A Guide for Flying with a Baby

Now that I have a kid, I’ve quickly learned that there’s no such thing as “vacation” anymore. They are just “trips,” because I’m usually more tired after the trip than I was before it. And flying with a baby is obviously no exception.

Air travel with a kid under 2 is especially exhausting because you’re layering a complicated process with already-tired parents. The decisions alone are bound to be overwhelming! My goal with this guide is to help you understand which decisions will be best for your family and provide a few helpful tips/products along the way. (And also just to document this for my future self, who will likely be too tired to remember…) 😉

Pre-Travel Decisions

Lap Child or Infant Ticket?

Almost all airlines will allow you to travel with a baby under 2 for free if you hold them on your lap for the entire flight (“lap child”). Alternatively, you can purchase a discounted ticket (“infant ticket”) and carry on an FAA-approved car seat for them to sit in.

I debated between these two options for a long time and worried about the number of bags allowed, how the choice would affect bringing a car seat vs. renting one, and so on. But I eventually realized that there are exceptions and ways around all of those constraints. The bottom line of the decision is simply cost vs. safety, and a little bit of a trade-off between what is more convenient for you:

Lap Child

• Cost: $0
• Safety: not as safe (in the event of turbulence)
• Convenience: you don’t have to carry a car seat through the airport, but you do have to hold your baby throughout the whole flight

Infant Ticket

• Cost: depends on your airline and flight, but definitely >$0; plus the cost of the FAA-approved car seat (if you don’t have one already)
• Safety: safer (in the event of turbulence)
• Convenience: you don’t have to hold your baby throughout the whole flight, but you do have to carry a car seat through the airport

We have not purchased an infant ticket for any of the flights we’ve been on with Jackson. We felt comfortable with the risk and commitment of holding him, and it was totally fine. This was easier when he was only 3 months old, and it has become more difficult as he’s grown and gotten more restless. I think the closer he gets to 2, the more likely we would be to buy an infant ticket.

How to Get Through the Airport?

Stroller

Unless you really want to travel light, a stroller is probably the best way to move through the airport. As long as you have one that is easy to maneuver and easy to fold up, it’s the simplest way to carry everything you need plus your child. Most airlines will allow you to check your stroller for free at the gate (or at the airport entrance, if you want your stroller at the final destination but not through the airport), but you should double-check your airline’s requirements and your stroller’s size before you fly.

Car Seat

As with strollers, most airlines will allow you to check a car seat for free at the gate or airport entrance. Whether or not you bring one and where you check it depends on your situation:

• Did you purchase an infant ticket?
  • If yes, you will need to bring an FAA-approved car seat with you onto the plane.
  • If no…
• Do you need your car seat for your baby to ride in the stroller (i.e. a travel system for a smaller infant)?
  • If yes, you will want to gate-check your car seat along with your stroller.
  • If no…
• Do you want your car seat at your final destination (instead of renting or borrowing)?
  • If yes, you should check your car seat at the airport entrance.
  • If no, you can leave your car seat at home.

When Jackson was little (about 3 months old), we needed our car seat as part of the travel system for him to be able to ride in the stroller, so we brought the car seat through security and checked it at the gate. We used this bag to protect the car seat, and I’m so glad we did because it was raining when we arrived at our destination, and I wouldn’t have wanted him to have to ride in a wet car seat.

When Jackson was bigger (about 1 year old), we checked our car seat at the airport entrance. We considered renting a car seat and not bringing one at all, but ultimately felt safer with our own. For this, we used this heavier-duty car seat bag, which is awesome. It is so light to wear as a backpack and thus so easy to carry on top of all our other luggage between baggage claim and the car.

Baby Carrier

A baby carrier is a wonderful choice for smaller/younger babies. If you want to travel minimally, you could wear your baby through the airport and check your stroller & car seat at the airport entrance (or leave them at home altogether!).

And even if you want your stroller to travel through the airport, you may still want to bring a baby carrier to help your hold your baby on the plane. This is what we did: We brought the carrier in our carry-ons, and I took it out right before boarding the plane and wore him onto the plane and then continued to wear the carrier through most of the flight for him to nap in, to take him to the bathroom to change his diaper, etc. It worked really well and I would definitely do it that way again.

How to Feed Baby On-the-Go?

Milk

My main advice: try to plan your feedings to be during take-off and landing, if possible. The sucking will help your baby’s ears pop and thus avoid crying. Pacifiers are also helpful to have handy.

When I was nursing Jackson, the biggest decision I struggled with when flying was whether or not to bring a nursing pillow. I always needed pillows for support at home, so I thought I needed one, and chose to bring it even though it took up almost an entire roller bag. It ended up being such a hassle on the plane to take the pillow in and out of the bag in the overhead compartment that I just managed without it for all in-flight feedings, and it wasn’t much of a problem. I’ve heard people also like to use it to support holding their baby as a lap child, but I just used the baby carrier to help me hold Jackson, and that worked wonderfully, and was so much less bulky to bring. Recently I discovered a pillow hack while traveling with baby gear that I think I could have used as a nursing pillow replacement: a bag with back-up diapers and wipes. It’s surprisingly firm yet comfortable (that is maybe just through the eyes of a tired mama, though, lol)! I have also heard that some people bring just the nursing pillow cover and then stuff it with soft stuff, like coats and diapers. All that to say, I wouldn’t bring the entire pillow. I just think it’s not worth it when there are other solutions.

As far as bottle-feeding goes, I don’t have much experience on-the-go, so I don’t have any recommendations yet. I do know that you are allowed to bring as much breastmilk or formula as you need. But beyond that, I defer to other experts (like my favorite mom blog, Bumble Baby!).

Solids

If your baby is eating solids, don’t forget to bring ALL OF THE SNACKS. Try to bring food that isn’t messy, just to make things a little easier.

Also, if you’re little one is past milk entirely, be sure to bring something that they can suck during take-off and landing to help with ear-popping. Pouches are good for this, but if you want a longer-lasting option, I recommend a water bottle with a straw, like this one.

At the Airport

Pre-Security

• If you did not purchase an infant ticket for your baby and you plan to have them on your lap, you still need a boarding pass for them. (This may be obvious, but we did not realize it and tried to board without one – we felt like total idiots! So just trying to save you the same mistake…) You have to go to a service desk, present a copy of your baby’s birth certificate to prove that your child is under 2 years of age, and obtain a “Boarding Verification Document” for him or her.

Post-Security

• If you are checking a stroller and/or car seat at the gate, be sure to visit the service desk and get gate check tags when you arrive at your gate.
• Don’t forget to change your baby’s diaper and fill any water bottles at a drinking fountain before boarding.

Packing Tips

I intend to post more extensive packing lists for air travel with a baby at some point, but for now you can refer to my Overnight With a Baby Packing List, and just extend it as necessary.

Here are some other quick tips and helpful products specifically for flying:

• If you are bringing a car seat that requires a base for use in the car, don’t forget to bring the car seat base.
• If you’re looking for a good FAA-approved car seat, or just a light and easy travel car seat, we love the Cosco Convertible Car Seat! We haven’t used it on a plane, but we keep it in our extra car and have traveled with it. It’s light, easy to use, and it doesn’t require a base. Plus it’s only $50!
• As mentioned above, you may want some car seat protection if you are checking it. This bag is great for gate check if your baby is riding through the airport in the car seat, and this heavier-duty backpack bag is great otherwise. (You can also just check a car seat as is if you want.)
• Don’t forget to bring a copy of your baby’s birth certificate for identification and age verification.
• Just because you’ll be carrying diapers doesn’t mean that you have to bring an actual diaper bag. I recommend bringing your best travel backpack that will maximize space under the seat and be easy to carry.
• I like to structure my under-the-seat bag with “grab-bags” for each activity, to make it easier to get everything I need at any given time. For example:
  • Feeding bag with nursing cover & burp cloths or a bib, snacks, & face wipes
  • Changing bag with diapers, wipes, changing pad, and hand sanitizer (I have & love the Fawn Design diaper clutch for this!)
  • Sleeping bag with sound machine and binkies
  • Entertainment bag with small toys
    • At Jackson’s current age (14 months), here are some small toys that actually keep his attention:
      • Stickers
      • Post-it notes
      • Clothespin
      • Retractable measuring tape
      • Nesting boxes
      • Finger puppets
• These wet/dry bags are great to have on hand for blowouts or any other types of messes. They can also be good for the aforementioned grab-bags. 🙂
• If you’re going to be holding a baby while they sleep, it can be difficult to read a book or Kindle. It might be easier to listen to a podcast or audiobook. If you plan to do that, be sure download a few ahead of time and put your headphones in an accessible location.

Let me know if you have any tips for traveling with a baby! And happy travels!