Traveling with an Infant

samd6

Since my DHs family lives on the other side of the country, we are going to be traveling in late December/early January from Minnesota to North Carolina. We will be flying & renting a car when we get there.  I was hoping some STM+ could offer some advice on how to best travel with a LO that will be 3ish months old at the time, hopefully other people have the same concern If not, feel free to delete or redirect! 

jazzvaughn

@samd6 I also would like advice on traveling. We plan to take a road trip about 11 hours for Christmas break with baby who will also be about 3 months old. Sounds daunting but I know people do it all the time.

runninginva

@samd6, having the same concerns. My parents want us to come for Thanksgiving, 2 months after the baby is born. It would be a 5 hour road trip, plus stops. I'm nervous about it and have told them we'll have to wait and see how the baby's temperament is before we can commit. We are planning on flying to TX from Washington, DC in December/January. Hoping this baby likes to travel!

SkilledSailor

Following for the advice. We’ll be traveling as a family in late January, my mom included. I’m hoping that trip will be relatively easy with so many hands to help. Then in March I’m taking LO to Boston to visit one of my BFFs. There’s a good chance I’ll be doing that trip solo. 

adirat

Also following! I would like to take the baby on a business trip in November that happens to be in a part of the country my extended family lives -- otherwise my aunts (whom I am very close with) won't have a chance to see the baby for months and months. I'm thinking about recruiting my dad to go with me to help take care of the baby. Is that crazy? Baby would be 2 or 3 months old at the time. My dad said that they took me on a trip when I was 6 weeks old so he thinks it will be fine.

klj0228

We too are looking to visit my family in Texas in December. It’s a 16 hour drive or 2.5 hour flight with a 2-3 month old baby. I have told my family not to hold their breath because we will want to see how the baby is and what her temperament is like before we commit. Hoping some of you S+TM have words of advice.

yosemite2018

I would avoid travel over holidays if possible. Not only are there tons of flight delays and traffic, but weather could be bad and there will be more people traveling than possible.

If you’re driving, most babies love the car and will probably sleep a lot... hopefully yours isn’t one of the few that gets carsick.

My advice: only take what you really need. We visited my MIL in December and I bought an extra pack n play and cheap stroller and shipped it directly to her house. Even if it gets used 2-3 times, it was worth it (plus I got it cheap on Black Friday). We rented our own car (usually she picks us up) so we brought along our Cosco Scenera Next car seat. It’s $40 from Walmart with free shipping and it’s super lightweight. They all pass the same safety test. I always bring enough diapers for the plane plus 1 day and buy more at my destination.

Also if you are flying I would suggest your baby getting a flu shot (well I would anyway, but I know not everyone feels the same way). It takes a couple of weeks to go into effect as well. Hopefully next flu season isn’t as horrible as the last one. I was really happy that we visited MIL in early December and avoided the extra holiday flyers. Try to fly during nap time so the kid will sleep on the plane and nurse during takeoff and landing. Take a direct flight if possible.

If you’re driving expect to have to take lots of breaks to feed and change baby. If it’s a long drive try to break it up in 2 days if possible. If there is room it might be easier for one parent to sit in the backseat next to the baby to soothe them, hand them a pacifier, etc.

@adirat if your dad is willing to go I would say it’s a no brainer! It’s always easier with an extra set of hands! We took my parents on our honeymoon (which was after baby) with us, and then paid for them to come back to Hawaii with us for our babymoon so that we would have 4 extra hands.

mrsman2018

I've flown when DD was 5ish months. It was helpful to nurse during take off. And her baby carrier was so useful at the airports because I had my purse and her diaper bag, so it would have been difficult to juggle it all. We brought our stroller, car seat and pack and play and gate checked them all (we put them in travel bags so they didn't get all gross). It nice nice to travel with them so young because they do sleep a lot. And I would try to sit at the front of the plane. You will likely board first, and when you land you can get off the plane first too. Bathroom changes are tricky. Maybe get one of those travel change stations that is a change pad, and holds a diaper and some wipes. 

Lcardinal04

I can’t help of the plane issue, as we never flew with DD that young. Off the top of my head my concerns would be flu and germs that young.

As for car trips, if it’s to family I always amazon prime supplies to their house ahead of time to save car space. If it’s someone you’ll see frequently then consider leaving basics there. (Eg: it saved so much space to just purchase a pack n play and baby tub for my in laws house, who we road trip to pretty frequently.) I the trips with DD were easy when she was tiny, got harder as she was more awake and aware of being restrained for long periods.

Recommend having a fold up changing pad in the car. Many times it was far easier to pull off into a neighborhood or parking lot for a diaper change rather then finding fast food or alternative. 

Otherwise, just have patience and anticipate they’ll be stops. Later on we did buy a DVD player for the longer road trips.

MandyMost

Flying: my biggest concerns were all the stuff, and baby uncontrollably crying and annoying everyone. For the first, people had some good refs already! I second checking the stroller and car seat at the gate.

Driving: a long road trip would have been a nightmare for us. If she was awake in the car she was NOT happy! And if you’re breastfeeding you have to stop for every feed...honestly I’d plan at least a half hour stop every 2 hours. 

spottedginger

I second @yosemite2018 on taking just what you need and shipping everything else. Take more diapers and clothing changes (for baby and you) to the airport than you expect to need. #1 concern for me would be germs that young. You won’t have your flu shot in time pre-birth for baby to be protected and they don’t offer flu shots for babies until six months old. Plus all the other random crap at airports. Definitely take a baby carrier so you have hands free for boarding passes, etc. You’ll have to take it off for security, but it will help while getting coffee, juggling carry-one etc.  
Road trips that young are frustrating bc you have to stop all the time for diaper changes and feeding. You can carry all th crap much easier though. Make sure you have the travel adapter for your pump or your manual pump and extra bottles of bm and formula, too. I used to give a bottle of expressed milk or formula while en route and then pump simultaneously or after to decrease stops. 
Either way, don’t forget your baby’s routine things (if you have white noise at home, bring it!) 

jhjocelyn

I just realized, we did travel w dd super young... maybe I blocked it from memory?? 

We drove from Maine to North Carolina, about 18hrs. Dd was 4 months old. We rented a car so we wouldn’t rack up mileage on our own vehicles, we were meeting family at a rental beach home so we couldn’t ship anything ahead. Though we did plan to stop at walmart once we got there for stuff we didn’t want to pack. 

We chose to drive through the night on the way there, we left at 6pm dressed dd in a comfy jammie-like, easy to access diaper outfit and I assume fed her just before leaving. That gave us longer stretches between her needing breaks, and once it got late the traffic was nonexistent. Dh and I took turns sleeping and driving and arrived around noon the next day. Other than being exhausted and needing a day to balance out it wasn’t bad at all. We were there for a solid week so losing a day to sleep wasn’t a big deal, if it had been shorter we may have planned differently.  
           On the way back, we decided we didn’t really have it in us to go all night, so we left late in the day, and stopped at my brother’s home about halfway back, it was probably around midnight when we stopped and then had to travel in the morning hours thru traffic, and with an awake dd, that leg was harder but we were close to home.  

I did sit in the back when she needed company, we heard her very first laugh somewhere in Virginia! I also had downloaded some baby apps, which I know, terrible to start screentime so young, but they gave her something to look at and distracted her when we needed it. And also, not recommended, but just know it’s possible in a pinch, I was able to position myself over the carseat and nurse w o stopping the vehicle (night hours so no one got a show), we didn’t do it for actual feedings but occasional comfort nurses to soothe her a bit. (I’m assuming this, as dd needs medicine w each meal and I have no recollection of feeding that to her in the carseat and the thought -mess and choking- makes me cringe...)  

hopefully someone finds this helpful, feel free to ask questions, though I feel like I don’t remember much else. 

pourmeanothermocktail

Car travel with babies under three months was easy for us. He loved the car and generally passed right now, other than his fussy time at 7-10 pm. We could leave late night and he would sleep better in car than at home. We were used to not getting much sleep anyway. 

For airports, I would do my best to make sure I had a pack and play (or something for baby to sleep in) and a stroller at the other end. I won't check my nice stroller and at 3 months he wasn't ready for a cheap umbrella style yet. The bags protect strollers and car seats from dirt, but not really damage unless you get super expensive padded ones which aren't easily available for all brands anyway. So my son gets his own seat with his car seat in it for safe and sleepy plane riding-though most coach seats won't fit a convertible seat rear facing, just fyi. Baby carrier through airport and security was awesome!!! I would be less scared to check a pack and play-they put their joints in a safer place while folded than a stroller, and their safety can't be compromised as easily as a car seat. 

Yes to a manual breast pump even if traveling with baby, or extra formula. Have a change of clothes for all adults and 2-3 for baby, plus enough diapers and bottles (if not nursing) easily accessible for an extra 6-8 hours in case of airport delays and spit up.

Wishilivedinflorida

I say travel while they are little! We did lots of little road trips and DS napped while we drove. Now, he doesn’t nap on the go and we are sort of stuck now until he can skip naps more easily. I never flew with DS but imagine it would have been doable when he was little to nurse him to sleep on takeoff. 

yosemite2018

@spottedginger have you had to take off a baby carrier through security? I never once have in 10 flights with her. They just swab my hands but it’s super easy. Even if I have a stroller with me I still always carry DD in the Tula just for ease.

samd6

It was my understanding that I could wear baby through security, I'll have to do more research there. I am considering investing in TSA pre-check or CLEAR for our family since we do fly fairly often. I get TSA pre-check covered by work and CLEAR is only like $100 a year the only issue there is that not every airport uses it.  

I think we'll be able to borrow a pack'n'play or rock'n'play for LO to sleep in, and I'm sure someone will have a stroller. I like the idea of shipping stuff to someone's house ahead of time, and any extra supplies (diapers, wipes, etc) can go to H's brother (who's wife is expecting in October!). 

According to the TSA website: 

• Remove infants and children from their carriers and carry them in arms through the walk-through metal detector.
• Infants may be carried in a sling through the walk-through metal detector but may be subject to additional screening.

So it looks as though a sling is OK (which I think any on body carrier like a baby bjorn probably counts) and they are talking about carrier meaning carseat, stroller, etc. Something more difficult to scan through?

spottedginger

@yosemite2018 yes, I’ve had to take DS out of the lillebaby to get through security. Most flight attendants are good about letting you keep the carrier on for take off and landing though technically based on FAA regulations, they can insist of the child being removed from the carrier and held in your arms during those.

pourmeanothermocktail

I have done my son in both a woven wrap and in a Lille baby carrier, and just had to get my hands swabbed plus a very very cursory pat down. I have never had to pull him out.

MrsBigTime

I’ve never done plane travel with my husband, but I imagine it would be super handy to have two sets of hands!

When DD1 was 9 weeks old, I flew with her to California and it was super easy. We co-slept, so I didn’t need to bring a ton of gear, but I believe you can gate check everything you may need. I brought my BOB with car seat adaptor mostly so I could easily maneuver through the airport (the stroller held my carry on and purse mostly!) and I wore my baby through security (I may have took her out, I can’t remember). I gate checked the seat and stroller when I was boarding and just had to remind myself that I wasn’t in a hurry and I could take th extra minute to secure my stuff and if someone was impatient, that was their problem!

One thing I encountered only once was having to put my stroller through the XRay machine, and to do so we needed to remove the wheels, which I didn’t know how to do, but the TSA guy said “I have 5 kids, I can do it!” And he took them off and put them back on for me.

We nursed on the plane and it was easy-peasy. The plane is loud and the white noise is very soothing and encourages sleep! Thankfully, she didn’t blow out on the plane, but I had lots of wipes and a change of clothes just in case. If possible, I’d try to avoiding changing baby on the plane at all costs because there is just zero room, but sometimes sh*t happens! 

I didn’t bring my car seat base because we weren’t planning to drive much and I felt like I could get a secure install with my infant seat and just a seat belt, but it wouldn’t have been a huge pain to put the base in the bottom of my stroller and then click the seat into it when I was gate checking. 

I bought diapers and wipes for the trip when I got there just so they didn’t take too much room in my bag. 

The whole experience was pleasantly easy and I was super proud that we did it! 

I would say thag traveling with a toddler was a bit more cumbersome, but not impossible or horrible either - but it totally depends on your babe! I’m thankful I was able to travel with my first, because my busy little DD2 would definitely not been as smooth! Haha!

SkilledSailor

Bumping this! 

We were figuring out the logistics for a Jan'19 FL trip. We'll be flying and doing an Air BnB that will not have a PnP. Since we have another trip with LO in March and a potential cruise in May or June I'm thinking it'll be worth it to invest in something lighter and more foldable than a PnP for these trips. Anyone ever used something like this? Or have other recommendations?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BLKN01S?tag=blvisitor-20

ashh2018

Glad you posted this!! I live across the country from my family so I’ll need this advice. It just occurred to me that I’ll have to bring a car seat and base for whatever car we’ll be taking when we get off the plane and during our trip, won’t we? This is tough bc typically we’d just take a car from the airport, so I just hold him??! Or if someone picks us up I’ll have to install the base then? 

jumpy57

@ashh2018 you should be able to secure just the seat with the car seatbelt if you don't want to bring the base

ashh2018

@EErin86 that makes sense, thank you! I was wondering how people travel with babies in cabs, Uber, etc - it didn’t make sense to have a base with you haha

Wishilivedinflorida

@SkilledSailor Depends entirely on how big your baby is. January would put our babies at 4 months old, and when DS was that old he would have been too big for a product like that. And I think most babies would outgrow something like that soon after just due to the propensity to roll over as well as size. I’m not sure what a good solution is, though. 

MandyMost

Being able to travel with the infant seat was great, since you can strap it into a car (without the base). There’s instructions with the seat about how to do this to meet safety standards. It’s much harder logistically now with a toddler, and needing a car seat instead of the easy-to-carry infant bucket seat!

i wouldn’t rely on something like that product posted...I’d try to make sure there’s a pack-n-play available at your destinations. I’d think a cruise would supply some kind of crib, same as a hotel does? 

crispy11

I don’t see it mentioned yet, but even though a lap infant is free for flights, it’s safer for baby to have his/her own seat. Plus then you can bring the car seat on the plane. It’s dangerous for car seats to be checked because they can sustain damage that isn’t visible that will make them less effective for the rest of the life of the seat. I’ve done both but now that I know better, I do better. (No judgement to those who don’t. my husband and I were both full time students with truly no money at the time so idk if we would have bought the seat anyway!) I see this is an old thread but with this being #4, we’ve done lots of travel by now with infants in cars and planes so if anyone has a specific question, I can hopefully help. We already booked Disney (Philly-Orlando for us) for Feb-March. Can’t wait to travel with a 5 month old and 2,5,7 year olds. 

crispy11

And most hotels have either a crib or pack and play. If staying with family, see if they can get one from a yard sale site. 

crispy11

@SkilledSailor it depends on how athletic your LO will be. My toddler is still in PT so he would have been fine in that but some 6 months olds may be moving and shaking by then. Maybe buy something closer to the trip? I have seen women buy a pack n play and then donate it at the end of their trip. Then again, depending on how much else you have, you could just pay to check one. 

jumpy57

@SkilledSailor there are other brands of "pack and plays" that are more compact and easier for traveling. I can't think of them off the top of my head but I remember babygearlab.com mentioned that quality while comparing options

SkilledSailor

@Wishilivedinflorida @EErin86 @crispy11 Thank you for your input! I think I found a PnP light that folds into a backpack that will work. I’m not staying at a hotel or with family for any of these trips so definitely need something sturdy but compact. The one I found should work from infancy to 3 though! 

crispy11

SkilledSailor said:

@Wishilivedinflorida @EErin86 @crispy11 Thank you for your input! I think I found a PnP light that folds into a backpack that will work. I’m not staying at a hotel or with family for any of these trips so definitely need something sturdy but compact. The one I found should work from infancy to 3 though! 

Good! I’m pretty sure I had my first sleeping on a receiving blanket on the floor once back before she was able to roll  I can’t remember. It’s only been 7 years but there hasn’t been a lot of sleeping ha! 

SkilledSailor

@crispy11 Haha no judgement here! Desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Linking the travel crib I found in case it helps anyone else. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073HB2ZXW?ref=br_huc_title_link

samd6

Does anyone have opinions on renting a car with an infant seat vs. flying with your own seat?

other than the buy a baby their own seat on the plane option.

adirat

@skilledsailor Please report back on how it works out! I'd really like to get a lightweight travel crib too.

nackie

@samd6 I don’t think I would trust a rental car seat. If there was any possible way to bring my own, that’s what I would do. 

jaylii

@samd I know different people have opinions about TSA precheck, but I think it's life changing. I'm never going back. The process of going through TSA is so much easier and I know it'll be a life saver with a baby. 

I'm a FTM but one piece of advice I have for everyone is to buy as much supplies at your destination as you can. If you have Amazon prime, ship items like diapers, wipes, formula to your destination. So much easier than lugging big items. Same thing for gear, see if it can be borrowed from someone at your destination or if someone is giving one away. My Mom and MIL are both getting pack n plays because friends have offered me theirs. 

runninginva

@jaylii, I completely agree re: precheck. However, I will say, I think it depends on where you are flying. I haven't noticed a big difference in small airports, but I fly to/from Houston quite a bit, and that airport is huge. It makes a significant difference there. I imagine with a baby, it will make even a bigger difference, not having to remove shoes, liquids, etc.

crispy11

I’d also be a little nervous to rent a car seat since the history of the car seat is so important to its safety. If I had to pick, I’d probably still pick that over checking my seat because then my car seat could be affected possible damage for the rest of the time we use the seat. Flying with infants is hard! 

jaylii

@samd6 I think this is a good article on car seats and plane travel.https://carseatblog.com/18895/flying-with-kids-carseats-the-checked-carseat-controversy/ Although it's a bit of a hassle, I like the idea of bringing the car seat to the gate although you haven't bought a seat for baby. In that case the seat either gets checked or the gate staff kindly gives baby a seat on the plane. 

mrsman2018

We rented a car but the carseat it came with was for a big kid, not a tiny baby. Good thing we did bring our own seat. And the crib at the hotel was very old with the slats very far apart - DD could have fit her head through. 
And someone mentioned bringing the carseat on the plane. Some seats aren't allowed on, there will be a sticker on them that says. We gate checked ours instead of just checking it, so it's not thrown around as much. And we had it in a travel bag so it wouldn't get dirty.
And we had a lot of trouble at security with the PnP. It had metal bars in it and we almost missed our flight because they thought it was dangerous. I'll just check it next time.