, not loud ones with music for obvious reasons, before you go. Put them in your diaper bag right away so your little one doesn’t even see them. This way when you get on the plane they will have something brand new to play with that they’ve never seen.
  2. Dress you and your baby comfortably and lightly. Noah was fine in just a onesie and was actually hot on one of the flights so I am so glad I didn’t put him in anything heavier. You can always pack a blanket in the diaper bag if you’re afraid they may get cold, but to be honest the less stuff you have to carry the better.
  3. Get a protective bag for your carseat. Especially if you care about your carseat and it was expensive. They really toss them around and if you want to keep your carseat in good condition and clean I highly recommend doing this. You can get them online and some vary in size so make sure you double check that the bag will fit your carseat before you hit checkout. This one from Target is awesome because it’s padded, and this one from Amazon is amazing because it also has wheels.
  4. ‘Invest in a carseat dolly that you can use to push your carseat around the airport. This is especially smart if you aren’t bringing a stroller and don’t want to carry your carseat in the airport. People thought we were genius when they saw us in the airport with it, and we got so many comments on this thing. It literally is the most simple invention ever, but it was a lifesaver when it came to switching gates quickly. It was also great because we could just leave Noah in his carseat right when we got to the airport, and I didn’t have to carry him until we got to security.
  5. When you get to the gate ask the representative if there are any empty rows on the flight. This way you could possibly have an entire row to yourself and your little one can sit in their own seat sometimes. This also helps incase you need to make a diaper change on the flight.
  6. Once you’ve boarded the plane walk around with your little one in the back of the cabin until either the flight attendant tells you “Hey crazy lady sit down with your baby so we can take off,” or until you’re majorly in other people’s way. I did this with Noah before our second flight and he was fully asleep by take off.
  7. Breastfeed or bottle feed your little one on the way up and on the way down if possible. This helps with any ear pain that they might encounter. I did this on the first flight with Noah on both the way up and the way down and he was as cool as a cucumber. On the second flight he was asleep during the way up and on the way down we ended up giving him puffs to chew on. I think the most important thing is that you try to get them chewing or swallowing during these times. Obviously if they are sleeping, just let them sleep.
  8. Bring snacks if your little one is to the point where they are eating. Puffs are pretty much the best things ever. We get the Plum Organics Super Puffs and he can be entertained snacking on those things for awhile. I also highly suggest bringing pouches and this handy dandy handle that your little one can eat them with. This little piece of plastic has been one of the best things I’ve ever purchased under $10 in my life!
  9. Ask the flight attendant for some extra cups. Noah loved playing with the little plastic cups they serve drinks in. He was highly entertained hitting them together, chewing on them, and slamming them into the tray table. Whatever works man!
  10. Take a deep breath and relax. Stressing about it will only make things worse and your little one might do just fine. When you’re stressed your baby can sense it, and this makes them feel uneasy. During the first flight Noah was uneasy at first because I was sorta freaking out. Who isn’t freaking out the first time they are flying with their baby? Totally normal! Once I chilled out things immediately got better.  Think positive and hopefully you will have a great experience!

Have you recently traveled with your little one? Feel free to leave some more tips in the comments!

16 Comments

  1. Joanna on December 16, 2015 at 8:33 am

    I wrote something on this topic when we just had two under 2 to fly with… Now we have our infant twins and our two toddlers which is just crazy in an airport and on a plane haha. Love this post!

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on December 16, 2015 at 9:01 am

      Oh my gosh I bet! Thanks 🙂

  2. Nicole L on December 16, 2015 at 10:26 am

    I don’t need these tips (yet), but I have a story about the car seat caddy. I’ve seen people use them as strollers before, which never bothered me. However, one day I saw a lady with one of these with her baby in it pulling it behind her. She was getting on and off of the airport train and pulling the kid behind her up an escalator like a piece of luggage. I was so worried about that poor child. He lost his teddy bear and some lady had to put a lot of effort into catching his mom to return it.

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on December 16, 2015 at 3:52 pm

      OMG that’s not good! We took the elevator 🙂

  3. cheryl shireman on December 16, 2015 at 11:30 am

    It’s been a while since I have flown with my little ones. And I never flew with them when they were this young. That has to be stressful and I’m sure your tips will help out other parents. These are great tips! Thanks for sharing!!
    My “little ones” are all grown now. And I’m sooo thankful that they make the effort to come home for Christmas. Especially when it means going through the hassle of flying with their own little ones. <3

  4. Tiffany on December 16, 2015 at 11:54 am

    I would add that a baby carrier like ergo is really useful while traveling, especially if you have a baby who hated his car seat like I did 🙂 we just checked our car seat in a car seat bag like you talked about like a piece of luggage (which is free). I kept him in the ergo going through the airport, security, etc with hands free! It’s also a nice item to have once you get where you are going and they fold up compactly. Great tips!

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on December 16, 2015 at 3:52 pm

      So true! That would have been another good thing to add!

  5. Charlene Asay on December 16, 2015 at 2:39 pm

    This is a great post for this time of year. The business time for airports.

  6. Logan Can on December 16, 2015 at 4:05 pm

    These are really great tips! I’ve always been terrified to fly with a little one. I think if it were a short flight, it would be manageable for sure.

  7. Tara on December 16, 2015 at 7:03 pm

    Well this post certainly brought back memories! When my kids were little flying was a bit easier (and a lot cheaper) than it is now. I love the idea of having a dolly for the car seat. I hated our car seat, and not just for flying,. They’re so bulky! But I’m sure wheeling it around is much easier than lugging it.

  8. Denay DeGuzman on December 16, 2015 at 9:12 pm

    Fantastic round-up of tips for travelers with tiny ones! The ones that really stood out are the feeding to prevent in-flight ear pain, and inquiring about a possible row of empty seats. I’ll share this post with my neighbor who has a newborn. Thanks so much and Happy Holidays. 🙂

  9. Claire on December 16, 2015 at 11:48 pm

    Great tips! Flying with babies is so hard but totally worth it!

  10. Tamara on December 17, 2015 at 3:47 am

    Saving this for later. I am hoping to go on a family vacation this coming year, going to need this!

  11. Hil on December 17, 2015 at 9:57 am

    These are great tips! I love the obvious point (but I would not have thought of it) of pacing until take off and not sitting until the last minute. I do that at restaurants and it really helps.

    I would love it if you came to link up at our party tomorrow night:

    http://www.raisingfairiesandknights.com/category/bloggers-spotlight/

    It’s a link party and pin-up party, two parties in one! All posts will get pinned to our group pinterest board.

    Babywearing helped us a lot too!

  12. Hil on December 17, 2015 at 9:57 am

    I would love it if you came to link up at our party tomorrow night:

    http://www.raisingfairiesandknights.com/category/bloggers-spotlight/

    It’s a link party and pin-up party, two parties in one! All posts will get pinned to our group pinterest board.

  13. Julie@MomFabulous on December 17, 2015 at 6:01 pm

    These are such great tips! I flew with my kiddos when they were babies quite a bit and now they’re pro-travelers. 🙂

Leave a Comment





SUBSCRIBE

Get on my mailing list!

Every post straight to your inbox.