Rosie is five months old and she has been on 7 flights! I am so proud of her for being such a great traveler, and I look forward to fun trips in the future! We flew for the first time when she was about 4 months, and have flown a few times since. Not all of these seven flights were a breeze, but I did learn a lot along the way when it comes to flying with an infant. All of our flights were on Southwest, so some tips may be specific to this airline, but most should be pretty universal! I thought I would share some knowledge with the other baby mamas out there! Here are 12 tips to surviving flying with an infant.
1 – Plan Flight Times
Throughout the course of these seven flights, we have flown at pretty much every time of day. The least successful flight was the one we had to do right at her bedtime. She was cranky and fussy and it wasn’t very much fun for anyone. I would plan flights around nap times so that they sleep for a lot of the flight. I actually really liked the flight that we took at 5am as well, because she just went back to sleep and woke up when we landed. Flying with an infant early in the morning wasn’t that bad. I promise!
2 – Pack Extra of Everything for Flight
In your carry-on, pack extra of everything you might need for travel day. Pack extra clothes for both you and the baby, and for the baby I would actually pack two extra outfits. Make sure to pack lots of extra diapers! I read somewhere to pack one diaper for every hour of travel. I think that’s excessive, but I would pack double of what you think you need. If you have 8 hours of travel and your baby usually has three wet diapers in that time, pack 6 diapers. Also bring extra wipes, bottles, pacis, etc. I brought my diaper bag as my only carry-on and it was plenty of room.
3 – Check All Large Items and Baby Wear
This is a personal preference, but I prefer to check the car seat and stroller at ticketing (you have to go there anyway) and then wear the baby through security and onto the flight. That being said, this will only work really well when your baby is young. I will be changing my tune when she gets larger. Carrying a 20 pounds baby all day would be heavy!
On most airlines (I think), checking your car seat and stroller is free! That means that on Southwest, each adult gets to check two bags free and then you also get to check your car seat and stroller free! I love Southwest! Also, if your other bags are overweight, shove items in the car seat and stroller bags! Free extra storage space, yessss! We use this bag for the stroller and this bag for the car seat. These bags weren’t great (in my opinion) but they did the job. If you have other recommendations, let me know!
4 – Use Airport Restroom Before Flight
This is a tip for all ages but especially when flying with an infant. First, if you have to go the bathroom on a flight and you’re alone, what are you going to do with the baby? Second, the changing table situation on the plane is not ideal, so change baby’s diaper right before the flight. When you have to change the diaper on the plane, we learned that only the bathroom in the front of the plane has a changing table (at least on Southwest planes). I put down this changing pad in the airport bathroom, on the floor of the airport, and also in the airplane bathroom! It folds really small and is great for traveling.
5 – Make Sure to Pre-Board
People with children 6 and under can generally pre-board the flight. This is nice because you will probably need a little extra time to get situated. On Southwest, this is CRITICAL. If you are familiar with Southwest, you know that seats are first come first served. If you want your family to be able to sit together, getting on early is necessary (you board between boarding groups A and B).
6 – Carry on Bedtime Necessities
This may be the worrier in me, but I was terrified of our connecting flight getting cancelled or delayed to the point where we would have to spend the night in a city without any of the items we had checked. For this reason, I carried on swaddles, our monitor, and our sound machine so that we would have bedtime necessities for an unplanned hotel stay.
7 – Get a Window Seat
I am terrified of her getting the flu or RSV or something (no flu shot yet!) and so I wanted her to sit as far away from other people as possible. Because on Southwest you pick your seat, I would always grab the window seat. Whenever a flight attendant or other passenger walks by you have a safe distance from them. Also on Southwest, if the flight isn’t sold out, you can almost guarantee that the middle seat next to a baby will stay open!
8 – Don’t Forget the Antibacterial Wipes
On the topic of germs… wipe everything down with an antibacterial wipe when flying with an infant. At 5 months old, Rosie is touching everything! Make sure to get the tray table, arm rests, window, etc. I ran out of wipes on a long travel day, and luckily the shops at the airport had them. There are 10 of these packs of wipes on Amazon for $15. Do yourself a favor and just stock up!
9 – Feed Baby at Takeoff and Landing
Babies get upset when their ears aren’t clearing, so feeding them at takeoff and landing will help to clear their ears. Because I breastfeed and also supplement with formula, I wasn’t sure what would work best for Rosie on flights. I found that breastfeeding seemed to work better for clearing her ears and also getting her to sleep. That being said, bottles worked well too and are way easier! Whatever works for you mama.
10 – Have Extra Bottles Ready!
I always had one bottle of formula prepared and ready to go for the flight. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, you are exempt from the three ounce rule and can bring breastmilk with you through security. If you are not, you will not be able to bring water through security. I would buy bottled water in the airport (or bring a refillable bottle and use the fountain) and then fill up multiple bottles with the water needed. Then on the flight, I would use these single-serve formula packets to prepare the bottle.
11 – Wear a Nursing-Friendly Outfit
Do not wear black (discovered that one after flight #1)! I wear black a lot and didn’t really think about the fact that all of the milk spills would show so badly on my black sweater! I also always wear a top or sweater over a nursing tank. That’s my go-to outfit for nursing anyway (for easy breast-feeding that keeps you a little covered), but this is especially important for flying.
12 – Ignore Other People
This is probably my most important tip. Ignore the other passengers and forget about what they think! I was super worried about what people would think of me traveling with such a small baby, if they were mad she was crying, etc. and it truly doesn’t matter what they think! Same goes for any looks coming your way for nursing on the plane or in the airport, changing your baby’s diaper on the floor, etc. Ignore the haters!