Next week Eli and I are headed to Indiana. I am so pumped for my little man to meet all this extended family for the first time. I am nervous however because this will be my first time flying with a baby in tow. And I am traveling solo. Andy will not be joining us, so it will be just Eli and I taking on this adventure. So this post is basically a out cry to all my readers for advice on what to do, what NOT to do, and what to take.
My plan at this point is to check his car seat and base. I need to get a cover for that so it doesn’t get ruined. I will check one suit case with both our clothes and to save space I will just buy diapers once I get there. The airport travel seems the most tricky. My thoughts were to take one carry on bag that will hold my wallet, camera, and Eli’s diaper bag essentials. My second carry on will be his stroller. Is that considered a carry on? I am also bringing a Baby bjorn to use when I am loading the plane.
That’s all I got so far. What am I forgetting? Oh yeah! My biggest fear…having to nurse Eli in public. I have never done this before and I am wondering if I should just take a bottle to avoid this stress. But then I have to take a cooler + ice pack to keep the milk cold. Is that even allowed?
Oh my! What have I signed up for? See, I need your thoughts. So I will leave you with this cute picture of my boy while you are thinking of tips to leave me in the comment section. I thank you in advance!
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Jo - You don’t need to buy a bag for the car seat. They provide a big plastic bag to put it in. Your stroller will not be considered a carry on, well, it will, but not counted as one of your two allowed, i believe. you just leave it at the plane door and they’ll give it to you as soon as you get off the plane. it might be easier to just nurse than to worry about the right temp for the bottles while traveling. hopefully my nursing cover will work for you. they often recommend you nurse babies during take-off to help with ear pressure. i’m sure you both will do great!
shari (http://www NULL.sharihensonphoto NULL.com/wp) - practice nursing in public first! that’s what i had to do! i was so nervous, but dane and i went to the park. we sat in the car. and no one was there. but, still. i had to get used to the idea. then i tried in a restaurant. and now i’m fine. in our minds we know that nursing is normal, but until we do it often enough (in a new place) then it’s not normal. so, i would suggest practicing so you feel comfortable doing it anywhere while still being respectful to others. and i don’t know about all the luggage stuff! i need that advice, too! but the baby bjorn is the bomb!
Lauren Z - Briseis and I did a lot of solo traveling this summer and my advice is to keep it simple. A baby carrier with pockets is great, bc then you can keep your id and boarding passes right in with the baby. Warning, some airports will make you take him out of the carrier to go through security, so be ready for that just in case. We used a backpack as our carryon and then I kept her on my front. We have the carseat carrier bag from Babies R Us. It has a strap that came in mighty handy carrying a baby, luggage, carryon and carseat/carrier all by yourself! Paci’s are great for flying and getting babies to swallow…u might also be able to pack a small bottle with a little bit of water for him just for take-off and you don’t have to worry about temp. However, if you need to nurse him in public or on the plane, I found that using a receiving blanket was much easier for close quarters. I didn’t have to worry about putting it over my head or any of that. Just threw it over her to get set, and then adjusted. All personal preference of course. He is so little, that he won’t need much to entertain him! You’ll probably be so surprised at how well he does! Hope this helps!
Erin - Girl, you got this! The smaller they are, the better they do! We took Abby on her first flight at 4 months and it was a piece of cake compared to now (almost 3). That trip was with Wes, but all others I have done solo. I flew to Germany with her when she was 18 months (10 hr flight each way) and then I took a 2.5 hr roundtrip flight in June with both girls (Abby 2.5 and Mackenzie 7 months). I like Shari’s recommendation on practicing in public first. Eventually, you will be a pro. You will find SUCH freedom in public nursing. i remember feeling like I couldnt go anywhere or do anything because I had to hurry home to nurse. That only lasted a few months! Definitely try to nurse on the way up and the way down to keep his ears pressurized. The Bjorn is a great idea-we used ours on our first flight too. We didn’t even need the stroller on our trip, so we didn’t bother with it. If you are going to need it in Indiana, go ahead and use it at the airport, but know they are going to make you fold it up and put it on the belt to scan it at security. They will also probably make you take off Eli if you are currently wearing him. You can check your stroller at the gate and it usually does not count as an allotted carry-on. You usually need to get a special “gate check” tag from the desk clerk at the gate/when you get your boarding pass. Some airlines require that you show proof that the baby is under 2. Sometimes it’s obvious (ahem, INFANT), but my last flight with Mackenzie, she was 7 months old and OBVIOUSLY under 2, and I still had to show proof. Vaccination record is usually sufficient if you dont have a copy of a birth record. I dont know anything about checking a carseat though, because every time I have taken one, I always just used it on the plane. You might ask when you are checking in if your flight is full. If it isn’t, they are likely to let you take the carseat on board with you and let Eli have his own seat (but then you have to deal with lugging it through the airport-including security). If that is what you do, and then they decide that it is full after all, you can also just check the carseat at the gate (like your stroller). Take lots of extra diapers with you-kids tend to have super mega blowouts when 10K feet above the earth. Take more than one extra outfit to account for said blowouts. Take ziplock bags to put soiled clothes and diapers in….or those diaper bags too. The scented ones will make a world of difference if it is poopy clothes you are packing! That’s all I can think of right now, but I know I have seen some tips on a few blogs I read-will try to pass that on to you! Good luck! You’ll do great!
Rebekah - I agree with Jo to nurse during take off. It really helps with the pressure. It seems crazy but once you get through security it will be great! That sweet boy will do awesome! A nursing cover will help with nursing in public. I was so nervous about that, too, but it will come more naturally than you think. YOu will have so much fun.
ashley - The other girls gave you all the right info that you will need. Do take a copy of the birth certificate. I read the airlines info last minute and saw that and sure enough they asked, and I was so glad that I checked. This is just a suggestion…. I got Sam to take just enough formula for the trip b/c it is really close quarters on the plane. Sooo glad I did! You can get travel bottles full of Similac with nipples that come with them at like walmart. Have Andy give him some a couple of days before you leave to see if he will take it. If he does great you have a back up and if not well, you have nursing. We still nurse, it didn’t mess Samantha up at all. Like I said its something you can try if you want. Have a great trip!
Allyssa - You’ve got this girl! You have so much great advice so far I just wanted to add a few things. You can research this online but the ruling from the FAA is you can bring breastmilk and a way to keep it cold as long as it is within reason and you are traveling with an infant. They should NEVER have you open it or ask to test it no matter how much you have. This is against the FAA policy and if they do ask you, know your rights and ask to speak to a supervisor. You can always bring the milk in a lunch box and then ask a stewardess to fill it with ice if you are worried about bringing an ice pack thru security. (Abilene security is very understanding and patient with moms!)
I would recommend a car seat bag- not all airlines (or airports) have the big plastic bags and you do not want to run the risk of damaging the fabric. I bought a very inexpensive one online from “Sunshine Kids” and it has done a great job.
Your carseat and stroller can all be checked at no cost to you. It is up to you if you want to gate check your stroller (bring it to the plane and they put it under, it is available to you at the end of the flight but you do have to wait for it) and have it in the airport or to check it through so you do not have to lug it thru the airport. I always traveled with the kids in the Bjorn, made it hands free and less to keep track of, plus it helped to keep them calm.
On the plane they will most likely, ask you to take him out of the Bjorn for take-off and landing. I have no idea why that is safer then having them strapped to you but I digress. If your flight is not full- you can always ask a stewardess to move you next to an empty seat which will give you more room if you decide to nurse. I would start practicing! 🙂 Make sure you wear a shirt that is easy to nurse in. Also, if Eli starts crying that may be helping him to clear his ears. I have had several flight attendents tell me to let my baby cry. Do not let any of the other passengars give you a hard time!
Once I got the hang of it I loved traveling with my babies! After this “test flight” home you will have a much better idea of what works best for Eli and you. Good luck!
Renee - Oh my goodness. I love love all the great info. I feel better already. I think I can do this. Trying to decide now if I want to take my stroller or just carry Eli on me. hmm. Can’t wait to share with you all how it goes. Thanks so much for the awesome comments. You all rock!