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Until a few months ago, we lived on the opposite side of the
country from family and friends. This
means that for every trip to Grandma’s house, we boarded multiple planes and
spent almost an entire day on airplanes and in airports. Now doing this as often as we did with a
newborn and into the early toddler years, we were feeling pretty proud of our
ability to smoothly travel with a baby or toddler.
So, when we moved close enough to family to drive and visit on a regular basis, we were thinking it would be a breeze compared to flying across the country. Well our first 8-hour road trip to Grandma’s was not quite as easy as we expected. However, I live by the motto, “you win, or you learn”, and we definitely learned a lot on this trip. Keep reading to find out what we learned when taking a road trip with a toddler, so that you are prepared to hit the open roads.
Toddlers have a really short attention span
Theoretically, I already knew this. However, at home or the playground where my
toddler can run from one activity to the next, I didn’t fully develop an
appreciation for how frequently new activities must be furnished. Airplanes usually have enough good people
watching and looking out the window and new noises to keep a little one pretty
occupied. However, my son thought the
constant view of fields did not make for a very interesting trip.
We had taken a variety of activities, but not nearly enough
for the entire 8-hour trip. In the
future, we will take many more activities.
Activities that work for other kids may not work for
yours
You can easily find recommendations for travel activities
online. However, each kid is unique and
what is magic for others likely won’t work for you. Use all these ideas, to spark ideas of what
you think your child will like. Ideal
activities are interesting, non-toxic if eaten, and low mess. Once you have some ideas of what might work,
do a dry run. Try them out while you are
driving across town or take a mini road trip to a nearby city. See which activities work well in the car and
keep your toddler entertained and which ones aren’t worth the effort. This will help you narrow down your list of
activities to pack.
These toddler
travel activities can help you start the brainstorming process of what may
work for your kid.
Get a travel tray
There are a variety of travel trays available, and you will
definitely want to invest in one. This is the one that we have and really
like. When selecting a travel tray, there are a few things to consider:
How it attaches, you will want to make sure it
will be easy to put on and take off
Avoid cupholders that go below the tray base
because these can be uncomfortable
Waterproof because you will want to clean the
tray frequently
Compact
Know that the travel tray may not always work
The travel tray was really helpful for meals. It was great to set my son up with his drink
and food in a way that he could eat it without making a big mess. However, when we wanted to sleep, the tray
just annoyed him. It worked well for us,
to be able to remove the tray from the front passenger seat.
Plan for a play stop
No matter how many activities you pack, your little one will
need to run around at some point to burn off some excess energy. I suggest planning a stop midway that will
allow a break from the car. There are a
number of rest stops with playgrounds now, and many that have big green picnic
areas. Plan where this stop will
be. By doing your research online ahead
of time, you can have a good plan that will save a lot of stress while
traveling.
Plan your gas and food stops
Similar to the point above, you will want to have a general
idea of where you plan to stop for food, gas and restrooms. Figure out what you want in your idea
stop. Do you want gas and coffee, or a
specific fast food restaurant? You can
research these ahead of time to save stress during the trip.
I love using the iExit app to figure out where to stop. You can read more about it and my other must-have
travel apps here.
Are you starting to see a theme about planning here? To maximize your efforts, you can grab my Family Travel
Planner here.
Take your motion sickness medication
The person in the front passenger seat will be turning
around a lot during the trip. If there
is even the slightest chance you will get car sick, take motion sickness
medication to prevent it. The non-drowsy version of Dramamine which
contains meclizine, is my favorite. I
can read, work or turn around and help my toddler without getting
nauseous.
Download some baby tunes
Toddlers love music and there is something about Baby Shark
and other toddler songs that appeal to that demographic more than any other
type of music. Before your trip, prepare
a playlist or CD of favorite toddler tunes. When your little one starts getting
cranky, break out his favorite songs.
These work wonders for pulling my son out of a cranky fit while we are
driving.
Consider how sleep will happen
Even if it’s naptime and even if you walked your toddler
around the neighborhood before getting in the car, there is no guarantee that
sleep will occur. However, to improve
your chances, consider how you can make the backseat darker. Window shades help to some extent. Does your little one fall asleep best with a
full tummy and a cup of milk? If so,
plan a food stop shortly before you want sleep to occur. Also make sure you get food, gas, drink,
bathrooms or anything else everyone else needs before your toddler falls
asleep. The worst thing is for sleep to
finally happen and then someone needs to stop for a bathroom.
There are the 9 lessons I learned on our most recent road
trip. Before your next trip, you will
also want to check out these tips
for traveling with a baby or toddler.
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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
I love to travel, but I absolutely hate planning the details
of my trip. I mean, I’m great at saying
let’s go to ____________ (insert well known tourist destination), and make sure
we see/do ____________ (insert landmark/activity destination is known
for). When it comes to actually planning
out the details that will make that trip happen, I’m an awful procrastinator.
I fall into the habit of getting overwhelmed at the thought
of planning and everything that goes into making a trip happen. Luckily, my husband is great at planning out
the details of a trip, but he doesn’t like to be left completely on his own to
do it. Therefore, I had to find some way
that I could get myself to plan a trip without dragging my feet so much we
never went on the trip.
If I thought planning for my husband and me was hard, a baby/toddler adds a whole new level of difficult to the planning. Despite my initial planning dread, we have had a bunch of great trips as a family, and my 1.5-year old son is more well-traveled than some adults. Read on for my tips to make travel planning with kids easier and have those family trips you imagine.
Plan to Plan
If you want to take a family trip 3 months from now, you
will want to start planning soon, so that you can book flights and lodging
early enough to get the best rates.
While you are still excited about the trip, sit down and spend 10
minutes making a list of everything you need to do to get that trip planned. This could include be start off as follows:
Book hotel
Book flights
Book rental car
Book baby rental items
Book excursions
Once you have a list of everything you need to do, grab your
planner, and start scheduling yourself planning blocks. These are blocks of time where you schedule
yourself time to check one item off your planning list. 30-minute blocks are likely sufficient for
most tasks. Once you have a time block
for each activity on your list, commit to yourself that you will treat it as a
mandatory activity like everything else on your calendar.
Pro Tip: Make sure things that requiring booking
something are early in your planning period.
You will want to make sure to book early enough before things fill up or
rates increase.
Organize Your Thoughts
To make you planning time blocks as productive as possible,
have an idea of what you need to consider and how you want to organize that
information to make the best decisions.
I really like using worksheets that allow me to write in specific info
for hotels, or flights, etc. If the
thought of creating worksheets is overwhelming, you can grab my travel
planner here.
Keep an Idea List
For lists that you need to always have handy, I love using
the cell phone app Wunderlist. I pretty much always have my cell phone handy,
so this method ensures my list is always nearby as well. You will want to have this list to write down
anything that jumps into your mind.
Maybe this is a great idea you hear for entertaining your toddler while
traveling, or a must-do attraction someone tells you about, or a great
restaurant to try on your trip, or something you can’t forget to pack. Whatever it is, you will want to remember it
when you are actually in a position to do something with that information. The list allows you to make note of it, and
when you are busy planning, skim your list to remind yourself about all the
ideas you’ve had about the trip.
Enlist Your Family’s Help
If you are taking a family trip, get everyone involved in
the planning process. Your baby may not
be able to help, but everyone from toddler age up can take at least a small
part. Planning tasks could range from
having your elementary-aged child check the whether for the trip before
everyone starts packing, or having your toddler pick out which travel
activities he wants to take along. If
you have older kids coming along, you could have the teenagers practice
budgeting parts of the trip such as activities or meals.
Consider what each person is capable of and what would be of
interest or a good learning experience and delegate tasks. The more you include the family, the less you
feel like a travel planner, and the more they are invested in the trip.
Go to the Internet
If you find yourself stuck on a particular task, do a quick online search for the destination and whatever it is you are looking for. Trying to decide which hotel is the best choice in a certain area, Google it! There are so many travel bloggers around the world that specialize in writing guides to traveling different places. Be aware that some of these may be sponsored, but many times they do still outline the pros/cons of the location or activity.
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
If you are traveling with a baby that’s younger than 6
months, chances are good that he’ll sleep for a good portion of the
flight. However, if you have an older
baby or toddler, a plane is way too exciting to allow for sleep in many cases. Instead of sleeping they get frustrated that they
can’t crawl/walk around the plane or kick the seat. Therefore, it’s important to have a bag of
tricks to keep your tiny human happy while trapped in a flying tin can.
Things that make for good travel activities have a few
characteristics in common.
Quiet
Low mess
Easily contained
Lightweight/easy to pack
Here are 10 activity ideas that are great for travel entertainment to get you started.
These are great because of all the variety and ways
they can be used for various ages. For
older babies, you can get small stickers and stick them on their nails. Figuring out how to get them off can provide
a nice span of quiet entertainment. For
toddlers, sticker books are good fine motor skill practice as they peel the
stickers up and stick them in the desired location. Many sticker books have scenes where once the
stickers are on, you can have your older toddler explain the story they created
with the stickers. You can also create
your own sticker activities by using a sheet of stickers and having your
toddler sort them into groups based on certain characteristics. You can also find sticker books that have
reusable stickers to create endless fun.
These are great for older toddlers. They can provide a variety of educational activities. Mazes, handwriting, counting, and letter identification are just a few of the activities you can find. These books are often lightweight and provide educational entertainment.
I love this activity book because it wipes clean for reuse on every trip.
One of the requirements of airplane activities for
kids is that they be low mess. Markers
are great fun for toddlers; however, they often manage to color on everything
except the page. These magic coloring
books come with specific markers that only work on the pages. Therefore, your toddler can enjoy coloring
with markers while you relax knowing they won’t redecorate the tray table.
This is a little-known activity idea. Colored beeswax is great once your child is ready for Play-Doh. Unlike Play-Doh, the beeswax doesn’t smell, or crumble and make a mess. If your child likes to play with Play-Doh at home, pulling out the beeswax on a flight, can be a novel change that is sure to excite your little one.
I know, I know, you are thinking that you don’t want
to encourage screen time. However, when entertaining a toddler while flying,
the rules need to go out the window.
This is the perfect time to allow screens that are limited at home. Having an Amazon Fire Kids Edition is a great
way to have readily available, kid-friendly entertainment. All kids enjoy this, but those that have
limited screen time at home, are often extremely entertained by this normally
“forbidden” item.
These can be a little more challenging as they often add bulk and weight to already overflowing carry-ons. However, one or two favorites can be a good edition. If you are flying overnight and hoping for sleep, books commonly used during a bedtime routine can help set your little one up for successfully sleeping.
A classic story like, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, is always great or some kids prefer books with flaps or different textures to feel.
Many toddlers love to play with blocks. However, these can be tricky on a plane as they fall and get lost easily. Magnetic blocks make it easy for your toddler to build creative structures and towers, but they are going to tumble everywhere as easily as traditional blocks.
If your child has a favorite toy that isn’t too hard to pack, bring it along. This includes stuffed animals and blankets used as comfort items. However, be forewarned that many times toys that are loved at home just aren’t that exciting on a plane. See the next idea for a solution to this problem.
This skwish toy is quiet and flattens down to easily fit in a carry-on bag.
Wrap up a few new, small toys and let your child open them at intervals throughout the trip. Because of the excitement of flying, items that are readily available to play with at home may not hold the same appeal. However, what kid doesn’t like unwrapping a new toy. Collect a few small toys and wrap them up before leaving. Then at different intervals throughout your trip or when your struggling to provide entertainment, let your toddler open the small present. The toy inside may provide 3 or 30 minutes of entertainment, but either way it can serve as a distraction to prevent an oncoming tantrum.
Pro Tip: Get something that comes in a set with a variety of items, like these tiny toy trucks, so you have a bunch of little toys to unwrap.
Coloring books are a staple of toddler
entertainment. However, traditional
crayons are likely to roll right off the tray table and all over the
plane. Invest in some triangle or
square-shaped crayons specifically for flying.
These are often larger and much easier to keep track of as they aren’t
rolling everywhere.
For more trips on flying with kids, check out these posts:
What are your best airplane entertainment ideas for toddlers? Let me know in the comments.
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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Traveling in general can be difficult for anyone. All the planning, packing, and effort can make trips feel more like work than a vacation. When adding a baby or toddler to the mix, traveling can become even more overwhelming. However, having kids doesn’t have to stop your adventures. Try out these tips for traveling with toddlers (many work for babies too) to make your trip as stress-free as possible.
Book Hotel Rooms Wisely
When it comes to booking a hotel room, it’s better to ask specific questions when making your reservation to make sure the hotel has all the accommodations you need before you arrive. If you have a baby, you can check if your hotel has cribs available. You may want to consider booking a suite or two connecting rooms; otherwise, you may be stuck using a flashlight trying to do work in the bathroom while the kids are sleeping. Plus, you will want a bigger room to fit the crib and your luggage. Trust me, the extra square footage is worth it. When booking a hotel room, ask if you can have a room that is away from pools, elevators, ice machines, and other areas you don’t your kids to be near. Request a room that is not on the ground floor as they are easy to break in; however, make sure the balcony doors are secure, so your kids don’t wonder out there without any supervision. Lastly, check to see if your hotel room has a mini bar with sensors (meaning if you touch or move anything in the fridge you will be charged). If so, you may want to ask the hotel to empty the mini bar so you can use the fridge for milk and other snacks and not have to worry about getting charged top dollar for candy bars (your kids won’t be able to resist them!).
We have traveled extensively throughout my toddler’s life so far, both domestic and international and including long road trips and plane travel. The best tip I could give after all this traveling is to try and plan, at least the bulk of your journey, overnight if it’s a long trip. If it’s a short flight or drive then take it right around nap time! As well as making the actual travel experience much easier, keeping baby or toddler in their usual routine will make things run much more smoothly when you get to your destination.
Run through your normal routine before you leave the house or whilst at the airport. If you usually do pajamas, story time, milk and a cuddle, for example, do this exact same routine at the airport. Sure, it won’t be exactly the same but the familiarity will still be there.
We recently flew long haul from Brisbane to London. I paid a tiny bit extra to get flights both ways that traveled overnight. I was sure it would be a total nightmare and my daughter would not sleep but to my surprise she had a 9 hour sleep on one of the flights!!
Traveling is awesome, but many new parents fear traveling with a toddler. And, sometimes, I have to agree that it is not easy. However, we discovered that taking short trips by car allows us to both travel and to get back home in one day, have the child sleeping in his bed, and avoiding the stress of traveling by public transportation or airplane.
The first trip we took with our son was when he was three weeks old. We took a day trip to the mountains and we had a great time. We packed light – just the bare minimum – and it was more than enough! Diapers, food, a change of clothes and that was it. Oh, and there was another vital item: a good mood!
We had a great time that day and took many more such trips ever since. It’s something that I recommend to all those who can easily get to some wonderful places within 1-3 hours – so that you have enough time to enjoy that place and make it back in the evening.
Traveling with kids requires more planning than traveling alone. However, it can be daunting to try and remember all the details and plan them out ahead of time. I use a family travel planner to plan all the details in advance. I set a goal to work through a certain number of pages of the planner every week until the trip is completely planned. This has made traveling with my son when he was a baby and now as a toddler so much easier because we are appropriately prepared for each aspect.
It’s also helpful to use checklists to make sure you don’t forget anything. Here are a couple of my favorites:
One piece of gear we always seem to need on our family trips is a car seat. Our best hack for making flying with a car seat much easier is to bring a lightweight travel car seat rather than the bulky full-featured car seats we usually use at home. They all pass Federal safety testing and are fine to use, but a travel car seat could weight nearly 20lbs less! It’s easier to transport through the airport, get through security, install on the airplane, get to the rental car… and do basically everything else you’ll need to do during travel days. There are many different options for travel car seats depending on your child’s age and size, so check out this extensive guide to choose the right one.
Get a Lightweight Travel Stroller
One of our hacks for traveling with a baby is to take a compact travel stroller with us. There is only so much baby carrying that my back can cope with so to have a stroller when we travel is an essential item. But, when we first traveled with a baby we took a full size one and it was such a pain to have to haul it around with us on and off the buses and trains. I started to resent having it with us even though it came in handy at times. So, we did a bit of research and discovered that compact strollers have really come on in the last few years. Forget about flimsy umbrella strollers that are no good to anyone, things have moved on and you can now transport your little darling in complete comfort and luxury in a stroller that folds up to the size of cabin baggage. You’ll be amazed by the latest lightweight travel strollers. They weigh almost nothing and can fold up small enough to take on the airplane with you. There is even one that would fit in a handbag!
I have three young kids including twins (at one point I had three kids under three!) so I know how challenging it can be when traveling with multiple toddlers and a baby. They are older now, but we still face challenges if we go for a day out to the beach or the zoo. There is always a lot to carry with drinks, snacks, picnics, hats and sunscreen….and the kids don’t want to carry anything! Plus our youngest always gets tired legs and she is just too big now to be carried.
Thankfully we discovered a folding beach trolley solved all of our problems! A folding wagon can carry all of your things to the beach, park, sports event or festival and the bonus is that it can also carry tired toddlers when they can’t walk anymore! You can even use an empty wagon to lay down a sleeping baby or toddler when you’re on a day out or a night out for dinner. It has been a game-changer for our family. Plus everyone wants to pull it, so we no longer have arguments about who is carrying what. It folds down small meaning it is really great for road trips, even if you are short on space.
Embrace Babywearing
When it comes to traveling with kids my first tip is always “get a carrier!” It keeps a runner contained, a doddler moving, a fussy baby close and (more) content, and your hands free. Baby is close to you, easier to monitor, and you don’t have a bulky stroller to navigate through crowds, over stairs, and around obstacles. We use carriers for our kids from newborn until they are three or four years old (and I know people who have put older kids “up” when they needed that close connection).
Most people are familiar with a soft-structured/buckle carrier (think Ergo, Beco, BabyBjorn, Tula or the dozens of others on the market) and stretchies (K’Tan, Moby). Other options include Ring Sling, woven wraps, meh dai/mei tai, hiking carriers and so many more. Just as every parent and child is an individual, the carrier that works best is individual. I found woven wraps tied a certain way worked best for my daughter on me, and my son preferred a ring sling, while my husband has always worn a buckle carrier.
Carriers exist at all price points, but I recommend spending over $100 if buying new. Quality is important! If you can only get one carrier I prefer a meh dai. The basic carries are quick to learn, it’s easier to tie on someone else, there are no metal bits to worry about if you’re dealing with security scanners, and you don’t have to adjust anything between wearers.
A baby carrier is an absolute essential when traveling with kids and toddlers especially if you will be flying. A stroller can definitely be useful when traveling but if you are flying somewhere in particular, a carrier is likely to be more useful. This is because a carrier is easier to use to navigate through security and immigration checks both on arrival and departure. In fact, often flights will check in your stroller, even at the gate, and you won’t get it back until luggage collection.
A carrier is also invaluable once you are on the plane especially with a non-walking toddler or baby as you can use it to walk around the plane and help calm your baby. Depending on where you are going, a carrier can be very useful at your destination if you are going somewhere without good sidewalks or with lots of stairs. This can particularly be the case in Europe where apartments can be upstairs and streets can be filled with cobblestones or in Asia where sidewalks are often non-existent.
As fun and inspiring as traveling with your children might be, it can be very, very tiring as well. Every parent wants to avoid a meltdown on a flight or in the middle of a hot square. Of course there are many ways to calm them down, but I find that the best way to deal with a difficult moment is to nurse them. From the moment we started traveling with our daughter (at about 4 months), breastfeeding has been our biggest asset.
Apart from tackling a
(nearing) tantrum, it is perfect for nappy time as well. Whether we would be on
a long-distance bus or in a restaurant, when she was tired I would latch her on
and she would fall asleep in a matter of minutes. The same goes for night time
sleeps, a new bed did not matter as her ‘titi’ (and mommy of course) were
always there.
Another big breastfeeding plus has to do with eating. When traveling, it might be more difficult than at home to have snacks and food at hand at all times. Nursing your child will provide them with everything they need, even when you run out of something solid to give them.
Breastfeeding as long as possible is my ultimate hack for traveling with (young) children as it will make your trip so much easier and carefree.
Use a Puddle Jumper for an Easy Time at the Pool or Beach
When we first started traveling with our young kids, one of the problems we encountered is that our kids were petrified of the water! We would plan a week-long trip to the beach or a resort and our kids wouldn’t want to get in and swim! Finally, we discovered the puddle jumper, which is rated for toddlers 30 lbs and up. The puddle jumper brings kids faces up out of the water preventing them from getting a huge gulp of water and I think this really helped our timid kids be comfortable. The natural swimming position makes it easy for kids to learn proper the swimming position. Our eldest now can swim independently and we had no difficulties with him being too reliant on the floatie. With the puddle jumper, our kids are really independent in the water and this means that aren’t clinging on to dear life and we can actually enjoy our vacation. We don’t go anywhere warm without this kids travel hack now!
A must-have for any road trip with an infant or toddler is a travel sound machine. It can easily hook on the infant car seat carrier bar which makes it easy to stay secure and for the baby to be surrounded by the relaxing white noise sounds while traveling.
Our family arranges our road trips around sleep times for our baby and this travel sound machine makes naps on the go possible! Our children use white noise at bedtimes at home, so having that familiar hum is relaxing, calming and comforting to our baby when traveling. It reminds the baby of home and signals to them that it’s time for sleep.
This is also handy when out and about with baby during your vacation. The sound machine can also easily be attached to a stroller to allow for sleeping while touring too. It is my favorite baby shower gift to give and a must-have infant item for every family who ever leaves the house!
A great tip, especially for those with younger babies, is to take a night light on your trip. We love taking battery operated ones so that we don’t have the hassle of having to take a plug converter with.
When we travel to a few different destinations and hotels on one trip, it can be a bit confusing when you are sleep deprived and you have to remember which hotel you are in and where all your baby supplies are located, so the night light can be a life saver! The night light is fabulous as it gives you enough light to change nappies during the night, to make bottles or to breastfeed your little one without them having to fully wake up from the bright light.
We found it especially beneficial when our little one used to wake up regularly during the night, but just recently we reached the age where our toddler is scared of the dark, and so the night light has been super useful in taking away that fear, allowing her to sleep more peaceful. The night light is a small item that takes up little space, so we never travel without it.
Traveling – whether by car or by plane – can make you feel a bit grimy on the best of days. Add a little kid to the mix, and you can pretty much count on some evidence of lunch – or, much worse, your toddler’s tendency to reverse his lunch thanks to motion sickness – to end up on your shirt. That’s why I always travel with an extra set of clothes for myself and the kids. Diaper leaked all the way through onto my pants? No problem! Lid wasn’t on the sippy cup properly? No big deal. Try leggings, light tee-shirts and other items that can be rolled up and compacted easily. I like storing them in a small zippered packing cube. Bonus tip: bring a plastic bag to hold the dirty clothes, since they’ll likely be wet and/or gross.
Traveling with a baby is a whole new level of adventure. Though they are tiny little people, babies require a lot of items for general care and well-being. From an abundance of diapers, to burp cloths, multiple changes of clothes, bottles, wipes, and a million other items. Where should parents put all this?
The best and most efficient baby hack when traveling is to purchase a backpack diaper bag. Backpack diapers bags are significantly different than backpacks and diaper bags in that they are more portable, made for travel and comfort and provide all the essentials that parents need to store all their baby items. Diaper backpacks typically have the proper function, capacity, design and storage options needed such as bottle holder pockets, wipes pocket, padded straps, insulated compartments and a host of other pockets and storage areas not typically found in regular bags. They are compact and designed with parent and babies in mind. Many diaper backpacks are waterproof and have amazing storage capabilities, which is great for parents. Check out our guide on finding the perfect backpack diaper bag for your needs at The Elusive Family.
Once you have your perfect diaper bag, use a diaper bag packing list to make sure you don’t forget anything.
Have a Multi-Purpose Toddler Suitcase
We love this suitcase for toddlers as it has so many advantages when flying! Our 2.5 year old daughter played with this ride-on suitcase for hours at the airports which was great. She loved to move around on it and we loved the fact that she was happy and that we didn’t need to carry her around. We could take the Bedbox with us as carry-on luggage into the plane where she would enjoy having her own suitcase with her books and teddy-bears. The best part though was the fact that inside this ride-on suitcase is a small mattress / cushion which you can put on the aircraft seat. When using the tray of the suitcase you can easily build a small bed. Our daughter felt so proud and loved to just lay down on it. Anyone with a toddler knows how special that is 😉 She slept for hours on her seat / bed. Definitely the best toddler travel hack for us at airports as well as in airplanes!
Flying long-haul with toddlers can be a challenge. However, that doesn’t mean that parents should shy away from traveling the world with their tots in tow. Everyone knows that sleep is absolutely essential for children, but getting a toddler to sleep on a plane isn’t always an easy feat. Once we discovered a few ways to make a toddler travel bed on an airplane, those long-hauls got a bit easier. While there are actually quite a few options for creating a bed, such as a suitcase that converts to a bed, or a hammock for a baby, our favorite is using a blow up foot pillow. While some are marketed as just for toddlers to sleep on during flights, any ‘ol blow up foot pillow will do. They are extremely affordable and incredibly easy to use. The only caveat is that some airlines have restrictions on items that could be a tripping hazard, so just check before your flight. However, we’ve been on dozens of flights and have yet to have an issue. Knowing that our kiddos have a safe and comfortable place to sleep makes those long flights so much more bearable for everyone involved!!
Invest in Sticker Books
Entertaining young kids during long car trips or airplane flights is a big headache. My life saving trick has always been sticker books. These books usually contain several pages of stickers and several pages of scenes (backgrounds) where the stickers can be applied. Some sticker books have glossy pages and repositionable stickers for endless fun. These books are easy to pack, light in terms of weight, mess free and typically cost less than ten dollars.
Another thing I like about the sticker books is that they are usually themed. If your child is into dinosaurs you can buy one with prehistoric scenes; if your child is into space exploration, you can find one with planets, spaceships, etc. When the “sticky” part is done you can ask you child to “read” the book to you, i.e. explain what is the story behind the scene he/she has created. Sticker books never failed us on any long trips and my kids are actually looking forward to trips because there is a new surprise activity book waiting for them.
At home, I am a strict enforcer of no screen time. This rule also applies to parents so we’ve made it a habit to even limit our smartphone use around the kids. Travel days, however, are a whole different story. On those days, I am a strict enforcer of do whatever works and make everyone’s life (including fellow passengers’) easier. This is why our trusty Amazon Fire Kids Edition tablet is always packed whether on a road trip or on an airplane. I only pull it out when absolutely necessary but it has been a lifesaver during delays or flight cancellations when meltdowns are most likely to happen. We preload educational books, apps and shows and while my kids are always entertained, I don’t have to feel too guilty as the rest of the time we are talking, playing, etc. The best part is you can limit the amount of total time or show time if you want to ensure you don’t go over the recommended screen time for their age. Free Time Unlimited from Amazon is a great way to curate the educational content for your kids. You can get a month for free here.
I’ve traveled with my 3 children since they were infants. Now that they are 3 (twins) and 5, I’ve only found two things that are successful in keeping my children happy and entertained while traveling. Two words: screens and snacks.
Maybe it’s partially due to the fact that we are pretty limited in screens and snacks at home, but it works amazingly well. Whether we’re driving or flying, my kids get grumpy from not being able to move. They aren’t entertained for long by new toys or coloring books, AND they tend to drop them. Screens and snacks to the rescue!
I give them each an individual snack cup and fill it up with whatever they want. Once they are a little older, they will graduate to a baggie of snacks, but for now, snack cups it is. If we’re driving, they all watch a movie on the DVD player in the van. If your children are farther apart in age than mine, you could give them separate tablets. Free Time Unlimited from Amazon is a great way to make sure the screens provide educational entertainment. If we’re flying, we use portable DVD players and tablets. It’s been brilliant for us and I couldn’t imagine traveling without them!
One of the things that has really helped us during our extensive travels with a toddler is surprise gifts. I don’t mean big, flashy, expensive toys or anything like that. We simply take a trip to Kmart or the dollar store before we travel and get whatever little toys and trinkets we can for a dollar each.
Usually I will wrap them up and hide them in our carry on luggage before we leave. Then, either at set intervals or just when my daughter seems to be getting cranky, I’ll whip them out as a little surprise. She loves unwrapping them and discovering what is inside.
We have had varying degrees of success and I would recommend getting a few extra than you plan on needing. Sometimes the unwrapping is the part she enjoys and whatever is inside gets tossed pretty quickly, other times the trinket has kept her occupied for a good 30 minutes. That half hour could be all it takes to make you feel a bit more sane! Then there have been a few occasions where I’ve hit the jackpot and randomly found something that she has been obsessed with for an eternity.
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
“Big A, little a, what begins with A? Aunt Annie’s Alligator a…a…a. Big B little B…” Oh, wait – that’s Dr. Seuss. But the alphabet concept is catchy, so we’ll stick with that.
Here’s my A to Z list of Baby Travel Essentials to help simplify the confusion. Make sure to bring along everything on this list. Also, enter your email below to grab my complete packing list for flying with a baby!
Animal (stuffed)
Every kid has a collection of stuffed animals, but most have
one or two obvious favorites. These
favorite stuffed animals can provide comfort for a tired baby or toddler that
is having an overwhelming travel day with a lot of non-routine
experiences. Just make sure that the
favorite stuffed animal is always accounted for. The last thing you want is to
leave it on an airplane.
Blanket
A swaddling blanket is perfect for creating a car seat cover to provide some quiet and darkness to help your little one sleep. A blanket is also great for putting on the airport floor to put your baby on (until he’s old enough to crawl away at least). Swaddling blankets are also thin, so they can easily be rolled to not take up a lot of space.
Car Seat Cart
Unless you have an infant car seat and stroller travel system, you will want this amazing cart! You just strap on a convertible car seat and it pulls behind you like a suitcase. The cart the folds down to a small square that easily fits in a large carry-on.
Diaper Bag
You never want to leave the house without a fully stocked diaper bag. When flying it’s critical that you have more diapers, wipes and baby food/milk than you will need just in case you get stuck with a delay. For most airlines (except Southwest) a diaper bag doesn’t count towards your carry-on allowance when traveling with a lap child. Make sure you pack all of these items into your diaper bag!
Earmuffs
These noise-canceling baby earmuffs are amazing. They block out a lot of noise to help calm down an overstimulated baby or to protect baby’s hearing from loud noises. We got them for taking our son to a wedding reception. However, they have come in handy in airports and airplanes many times.
Fan
I have this amazing travel fan that is rechargeable. I got it for labor and delivery, but now it goes on every trip. Having a fan is super helpful when you end up on a plane that is way too hot. The fan can help keep your baby from getting cranky due to the heat. In my experience, it doesn’t matter what the outside weather is like, airplanes can still get hot. Therefore, I never fly with my son without this fan.
Gate Check Bags
You can gate check your car seat and stroller free of charge. However, they will be spending the flight underneath the plane with all the luggage. You have no idea what dirt and grease they will come into contact with, so gate check bags are a must to make sure baby’s ride stays in great shape. They make a variety of stroller and car seat bags that fold down into their own small pouches when not in use.
Pro Tip: If you have a large jogging stroller, make sure you get one large enough.
Headphones
Movies are a great source of quiet entertainment for toddlers and older babies. Setting your child in front of a screen may not be ideal at home, but when you are on a plane, it’s a perfectly acceptable option. These headphones have maximum volume that is lower than adult headphones and they are soft and flexible for little heads. An additional benefit is that the cord is chew-proof.
ID for Baby
You obviously need you ID to go through security. However, if your baby is traveling as a lap
child, they will need proof of age. You
could use a birth certificate for this purpose.
However, carrying around a piece of paper always scared me. Therefore, we got Paxton a passport card
which lives in my wallet. That way I can
just provide that for his proof of age.
Jacket
Above I talked about airplanes being too hot. However, it can also go the other direction
with airports and airplanes being too cold.
It’s always a good idea to bring a light jacket for everyone in case it
gets chilly. This is also regardless of
the outside weather.
You will want to bring whatever you need to feed baby. This could include bottles, forks and spoons, bowls, sippy cups, and food pouch attachments like this or this. We decide pouches are too messy at Paxton’s current age to travel with. We also can usually make do without bowls. For forks and spoons, I like the Take -n -Toss ones.
Laundry Detergent
If you have a long trip, it can be easier to wash clothes part way through versus taking enough for the entire trip. Also, babies are messy, so you never know when you will need to do an unexpected load of baby laundry. Taking a travel-sized bottle or packet of laundry detergent allows you to select one that will work for baby’s sensitive skin.
White noise can be a helpful sleep aid for everyone in the family. I have a travel one that is small and lightweight and can hang on a stroller, car seat or Pack-n-Play. This is great for trying to get baby to nap during a layover and to block out the noise from other people in a hotel room.
For more tips on staying in a hotel with a baby or toddler, check out this post.
Telling a toddler or older baby no often doesn’t go well. Providing options works well when you have a child that wants to cruise the plane despite the fasten seat belt sign being on. Instead of saying ‘no’ offer two options like a movie or toy, or toy A versus toy B, or snack A versus snack B – you get the idea. Having plenty of options allows your child to feel like they are still getting a say and you have a variety of things to choose from when one thing becomes boring.
Pack-n-Play Sheet
I don’t travel with a Pack-n-Play because I just use one hotel provides. However, I don’t like using the sheets/blankets they provide. I bring my own sheet and have found that a traditional Pack-n-Play sheet fits most hotel baby sleeping options.
Q-Tips
You should never stick a Q-tip into your baby’s ears. However, they have plenty of other uses for cleaning things like charging ports. Also, my husband gets really cranky when he can’t clean out his ears, so they help keep him happy to which is a win.
Reading Material
Bring a couple of baby’s favorite books. If they are interactive ones, that’s even
better. Books make a good airplane activity. You may also want to bring reading material
for yourself that you can juggle while holding a sleeping baby. This may be a little optimistic, but you will
be glad to have something to do if your baby passes out from the drone of the
airplane.
Snacks
Everyone is less cranky when snacks are readily
available. You can purchase many items
in the airport and on the plane.
However, the cost can add up fast.
Snack packs and bars work well for adults, and many baby-friendly snacks
can be packed into snack containers and added to the diaper bag. The last thing a traveling parent needs is a
hangry baby and no snacks.
Toys
Entertaining a baby or toddler for a long flight can be challenging. Before your trip, start considering what toys would work well on an airplane. I find it’s a good idea to bring a couple of favorites and a couple of new toys or ones that haven’t been pulled out in a while. Just try to select toys that don’t make noise and don’t have a bunch of pieces.
Umbrella Stroller
If you are using the car seat cart I mentioned above, you don’t really need a stroller in the airport. However, you may want a stroller at your destination. In that case, I find an umbrella stroller is usually sufficient and it’s lightweight and small which are perks for traveling. You can put this into a gate check bag, but then check it for free with your other luggage.
View Window Formula Bottles
Liquid formula is helpful for traveling because it’s ready to drink. However, some bottles are completely opaque while others have view windows. When going through security, you can bring liquid formula, but they are often particular about being able to view the contents. If the formula bottle has a spot where the bottle is cleared, you are good to go. However, if it doesn’t (i.e. certain Similac ones), TSA often requires that the cap be removed or they give you a full pat down.
Wipes
Wipes are good for everything when you have a baby. Bring lots. That is all.
X-ray Friendly Clothing
When you go through security, you will either need to go
through a metal detector or the scanner machine. Clothing with embellishments, and thick heals
on boots can be problematic. When trying
to go through security with a baby, the last thing you want is the added stress
of setting off a detector. Play it safe
and go with plain clothing and shoes.
Yes Attitude
You want another snack? – Yes; You want to watch Frozen
again? – Yes
Limits are a good thing at home, but when traveling you will
need to say Yes to a lot more. It’s
important to choose your battles because traveling tends to make everyone more
on edge and cranky.
Zinc Oxide
Diaper rash is painful and it can come on quickly. Babies seem to be extra prone to it when you are traveling because diaper changes are often rushed and baths may be less frequent. Therefore, you want to make sure you are prepared with diaper rash cream when you need it.
For more baby travel essentials, check out the YouTube video below!
MUST-HAVE ITEMS FOR FLYING WITH A BABY
There you have my A to Z list of baby travel essentials. For more travel tips, make sure to check out these posts!
What travel items do you think are helpful? Let me know in the comments.
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Once you book a flight, now what? When traveling with a baby you want to be as prepared as possible, so that everything goes smoothly. However, it’s easy to forget little (or major) details in the stress of it all. Use this list to make sure you don’t forget anything. Enter your email below to instantly get a printable version of the checklist for traveling with a baby.
Trip Planning
Rental Car/Airport Ride Big Enough to Hold All Luggage
Babies require a lot of gear. Between the car seat, stroller
and luggage you can easily fill a car.
Make sure you consider how much room you will need when booking a rental
car or deciding who is picking you up from the airport. I’ve found that the smallest rental cars
often don’t have enough room for everything.
I’ve also learned to be careful about what size Uber/Lyft I request. Sometimes the small cars, aren’t big enough if
we are going on a long trip.
I’ve recently found that Supershuttle works well. They have a lot more room for things like strollers than small cars do, and they are more affordable than getting a large Uber. We used this when we went to visit family for 2.5 weeks over the holidays. We knew that airport parking would cost a fortune for that long, but an Uber big enough for our luggage was extremely pricey. The Supershuttle ended up being a very affordable option. The only downside is that they want to make sure to get you to the airport on time, which can result in being really early if the airport is small. For our trip, the latest our Supershuttle would pick us up got us to the airport an entire hour before the ticket counter even opened.
Hotel Reservation
When booking a hotel, consider things like, is there a free breakfast, are suites available, and how close is it to where you will be spending most of your time. For other tips on staying in a hotel with a baby, check out this article.
Sleeping arrangements confirmed
Once you have your hotel reservation made, call and ask them
to add a crib or pack-n-play to the reservation. There usually isn’t a charge for this, but
they can verify that they have one available and add a note to your reservation. I had an issue on the one trip where I forgot
to call ahead. I saw online that the
hotel had pack-n-plays available, so assumed that was sufficient. However, we got in late and when I asked for
the pack-n-play, the only person working didn’t have access to the room where
they were stored. I ended up putting my
4-month-old to sleep on the floor on a play mat. I learned my lesson and have called ahead ever
since.
Fridge availability confirmed
You also want to confirm if the room has a fridge. This is essential if you will be pumping milk
or your child is drinking whole milk.
However, it is really handy in general for keeping snacks cold. If you need a fridge for milk storage, call
the hotel ahead of time (ideally before you book a nonrefundable room) and make
sure that the rooms either have a fridge or one can be put in there for
you. I’ve never found a hotel that wasn’t
willing to work with me once I explain my situation.
When planning a family trip with a baby, your first babies
(a.k.a. pets) can often get lost in the shuffle. Good pet care can be hard to come by, so don’t
leave this until the last minute.
Trip Planned to Allow for Nap Times
I have a really bad habit of filling our trips up with as many activities as possible. However, I’ve learned that it makes for a miserable day for everyone if you don’t plan to allow for your little one to nap. If you have a very young baby, a nap in the stroller or car seat is probably reasonable to expect. However, older babies and toddlers often need more ideal napping conditions. We have figured out how to make a tent for my son in the car, which helps him sleep. Especially if we stop for lunch where he can fill up and then get milk to drink once we get on the road. This mimics our nap time and bedtime routines, so it encourages a nap while we are driving.
Airline Baggage Allowances Verified
Most United States flights allow one large carry on and one
small personal item for each ticketed passenger. Most don’t count a diaper bag as a carry on
(Southwest is the exception). For Southwest,
you can have 2 free checked bags per ticketed passenger, but other airlines
charge for checked baggage. In general,
checked baggage must weigh less than 50 pounds, or the fees increase. You can usually check a car seat and stroller
free of charge. Be cautious with budget
airlines because many charge extra fees for large carry-on bags. It’s important to check the baggage allowance
for the specific airline you will be flying because there is so much
variability. You don’t want to arrive at
the airport and find out you have too many bags or your bags weigh too
much. Here is the baggage allowance information
for several major airlines:
Location and Hours for Nearest Superstore Determined
When booking your hotel and getting everything organized for
your trip, figure out what the nearest superstore is and what their hours
are. You will likely need to pick up
milk or snacks and possibly other items that you decided to buy at your
destination or forget in the hassle of packing.
Knowing exactly where to go pick up these items can make things a little
less stressful.
Nurse Helpline Phone Number Stored in Phone
Save this in your phone or write it down and bring it
along. Hopefully you won’t need it, but
if your baby starts acting sick or has a fever you will want it. Calling the nurse helpline can provide
information about whether you need to find a doctor to take your baby to or if
a little Motrin, hydration and some extra snuggles will do the trick.
Airport Arrival Plan in Place
When you head to the airport, is someone that isn’t going on
the trip dropping you off? Is the entire
family taking the bus from long term parking to the terminal with all the
baggage? These are important things to
consider, so that you can make the best plan for your situation. When my husband, son and I travel, my husband
drops Paxton and me off at the terminal with all the luggage I can manage. He goes and parks while I check the
baggage. I then wait for him before
going through security. With the amount
of stuff that we pack, this is much easier than trying to navigate the shuttle
bus with everything.
Before You Leave the
House
Packing List Completely Checked Off
Lists are a mom’s best friend! You can see my travel essentials here and grab my ultimate packing list here. Make sure to check everything off before you leave. I have had instances where I forgot to grab the sippy cup of milk from the fridge or other last-minute items. They were on the list, but I didn’t want to pack them until right before leaving and I didn’t check the list.
Carry-On Bags Packed to Facilitate TSA
My packing list breaks down the items that go in the carry-on versus in a checked bag. However, you still want to make sure that your carry-on organization works for TSA. The biggest thing is with regards to liquids. You can view all the details about liquids here, but in short, if it’s more than 3oz bottles in a quart-sized Ziploc, it needs to come out. Therefore, I suggest putting all things that meet that criteria into a gallon Ziploc at the top of a bag. That way it’s quick to pull everything out.
Suitcases Weigh Less than Airline Maximum (usually 50 pounds)
If you completed everything on the trip planning part of the
checklist, you know what the maximum weight for checked bags is on your airline. Once you have your bags completely packed,
pull out the bathroom scale and get an idea of the weight. Weigh yourself and then pick up the suitcase
and weigh yourself while holding it. The
difference is the weight of the suitcase.
Make sure you have a couple pounds to spare because your scale may not
align exactly with the airport’s scale.
Flight Still On Time
You don’t need to wait until you get to the airport to check your flight status. I suggest double checking it prior to leaving the house using this app. If there is a major delay, you can stay home a bit longer. I also suggest signing up for your airline’s alerts. You can usually set these up using the app for your airline. This way you get text, email or phone call notifications of changes to your flight. Get all my app recommendations here and here.
Boarding Passes Printed
Printing your boarding passes at home can take away a bit of
stress once you get to the airport. Many
airlines also have the option to have your boarding pass on your phone. The pro of this is that you don’t have to
worry about losing a piece of paper.
However, if your phone battery is constantly on the verge of running
out, then a paper copy may be a better option.
If you are traveling with a lap child, you will need to complete your
check-in and get a boarding pass at the airport. They will verify the child’s age and connect their
boarding pass to yours.
Thermostat Adjusted
If you are going on a long trip, adjust your thermostat so
that you aren’t constantly running the heat or air. This is a quick way to save a little bit of
money on your electric bill.
Use this quick checklist as you plan your trip and before walking out the door to make sure you don’t forget anything! Enter your email address below to get instant access to my printable list!
Despite this list, are you…
Still overwhelmed at the thought of all the details of planning a trip with a baby or toddler?
Afraid that you will forget a detail that makes your trip much more difficult?
nsure about what extra considerations are needed when traveling with kids?
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Disclosure: Some of the links below
are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a
commission if you click through and make a purchase.
When you are at home, you have everything organized just so to make caring for the baby as easy as possible. However, when you hit the road, all bets are off. Especially if you are flying, you end up at your destination with the bare minimum (which is still a lot), you may be in a different time zone and you are confined to one or two rooms with very thin walls. All of these things add up to make staying in hotels with a baby a challenge. It often leaves parenting wondering how in the world do you manage staying in a hotel with a baby?
Despite these challenges, I took my son and husband on 8 work trips during my son’s first year, and for all of these trips, we stayed in hotels. Here’s what we’ve learned.
Tips for Staying in a Hotel with a Baby for All Trips
Get a Suite If at All
Possible
I know it’s often not in your budget to upgrade your room to
a suite. However, if you can swing it, a
suite makes life a lot easier. If nothing else, it provides much needed
space. It never seems to matter how we
pack or set up the room, it always looks like a bomb went off within 15 minutes
of arriving, and never gets better. A
suite at least gives you the extra space to spread out.
Another benefit of a suite is providing your baby with a sleeping location further away from others in the room. Especially if your baby is used to sleeping in his own room, sharing a small hotel room can make it difficult for anyone to get a good night’s sleep as you keep waking each other up. Having a suite with a door dividing the two parts is the gold standard. However, just having the room broken up into two areas helps a lot. When you are traveling, you likely have full days planned, so it’s important for everyone to sleep well when you have the chance.
Depending on where you are traveling to, it may be difficult to get a larger room. If you are heading to Disney, check out these options for large families which can also be used to give you more space with a baby.
Request a Pack-n-Play
Ahead of Time
Hotels have cribs or pack n plays that you can request for
your room. This is what we always do
because it’s one less thing we need to bring with us. We do still bring out own sheet though. However, we learned the hard way during our
first trip that you have to call ahead and have them add a note to your
reservation that you need a pack-n-play.
The first time we traveled with our son, we got to the hotel
really late because of flight delays. I
knew that the hotel had pack-n-plays, so we didn’t bring one with us. However, I hadn’t actually requested it prior
to check-in. Because we checked in so
late, the only people there didn’t have access to the room where the pack-n-plays
were stored. Therefore, our son ended up
sleeping on a blanket on the floor. This
was horribly stressful for me and I didn’t sleep a whole lot.
I have called ahead of time since, and never had a
problem. Sometimes the pack-n-play is
already in the room when we arrive, and other times I have to remind them at
check-in, but they always have someone that can bring it right up.
Rearrange the Furniture
The first thing you should do when you get to your hotel
room is rearrange the furniture. Hotel rooms are definitely not set up to
be compatible to kids. The furniture is
also arranged in a way to take up about as much floor space as possible. Start by condensing as much of the furniture
as possible. Push tables together, put
chairs under tables, and squish the furniture in whatever way gives you the
most space.
Plan out your “stations” of the room. You will want a play area, food station,
changing station, sleeping station and storage area. By thinking about these as you are organizing
the room, you can maximize the flow of the space to make things a little
easier. Something to consider is where
to put the pack-n-play. Ideally you want
the area that is the darkest and furthest from the rest of the family’s
stuff. If you can find a nice corner to
tuck the pack n play into, that usually works best. Ideally you want to be able to move around a
little without waking up the baby.
Bring a Sound Machine
Whatever you can do to block out the noise of other people in your room and in the hallway is a plus. I love this travel noise machine which we take with us on every trip. We hang it on the side of the pack-n-play which helps keep our son in his own little world. We also bring an extension cord in case we want to put the pack-n-play someplace that isn’t right by an outlet. For everything else that I pack, check out my packing list.
If you have a young baby that isn’t mobile, this isn’t a big deal. However, for an older baby, a hotel room is full of lots of new things to get into a play with. Consider hiding cords, pushing things to the back of end tables, and put trashcans on top of tables so they are out of reach. If your child happens to be into playing with outlets, it may not be a bad idea to travel with a bag of outlet covers to use in the hotel room.
Verify There is a Fridge
in your Room
With a baby, there is almost always a reason why a fridge is useful. Maybe you are pumping and need to store breast milk, maybe you have an older baby that’s drinking milk, or you just need to keep some snacks cold. Most nice hotel rooms are going to have a fridge. However, this isn’t an absolute. If you are breastfeeding and need a place to store pumped milk, definitely call ahead and request that they put a fridge into the room if there isn’t already one. Most hotels have at least a couple they can put in if a guest specifically needs it for health (or breastfeeding) reasons.
Make Sure There is a Continental
Breakfast
A continental breakfast is helpful when you are trying to
save money. It’s a meal you can go eat
in your PJs if you want, and it’s free.
If the hotel has a good breakfast, you can use it as a source of milk
(if your baby is over a year) and even collect enough food to feed a toddler
for most of the day. Items like bananas,
dry cereal, yogurt, and hard-boiled eggs are all common items included in hotel
breakfasts.
Request a First-Floor
Room
We don’t always do this, but it can be helpful. Having a first-floor room means you don’t
have to drag baby and all the stuff that comes with said baby up and down the
stairs or elevator. This little detail
can be helpful when you are tired after a long day.
Consider a King-Sized
Bed
If you don’t have a reason you specifically need two beds,
opt for a King room. The single king bed
gives you a little more floor space, and when traveling with a baby, every
little bit counts.
Bring Swimming Stuff
When traveling, it’s really easy to go an entire day with very little time where your baby actually gets to work out some energy. This can make for a cranky child that doesn’t want to sleep. If the hotel has a pool, this can be a great way to tire out your baby. Bring a swimsuit and a swim diaper or two as well as swimming stuff for you. If baby seems like he needs to work out some energy, you can hit the pool for a little bit at some point during the day. This isn’t something most babies get to do on a regular basis, so it doesn’t take much to tire them out.
Be Strict with the Bedtime
Routine for Everyone
You may want to put baby to bed before you go to bed, and I
bet you have a perfect bedtime routine that you plan to use in the hotel as
well. However, don’t forget to adapt
your bedtime routine to suit baby’s.
This means getting yourself organized so that you know where everything
you need is and don’t need to turn on lights outside the bathroom after you put
your baby to bed. The last thing you want
is to just get your baby to sleep and then realize you can’t find something and
end up waking baby up looking for it.
Set the Air Conditioner Fan to Run Constantly
This can provide some background noise to cancel out the noise from other hotel guests (and you). You just need to make sure the temperature is set appropriately. Most hotels have an option where you can set the temperature, but also set the fan to run consistently to cycle room temperature air.
No one likes to be the room that’s so loud it’s waking up
everyone on the floor, and a crying baby can certainly do that. However, there’s a big difference between
being loud because your baby is crying and being loud because you are up
partying and just generally be obnoxious.
If your baby wakes up crying during the night, handle it
similarly to how you would at home. The
only exception may be if you usually let your baby cry it out for an extended
period at home, consider putting a shorter limit on it after a certain time at
night. Just remember that the majority
of the people in the hotel are going to have kids, so they know what it’s like
when your baby won’t sleep. Do your best
and know that rough nights may be part of traveling, especially if there are
major time changes involved. This is
why you set up your room to make it as easy as possible to find a bottle and
necessary supplies quickly in the dark.
Tips for Staying in a Hotel with a Baby for Long Trips
Consider Renting Baby
Equipment
You don’t appreciate things like a jumperoo or baby swing until you are stuck in a hotel room without them. Renting baby equipment can be just the solution to have these items while traveling. I’ve never personally renting baby equipment, but I’ve heard many positive reviews from moms that have. You can check out a couple of different companies here and here.
Splurge for a Kitchenette
When you travel with a baby, you will find yourself washing
bottles and sippy cups. If the only
place you have to wash these is in the bathroom sink, it gets old real
fast. Having a kitchenette gives you an
extra sink and a place to spread out things you’ve wash while they dry.
Food when you travel can get expensive quickly, especially
when you are feeding the whole family. You can also save a lot enough money by
preparing some meals in the room, that it balances out the cost of getting the
room in the first place. Also, meals out
with a cranky and tired baby/toddler are draining. After a long day, it can be nice to just eat
in your room. I do like ordering a pizza
once in a while, but I don’t want to rely on that every night I’m too exhausted
to go out.
Pack Everything
When you are only gone for a couple of days, you can survive the stress of not having something. However, for longer trips, it can get rough if you find you didn’t bring something because you weren’t sure if you really needed it. Grab my Ultimate Packing List and my list of travel essentials.
Final Thoughts
Staying in hotels is definitely not as easy as staying home. However, travel may be necessary for work and the rewards of traveling as a family can be great. If you follow these tips and take everything in stride, you will soon become a pro at staying in a hotel with your baby. You will get better at it the more you do it.
To make sure you don’t forget everything when leaving home, make sure to download my checklist here.
Are you going to be flying to your destination? If so, you will definitely want to check out these
articles.
Is the sheer amount of information overwhelming as you are planning a trip with kids? My family travel planner is designed to help you plan every detail no matter how major or minor. This step by step planner takes into account the unique aspects of traveling with kids, to address all your needs.
Have you stayed in a hotel with your baby? If so, what did you do to make it easier? Let me know in the comments.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Disclosure: Some of the links below
are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a
commission if you click through and make a purchase.
When flying with a baby there is a lot to juggle from what to pack to what to wear and how to keep everyone safe and happy from origin to destination. When traveling by car you have some flexibility in rest stops and breaks. However, air travel leaves you at the mercy of your flight schedule and the flying tin can you are trapped in for a set amount of time.
I flew with my son on 10 round-trip flights during his first year starting as early as 4 months old. I was a total novice when I started, but after that many trips, we’ve gotten pretty good at it if I do say so myself. The following sections cover everything you could ever want to know. So, read on to learn all the tips and tricks for flying with a baby.
Planning Your Trip
The following tips cover all your planning considerations regarding air travel. However, to simplify your planning for the entire trip from start to finish, make sure to grab my family travel planner!
Gear and Must-Haves for Flying with a Baby
Babies have a lot of stuff at home. Trying to decide what to bring, what to live
without and what to purchase at your destination can leave any new parent
paralyzed. I like flying and the concept
of doing so with a 4-month old didn’t bother me. However, when I started thinking about
everything that had to get packed, that’s when the stress became real.
If you have a travel partner, you can bring twice as much stuff because there are two of you to carry it. However, if you are traveling alone, then you need to minimize the amount you bring as much as possible because you also have to transport your tiny human in addition to all the luggage. I highly recommend taking your partner with you because there are so many benefits to traveling together in addition to extra hands for carrying things. If you need some perks to convince your partner, check out this post.
I find it’s generally more cost-effective to bring
everything with you from home. I also
tend to have my trips so booked that dragging myself and the baby to a store
when I arrive is not high on my priority list.
However, if you are traveling alone, you might be better off purchasing
things like diapers, wipes and formula/baby food once you get to your
destination. If you do this, you can
donate anything you don’t use to a local church before returning home.
Renting Baby Items
Most major cities also have options for renting baby items. These things can include cribs, high chairs, strollers, car seats, baby swings, and other large items. You can check out a couple of these companies here and here. I’ve never used these services myself; however, I’ve heard positive reviews from moms that have done this. Renting items can be a great option if you are staying somewhere for an extended period and want the comforts of home or if you are staying at an Airbnb that doesn’t provide a crib.
Sleeping Items for Traveling with a Baby
If you are staying a hotel, they will generally have a pack-n-play or crib available that can be placed in your room. To utilize this option, call the hotel prior to your trip to verify they have one available and ask them to add it to your reservation. On our first trip with my son, I assumed the hotel would have a pack-n-play but forgot to call ahead and have it added to the reservation. Our flight arrived late at night and the hotel was being staffed by overnight staff with limited knowledge. The only people there didn’t have access to the locked room where the cribs were stored. My son ended up sleeping on a blanket on the floor and I was terrified all night. Hotels will provide sheets, but I recommend carrying your own regular sized pack-n-play sheet with you. Even if the hotel has an actual crib it’s usually about the size of a pack-n-play. For other travel essentials, check out this A to Z list.
If you have your own pack-n-play, you could bring it with you and check it. Some airlines may let you check it for free because it’s a baby item. We have a pack-n-play, but I’ve never traveled with it because reserving a crib at hotels works well (when I remember to call in advance). Here are some other great tips for staying in a hotel with a baby.
Another sleeping item I always bring is a travel noise machine. My son is used to sleeping with a noise machine at home, but he isn’t used to sleeping in the same room as other people. At home, he sleeps in his own room with the door closed. Therefore, the noise machine while traveling not only helps him feel more at home, it blocks out some of the noise of us moving around and just being in the same room. We usually hang it on the corner of the crib/pack-n-play and plug it in. To that end, I also always bring an extension cord in case an outlet isn’t conveniently located.
Other Travel Items to Have When Flying With a Baby
I have an entire drawer in my son’s closet designated for
storing items that we only include when traveling. These items include:
The noise-canceling earmuffs are perfect if you are going to be somewhere noisy during your trip. We got them specifically for a wedding reception we were traveling to because we knew it would be loud. However, they were great when my son was really little while we were in busy airports. I often found that until he was around 6-months-old he would get overstimulated by everything going on in the airport. The earmuffs were perfect to help him block out the chaos and get some sleep or at least decompress.
Baby headphones are handy as a last resort for when we need to utilize movies for entertainment. We have these from Amazon which have a max volume and are designed for kids. We generally don’t use them, but it’s a comfort knowing that we have them.
Our medicine bag includes baby Motrin, baby Benadryl, a syringe for dosing the medications, a thermometer, and baby nail clippers. This is a little pack that I keep packed so I just have to toss it in the suitcase when we travel. If I’m lucky, we won’t need any of these items, but if you need it you will be glad you have it. The first time my son got sick was while we were on a trip to Denver. Having a sick baby is always stressful, especially when you are first-time parents and your baby has never had a fever before. I was glad we had a thermometer and Motrin with us.
The portable, rechargeable fan is actually one we got for my hospital bag (you can see everything I packed for the hospital here.) Now it goes on every trip. This is another item that doesn’t always get used, but when I need it, I’m sure glad I have it. Some airplanes are freezing cold and others are sweltering hot, and the outside temperature doesn’t necessarily give a clue as to which way the plane temperature will fall. If you have ever been stuck in a hot plane with a baby on your lap, you will understand why I always carry a fan. This fan keeps me from ending up with a baby that’s super cranky from being too hot.
Travel wipes,travel baby shampoo, and travel baby laundry detergentare all pretty self-explanatory. You can buy these items already in travel sizes or to save money, you could buy reusable travel containers for each and fill them from your stock at home. For the travel wipes, I usually pack some in my diaper bag as well as an extra pack in the suitcase for the return trip.
The travel dish soap and the bottle brush are helpful for the bottle situation you will need to manage if your baby receives any milk from a bottle. We always wash bottles at home in the dishwasher. However, at hotels, we soak them in the bathroom sink and use the bottle brush to make sure they get scrubbed well. Before my son traveled for the first time, I traveled alone for work. I was breastfeeding at the time, so I had pump parts to wash frequently. It never occurred to me to take dish soap which meant I was washing pump parts using hotel hand soap which was somewhat difficult. I made sure to always have dish soap and a brush with me after that!
You will definitely want to get gate check bags for your car seat and stroller. Think about it, these items end up under the plane where there are dirt and grease and who knows what else. Then your baby sits in them and possibly licks/chews on them. Gate check bags have carrying handles and protect these items. When not in use they fold down into their own little pouches. We have this car seat one and this stroller one which fits our big jogging stroller.
A travel highchair is something that we didn’t get until around the time my son was 10-months-old. In hindsight, I can’t believe it took us so long to realize we needed such a thing. We have this chair which makes life so much easier because it attaches to the desk or table that is available in hotel rooms. Prior to having this we were propping Paxton up in the big hotel chairs and trying to feed him. Baby food is messy when the baby is strapped in. A baby that’s loose results in a huge mess that you are desperately trying to clean up so that the cleaning service doesn’t think there was a pea and plum puree explosion. If your baby sits in a high chair at home, just save your sanity and get a travel one.
In the video below, I go through my drawer of travel items and discuss each one.
MUST-HAVE ITEMS FOR FLYING WITH A BABY
If you are struggling to figure out how to fit everything, this post has some great tips about packing organization!
I just covered a ton of info about travel-specific items you need, but what about all the everyday items you use at home that also need to come? You are also a parent, so I will wager that you are running on some level of sleep deprivation. I’m sure you’ve figured it out, but just in case here it is again – Don’t rely on your memory to serve you well. If you want to remember something you need to write it down (and remember where you wrote it). I have mom-memory so bad some days that I open an internet tab and promptly forget why I opened it, so no judgment here!
Sticking with the theme, here’s a list of all the lists I suggest making. You can also grab my trip planning checklist here. That’s one less list you have to make!
Items to pack in Baby’s checked suitcase
Items to pack in your checked suitcase
Items to pack in the diaper bag
Items to pack in a roller bag carry on
Items to pack in your purse/tote bag/backpack
Things to do prior to your trip (adjust the
thermostat, arrange pet care, house sitting, etc.)
Technology for Creating Lists
I use a combination of OneNote and Wunderlist for my checklists. I like both of these because I can access my lists on both my laptop and my cell phone. OneNote is nice because you can make a notebook and save pages to it. I have a notebook for Paxton’s packing lists and one for my packing lists. Within each of these notebooks, I have sections for carry-on items and checked bag items. Within the sections, I have a page for each trip, and I label it by the trip. Therefore, when I’m getting ready for a trip, I can copy the list from a similar trip as a starting point for my packing list. It makes the process way faster. I make my lists with checkboxes; however, the process of opening the various lists and checking off items is a little cumbersome on my phone.
I use Wunderlist for more to-do list type things. This is where I would put the list of things I need to do before leaving. The benefit of Wunderlist is that you can choose to share each individual list with other people. My husband and I have a variety of shared lists.
Recently we were taking a trip where I was going a few days ahead of my husband and son. I made my OneNote packing lists and packed everything for Paxton that I could pack a few days ahead of time. I then made Wunderlists for the remaining items and shared those with my husband. He can edit and check things off and I can edit and see what has been checked off.
What to Pack for Flying with a Baby
As you stand at home and look around at all the baby’s things spread throughout the house, you start to wonder, ‘what needs to go with me for the trip and what can I live without? When trying to decide what to take, think through everything you will be doing during your trip. You can even go so far as to writing out the schedule for each day you will be gone. On this schedule write down the expected weather for each day. Once you know what you will be doing and what type of weather you will have, it gets easier to see what you really need. With regards to how to pack it, here are my tips.
Packing Tip #1
Have a suitcase dedicated to your baby. If you aren’t going to fill it completely, you can pack someone else’s things into a duffle bag and put that into the suitcase as well. The reason why you want a dedicated baby suitcase is that you will have a lot of small items that are really easy to lose amongst your things. Having a dedicated suitcase for them helps with finding things
Packing Tip #2
Pack outfits or types of clothes into gallon Ziplock bags. Gallon bags are perfect for containing baby clothes. One option is to put together complete outfits and put each outfit along with a diaper into a separate bag. That way when you dress your baby you just need to grab a bag and you’ll have everything you need. However, an alternative is to have a bag for each type of clothing. For example, a bag of pants, a bag of short sleeves, etc. Once you unpack these bags, they can be repurposed for clothing options on future trips or for dirty diapers that you can’t easily throw away.
Packing Tip #3
Weigh your suitcase before leaving home. The maximum suitcase weight for most airlines before you have to pay extra is 50 pounds. For larger suitcases, it’s easy to pack them to the point where they weigh more than 50 pounds. Also, when you are packing things that are heavy like liquid formula, you can quickly go over the weight. Trying to juggle everything and repack at the airport is stressful! By weighing your suitcase at home, you can do your adjustments there. I use a scale and weigh myself then weigh myself holding the suitcase. It’s not 100% exact, but it gives a pretty good idea where I’m at.
Packing Tip #4
For a full list of everything I suggest packing, grab my packing list here. This is the list that I put together and have continued to modify with each trip we took.
Carry-On or Checked Bag
I suggest planning to carry on a lot more items than you will likely need. For example, diapers, wipes, andformula are things you really don’t want to run out of. You can plan for the expected duration of travel; however, flight delays can leave you stuck in airports way longer than anticipated. On the converse, I also try to pack everything I’m sure I won’t need during travel into a checked bag. I have plenty of items to lug through an airport that I actually may need, so if I’m sure I won’t need it, it gets checked.
What to Wear When Flying with a Baby
Deciding what to wear while traveling can be tricky especially when you are starting out in one type of climate and traveling to a very different one. My suggestion is to dress everyone in layers. I travel in leggings or workout capris and a tunic shirt. I also put a sweatshirt or light jacket in my carry on. This is generally regardless of the outside weather. I dress my son in pants or shorts depending on the temperature, socks, and a short-sleeved shirt and bring a sweatshirt for him. I tried putting him in footed one-piece PJs for a trip, but I found that he got too hot and the only option was to completely undress him.
You also want to make sure that you bring an extra set of clothes for you and two for your baby. Spit-up happens, especially if a plan gets bumpy. It’s definitely a good idea to have backup clothing for everyone so that you don’t spend the rest of the trip smelling faintly of sour milk.
At the Airport
Baby Identification Needed for Flying
You know that you need an ID, but your baby doesn’t
technically need one. However, if
traveling as a lap child, then proof of age is likely going to be required by
the airline. Also, if someone other than
the parents or legal guardians are traveling with your baby, then you will also
want to send a notarized letter with them indicating that both parents approve
the travel. If your baby will be
traveling to another country, then you will need to get a passport. We got Paxton a passport so that he could go
on a trip to Canada with us. However, we
also opted for the passport card in addition to the book. The passport card doesn’t work for air travel
to a foreign country, but it’s the size of a credit card, so it makes a perfect
form of age proof to keep in my wallet.
The alternative would be bringing his birth certificate along on trips
to prove that he’s under two. Proof of
age is generally required even if your baby is obviously a newborn.
Getting a passport for your baby doesn’t have to be
difficult. You will need a photo, but
some of the requirements are relaxed.
For example, the mouth can be slightly open whereas for adults it has to
be closed. You will still need to meet
the requirements regarding a white background and no shadows on the face. I found this hard to do at home, but they
were able to quickly get a picture at Costco for us to submit with his passport
application. No other people are allowed
to be in the photo, but Paxton was too little to sit on his own. Therefore, I sat off to the side with him on
my knees. That way they could take the
photo from his shoulders and up without me in the picture.
Flying with a Stroller
Strollers can be checked as bagged for free or they can be gate checked right before you board the plane. We have always traveled with a large jogging stroller that our infant car seat snapped into. This served as transport for kid, stuff and car seat. However, now that my son has a convertible car seat and a cart that it straps to, we will be leaving the stroller at home or checking it at the ticket counter depending on our trip plans. If you have a convertible car seat, this cart is a must-have to turn your car seat into a stroller.
When you go through security, everything that can fit through the scanner must go through the scanner. Car seat goes on the belt upside down. Therefore, make sure to remove toys and pacifiers that may be attached. Your carry-on bags will all go through the scanner as well. However, you will need to remove any baby-related liquids and put on the belt separately. I recommend having all formula, water, breast milk, etc. contained in a Ziplock bag so it’s easy to pull out of your carry-on. If your stroller is an umbrella stroller, it will easily fit through the scanner. However, jogging strollers are less likely to fit. In almost all cases I just tell the TSA agent that it doesn’t fit on the belt and they will swipe it with wipes designed to test for bomb residue and then give it back. However, in the Denver airport, they insisted that our stroller would fit and that we had to remove the wheels so it could go through the scanner. We told them it doesn’t fit, but the TSA agent insisted. Long story short, it got stuck, and the line was held up for a bit while they figured out how to get it unstuck.
Your baby needs to be removed from the car seat or stroller for security. However, you can usually wear your baby in a soft carrier or wrap. I say usually because there always seems to be an exception to the TSA norm, so I don’t want to say that this is always allowed.
Flying with Formula and Breast Milk
The limits to liquids that can be carried through security do not apply to baby liquids. These things include formula, breast milk, water, milk, juice, and baby food. However, you will need to remove these liquids from your bag for separate screening. If the packaging has a clear spot, they can put it into a machine which will quickly scan the bottle and you will be on your way. If the bottle doesn’t have a clear spot (i.e. Similac 8oz liquid formula bottles), things get a little more difficult. Sometimes they look at the bottle and send me on my way with no questions asked. However, other times agents will insist that they either have to open the bottle (which means the formula must be finished within 2 hours) or do a full body patdown. Which one of these things happens is anyone’s guess, and different days at the same airport can have different responses. After many trips and much confusion about the varying responses, I finally heard a supervisor say that because we have TSA Precheck, they can let us through.
Having TSA Precheck is definitely worth it regardless of
whether you will be traveling with the questionable formula bottles. When you have Precheck, you don’t have to
remove liquids that are under the limit (i.e. your bathroom items), laptops,
tablets, shoes or light jackets. By not
having to remove any of these items you are drastically simplifying the
security process, and anyway you can simplify it with a baby is a must.
When trying to decide how long to allow for security when planning your trip, expect having a baby to add 5 minutes. Otherwise, the time you are there is spent waiting in line. This app is great for telling you how busy TSA is expected to be at your airport and travel time. For more great travel apps, check out my recommendations here and here.
Breastfeeding when Flying with a Baby
Breastfeeding may be helpful when traveling. It means you don’t have to carry formula (or at least not as much), and you always have food handy. However, there are difficulties such as finding a place to nurse. Also, my son was happy to drink a bottle on the plane but didn’t like nursing on the plane which made it challenging. If you are breastfeeding, you need to download the Mamava app. This app tells you where Mamava nursing/pumping pods are located in airports, and many airports have them. However, it also tells you about other nursing locations. Nursing pods and rooms are often tucked into corners, so it’s great that it says exactly which gates you will find them by.
Boarding an Airplane with a Baby
Airlines have family boarding which is usually somewhere
near the start of the boarding process.
This is where you can get on early to get everything stowed and get
situated in your seats. However, being
one of the first people on the plane with a baby may not be the best
option. Sometimes it’s nice to get a
seat early, but then you are sitting there for 30 or more minutes without
moving while everyone else boards. A
better option may be to have someone you are traveling with board during the
family boarding with all the stuff while you and baby stay out until the last
minute.
Make sure you plan your boarding strategy ahead of
time. Once your boarding pass is
scanned, you must continue boarding at that time before they will board any other
passengers. If you are flying with a lap
child, that child is attached to someone’s boarding pass. That person is not allowed to board without
the child. Therefore, make sure the
person staying behind with the child is the one whose boarding pass the baby is
connected to. In my experience they
default to connecting the lap child with mom. If you want a specific person,
it’s best to request that when getting your boarding passes.
Gate Checking Baby Items
Gate checking refers to getting a bag tag once you are already at the gate. This is often done by airlines when they are expecting there to be more large carry-ons than they have overhead bin space for. In these cases, you get your carry-on bag at baggage claim at your final destination. However, when talking about baby items, you can claim them at the gate. You will always need to gate check your stroller if you didn’t check it at the ticket counter. If your child has a seat on the plane, you can take your car seat on as long as it’s FAA approved. If your child doesn’t have a seat, you will need to gate check it. To do this, just stop by the counter at your gate and indicate that you need tags for your stroller and car seat. The agent needs to actually be the person to attach the bag tags. If you have gate check bags, you can just bring up the bags for tagging. However, if you don’t you will need to bring the actual items up. You will carry the gate checked items until right before the plane door or you reach an area designated for gate check items. You will pick up the items as soon as you enter the jet bridge when getting off the plane.
My husband with our stroller gate check bag which turns the jogging stroller into a back pack.
Flying with a Baby on Southwest
Southwest is probably best known for their free bags and unconventional seating assignment process that’s first come, first serve. However, there are also some differences as they pertain to lap children. On most airlines, diaper bags are considered as ‘other medical equipment’ which means that they don’t count as one of your allowed carry-on bags. However, on Southwest, they do count it as a carry-on. When we traveled for Christmas, we had so much luggage that we needed to maximize our carry-on allowance. My first flight allowed the diaper bag in addition to the other carry-on luggage, but the second flight wouldn’t let me down the aisle until I checked one of the bags. That was definitely way more stress than this mama needed.
While the diaper bag being a carry-on may be a downside if
you are trying to maximize your carry-on allowance, there are perks to flying
Southwest with a lap child. On Southwest,
they have an open seating policy. This
means that if there is an open seat you can take it. If the flight is not completely full, they
will let you take on the car seat and claim a seat for your baby. I’d say about 50% of the time we get lucky
and there is an extra seat we can use.
To find out, stop by the gate as soon as there is an agent at the
counter. Ask if your flight is 100% full
or if you can take a car seat on for your lap child. If you are taking a car seat on, then you
need to put it in a window seat.
On the Plane
Rules for Flying with
a Baby
When flying with a child that is less than two years old at
the time of the flight, you can forgo purchasing a seat and in exchange have
the child travel as a lap child. This
means that you are committing to holding the child on your lap throughout the
flight. This provides a more affordable
option for traveling with a child that may want to spend a majority of the time
on your lap anyway.
If your family has multiple young children, you will need to
either sit in different rows or have a seat purchased for one of them. The reason is that they can’t have more
people in a row than what there are oxygen masks. Each row has one more oxygen mask than there
are seats which allows for one lap child. However, additional lap children
would leave someone without a mask. I’ve
seen it work well for families with two under two and two adults to purchase a
seat for the older child and then have the younger as a lap child which allows
them to occupy an entire 3-seat row.
Baby wearing can be a great way to go through security and the airport and board the plane because it keeps your hands free. However, you must unstrap the baby prior to takeoff and landing. You are welcome to use the carrier during the flight when tray tables are allowed to be down. I’m not exactly sure why this is a rule because it seems like having a baby strapped to you would be better than just holding them. I think it has to do with the regulations and the fact that baby-wearing devices aren’t labeled as flight-safe.
For airline-specific policies, check out these links.
The safest option for your child is their own seat with the
car seat. Major car seat brands are
approved for use on airplanes by the FAA.
When placed in the seat closest to the window and strapped in similarly
to how you would in a car, a car seat provides a safe place for your
child. However, if you don’t have a seat
for your child, you want to be holding your child securely during takeoff,
landing and any turbulence.
To make it more affordable to purchase a seat, airlines often
have discounted fares for children under 2.
These fares are usually a fraction of the regular ticket price, but you
will need to call the airline to find out the exact fare and book it in most
cases.
Flying with a Car Seat
To install a car seat in an airplane, you will follow the directions for your car seat as if installing it in a car by using the lap belt. If you have an infant car seat, the base is not necessary. You will use the airplane seat belt to secure the seat. If the seat belt is not long enough, airlines can provide a seat belt extender. Just ask a flight attendant to get you one. You may be required to show that the car seat is FAA approved. This can be verified by looking for a label on the side of the seat.
Flying with a Baby During Flu Season
One of the risks for anyone flying regardless of age is getting sick. When you fly, you’re contained in a small area with a lot of people and recirculated air. Therefore, respiratory viruses can spread quickly. When your baby is too little to vaccinate, your best bet is to stay home. However, if that is not an option, then utilize the following precautions.
Tip #1
Utilize a car seat cover or canopy to keep baby protected from nearby people that may be coughing or sneezing
Tip #2
Don’t allow other people (besides those you are traveling with) to touch or hold your baby or get their face close to the baby’s.
Tip #3
Keep sanitizer handy and use it often for your hands.
Tip #4
Keep baby off of airport and airplane floors as much as possible. If your baby isn’t mobile yet, put a blanket down prior to setting the baby down.
Preventing Ear Pain when Flying with a Baby
Popping ears can be uncomfortable for adults and kids alike. However, as adults, we know that it’s temporary, but a baby doesn’t understand that. For babies and children, the following tips can be helpful to lessen the discomfort.
Tip #1
Engage in a motion that moves the jaw. This includes chewing and nursing. You want to start this prior to takeoff and again about 30 minutes prior to landing. When landing ears popping can sneak up on people because it’s usually the worst when the plane first starts it’s decent.
Tip #2
Utilize a pacifier as the sucking motion helps prevent ears from popping.
Tip #3
If your child is at least a year old, try these which are designed to help your child’s ears. My son is good as long as he has a pacifier, so I haven’t tried this product myself, but it’s an option if you are desperate for a solution.
Getting Your Baby to Sleep On a Plane
Getting your child to sleep on a plane is usually the best-case
scenario. However, this is sometimes
easier said than done. One idea is to
book your flight based on the time that your child is likely to be
sleeping. However, I’ve found that this
usually doesn’t work as well as you might think because children, even great
sleepers, can get so interested in what’s going on around them that nap time
goes out the window. You are better off picking the best flight based on cost,
travel time, etc.
Once on the plane, you can try to maximize the potential for sleeping. I always carry a thin blanket in my diaper bag. When we travel, I do our nap time routine by providing milk and a pacifier. Then I put my son in his car seat (if he has his own seat), close the window shade and use the blanket to make a tent. This darkens his area and helps keep distractions at bay. Once the plane gets moving there is also a good amount of white noise that lulls my son right to sleep.
If your child is a lap child, a young baby is likely to
sleep in your arms. However, once my son
got older, we started bringing an adult pillow with us. This pillow gets placed on my lap and then my
son can stretch out in his preferred position to sleep. This saved us when our flight home after the
holidays was full and my son was super sleep-deprived and cranky from a busy
couple of weeks with relatives.
The Infant Airport Sling is what I considered getting the first time we flew with my son. However, the size limitations made it seem like he would grow out of it quickly and I just wasn’t convinced of its safety. There are also a lot of options for toddlers, but I wouldn’t use them for a baby.
If you have a long flight, you can contact the airline and
see if you can get a bassinet for baby’s seat.
I haven’t done this, but if I was flying internationally, I would have
looked into it. I’ve heard they only
have them available sometimes, so you have to specifically call and request it.
Toys for Flying with a Baby
Once your baby is older enough to start getting bored, entertainment becomes an issue. The ideal airplane entertainment is quiet, clean, new to your child, not messy, doesn’t involve little pieces that will be rolling around everywhere. A few things that I always keep on hand include a stuffed animal, favorite book, headphones for movies, a couple of favorite toys, and tiny stickers. The tiny stickers are great because we don’t use them at home. When I need to entertain my son, I stick a couple of little stickers to his nails or hands and then he is entertained for quite a while trying to figure out how to remove them. Once he figures out how to take them off and stick them to other things, this may not work as well. My son is still at the stage where everything ends up in his mouth. Therefore, activities like coloring aren’t great options. Once he does start to enjoy coloring, paper and crayons that aren’t round will be part of my entertainment arsenal.
For a bunch of other ideas to keep your baby or toddler entertained on the plane, check out these airplane activities for toddlers.
Food Options when Flying with a Baby
Babies can get hangry fast!
If you are breastfeeding, then that is a convenient source of food. However, if you aren’t you will need to plan
your strategy. Breastfeeding didn’t work
out all that well for us, so we were in the formula camp. My son could also go from fine to hangry in
about 2 seconds, so we had to have food ready for a quick draw.
Flying with Formula
For babies that are drinking formula, here are my tips to make that as easy as possible.
Tip #1
Utilize ready to drink liquid formula and travel bottles designed to have nipple screwed directly onto the bottle. You just have to shake, attach the nipple and hand to your baby. These bottles come in 2oz and 8oz options. The 2oz ones were perfect up through about 6 months. However, after that, he chugged them too quickly and it wasn’t practical from a cost or packing perspective to have him going through 3 to 4 per meal. At that point, we switched to the 8oz ones. However, he didn’t like the slow flow of the nipples that fit onto the bottles. Therefore, we ended up pouring the liquid into his bottle.
Tip #2
Get formula powder packets. You can buy packets of formula powder, and each packet contains enough formula powder to make a 4oz bottle. These are much more convenient when traveling compared to taking an entire container of formula and having to measure out a certain amount. They aren’t quite as easy as the liquid, but they are less expensive, small and lightweight.
Tip #3
Utilize a mix of the above. When we fly, we take a few of the packets for when we need formula but aren’t in a huge hurry. We also take a couple of bottles of liquid for quick access to food. We pack a can of formula in the suitcase to use while we are at our destination as it is the most cost-effective option.
Flying with Baby Food
Once your baby is able to start eating finger foods, travel snacks become way easier. We travel with animal crackers, cheerios, graham crackers (see my hack for storing these here), and applesauce cups (we bring a tack-n-toss baby spoon). I love using these and these snack containers! Baby food pouches have potential, but for us, they just ended up being more mess than they were worth. You can also buy food at the airport. There are lots of places that will have bananas for sale which is a lot easier than trying to keep a banana good while traveling.
Flying with Milk
You can also buy milk. The best way to find milk is to find a place that has breakfast cereal. The alternative to this is to keep milk from home cold or bring boxed milk that doesn’t need to be in the fridge. We have decided it’s just easiest to purchase it as needed at airports. Most flights won’t have milk on board, so don’t count on being able to get some in the air.
Other Helpful Tips for Flying with a Baby
For ideas on how to handle long layovers or flight delays when traveling with a baby, check out this article.
You can also find more information for flying with a baby here.
Final Thoughts
Wow – that was a lot of information! It’s really amazing everything you learn when
flying with a baby. Almost everything above is information that I’ve learned
through experience or by asking questions. When you travel with a little one,
try not to get flustered, ask questions, and leave yourself plenty of time. You’ve got this!
Did I ever tell you that I started blogging because I wanted
a way to share everything that I learned about traveling with a baby with other
new moms? I hope this post is helpful
for parents planning to fly with their baby.
If you found it helpful, I would love if you shared on social media so
that more parents can see these tips!
Disclosure: Some of the links above
are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a
commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
No one likes being stuck in airports for extended periods of time, especially parents with small children. However, long layovers, mechanical issues and bad weather (anywhere in the country) often result in major delays and cancellations that can leave you spending the better part of a day in an airport. Here are some tips to make the best of being stuck in an airport for long layovers with a baby.
1. Make sure you have everything you need in your carry on.
You won’t be able to access your checked baggage, so you need to pack your carry-on with everything you may need. This includes more diapers, wipes, and baby food/formula/milk than you think you will need. Other things that are great to have include a large stroller (like a jogging stroller), a travel white noise machine, a thin blanket, noise canceling earmuffs for babies and toddlers, toys, and extra clothes. If you are wondering how to fit all this, know that you can gate check your stroller and car seat and a diaper bag doesn’t count towards your carry-on limit. Check out my travel pro tips which includes a list of everything you need.
If you are going to be in an airport for a long time, there isn’t any reason you need to spend it all camped out at the gate where you will eventually depart from. Walk a bit and find a corner of the airport that is quiet. Often you can find a gate area that doesn’t have a flight leaving anytime soon and you can set up shop there. Bonus points if it’s a place with outlets to charge phones and computers. Finding a spot by the window is also a plus because watching out the window can provide great entertainment, and it makes a natural barrier. Once you have this area you can arrange your stroller and various luggage to claim a decent-sized area. Then spread out that blanket you brought, pull out the toys and let paper stretch. If your baby is mobile, this may not work quite as well. You can still set up your area, but keeping baby from crawling, rolling on the dirty airport carpet is an unlikely dream. At this point, you need to decide if you are okay with just letting the baby crawl out that energy in your secluded gate area. For me, I would much rather let my son crawl around on the carpet than keep him contained and have to manage the energy on the plane. To get the most out of this tip, make sure to download the helpful travel apps. You can see my favorites here and here.
3. As a last resort, find a corner.
If you are in a major airport and bad weather is causing tons of delays, there may not be a quiet area to be found (I’m talking about you Atlanta and Chicago-Midway airports). In this case, try to find a corner and use your luggage and stroller to claim as much space as you can.
This is where the big stroller comes in handy. You can put the baby in the stroller, recline itas far as it goes (or use the car seat if you have a travel system), then pull down the canopy as far as it will go. Use the blanket to cover the remainder to make it dark. Last, attach the noise machine to the stroller. This setup can help many babies fall asleep. Going for a walk while pushing your setup can also help. If your baby is really distracted, you can try adding the noise canceling earmuffs to block out the distracting noise. Even if your babe doesn’t sleep, this dark white-noise area can provide a nice break from all the stimulation of a busy airport.
Our stroller napping set up.
5. Take shifts.
A long layover can be stressful for everyone. If you are lucky enough to have someone traveling with you, take shifts on keeping an eye on baby. Let the other person take a walk alone, play cell phone games, read a book, etc. This will keep you both fresh and ready to play and interact with the baby.
There are my top 5 tips! I’ve developed and used these tips through multiple trips with my son over his first year of life. Let me know in the comments if you have any tips I didn’t mention.
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Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Here are my can’t-live-without travel apps. Make sure you get these before your next trip with kids (or even without)!
Southwest: I LOVE Southwest when flying with a baby. The open seating policy works great for traveling with a baby because if there is an empty seat, they will let you claim it. They also allow every ticketed passenger to check 2 bags for free. This is a definite win with how much stuff is required for traveling with a baby. All that said, we always fly Southwest, so the app is my #1. When my Rapid Rewards number is entered for a booked flight, the flight automatically shows up in the app. I use this to easily keep track of my upcoming trips, monitor rewards points and check-in for flights. When I travel alone, I use this for my boarding pass as well.
Uber/Lyft: Without the ridesharing apps, I wouldn’t ever make it to my final destination. I lumped these two apps together because I choose based on whichever one is less expensive at any given time. Most drivers drive for both Uber and Lyft, so I find the service isn’t really any different. They just have different surge rates and promotions.
iExit: I can’t drive anywhere on an interstate without this app. I first started using this app when I was driving to a lot of horse shows. It was important for me to select exits based on whether they had diesel gas and if I could get a horse trailer in. However, I still use this app because I always like to have my next food or coffee stop planned out, and this app allows for that. When traveling with kids, being able to find the perfect exit to stop at becomes even more important. This app allows you to look as far forward as you would like on the interstate and see what food and gas are at each exit.
GoogleMaps: This is an app that is essential for keeping my husband happy. I am perfectly fine with using the default navigation app that iPhones come with. However, my husband passionately declares that Google Maps and Waze are vastly superior. I prefer Google Maps because I think Waze has too much information and gets really distracting.
Gate Guru: Along with my reasoning for iExit about planning my food and coffee, I like to do this in airports as well. This is also really important with a kid because I can’t wander the airport looking for the perfect food. Gate Guru tells me exactly what food is in each terminal and which gate it is located at. I can plan exactly what food we will get before we ever get off the plane.
Mamava: This app is lower on my list because breastfeeding was temporary and I’m currently not breastfeeding. However, it was a life-saver while I was breastfeeding. Along with using Gate Guru to plan my food, I used Mamava to plan where I could nurse or pump. This app told me exactly where the nursing mother rooms are in each airport.
Starbucks: This isn’t really a travel app, but it’s one of my most used apps while traveling. Mama needs coffee after all.
GasBuddy: As a mom, I’m all about saving money. This app makes it super easy to find the best gas prices where ever we are.
Southwest Entertainment app: Keeping my husband entertained while flying is as important as keeping my son entertained. The Southwest entertainment app provides free TV and movies that hubby can watch on his cell phone.
Flight Board: This app is helpful in a variety of situations. If you have a quick connection, you can check your connecting flight info as soon as you land. If you are in a crazy busy airport, this app saves you the hassle of finding the flight boards in the airport. If you have a long connection, it can be nice to find a somewhat empty corner of the airport for baby to stretch or nap. This app allows you to keep track of your flight status when there is no flight board in sight.
There you have it. My top 10 travel apps for traveling with kids. My 10-month old son has been on 10 round-trip flights, so take a page out of my book and have these apps in your arsenal when you take a trip with kids (but they are helpful for traveling on your own too). If you like apps, make sure to check out my full travel app post here which contains over 20 FREE travel apps to make your travels with kids a little bit easier.
For more information on traveling with kids, check out my super detailed post with all my best hints. You can find it here.
Make sure to grab my FREE packing list for flying with babies here.
