Travelling with a Baby
We recently travelled with our 1 year old on a flight to Texas, where he sat on my lap for the trip there and back. On my travels I noted a few things that was good to do and would be worthwhile for you to consider if you are also going to be travelling with a baby.
#1 Boost the Immunity
I started giving our son some vitamins, specifically Vitamin C powder and Vitamin B Drops. This was specifically to boost his immunity before we got onto a flight. In traveling, it is expected to come in contact with lots of people and public spaces.
We also had Elderberry syrup a few times a day to help promote immunity before our travels. The best way to sort of prevent sickness before arriving at your destination (or when you get home) is to make sure that your immune system is as strong as it can be. This is what we wanted for our son.
So a few days before travelling, I started making sure that he was having Elderberry syrup (that I made from scratch with dried elderberries and honey), vitamin D drops every day and a little bit of vitamin C in his food.
When you are travelling with a baby, you can also do this during your trip if you can pack your vitamins and Elderberry syrup. I continued this ritual as soon as we got back home. Sometimes germs take a little while and pop up later, and I didn’t want that to happen.
#2 New Toys
In preparation for the flight, I got a whole bunch of new toys. I went straight to Valley Village and got several new toys that would be fun for him to play with on the airplane, that he has never seen before.
Kids naturally explore new things and the new toys were fascinating for him to explore.
#3 Rest
I found flying with a baby that was well rested was key to the success in travelling with a baby. After sleeping for many hours (overnight), he was fresh, spunky, and a happy little toddler hopping on the plane.
I was a bonus for us that by the time the flight took off, it was around the time of his first nap. Even if he didn’t nap, coming to the flight well rested was the key to him having the best success for enjoying the flight and keeping busy. In contrast to a tired baby. Everyone knows that tired babies are tough to deal with.
Depending on your flight and how long it will be, I would try to plan the timing after a good restful evening or nap. If you can somehow figure out the timing that would be ideal for them to be well rested or fall asleep for the flight, that is ideal.
#4 Consider How to Help Naps
Travelling with a baby brings many new things, and keeping with as much of their routine as possible is helpful to them. That’s why I would recommend you think through how your child naps at home and how you can mimic that in the airport or on a flight. If they are used to sleeping in their crib or sleeping in a carrier, what will that look like while travelling.
One thing I can attest to is that it is really hard for a baby to fall asleep in the airport. I saw some other children that were miserable and clearly over tired, but just not able to sleep. I believe that is because there is just so much new and exciting things. Lots to look at and people moving around, it seems nearly impossible to get them to sleep.
Thankfully on the airplane there is less to look at, and our son fell asleep right as we took off. However, airports are tough.
In the end, it’s one or two days of your life so don’t stress too much. If a nap is missed things will reset again.
#5 Walking Through the Airpot
I have seen some handy little strollers that you can take right up to your gate. When you board your flight the air hostess take the stroller and check it as luggage, which they bring back to you as soon as step off the plane. This is a wonderful service when you’re travelling with a baby!
We had a small umbrella stroller and a backpack carrier with us. because we thought we would do some walking on our trip. The backpack carrier wasn’t really helpful for us at the airport, but if you are travelling as a single parent I could see how having your hands entirely free would be helpful. That may not work in all scenarios, but that is something you could do if you need to be handsfree with your baby and I wondered if our son would fall asleep in the pack.
#6 Second Row of Seats
If you can book your seats, I do have some recommendations when you’re travelling with a baby.
There is usually preferred seating in an airplane. One is the first row behind business class, which gives you a wall with some leg room, which can be used as a small pay area in front of the seats.
I actually preferred sitting one row just behind that first row (i.e. the second row behind business class). I was able to experience both and here are my comments.
Pro’s of Second Row
- Extra leg room, because the first two rows are generally preferred seating with extra room
- Tray table that your baby or child can play with and keep them entertained
- Storage under the seat in front of you
Pro’s of First Row
– Extra play room in front of the seats
Con’s of First Row
- No storage in front of you, just a wall
- No tray table ahead of you for kids to play with
#7 Extra Seat
Depending on where you are traveling to (i.e how long and what the costs are), I would highly consider getting the extra seat for your child.
I didn’t understand the impact of this until I had to keep our young toddler on my lap for 4 hours. When they are a baby, that is easier because they aren’t moving yet. But as soon as they are in the crawling stage, this starts to become a challenge. For them to physically sit still for many hours on a lap is tricky, whereas fit they could stand, sit, and lie down in their own seat it is much easier.
We spent a lot of time in the aisles and mostly in the back by the toilets where the air hostess hang out, and they were kind and nice enough to keep him occupied with new lights and little clips and things that open all their trays. So what I am getting at is that we spent a lot of time actually outside of the seat, because in reality, sitting with a moving kid on your lap for hours is just bogus. I am actually amazed that they sell seats like this until the age of 2, although it is a bonus to save on a flight ticket.
#8 Load up Snacks
Food is important. Good food and most importantly snacks. This really helped us when travelling with a baby. Having lots of little snacks to eat took up a big chunk of time and was a great distraction when necessary. Especially small snacks and bite sizes for him to pick with his fingers one by one. It was a great way to keep him entertained.
What is nice about travelling with babies is that they permit you to pack food and take it through security. Just keep in mind what food restrictions there may be for certain countries.
#9 Baby Backpack
It was a good idea to bring a little backpack for our son. Not only is this great for extra storage, but it was easy to access his stuff without having to rumble through ours.
He loved carrying it around the airport (so we kept it light) and it was nice to have specific things ready on hand. Especially when we were seated on the flight and seatbelt signs were on, we could easily reach of this pack and have food, a drink, and some toys all within reach.
#10 Hiking Backpack Carry On
I always travelled with a boxy of hand luggage with either a zipper or clip to open. My friend recommended travelling with a hiking backpack, and this was a game changer.
It is not ideal to open a hang luggage on the flight because of the limited room, so it was much easier to zip open a pocked on the hiking back pack.
It’s also bigger than a normal backpack, so we could truly fit all we needed. I could fit in a diaper bag, a blanket and a bag of toys, which kept things al organized in the large pack. There is also lots of little pockets if you need to put little trinkets around, so overall just a good idea to travel with a hiking backpack. If you get one, buy one that is a medium size, which is a little bigger than a normal backpack but not as big as the largest hiking backpacks. It’s probably worth while checking the dimensions and making sure they would fit into the specific travel requirements for carry on luggage.
#11 Your Emotions
Your emotions really matter. I truly believe that our kids feed off of us. Therefore, if you are worried and nervous, they will be worried and nervous. That sense of uneasiness won’t help your travels, and so be calm and fun and playful.
Be a delight and make it a lot of fun. Do whatever you can to be silly and playful.
My husband really did this and ran around the airport with our son having little mini races in the stroller seeing how quickly they could go.
We were having so much fun and so he was having fun.
Hopefully that is helpful to you, and I want to wish you well on your trip and your travels.
