Alex and I flew with Kinsley for the first time a few weeks ago. We all flew together on the way there and then due to the unexpected tropical storm in Florida (yay), I ended up flying back with Kinsey solo. When I first shared that we were headed somewhere sunny, I had a ton of questions and emails asking if I would share tips for traveling with a baby after our trip. If you missed our packing post, you can check it out here. Even though we’ve only been on one trip, I definitely learned a lot (especially traveling solo) and am happy to share my tips and things that worked for us!
Let me start by saying that every baby is different. You of course have to take into account age, etc. (Kinsley was 8 months for our trip) and here is what worked for us!
One / Get Pre-Check
This is MAJOR key. Someone who will remain nameless (cough, cough, ALEX!) forgot to get their pre-check, so Kinsley and I ended up going through first. I always thought getting pre-check was a huge deal, but it’s actually super easy and was totally worth it.
Two / Consolidate
Really think about what you NEED to bring and only include that. There are a ton of things on the “need list”, so eliminating anything extra helped to lighten the load and bit. Trust, you’ll need all the help lightening the load you can get! For real though, how do such tiny humans need so much stuff?!
Three / Decide who will carry what
This is only applicable if you are traveling with your spouse or someone who can help, but assigning who is in charge of what really helped us. For example, Alex was in charge of our carry-on suitcase, the camera bag and I was in charge of pushing Kinsley in her stroller and the diaper bag.
Four / Extra beebs + beeb clips
If you’re new around here, “beebs” are what we call pacifiers. You’ll want to pack a few backups and a clip that will attach to your littles outfit and help minimize the amount of times it falls to the ground never to be seen again (because ew). We also packed this chew necklace and she loved it. It’s super easy cause I an wear it and know it won’t fall!
Five / Snacks and more snacks
On the flight home (when I was with Kinsley) snacks were my saving grace. We used the little teething cracks and baby puffs etc. anything easy to pop in. Mostly it was nice because she could practice her dexterity and it gave her an activity! She is on a routine at home, but anything goes for flights lol.
Six / Bottles on take off and landing
A few readers gave me this tip and it was truly genius! We gave her a bottle on take off and landing and it helped her ears immensely – I’m talking zero screaming from popping. Something about the swallowing really seemed to help keep them from getting clogged.
Seven / Bottled Water
We brought our bag of formula and then grabbed water bottles to make them, so that we wouldn’t have to wait for the cart to come by etc.
Eight / Toys
Honestly, she ended up being much more amused by snacks (my kinda girl), but the toys were nice too. Pack a few that your little hasn’t played with so that it’s brand new and exciting.
Nine / Pick your seat wisely
My goodness. On the way there, we were in the middle and window. I felt kind of trapped and when we needed to go change her, everyone had to move. On the next flight, I had a whole row to myself (thank you, God), and it was a game changer. I know you don’t always have the choice, but if you can, more space is always better!
Ten / Don’t worry
This is much easier said than done, but don’t worry. If your baby cries, that’s ok. Babies cry! I chatted with a few neighbors (babies are always good convo starters) and this seemed to ease my nerves. Feeling like you kind of know someone sitting near makes it a little less stressful if your baby gets fussy.
Eleven / Extra Wipes
I knew I was going to want to wipe everything down the second I got on the plane, so I used baby wipes to clean everything (my seat, arm rests, tray table, etc)!
Those were the tips that seemed to help us most! What are your go-to travel tips? Comment on this post so you can help others who need tips.