flying with 3 month old?!?! help!

hollanr3 · July 2015

Need some advice ladies! I attempted to post my question yesterday but I don't see that it worked.

My husband is being sent across country (VA to CA) for 28 days to work. I'm considering flying out for a week to see him and make a little family vacation out of the situation.

I'm trying to figure out the logistics of flying that far with a 3 month old. The car seat, stroller, layover, feeding and changing in flight, sleeping arrangements in a hotel, the ear popping....

Has anyone done this? Am I crazy for trying?

Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated!

jennygirlmt · July 2015

We flew with a 4 month old. I wore her in a carrier, nursed at take off and landing, we gate checked the car seat and checked the stroller with luggage. I did have extra people to help carry the big items. If you keep the stroller it might be easier if you are alone since it can carry your bags.

Pack extra outfits for you and baby in your carry on! And lots of wipes and burp cloths.

The airplane bathroom has a changing table. It's not as bad as it sounds!

Hotels have pack and plays, though we co-slept in a king bed most of the night.

We always fly direct with kids, but even a layover wouldn't be difficult.

Honestly, traveling with a baby was so much easier than when they became toddlers. They are so simple!

kerriam26 · July 2015

I'm flying with my LO at the end of August and he'll be 3.5 months. I scoured the internet for advice and what helped the most was just calling the airline. We are flying with JetBlue because they seem to be the most baby-friendly. They allow you to gate check a car seat as well as a stroller (so you don't have to pay for them) and have an extra carry-on for the baby (i.e. diaper bag). So I plan to gate check both car seat and stroller and wear LO in a wrap during the flight. The airline also highly recommended getting a protective cover for the car seat because the under-carriage of the planes can be very dirty. I purchased this one from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RRD7UG/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687622&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B003554H9M&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0WFH42P1HC0YCTTV4FFD

As PP mentioned I plan to nurse during take-off and landing and booked an aisle seat in anticipation of frequent bathroom trips.

Another thing I saw that I'm considering is putting together a few little baggies of candy and cheap earplugs to hand out to passengers nearby with a note. Might be unnecessary, but kind of a cute idea. (see pic below)

Some airlines also offer bassinets to sleep in if you call ahead and ask. But as everyone I've talked to mentioned, the most important thing is to allow way more time than you think you'll need to avoid making an already stressful situation even worse!

Mari621 · July 2015

I traveled with my son when he was 3 months old. Our flight didn't offer a bassinet. I did bring my baby carrier and that worked out really well. Feed or use a pacifier while ascending and descending. The sucking helps pop their ears. Bring and extra outfit for you and the baby. Some kids don't do well with change in pressure and end up puking. The other thing is bring your own car seat. I rented a car seat last summer for my older son when we flew out of state. The rental car seat was a) looked older and iffy b) it was pretty close to disgusting. If you bring your own car seat you know how to safely instal it and you're familiar with it.

blairdavis99 · July 2015

DH & I flew with my twins on July 4th. Ditto all the pp. The biggest thing I recommend is to travel light through security. Wear baby, bring diaper bag and purse. Check everything else at the ticket counter. Yes, you can gate check car seat, base & stroller. But getting them + me + baby through security was a pain. I did it both ways (gate check vs ticket counter) and it was way easier without all the stuff. If you have a long wait or layover, you may decide to opt for gate check. I'd personally still just wear baby, though. Also for feeding, breastfeeding is probably easiest but if you are a bottle feeder, they will pull you aside at security and test any premade bottles or liquid formula. Plan 15 extra min or so for this.

MommyTerranova · July 2015

I flew when my LO was two months old across the country. I nursed him at takeoff and he slept the entire flight. Woke up to eat right before landing and slept again.
I checked my stroller and car seat at the gate and carried him on in my Ergobaby carrier.
Hardest part was security with them checking everything. Give yourself extra time with that.
Plenty of bottles and LO should be good. My doctor said not to worry about their ears. Their to little to feel the discomfort when they pop like we do. Feeding them at take off and landing takes care of the ear popping.

hollanr3 · July 2015

Thanks everyone for all the insight! It is all extremely helpful! This seems much less scary now!

Knottie76365376 · July 2015

I love this feed bc we'll be flying to Italy when LO is 7 mo old. I'm nervous about it - so it's great to know other moms have been there.
@hollanr3 let us know how it goes!

kaynix21 · July 2015

Following. We are moving from Hawaii to California at the end of August and he will be about 3.5 months

brandy1116 · July 2015

We flew to my brothers wedding when my son was 6 weeks old. I wore him through the airport with a light blanket tied around my neck and over him. I fed him right before we boarded and put him to sleep. I was ready to nurse for his ears popping but he never woke up!! His ears never bothered him the whole time. I took Clorox wipes and wiped everything down and a small Lysol and sprayed my area. I was worried but all worked out perfectly! Don't stress

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