Travelling with baby

slynnn768 · March 2016

Summer's coming up! We are going to the beach in a few months when LO will be 11 months old. I'm already nervous about travelling with someone who sometimes screams for entire car rides, haha! Thought I'd turn to the June 15 moms' infinite wisdom as I know some of you have travelled with baby already. Any tips or tricks you want to share? Flying with a car seat and stroller? Flying with breast milk? How to occupy baby for several hours? How to try to not have every person on your flight hate you the whole time (lol)? Etc!

megpeg0621 · March 2016

We flew to Florida when our lo was 7 months. It was only a 3 hour flight so it wasn't too bad. We lucked out on the way down as we got an extra seat so we could spread out. I nursed him on take off but during landing he was awake and didn't seem to mind too much (but he did have a pacifier). Snacks (puffs, rice crackers etc) were a hit as were a couple of new toys and books he hadn't seen before. My husband and I took turns walking up and down the aisle.

Many people interacted with him, tried to get him to smile, etc. so that was nice. He did get fussy and when we got looks, I just told myself that I'd never see these people again lol.
We ended up checking our stroller and car seat so we didn't take them to the gate. There was another couple with a baby on our flight who did the opposite and I'm not sure what would be easier.

If I think of anything else I'll post again

virginiaunicorn11 · March 2016

This is not meant to be a brag but LO has been on 11 flights and has basically driven to every state in the Northeast (and used to HATE the car). Only saying that to provide context:

I have found "traveling with a baby" to be an unusually easy thing to Google. There is wide consensus on the best tips, so you will see each site essentially repeats the same advice. There are a few Bump threads with the same advice, too, so do a search if you haven't already. (This is not meant to be snarky - just saying that unlike many topics, the Internet seems helpfully to agree on child travel strategies!)

If you are flying with your husband and baby, and it's possible, I highly highly recommend booking the aisle and window, leaving the middle seat open. This has worked for us way more often than not, leaving the middle seat open to stretch out.

For car rides, we time departure with LO's first nap.

I've traveled with and without stroller and car seat (just using the Ergo on one trip), and have also both checked them plane side and at the check in counter. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, so you just have to decide what fits your situation. (For me, it depends on baggage, travel companions, and type of trip/amount f driving at my destination.)

Once, the car seat didn't make it (we had a tight connection) and the airline was able to provide a decent loaner until ours arrived the next day.

The only thing that keeps my kid happy during long car rides is if I sit next to him, and sing. The whole. time.

Enjoy your trips!

mjschenk · March 2016

We have yet to take a plane but have made many of car trips up to 8hours I will agree with the sitting so baby can always see you. Also a suggestion I found while googling said change toys often and that seems to do the trick for us.

afwifey2014 · March 2016

Don't stress. I like to change my baby in the airport bathrooms (vs. the tiny airplane ones) and bf her on the airplane. We take the minimum. Check the carseat, use a carrier, and we have a pnp at each of our family's houses. Also bring an extra outfit and zip lock bags for everyone.

alcrimmins · March 2016

I always change the diaper right before they start boarding the plane and try to feed or nap during take off and landing. I checked both car seat and stroller plane side and it was great! Good luck momma's!

beemaya83 · March 2016

I have no advice for you here as I'm in the same boat. We wanted to do a trip to Hawaii, but I'm just too nervous about the long flight, now that baby is more aware, he just cries more. So it's a beach vacation for us in the summer. We plan to drive.

mindaa · March 2016

I'll add that flying with breastmilk wasn't really a big deal. Just keep it apart like other liquids - TSA will pull it out and scan the bottles. I carry LO through security in the k'tan, which makes it easy. I'm thinking about getting one of these, so we never have to pack a stroller:

Image: https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/812JKI8nhJL._SL1500_.jpg

megpeg0621 · March 2016

mindaa said:

I'll add that flying with breastmilk wasn't really a big deal. Just keep it apart like other liquids - TSA will pull it out and scan the bottles. I carry LO through security in the k'tan, which makes it easy. I'm thinking about getting one of these, so we never have to pack a stroller:

One airport made me take my lo out of the carrier and the other didn't. And that seat is seriously cool!

virginiaunicorn11 · March 2016

beemaya83 said:

I have no advice for you here as I'm in the same boat. We wanted to do a trip to Hawaii, but I'm just too nervous about the long flight, now that baby is more aware, he just cries more. So it's a beach vacation for us in the summer. We plan to drive.

Aw, bummer! I'm glad you will be comfortable with your travel decision, but REALLY encourage folks to bite the bullet and travel with your babies! If you stay calm, they will too. And it can be so empowering! I feel pretty fearless after traveling alone with LO, and that's personally important for me as my identity outside of being a mom

I know that's not true for everyone and we all have our own preferences, comfort level, etc which is totally cool. You do you!

My only point is if you are a person who would secretly rather take that bigger trip... go for it. You can do it.

alcrimmins · March 2016

I agree, traveling aline with your LO is completely empowering! I recommend everyone take the opportunity. It's not as scary as you may think!

jessieR358 · March 2016

We're traveling in May and plan on taking a stroller, car seat and Pnp. It's only a 1.5 hour direct flight (YAY). We bought the lotus travel crib that wears as a back pack. I plan on having my husband board first then I'll board last with the baby so we're not on the plane in a tiny space longer. I'm bringing the iPad and little toys. I've had friends recommend going to the dollar store or the $1 bin at target and getting new things to pull out on the plane to keep occupied. I plan to nurse take off and landing but he won't nurse just whenever so I'm not sure what to do about that! I hope his ears are ok

virginiaunicorn11 · March 2016

jessieR358 said:

We're traveling in May and plan on taking a stroller, car seat and Pnp. It's only a 1.5 hour direct flight (YAY). We bought the lotus travel crib that wears as a back pack. I plan on having my husband board first then I'll board last with the baby so we're not on the plane in a tiny space longer. I'm bringing the iPad and little toys. I've had friends recommend going to the dollar store or the $1 bin at target and getting new things to pull out on the plane to keep occupied. I plan to nurse take off and landing but he won't nurse just whenever so I'm not sure what to do about that! I hope his ears are ok

I have always been prepared with lots of toys, but then really the best thing I could have done was wipe down everything in my row. My kid wants nothing to do with toys - just to explore everything and everyone around us.

Let me me know how the toy idea works for you! Last time I told DH I'm going to stop filling my carry-on with toys.

re: the nursing - I have delayed in nursing my kid for up to two hours so that he's really ready by takeoff. It makes me feel bad but I give him snacks and stuff, and he's never had ear problems, knock on wood. He's only ever nursed on takeoff, never landing - which made me really nervous at first, but hasn't been an issue.

Good luck!!

(ETA: I don't starve my kid. I am just saying that I don't offer to nurse him as soon as I usually do - I offer snacks and things instead, and he's fine with that. If he was uncomfortable, I would definitely nurse him!)

jessieR358 · March 2016

virginiaunicorn11 said:

jessieR358 said:

We're traveling in May and plan on taking a stroller, car seat and Pnp. It's only a 1.5 hour direct flight (YAY). We bought the lotus travel crib that wears as a back pack. I plan on having my husband board first then I'll board last with the baby so we're not on the plane in a tiny space longer. I'm bringing the iPad and little toys. I've had friends recommend going to the dollar store or the $1 bin at target and getting new things to pull out on the plane to keep occupied. I plan to nurse take off and landing but he won't nurse just whenever so I'm not sure what to do about that! I hope his ears are ok

I have always been prepared with lots of toys, but then really the best thing I could have done was wipe down everything in my row. My kid wants nothing to do with toys - just to explore everything and everyone around us.

Let me me know how the toy idea works for you! Last time I told DH I'm going to stop filling my carry-on with toys.

re: the nursing - I have delayed in nursing my kid for up to two hours so that he's really ready by takeoff. It makes me feel bad but I give him snacks and stuff, and he's never had ear problems, knock on wood. He's only ever nursed on takeoff, never landing - which made me really nervous at first, but hasn't been an issue.

Good luck!!

(ETA: I don't starve my kid. I am just saying that I don't offer to nurse him as soon as I usually do - I offer snacks and things instead, and he's fine with that. If he was uncomfortable, I would definitely nurse him!)

It wouldn't let me tag you in the post...anyways..that's a great idea about the nursing. I'm sure the toy thing will go just like you said, he'll want nothing to do with them ha! But I'm going to come prepared.
I realized that I made the flight at a time he's going to be cranky (yay me) so I hope it's not awful. Only 1.5 hours. It's going to mess up his nap time but im hoping he will just fall asleep.
Someone mentioned this on a Facebook mom group I'm in and I thought it was brilliant-they ship stuff they need to the hotel in advance through Amazon. I'm so doing this with diapers and wipes and snacks so I don't have an entire bag of diapers with me.

Were also traveling in the fall and instead of doing lay over after layover were getting to one destination and renting a car and driving the other 5 hours out west to our destination. It should be a beautiful drive and we can stop along the way. We figured we'd rather have a screaming toddler in a car that's been traveling all day than on a plane.

delujm0 · March 2016

These tips are great...just got back from a week away with LO and she has been on 6 flights already. We gate checked our stroller this time and it worked really well...I did buy a cheap bag from amazon to stick it in so it wouldn't get super dirty in the process.

I just want to point out that many safety guidelines state that checking your carseat can expose it to enough unknown damage that it is no longer safe, ans it can void your warranty as well. Kind of like how once it's been in an accident you're supposed to toss it. Checked luggage is not handled with care generally. I would suggest instead either renting a seat with your rental car or buying a seat for the baby on the flight so that you can bring the carseat into the cabin with you. As annoying as that is.

Also if you are planning to use a pack and play I'd suggest a permanent mattress like the Dream on Me foam model on amazon...LO will NOT sleep all night on the regular pad that comes with the PNP though it's ok for naps in a pinch. We just rented a full-size crib last week and it was great...but we were in Disney world for the week so there are lots of crib rental options that don't necessarily exist elsewhere. Over Christmas at my mom's we used a PNP with a permanent mattress on it without issue.

virginiaunicorn11 · March 2016

^^i agree about a mattress for the PnP and we always travel with it when driving. (We prefer the 3" Dream On Me with springs though, not just foam - we have both, one for my parents' house.)

When flying, we can't take it, and LO ends up in bed with us a whole lot earlier than normal!

delujm0 · March 2016

virginiaunicorn11 said:

^^i agree about a mattress for the PnP and we always travel with it when driving. (We prefer the 3" Dream On Me with springs though, not just foam - we have both, one for my parents' house.)

When flying, we can't take it, and LO ends up in bed with us a whole lot earlier than normal!

LO WILL NOT sleep in our bed with us. Like she will refuse to tolerate it completely. Guess that is a blessing or a curse, depending on the situation. Ha. :-)

virginiaunicorn11 · March 2016

delujm0 said:

virginiaunicorn11 said:

^^i agree about a mattress for the PnP and we always travel with it when driving. (We prefer the 3" Dream On Me with springs though, not just foam - we have both, one for my parents' house.)

When flying, we can't take it, and LO ends up in bed with us a whole lot earlier than normal!

LO WILL NOT sleep in our bed with us. Like she will refuse to tolerate it completely. Guess that is a blessing or a curse, depending on the situation. Ha. :-)

Omg. Some nights, LO will only go to sleep if we are literally nose to nose, forehead to forehead. I've created a snuggle monster. His sleep habits are totally my fault, but I don't hate it more than I love snuggling him, so...

jessieR358 · March 2016

delujm0 said:

These tips are great...just got back from a week away with LO and she has been on 6 flights already. We gate checked our stroller this time and it worked really well...I did buy a cheap bag from amazon to stick it in so it wouldn't get super dirty in the process.

I just want to point out that many safety guidelines state that checking your carseat can expose it to enough unknown damage that it is no longer safe, ans it can void your warranty as well. Kind of like how once it's been in an accident you're supposed to toss it. Checked luggage is not handled with care generally. I would suggest instead either renting a seat with your rental car or buying a seat for the baby on the flight so that you can bring the carseat into the cabin with you. As annoying as that is.

Also if you are planning to use a pack and play I'd suggest a permanent mattress like the Dream on Me foam model on amazon...LO will NOT sleep all night on the regular pad that comes with the PNP though it's ok for naps in a pinch. We just rented a full-size crib last week and it was great...but we were in Disney world for the week so there are lots of crib rental options that don't necessarily exist elsewhere. Over Christmas at my mom's we used a PNP with a permanent mattress on it without issue.

Ahh! I'm so worried about the car seat now! I don't want to rent a car seat bc I've heard stories about how the rental place was out and they had to go buy one or they were disgusting. You can also run into problems if your not familiar with it. Things I've read said to take your own. Can you gate check it along with the stroller? We aren't going to pay for an extra seat that he won't use.
I set up the lotus travel crib today to try it out and the mattress although thin, seemed pretty nice. It has a side zipper so I sat in it ha. The mattress lies directly on the floor in it. Honesty, he'll be in the bed with us, but we wanted a back up option and I read bad stuff about roll away cribs at hotels.

virginiaunicorn11 · March 2016

jessieR358 said:

delujm0 said:

These tips are great...just got back from a week away with LO and she has been on 6 flights already. We gate checked our stroller this time and it worked really well...I did buy a cheap bag from amazon to stick it in so it wouldn't get super dirty in the process.

I just want to point out that many safety guidelines state that checking your carseat can expose it to enough unknown damage that it is no longer safe, ans it can void your warranty as well. Kind of like how once it's been in an accident you're supposed to toss it. Checked luggage is not handled with care generally. I would suggest instead either renting a seat with your rental car or buying a seat for the baby on the flight so that you can bring the carseat into the cabin with you. As annoying as that is.

Also if you are planning to use a pack and play I'd suggest a permanent mattress like the Dream on Me foam model on amazon...LO will NOT sleep all night on the regular pad that comes with the PNP though it's ok for naps in a pinch. We just rented a full-size crib last week and it was great...but we were in Disney world for the week so there are lots of crib rental options that don't necessarily exist elsewhere. Over Christmas at my mom's we used a PNP with a permanent mattress on it without issue.

Ahh! I'm so worried about the car seat now! I don't want to rent a car seat bc I've heard stories about how the rental place was out and they had to go buy one or they were disgusting. You can also run into problems if your not familiar with it. Things I've read said to take your own. Can you gate check it along with the stroller? We aren't going to pay for an extra seat that he won't use.
I set up the lotus travel crib today to try it out and the mattress although thin, seemed pretty nice. It has a side zipper so I sat in it ha. The mattress lies directly on the floor in it. Honesty, he'll be in the bed with us, but we wanted a back up option and I read bad stuff about roll away cribs at hotels.

It will be fine. This is the type of worry that I think the Internet perpetuates. Like I said, You do you. I don't judge other people's worries because lord knows I have my own issues. But I am personally not fussed about checking my car seat. Or about hotel cribs (bring your own sheet if you're concerned), or about PnP mattresses if we have no other option.
I have also used a car seat borrowed from an airline. Was it spotless? No. Has my kid licked grosser things? Absolutely.

Part of why we bought the PnP mattress is we didn't realize you have to Velcro down the mattress/ pad it comes with... So it didn't lie flat and was uncomfortable for LO. One of his best nights of sleep ever was in a hotel PnP with no "real" mattress.

delujm0 · March 2016

@jessier358 most airlines will allow you to gate check both a carseat and a stroller. It's worth reading up on your airline's policies. Gate checking isn't perfect but probably isn't as rough as actual checking. Also you can buy padded bags on amazon for plane travel which would help cushion...and keep it cleaner at least.

I've used rental car seats several times though never for when we would be doing a LOT of driving...they've been fine. Not as good as home, but servicable.

slr1229 · March 2016

These tips were all helpful. I want to travel to San Diego from Houston in May for a long weekend.

mindaa · March 2016

^^ We're going to San Diego this weekend, so excited!!

slr1229 · March 2016

Please let me know how you like it! Renting a car? Where staying? Yay for you!

mindaa · March 2016

@slr1229 - Well, we actually go out there almost every summer, since it's only a 4-5 hour drive from Phoenix where we live, and we usually camp. This trip is a little different in that we're flying and renting a car. Personally, I would want to have a car there - even though it doesn't take long to get around, I think you'd have use bus or taxi). This time, we're staying north in Solana Beach/Del Mar. It's near Torrey Pines state park, which is really nice. We also really like the La Jolla cove area. It can be crowded but is great for mellow water activities - surfing, kayaking, SUP, snorkeling - and has a nice grassy park area.

Last time I stayed at hotel, it was off highway 8... not scenic, but good value and easy to get places. Tons to do in San Diego proper, I'm sure you've already got a full trip planned!

cheriep3 · March 2016

Our LO has been on 4 flights. The last one was just last week so he was 9 months. It is a little more difficult now that he's super mobile. But our first flight was at 9:10 pm and that was SO great. He ate a bottle while we were taking off and then passed out until about 10 minutes before we landed. It was glorious!
We're planning on doing a road trip this summer (end of June). We will be driving for 32+ hours with a 1 year old!!
Any advice? I'm SO nervous!

bwow615 · March 2016

We are headed to FL on Thursday. Early flight at 6am. I am just going to go with the flow and will hope for the best.

mjschenk · March 2016

@swiebe today I thought to myself and got a good giggle "parenting aren't we all just winging it anyway" and your comment of going with the flow I feel goes hand in hand.

bwow615 · March 2016

@mjschenk so true!

beemaya83 · April 2016

Busy at work but wanted to ask a question. Sorry if it has been asked again.

Formula mommas, how do you package formula for air travel? I ask because, you know the formula powder packages are big. I just booked a trip to southern california and I'm stoked!!

fulltimebaby01 · November 2018

**Removed for TOU Violation**

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