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Flying with a 3 mo old

snookums2013snookums2013 member
in Babies: 0 - 3 Months
I'm trying to decide if it's crazy to take my daughter to my college reunion/ homecoming when she's about 3 months old and if we go, where to stay.  My husband would be going to and it would be a one hour flight on Southwest.  We would have to fly into an airport that's over an hour from the school, so would rent a car and drive.  We have two options for places to stay - one is for free at my friend's house near the airport.  The other is in a hotel near the school.  What do you think?  Am I crazy to attempt this with a 3 month old?  If not, which option would you choose for  a place to stay?  Hotel would provide convenience close to the activities and we'd have to drive one leg on Sat and the other on Sun.  Friend's house would require driving all the way back on Sat too, but would have more comfort and amenities when we're actually there and we would already be close to the airport on Sun.  I should add that she currently is 7 weeks old and nurses every 3 hours or sooner and I'm supposed to pump after each feeding. 

I would also appreciate any tips you have on traveling with a baby as I've never done this before (e.g. how does it work with breast milk, is there anything else special you have to do for going through security, do the car seat, stroller, and car seat base count as separate checked bags?  Which can you take to the end of the gate?  Anything else I should know?  Thanks!
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Re: Flying with a 3 mo old

  • BelhurstBrideBelhurstBride member
    I say go for it. I'd pick staying at a house over hotel any day, but I'm sure that's personal preference. 
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  • redhead610redhead610 member
    Do not check your carseat. It should go with you on the plane for LO to sit in. If you check it, you will have no idea how it is handled. Have you ever seen them throw the suitcases into cargo? I certainly would not want that happening to my carseat. You do not have to bring the base with you - check your manual for how to install it in a car without the base. You can gate check the stroller.
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  • snookums2013snookums2013 member
    When you say don't check the car seat do you just mean bring it to the gate and drop it off at the end?
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  • redhead610redhead610 member
    No. If you are flying with it, it should be in your possession at all times. Otherwise you do not know that it is being handled properly. Your child should be sitting in the carseat on the plane.
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  • snookums2013snookums2013 member
    She's only going to be 3 months old so she won't have her own seat.  We will have to hold her.  The seat is a Graco Snugride that's also a carrier and clicks into the stroller and the base.
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  • rh10264706rh10264706 member
    snookums2013 said:

    She's only going to be 3 months old so she won't have her own seat.  We will have to hold her.  The seat is a Graco Snugride that's also a carrier and clicks into the stroller and the base.

    I struggled with this too bc I am going to be flying when my lo is 5 months old. I am sucking it up and purchasing a seat for him to sit in, so he can sit in his carseat. Most carseats are certified by the FAA. Otherwise, you can never be sure what happened to your carseat when it was being handled by others, and unfortunately you wouldn't know until you got into a car accident. Not worth it. It is worth the money just to pay for a seat for lo.
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  • Chatterbug6917Chatterbug6917 member
    Go for it... Way easier to take them now than later.. I would wear the baby on the plane and make sure to nurse or paci on the way up and down enjoy!
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  • suv75suv75 member
    Take seat to gate. If not full flight, SW will let you bring it on board. If full, gate check it. Just nurse on plane or at airport. You can pump using nursing cover at airport or on board. It's so easy travelling with baby. And I would stay at the house. Easier with little ones to have fridge and kitchen to warm up and store milk.
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  • Carnation77Carnation77 member
    What time of year are you going?  I'm personally not going to fly with LO during flu season his first year.  That might be something you want to consider.
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  • ASmallWonderASmallWonder member
    The baby needs their own seat.  Holding the baby in your arms means she will either become your personal airbag if you hit turbulence or she will become a projectile, a danger to herself and other passengers.  
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  • snookums2013snookums2013 member
    We're just planning to go to the tailgating and football game so it is very kid friendly. If I wear her in the airport, do I have to take her out to go through security? Do they make you and the baby go through the scanner? I'm starting to freak out about how much we'll have to carry on... Boppy, pump, diaper bag, etc. Normally we would just take carryons for a 1 night trip but we may have to check our suitcase! I should add that the friend's house just has a pull out bed for us and we would have to bring our own sleeper for her in case that changes any opinions. Has anyone flown with an RnP? Did you just check it by itself or put it in a suitcase of some sort?
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  • snookums2013snookums2013 member
    Oh and it will be in Nov. Is that considered flu season? I already got my shot. Does that help protect the baby if I'm breastfeeding?
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  • Carnation77Carnation77 member
    You can get an inflatable boppy, and you can rent baby stuff from Babys R Us and other stores, depending on where you're going.  So you might want to look into renting a pack and play there instead of bringing something.  
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  • JarangelaJarangela member
    We're planning on flying when our girl is 3 mths. I actually think its easier flying with them when they're younger, just keep nursing them lol!
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  • dimples128dimples128 member
    they should let you and the baby walk through the metal detector. I travel a lot for work and haven't seen anyone with a baby go through the scatter scanner before. You may have to take her out of the carrier and walk through so they can X-ray the carrier.

    FWIW, I am flying alone with our son at 8 weeks on a 4 hour flight and then we are doing the same flight for Christmas. If you can, try booking the flights for any day except Monday and Thursday since those are big days for business travel. You may have more families traveling on other days and they would be more understanding and helpful if you need something from the overhead.
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  • MynaBirdMynaBird member
    I flew with my almost-six-week-old yesterday. Go to www.tsa.gov and read the page on traveling with children. You'll find a lot of your answers there. Babies in arms go through the metal detector, not the backscatter scanner. I wore mine through in a Moby and had no problems in two airports. They swab your hands afterward as an additional check. I also recommend buying a seat and bringing your car seat on the plane with you. FAA regulations prohibit babywearing during takeoff and landing because you can't have anything strapped to your body. (Kind of ridiculous, really, because if you don't have a carseat they have you just hold the baby in your arms, which seems way less safe to me.)
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  • khays8785khays8785 member
    Just love going to the TSA website and seeing that it isn't being maintained due to lack of current funding.. Go gov't shut down..
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  • snookums2013snookums2013 member
    Maybe I'm missing something but on the TSA site I see every category but traveling with children (they even have transgender travelers as a category). Does anyone know where to find it? I only saw something about breast milk under the liquids category, but I can't find anything else about babies.
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  • MynaBirdMynaBird member
    If you click on Traveler Information, it's under Helpful Travel Links on the right side of the page. https://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/traveling-children
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  • snookums2013snookums2013 member
    Ok thanks!
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