Isn't it funny how things in life come full circle. Do you remember being on a airplane at one time or another and hearing a screaming baby and then thinking to yourself "shut that kid up, doesn't their parents know how to make them quiet". And now years later here you are about to get on an airplane for the first time with your baby and those dreadful thoughts creep back into your mind. You are now hoping that you will NOT be that parent with the screaming child on the airplane. Or maybe this isn't your first time flying with a child but you WERE that parent with the screaming baby and now you are looking for tips. Well you are not alone trust me I felt exactly like you did, I was scrambling around on the internet looking for great tips and or advice on how to not only travel with a baby but travel alone (I know a scary thought right!). Now I will say that sometimes babies just cry and sometimes there is just nothing we can do about it but for the most part there are many tricks to making a baby happy and well it really is no different traveling on an airplane with one. So here is my survival guide to traveling with a baby or toddler on an airplane. Now there are some differences depending on age so i will break that down for you below! Oh and one more thing if you have not already booked your tickets I would try to travel at night if possible and get a window seat because they will most likely sleep on the plane if you travel at night and it is easier to get up on an aisle seat than anywhere else! :)
Ok well there you have it 10 steps to traveling with a child! I hope this survival guide will help ease your stress about traveling and hopefully make it smooth sailing!
Wishing you happy and safe travels!
xoxo KTS
- Step 1: GET ORGANIZED First and foremost we never want to be that frazzled mom so the more organized you are the more likely this will not be you! So first of all you need to grab all important documents for traveling make sure you have babies or even toddlers birth certificate, now put those in your diaper bag in an accessible spot; not where that you have to dig around for it. Ok now that we have that out of the way you can now go grab one suitcase for you and one suitcase for your child. Yes you heard me right ONE each and that is it; if it does not fit in one bag you do NOT need it! You will also need one stroller (make sure to get travel bag because airplanes tend to bang them up); now in the beginning I was traveling with my full size stroller which was great with an infant but now that I have a toddler a umbrella stroller is sufficient and so much better when she wants to be carried instead of pushed around. I will talk later about what to check at the gate and what to check at the front desk later. So for now just grab all the items i have listed. And last but not least grab your diaper bag! You are now ready to begin packing! :) Ps. you will need your carseat but we will discuss that more later too!
- Step 2: WHAT TO PACK I have always found it easier to pack for her first than me so I would recommend the same for you! Now since each of you have your own suitcase it will be easy to keep track of all your child's items. Now if you have more than one child I would recommend the same that each have their own suitcase. The reason I do this is I have found over time that by doing it this way it allowed for me to not only stay organized while traveling but it was just easier to keep her things in one place and mine in another (nothing gets lost). I even got her, her very own toiletry bag; this included her body wash, shampoo, conditioner, comb, finger nail clipper, tooth brush, tooth paste etc. Ps. I don't use a full size suitcase for her just a carry on but I still check it at the front desk when I check in! So now its time to actually decide what to pack and how much. My recommendation is that you pack a 3 to 1 ratio; for every 3 outfits I would pack an extra one in case anything happens! Also, try your best to pack in outfits that are interchangeable. Meaning one pant with 2 shirts and 1 sweater for 2 dresses etc. Make the most out of each garmet. For accessories I would put those all together in one little bag of your choosing. :) See now that wasn't so bad was it... Now time to go pack your suitcase once you have done that you can move on to step 3!
- Step 3: PACKING DIAPER BAG Now this is maybe one of the most important steps besides what you do when you get to the airport! But how you pack your diaper bag will determine whether you end up frazzled and that mom everyone is staring at on the plane or a well put together mama traveling with ease! So here is the big secret... ORGANIZE YOUR BAG and MAKE THINGS ACCESSIBLE. In your diaper bag you should have one blanket (if its too big to fold up you will need to just carry it on the plane), 1 carrier (I recommend a sling less bulky), pacifier with holding clip (this is a must so that darn thing does not get lost or worse fall on the floor in the airplane!), 2 toys (buy new ones to keep their interest on the plane longer do not show these toys until on the plane!), 1 book, snacks, liquid (yes you are allowed food and liquid when traveling with a child woohoo), diapers, wipes, gum, wallet and phone. Ok now that is all you really need so clean out those receipts, random hair ties and anything else that has built up in that bag! Also, when I was traveling with my daughter when she was an infant having a normal shoulder strap bag was easy but with a toddler it is a total pain so I recommend getting a backpack style instead! :) I love our JuJuBe!
- Step 4: TAKE LESS Ok lets face it it is hard for us women to not over pack but trust me if you can learn how to pack less it will really make life easier for traveling! You can thank me later. Now that you have gotten organized and packed everything now I know you are going to hate me but I want you to go back thru everything and make sure everything you packed are things you NEED to bring. Now all the items that you do not NEED take out! Now, you should be left with not only your suitcase a little lighter but you have just lightened you overall load for traveling good job!
- STEP 5: WEIGH YOUR BAGS This makes it so much easier than getting to the airport only to realize your bags are overweight and either you will end up paying extra or you will be that person trying to rearrange your items to fit under the weight limit moving them between bags. So let's just skip that and weigh them at home that way you know that it is one less thing to worry about. If you don't have a bag weigher you can pick one up at most home stores like Macys, Target, Bloomingdales pretty much anywhere that carries luggage should have one. Now if you are in a pinch just use your at home weigher. Weigh yourself and then weigh yourself with the bag and subtract! Make sure nothing weighs over 50 lbs, if it does well something has to come out! So try, try again until you get to the magic number on both bags!
- Step 5: PACKING THE CAR & ARRIVING EARLY Now that everything is packed up let's get it in the car! Your suitcase, child's suitcase, diaper bag, stroller with travel bag and car seat (already in the car)! I would recommend getting their at least 2-3 hours early this leaves times for any hiccups along the way! You just never know when traveling with a child. This way you won't be in a rush and won't miss your flight.
- Step 6: CHECKING IN So you made it congrats you are 25% of the way thru traveling with your child! haha Don't worry if you are already feeling overwhelmed it will get easier the more you do it! We travel almost every 3 months and have been traveling since she turned a month old mostly by ourselves and every time it gets a little easier. Now that you have arrived at the airport it is time to unload the car and get everything checked in. I recommend using your stroller like a cart! So unfold your stroller and stick your carseat in the basket area or in the seat if possible. Add your baby blanket on top and the stroller case too and don't forget to put your diaper bag on the hooks of the stroller! Now take your sling out and get your baby all snuggled on you! You should now be left with 2 suitcases which hopefully one can be attached to the other if you took a small one for your child! :) If you are traveling with a toddler I would grab a cart and just stick everything on it. You are set lets enter the airport! Phew... you made it to the check in stand! If you are traveling with an infant hang on to your stroller (unless you feel you do not need it but I liked having mine so I could be totally hands free of carrying any items thru the airport.) However, if you are traveling with a toddler I would check your stroller and all your bags! I would also recommend checking the carseat no matter what the age! It is just to cumbersome to lug it thru the airport and for what? You really will not need it.
- Step 7: TSA So because you are traveling with a baby/toddler you will go together thru the screening and of course they will then check your bag because you will have either liquids and or snacks with you so just be prepared for that. It's pretty simple if they see you traveling alone they will help gather your belongings for you.
- Step 8: BOARDING PLANE Well you are all checked in and now patiently waiting to board the plane. Usually I like to give myself an extra two hours when traveling with a child because you never know what could go wrong. So if you have spare time and are traveling with an infant I would try to get them to fall asleep ( and that will be whatever works for you and your child) and if you are with a toddler maybe go grab a bite to eat. When it is time to check in I would actually recommend not getting on until the end, be the last people to board and since you are not putting anything in storage your really do not need to get on early. I find the less time on the plane the better. Usually I was always able to get my daughter to fall asleep when she was young before we boarded now that she is older not a chance but I try to always travel at night that way she will fall asleep on the plane. So once you have finally boarded just try to get situated and again make everything accessible so your not digging for anything when you need it the most.
- Step 9: FLYING Now that you are in the air just try to keep baby happy if they are awake! I was lucky enough to have her sleeping most the time and if she did wake up this was when I would pull out the new toys or book! It worked like a charm. Now that she is a toddler our toys have turned into my laptop lol but it works. I even got her, her very own kid safe headphones that won't play the sound too loud! Sometimes we needed to stretch our legs so we sometimes walk up and down the aisle saying hi to people; kids get restless and this way they get to move around for a bit. Also, when descending I would recommend trying to nurse or bottle feed your infant that way it is less strenuous on their ears. It is just like an adult chewing gum the movement of the jaw helps to pop any build up pressure in the ears.
- Step 10: BAGGAGE CLAIM: One last tip once you get off the plane if you are traveling with a toddler make sure to grab a cart that way you can just pile everything on it! And if you checked your stroller at the gate make sure to grab it again at the gate.
Ok well there you have it 10 steps to traveling with a child! I hope this survival guide will help ease your stress about traveling and hopefully make it smooth sailing!
Wishing you happy and safe travels!
xoxo KTS