Ten Tips for Your Baby’s First Flight

By Meghan Oaks

Pre-baby, travel is exciting: jetting off to far flung destinations, relaxing with a glass of wine and in-flight entertainment, and trying, to various levels of success, to catch a cat nap or two so you wouldn’t arrive at your destination utterly jetlagged. With a baby in tow, travel is just as exciting, but it’s often wrought with stress and nervousness too. And no wonder, we are inundated with stories about goody bags parents hand out to those around them, bad behavior of other passengers, parents being separated from children, sometimes even kicked off of flights. It’s enough to cause even the most seasoned travelers to break out in hives.

But, I’m here to let you in on a secret: travel with babies doesn’t have to suck! In fact, I would prefer to travel with a baby over a toddler any day! Here are some tips to help you through that first flight!

The Tips

1. The first tip I always give to parents about to embark on their first flight with their baby is to babywear. A high quality, supportive, carrier for your little one will make getting through the airport, security, boarding, time in flight, and deplaning so much easier. Baby will sleep easier, and longer, cuddled up to a parent, it keeps people from touching your baby without your permission, and it leaves your hands free to maybe even enjoy a glass of wine during the flight. I have even napped while my baby was conked out on my chest and I didn’t have to worry about dropping her! don’t know how people traveled before these things were so commonplace.
   
2. Make sure your baby has something to suck on during take off and descents, it will help them equalize their ears. This can be a pacifier, bottle, thumb, or, if you’re breastfeeding, you. Sometimes, the white noise of the engines would lull my babies to sleep on the jetway before we even took off, and their pacifier would fall out. If that happened, I just left it. I have a policy to never wake a sleeping baby unless it’s absolutely necessary. They will probably fare just fine with the pressure changes if they are asleep.
   
3. Do one last diaper change before boarding. Changing tables in airplane bathrooms are itsy bitsy, making them hard to use. If you have a long haul flight, you’ll have to use them eventually, but you’ll have to use it one less time. Oh, and take a changing pad. Airplane bathrooms aren’t the cleanest places, so having a clean pad to lay down and change baby on is really nice.
   
4. Take a change of clothes for baby in a ziplock bag, and an extra shirt for you. The ziplock can double as a garbage bag and a way to keep dirty clothes segregated from everything else in your diaper bag. And while we’re on the subject of the diaper bag, make sure you have enough diapers and wipes, but not too many since the bag can get heavy and bulky. It’s also a good idea to bring one of those thin cotton muslin blankets along. They work great for blocking the sun, as nursing covers, extra warmth on a cold flight, and even a place to set baby down if needed. And they wash up fast in a hotel sink with a little detergent and dry quickly.
   
5. Ask the gate agent if there are any empty seats on your flight that you can be seated next to. Having the extra elbow room is nice when traveling with a lap infant. You can also request the bassinet seats if your plane is so equipped. Personally, I would prefer an empty seat over the bassinet. You’ll have to take your baby out during turbulence or any time the seat belt sign is on. And I don’t really like the bulkhead seating anyways. Those folding tray tables and the pull out screens are annoying, and there is no underseat storage. But, some people love it and swear by it.
   
6. Confirm ticketing requirements for lap infants with the airline. For travel within the US, they require a ticket, but there is no cost associated with it. For international travel, they require a ticket that usually costs a percentage of the adult’s ticket. In either case, you will need to actually call the airline to do this. Most tickets for children under 5 cannot be booked online.
   
7. For overnight flights, I always changed my babies into pajamas. It was a signal to their brains that it was time for sleep. I’ve often done this on my lap pretty easily. But you can use a changing table in the bathroom if a diaper change is also needed.
   
8. Don’t be afraid to ask the flight crew for help. I’ve had to travel alone with my kids before. While I can go to the bathroom while holding an infant (usually in a carrier), it’s not easy. When I’m on a plane and need to use the facilities, I have had good success with asking a member of the flight crew to hold my baby while I go. They are usually happy to do it, as long as it’s not during service times. I mean, they don’t really have anywhere to go, so it’s pretty safe.
   
9. Board early, especially if you’re traveling with a car seat. They can be a hassle to get down the aisle. And bumping into other passengers with it is a recipe for disaster. Plus, boarding early also mean you’ll have access to overhead space before it fills up. If you are traveling with a car seat, make sure it’s FAA compliant and will fit in the seats.
   
10. Evaluate what items you really and truly need to travel with. Some people choose to travel with a stroller, car seat, travel crib, boppy, baby lounger, bouncy chair and even more. While some of those items are essential, and some are nice to have, a few of those items can just become burdensome. We try to limit the amount of stuff we take with us and pare down to only the essentials. And for young babies – you can leave the toys at home. Plastic cups and half filled water bottles work just as well as fancy toys.

So?

And there you have it: some tips to help you survive your first flight with an infant! The pilot for my first ever flight with my oldest (when she was only 6 weeks old) gave me the best advice, saying, “This is my flight and I have two rules: Babies get to be babies, and adults have to be adults.” He followed up with, “Don’t worry if they cry, and just relax.” And man was he right! The best flights have been when my husband and I have been super relaxed and our most difficult flights have been when we are stressed. So, try to relax, and not get too stressed out, and you’ll do amazing!