Takes notes during this post as Sarah has shared a TON of really great tips for traveling with an infant. I especially loved the subtopic of 'what to pack for a flight with an infant.' Aaron and I have not been brave enough to get on a plane with Avrie in tow... not yet anyways...
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Hi, I am Sarah and I blog over at Dreaming About Baby. Since Andrea is off on vacation (lucky girl!), I thought I would share a few travel tips for traveling with infants from my own experience. First let me tell you a little about me:
I am a Minnesota working mama in my early 30’s and life is pretty great. I have been married to Micah for 5.5 years. He’s a graphic designer and the love of my life. Can you believe we met at a bar?! We welcomed our daughter, Aubrey, into our lives almost two years ago. She’s pretty amazing and our entire world. I created this blog when I was trying to get pregnant and ‘dreaming about a baby.’ When I found out I was pregnant and after Aubrey entered the world, it has morphed into an online baby-book of sorts. Inside you will find everything baby, mama and definitely Aubrey related.
My familySo that’s a little about me, now let me entertain you with ideas/tips for traveling/going on vacation with an infant. When Aubrey was seven months old, we took our first major family vacation to Key West, Florida. I was so nervous and stressed out even thinking about preparing on going on a trip, little alone a trip almost 2,000 miles away from the comforts of home. Looking back, here are some ideas/suggestions for traveling with infants so hopefully if you travel with little ones, you won't have to be as stressed out as I was.Packing the suitcase:
- Try not to over pack for your little one. Remember though if your baby is still in the spitting up/blow out stage, you might want to bring 2 outfits per day, just in case.
- They don't need their own suitcase. They clothes are so tiny, I am sure you can go without those "Just-in-case" shoes you packed anyway. Just put their clothes in your suitcase.
- If you use disposable diapers, don't bring a ton. Make a pit stop at a store once you get to your final destination and get some there. (Same with baby food)
- Bring 2 changes of clothes for the flight. As above, you might get puked or pooped on. Always nice to have an extra to change baby in.
- You might want to bring an extra shirt for yourself in case of a pooped on/puked on episode may occur. Flying for several hours while covered in baby vomit or poop= not fun.
- Bring brand new, never been seen toys for baby. This ensures that there will be something new to keep them entertained.
- Bring snacks for your baby (if old enough to eat snacks)- this will also help keep them happy and entertained.
The Airport(s):
- Get there way earlier than you think! This gives you plenty of time to get through security and get settled at the gate with baby. Less stress in the long run!
- Getting through security by yourself is tough, but bringing a baby with all their gear through is not pleasant.
- TSA is going to make you empty everything. Including the stroller. They made us empty and fold up the stroller to send it through the x-ray machine.
- You can opt out of bringing your baby through the x-ray/full body scanner. I didn't want Aubrey getting radiation, so I was waved over by the metal detector wand and patted down.
- TSA agents can be really helpful. We had one who helped us with all our stuff getting through security. It was awesome!
- Bring a stroller and leave it at the gate right before boarding and have them store it below on the plane. You'll get it almost immediately when you exit the plane which is nice to plop the baby in and quickly head to your next flight or leave the airport.
The flight(s):
- Feed baby during take off and landing to help their little ears or try a pacifier if they won't eat. I nursed Aubrey on the plane and had no issues. I had the window seat, so it was easy for me to nurse her without lots of people paying attention to us.
- I was told to check with the flight attendants to find out if they had baby changing stations on the plane in the bathrooms so I would know where to change Aubrey but they didn't have any on the model plane we were on. We just changed Aubrey in our seats. Micah stood up and we put Aubrey down on his seat to change her.
- Parents with young children are able to board first- with an infant this was fine. We used the time to get situated but when we go on out next flight with Aubrey in a few months now at 2 years old, we'll probably wait since she always on the go and we'll want to spend the least amount of time possible on the plane.
- Ask your flight attendant if they have "wings" it's a fun addition for the baby book and baby's first flight.
- Because Aubrey was only 7 months old and we didn't bring her carseat on the flight, she sat in our laps. This saved us money but allowed us some awesome nap time cuddling!
In the airport in Atlanta! The Gear: - We opted to bring a Pack N Play and checked it in when arriving at the airport. Because she was so little, the PNP was nice to have especially when we were in hotels but she hated it.
- We also brought a stroller with which wasn't our good stroller but an extra that my in-laws had from Aubrey's older cousins. The stroller was so beneficial. We're planning on getting another cheap stroller for our next trip and bringing it with.
- Rental car companies rent car seats. This is what we did. Just one note of advice: It is easier to bring a car seat than to rent one from the car rental company. We decided not to bring Aubrey's car seat because we didn't want it to get ruined on the flight and we didn't want to pay for Aubrey to have her own seat on the flight and use it, so we just decided to rent one from the car rental place. The seat was a convertible seat, which we did not own yet, so it was hard to know how to correctly hook it up in the car. It took about a half hour just to get it set up and once Aubrey was in it, she hated it. She cried really hard. I think she was overly tired and the seat was a little too upright from what she's used to being in.
In the rental car seatTraveling with an infant is definitely not as enjoyable as traveling without kids. It's stressful, time consuming and your trip is not going to be perfect. But isn't that what having kids is all about? Prepare yourself that things are going to go wrong. Your baby may cry your entire flight. That's okay! It's easier going into traveling knowing this so your expectations are low and if things turn out great, even better!
A huge thanks to Andrea for letting me guest post! I hope that she's having an amazing trip. I am sure she's missing Avrie but I am sure she's having a great time without her! Be sure to stop by my blog and say hello. I love meeting new blogger friends!
