My top 10 tips for ‘Flying with a Baby’

by | Sep 25, 2018 | travel | 0 comments

My most asked question on Instagram, “do you have any tips when flying with a baby” yes! I actually did a IG story highlight on this but I figured I’d do one here that you can quickly refer back to! I recorded those tips when Ellery had been on 10 flights now she’s been on around 30ish and I have to say, my tips are the exact same 🙂

 

ok so first things first, everyone’s baby is different, they have different temperaments, schedules, etc. not saying f0llowing these tips are going to give you a smooth perfect flight, but I promise you they will all help!

also, these tips are great for a baby under 1, we recently flew to Chicago with ellery over 1 and I will tell you a few things have gotten a bit more tricky, ill do a young toddler update soon:)

ok my top 10 tips when flying with a baby under O N E   here you go! in no particular order. 

ONE.

wear your baby, or bring a stroller to get through the airport.  

getting through security and the airport, your going to need to be hands free, we personally use the stroller, ellery is most comfortable with it, & so are we, were able to put the diaper bag and anything else in the basket underneath using it as a a mini luggage cart so we have our hands available. some people prefer wearing your baby in a carrier, if you and your baby are comfortable with that, thats a great option too! you will have to take your baby out of the stroller when you go through security and run the stroller though the x ray, still we would rather have our stroller because we need it when we get to our destination anyways. before you get on the plane you get a claim ticket for it, when you get to your gate, just gate check it in (this is free), and it’ll be right there for you at the gate when your plane lands.

TWO.

zip footies only. 

what do you dress your baby in? zip footies only. sure we all like a cute outfit for an airport pic, but mom life is all about efficiency, what’s going to be more efficient!? the reason for that is fast diaper changes, If you do need to change your baby on the plane this is going to need to happen as fast as possible! why? because your plane could hit turbulence at any time and nothing is more scary than your baby on a tiny changing table in the bathroom, with the plane shaking. zip footies are just WAY faster than snaps, snaps on a footie, snaps on a onesie, snaps period, they just take too long, put that baby in a footie their little feet won’t get cold, and it makes for a faster diaper change!

THREE.

drool bibs. 

ok so we all know how much our babies drool! and way before the actual “teething” starts, they just drool, soak their clothes, chest all wet, just full of drool.  I always put a drool bib on ellery and put at least 2 more (depending on how long our flight is) in my diaper bag, the reason for this is, if your baby is chewing on a teething toy and gets all wet with drool it’s much easier to change the bib then their entire outfit. keeps them from being wet, wet babies are pissed off babies, and nobody wants that! I personally really like the copper pearl bibs linked here, they’re nice and thick, they stay on her really well, and they wash well! the thin cutesy bibs, yeaaa save those for a photo, not real life, you need efficiency.

FOUR.

clorox wipes. 

buy the travel packs you can get them at target. Once we get on the plane, I like to wipe down everything, our seats, tray tables, arm rest, air vents, basically anything your going to be touching. Especially in the winter months when it seems like everyone around you is sick. the planes don’t get cleaned very well, especially the short flights they literally get used multiple times in a day and don’t get wiped down at all. Save you and your family a sickness wipe it all down:)

FIVE.

lather that bum up, extra diaper cream. 

so right before we get on the plane I do one last diaper change, and lather ellery up with extra diaper cream (yes even if she has no diaper rash). the reason for this is what if your baby goes poo and your having terrible turbulence your restricted to your seats and can’t change your baby right away. all that extra diaper cream will keep them from getting a rash down there. true story on our flight home from Hawaii (ellery was 5 months) the turbulence was so bad we all (including the flight attendants) had to stay in our seats for 3 hours!! yes 3 hours stuck in our seats not drink service, I know crazy right, but seriously then you can’t get up and change your baby, not saying this will be your situation, just lather up with the diaper cream, nothing is worse than a diaper rash on vacay.

SIX.

teething toys/ light up toy. 

if your baby is of age teething toys are such a great distraction, ellery has always loved this banana (linked here), & this light up octopus (linked here). planes are usually dark, & this little octopus lights up with any movement, ellery has always loved it! great for car rides too! ( great thing is, it has an off button)

SEVEN.

zip lock bag your clean toys

to keep them organized and clean. i always put all ellerys clean teething toys in a sandwich zip lock bag, that way I know which ones are clean and haven’t fallen on the floor yet,  also easy for me to find them in the diaper bag rather then them just free roaming.

EIGHT.

nurse/ feed or Paci during take off and descending. 

the reason for this is, so their little ears don’t pop or hurt with the change of pressure. I’ve done this every time, works 100% of the time:) also the descending tends to be harder on their ears so make sure you pay attention to when your plane starts descending. pro tip: if your baby takes a pacifier bring a clip so they don’t drop it on the plane floor.

NINE.

baby food with spout tops.

(for longer flights) if your baby is eating purees get the ones with the spout tops, I really like these here, from happy baby they have spouts so she can easily suck the food instead of dealing with a spoon. I always keep a couple of these In my diaper bag, even as she’s gotten older, they’re a great easy clean meal for them. (Starbucks also sells the Peter Rabbit Organics if you need to grab one at the airport)

TEN.

diaper bag trash bags. 

I buy these munchkin ones linked here. the reason for these are if your baby spits up, gets sick, or any of those unfortunate things on their clothes you can put the soiled clothes in here tied up in your diaper bag so your diaper bag doesn’t stink.

that’s it!! my top 10 tips when flying with a baby! sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight! ummmm who am I kidding, flying with a baby is anything but relaxing haha but you will do great!! I guess I should have made this part of my list, but most importantly, don’t worry, if your baby crys the entire time, it’s going to be ok!! ellery has definitely done that, and everyone around us has always been so understanding, most of the times they’ve all been parents themselves and been in your shoes.

Your going to do great!!

Hope this list helps ease your nerves before your upcoming trip! If you have any great tips that I’ve missed please share them in the comments so we can all learn from you!