Get advice and share your best tips on air travel with kids from getting through the airport security with breastmilk to the best carseat to take on a plane.
In a few weeks, we’ll be flying with our baby for the first time on a 6 hour international flight! Pretty excited, but also nervous cause I’ll be headed to the airport and going through security by myself (meeting my husband at the gate cause he’s coming in from another flight). So, of course, I have a bunch of questions that hopefully you wonderful mothers can help me with! 1. My baby drinks ... More
I recently flew 13 hours with my infant as a lap child. We were lucky enough to fly first class but I had a pretty awful experience with one of the flight attendants where about 8 hours on when my baby started to fuss she told us that we were welcome to go back to economy where there were plenty of open seats, as the crew was trying to get some much needed rest in the seats next to us. She didn... More
I’m really sorry you had a bad experience. I’m not sure what airline you were on but many airlines including the one I work for don’t allow babies in first for his reason. In fact you usually have to be over 12. Not a reason to be nasty to you though, especially if you were sold a ticket and not forewarned rules or the rules were not enforced. There is always a kind way to communicate someth... More
Moms I need some advice. I am traveling with my baby a lot over the next few months. Every airline tells me it is ok to fly with an infant in my arms and that I do not need a ticket. However I am seeing posts on the dangers of doing this in case of turbulence. And of course there are also posts of parents who bought a ticket, brought the car seat and were not allowed to use it. If you can share... More
I flew with my daughter at four months. We got her her own seat and she slept the whole time. Make sure you're care seat is FAA approved and they have to let you use it.
As a mom of a toddler and a flight attendant, I pretty much always fly with a car seat. It is safer. And as long as your FAA stickers are current and approved for flight you should never have an issue. As for as international they all have different rules and guidelines and usually not as strict as FAA which is only for the United States carriers .
I will be taking a 14hrs flight with a 14 month old baby. I’m not sure how I’m going survive her sitting on my lab for that long. Any tips??? Thank you
Yes try for the bulkhead and ask for a bassinet if you can. Check the weight and length limits online though. We reserved on the phone ahead of time and asked again when we boarded. It ended up being far too high for me to put her on there when she fell asleep, but it was nice to have the option. I ended up baby wearing on the rest of the 8 hour flight so she would at least sleep a bit. Me? Not... More
Flying for the first time with our 3 month old on Southwest Airlines. Any tips or tricks? It's a long flight. TIA
We flew at night so our baby would be tired and sleep, and apparently all parents do the same thing because ALL of the babies were on our flight. It was nice, but we ended up catching a stomach flu because it was the end of the day and the air just continuously circulates. We flew with her in our lap but because it was Frontier the seats were atrociously painful too.
Try to fed the baby as the plane is going up and / or landing to keep the baby occupied! Also the helps with the ears . It should be a smooth trip !
Am traveling with my 10mos old son internationally. It will be very long flight like 14-15hrs (1hault) Please suggest something to engage my son during long flight. What should I carry. This is my 1st flight alone with baby. How baby react to the plane traveling. If he cries loudly what you people do to sooth him. How to change his diapers? Planes don’t have changing tables. Do I need to car... More
You can try dream water to make him sleep! Won’t knock him out for 15 hours.... but can help if he’s being fussy and won’t slee
Thank you so much guys for your time, and sharing your own experience. I will take note frm these answers. They are really helpful for 1st time traveler like me. I really appreciate your efforts.
Thinking of going to Iceland early September with our son, for approx 3-4 days. This will be our first trip on a “long” flight from NYC. Any tips on flying to make it easier with a baby? Since he’s so young, this mean we have to bring the car seat with us, right? So they have a safe place to sit in the taxi there? Any suggestions on things to do, places to see with a baby in Iceland? What ar... More
Alyson: Thanks for the info! When you travelled to Ireland, did you take a cab anywhere? I’m wondering what the car rules with babies is overseas. There’s no chance I can just hold him, right? I’m thinking of possibly buying a smaller umbrella stroller for the trip, but then the car seat doesn’t fit on it...so wondering if we can just not bring the car seat....
If you’re going to drive, then you can rent a car seat which is what we did. When we took a bus, we held him in our laps, and used an umbrella stroller for walking around/at the airport.
Planning to travel to Hawaii from Houston in November when the little one will be 10.5 months. Looking for travel tips! We are starting at zero, so everything and anything counts! Flights, car seat, strollers, hotels, things to do in Hawaii with an infant, things NOT to do when traveling with an infant etc.
*long post. Frequent flyer, car seat technician, and mother of an infant, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask. As someone who worked in warranty claims for a car seat company, I can say that there are 2 options for a car seat. 1) pay for the child’s ticket and then they can sit in their carrier in their own seat (financial con, but pro to not have to hold the child on your lap th... More
When we took our trip to mexico I made sure my daughter was on a schedule for feeding and had an extra for juice when we got on the plane In case she wasn't wanting milk she did perfect as long as your calm your lo will be amazing btw you also can take snacks for your baby like the puff idk if you give that yet but food was a big help I know my baby was about 10.5 month when we went
I agree with lots of snacks. Try holding off on his favorite snacks a few days before so when he gets them on the flight he’s really happy. Same thing with toys, I hide my kids favorite ones for like a week and then bring them on the plane. You can also get a new toy they can open on the plane. I also found some mess free craft ideas on amazon like stamps and this water reveal thing. I don’t kn... More
@ Yammi and Krystin: THANK YOU for all the great advice, it’s midnight and I just finished packing. I’m really hoping they won’t take his milk or juice box from me at the gate, I’m just anxious and nervous. Hopefully we’ll have an understanding agent and they won’t give us too much trouble! Thanks again!
Planning a trip to Chicago this fall and there are GREAT prices for some flights...but they’re all red eyes leaving at midnight and arriving super early. I know I could get my kid to sleep on the plane but I worry about crankiness the next day. Thoughts? Have you done this and survived?
Going to a family reunion in Hawaii first week of August. Any recommendations/tips on flying with 18mth old b/g twins. Also what kind of sunblock/swimwear should they use? Staying at hilton and aulani for a week. Thanks in advance!
I love thinkbaby sunscreen. Smells yummy and works beautifully and safe for baby skin. For swimwear, I’d think about getting rash guard shirts for some extra sun protection. They make for both genders, but really you could get a few and mix and match. We tend to do shirts and shorts for my little girl. Less area to sunscreen and keeps some sand away.
I have two girls and I put them in rash guards and swim bottoms. Sometimes even boys swim trucks. If the trunks are black then do a pink rash guard. I buy the sunscreen sticks for their face. (They look super pasty but better then burnt). We use the honest sunscreen for any area of skin that shows. Also floaties!!!! I’ll attach a picture. For the plane ride packed snacks, books, bought their fa... More
We are flying cross country (to New York) with our 3 month old😬. We are flying on Southwest Airlines. Any advice traveling with an infant and or Southwest?
I don’t see why you would need to bottle feed! Breast is just fine, might even help baby relax and fall asleep during the flight :)
I do a lot of cross country flights- I find nursing to be way easier than carrying/prepping a bottle on the plane. Did you get the baby their own seat? If so, a rear facing car set (preferably a carrier) is great- need to be in the window seat but great for you to lean on, also. I love baby wearing on planes, but baby cannot be worn during take off and landing. Definitely nurse for those parts ... More
Hi, I am planning to travel alone with my 8 month old infant on Delta next month. Since its a long haul flight, I was hoping to get some suggestions/ advice from the group.. Need help/ advice on: -How to warm the bottle on the flight -Are we allowed to carry diaper bag and a hand luggage - tips for sterilising bottles on the go - travel must haves Any advice is appreciated! Thanks..
Thanks Kat and ThedaddyScho
I travel with my little one hes almost 6 months now. For his formula I use Tommie tippee formula dispensers and just have water in bottles. He doesnt have his warmed at all, just room temp water makes things so much easier. Ive had him in a baby carrier on the plane and thru security as I travel on my own. I always check car seat and stroller at gate. Check at the gate if there are free seats i... More
We are traveling internationally next week with more than 11 hr time difference. I’m very concerned on how to deal with my daughter’s jet lag. Any advice is very much appreciated.
We just got back from a ten day trip with our 4 month old where we had an 8 hour difference. The first 2 nights were brutal - she was up practically every hour and fussy/tired around the clock. By the third night we could tell she was getting the hang of it and then she was a dream for the rest of the trip. Now we’re home and doing it all in reverse! My best advice is to try and control light a... More
We just traveled with an 11 month old and 12 hour time difference - she took longer naps the first couple days and woke up twice to play at night. We played a lot with her during the day so she was exhausted by the evening - and during the day I made some extra noise to cut the naps shorter and shorter - she adjusted by the 4th day
Is it mandatory for a lap child? I’m wondering if it would be easier just to hold her? We are only flying two hours each way and will be on a cruise in between. . .thoughts?
Depends on how long baby can sit still. We just flew to Puerto Rico back in June (my first time flying with my 5 month old) and even though we did bring our car seat we did not use it in the actual plane. Our flight was at midnight so kiddo actually slept the entire flight (3hrs). On our return flight (5am) he had some trouble staying in one place with us. He is used to being up at that time an... More
It's not mandatory for a lap child bc they're sitting on your lap (where would you sit?). ;) If you're asking whether it'd be better to buy your baby her own seat on the plane, in my experience, at 9 mo it's easier to just hold them. We have an almost 3 yo and a 1 yo and have flown numerous times with each for both short and long, international flights. The older one has alw... More
Has anyone had experience trying to buy an airline ticket for an unborn child? For example, we'd like to book tickets today for a trip in December but the baby won't be born until August.
If you want an actual ticketed seat for the baby, you might have to wait until after she’s born as some airlines won’t allow you to put “Baby” as first name and if they do you might end up paying name change fees after she’s born. Each airline is different. For infant in lap, that can be added anytime after she’s born and doesn’t have to be when you originally buy the tickets.
I will be getting on a plane with my daughter soon. I have never traveled with children before, so I am definitely kind of scared. Any tips on what to pack and going through TSA? Should I use a carseat, carrier, or stroller? I definitely would love to know your experiences and advice.
You’ll have to take her out of the stroller to go through the metal detector, even if asleep. Just FYI. My best advice is to bring two changes of clothing for each of you, and keep it in the bag at your feet. At that age flying with baby was super easy. I also had a blow up my breast friend pillow, which she just rested on and slept the whole flight, but giving my arms a break.
We will be going on 2 trips, one to Puerto Rico (which I'm not as scared about) and the other will be to France. All the advice I keep getting is to have a bottle ready for take off, but I'm worried about jet lag and pretty much everything and anything. We are sending all heavy items to France ahead of time (pack n play, booster, extra formula, food, car seat) I'm worried he will sc... More
You can heat bottles in a half filled coffee cup with hot water for tea. I second the advice to bring ALL of you 1-2 changes of clothing. Including a bra, which forgot and had to go without after getting pooped on and soaking through my clothing. I’d try to baby wear in the airport so that little one can sleep on the normal schedule. Also, for jet lag, consider not switching them too much. Euro... More
Husband and I along with our baby are traveling soon. I’m going to get TSA Pre for myself and baby. Do we need to get a separate TSA Pre for my husband as well or they let us go through the line as a family with one TSA Pre?
Some of these responses are wrong. TSA officer here. The rule is If you have pre check then you will go on the pre check lane with your child. Unfortunately, Your husband will be separated unless he has pre check as well. You can always go into the standard lane as a family but not the other way around. Some airports are different but this is the precheck rule.
I’m traveling with my 3 month old baby in two weeks and wondering if I need to take both carseat and stroller for the airport? For the flight itself I might get a bassinet where baby can sleep, otherwise she’ll be on my lap the whole time. :-( Any advice?
I’ve been there! First, I am going to tell you the best advice someone gave me at the airport! TAKE YOUR TIME! Stop stressing about the people around you, just do what you need to do. Also what I did was get those gate-check bag things (they are like $10 and protect your stuff from getting ruined). I put my car seat in that and checked it at the counter, then used the stroller through the airpo... More
WOW!!! Thank you all for all the advice! I’ve learned something new with every response and now I have a detailed check-list of things to have and things to do. I’d say I’m fully prepared for this trip! Yeah!!! Thanks again ❤️❤️❤️ I’ll try to come back write how the trip went 😀
We breastfeed so I cant offer advice about the formula but we have taken our 10 month old ok several international flights. If found that TSA and airline employees were actually kinder and more accommodating than when we have traveled without her. If you have any food or products for your baby that may not normally be allowed through TSA, just make sure to disclose it to the agent before you... More