In a couple of weeks I'll be heading out of town for 4 days with my DS who will be 3 months old. I'll be travelling with a friend(phew) so I'll have an extra set of hands. I know travelling with them this young is supposed to be easy but if there are any cautionary comments or helpful suggestions I'd be happy to hear them. TIA!
If you are bringing a stroller and carseat, I'd say check both at baggage. Take as little as you can with you. If you take the carseat and the stroller, they have to be folded up and put through the conveyer belt to be x-rayed and that is just ridiculous (granted my only experience is traveling alone with my baby). I would wear your baby if you can. They will need to swab your hands for bomb residue if you don't want to take the baby out.
Wear flip flops.
If you use a paci, clip it to his outfit.
Best outfit: A sleeper with a zipper.
I like the aisle seat b/c there are always 2 people for me to climb over to take DS to the bathroom.
If you are nursing, nurse on take off and landing so his ears don't bother him. Although if DS was sleeping, I was so worried his ears would hurt him when he woke up but he never cared.
It's hard to do but, don't over pack. Although I did find a small boppy very helpful for flying even if you don't nurse b/c you can take the pressure off of holding him if he sleeps. Or just lay him there on your knees and let him look at you. I promise holding him will get tiring.
Hope this helps!
Alicia (25) Levi (25)High-School Sweethearts Born 3/18/11 - My Birth Story
Born 5/11/13 - My birth story
It should be super easy as I imagine he should sleep most of the time!
I actually prefer the window seat so I could nurse without using a cover - I once had the aisle seat and had to nurse my DS and I thought it was such a pain - my arm was sticking out in the aisle....
Taking off shouldnt hurt his ears but landing can - so make sure you nurse or use a paci for landing
Bring more diapers than you need - just in case .....
Depending on the length of the flight I would just hold him and take turns with your friend - otherwise bring the car seat to the gate and see if there is an extra seat available so he can stay in his seat for the flight
me: 36 DH: 46
Sept 2008 - IVF/ICSI
March 2011 - au natural
my DH and i flew with our DD when she was ~3 months. it was SUPER easy because (as PP suggested) she slept a lot of the time. i used our baby carrier to transport her around the airport and we rented a car seat when we got there with the rental car. breast/bottle feeding during take off and landing are a good idea if the baby is awake, but must say, my daughter didn't care at all about either take off or landing regardless of feeding or not.try to have a seat on the aisle so you can rock, stand up and change the baby as needed. Also, get your baby to flirt with the people seated around you so they don't mind if he fusses a little later! Finally, a lot of airports have a family security line with almost no wait so be on the look out for that.
I agree with all of the PP. I traveled with DS when he was 3 months old and have traveled a lot since - the 3 month old trip was by far the easiest. My biggest nervousnness before going on the trip was how to deal with diaper changes and what if he blew out a diaper - luckily his only diaper blow-out was in the airport.
Bring extra outfits, diapers, and wipes for baby (don't want to run out!).
But yes, nurse/feed on take-off and landing and/or bring a pacifier (with a safe tether). Also, you're supposed to hold baby against your body and support the head/neck during take-off and landing. Some flight attendants will tell you this, others will not mention anything to you, but I believe it's the safest in case of an issue during take-off or landing.
Me (31), DH (34)
DS (October 2009)
- 10/25/11
DD (August 2012)
a_flood87: If you are bringing a stroller and carseat, I'd say check both at baggage. Take as little as you can with you. If you take the carseat and the stroller, they have to be folded up and put through the conveyer belt to be x-rayed and that is just ridiculous (granted my only experience is traveling alone with my baby). I would wear your baby if you can. They will need to swab your hands for bomb residue if you don't want to take the baby out.
Personally, I would not check the stroller and carseat when you check your baggage. Baggage handlers can be incredibly rough on checked baggage and can damage the stroller and the carseat. I would keep them with you and check them at the gate right before you board your flight. Ask the gate agent if there is an extra seat on the flight and keep your baby in the seat, buckled in as if you were in the car. This is the absolute safest place for your baby. (I made the mistake of googling something about having my DD on my lap last summer before I traveled and learned that lap traveling is *really* not good if there is ever any kind of accident...) TSA varies greatly from airport to airport, but I have always had to put the stroller and carseat on the conveyor belt. It's a safety thing and I would rather be inconvenienced a little for my safety and the safety of everyone else traveling. I have heard of people being asked to take the baby out of the carrier while going through the detectors (the carrier has to go on the belt too), so be prepared if you plan to wear your DS. Also, when I traveled with DD when she was about 2 months old, some flight attendants warned me that I would not be able to wear DD during takeoff/landing, but others never said anything to me. (Any baby carrier is not an approved restraint and in the case of an accident, there is no guarantee that the baby will still not become airborne or that you will not injure the baby as a result of the force.)
I did BF on take off and landing (when she was 2 months and again when she was about 15 months) and she never had any issues with her ears.
I would also pack an extra shirt (or outfit) for yourself in your carry on bag, just in case his blowout gets to you.
Me-29 (+7)DH-36
Feb 2009 Katherine Ann born Feb. 20, 2010 Josephine May born Feb. 4, 2012
Chart (PP and 2nd pregnancy)
DDog "Gerry" 11 yo Cocker Spaniel living with hypothyroidism & epilepsy
DDog "Button" 2yo lab mix rescue
DDog "Mission" *Forever in our hearts* 1999-2011
Thanks so much everyone!! Good things to keep in mind as I pack and decide what to bring.
A strong second here on the gate check in. Even if you are wearing the baby in the airport, you can use your stroller to lug your carry-ons to the gate. I personally think it is worth it to get a seat for the carseat both for safety and comfort reasons. But cost can obviously be a factor with this.
However, if you bring a carseat, it must be installed in the window seat -- no adults can be blocked in by it. So not only do you need an available seat for the carseat, it needs to be a window seat. or you need to have someone swap their window seat. We were traveling with three kids, two adults and two carseats and only had one window seat. This ended up being a huge problem for us because the woman in our row wouldn't swap a window for an aisle and the flight attendants (on United) were frankly hostile about it. Still not sure what they expected us to do, (stow the kids under the seat?), but anyway.....
Laura
(8), (5), (3), (1)
The shop is closed. Our perfect family is complete