Tips for Flying with Infants

This past Christmas, we took our son on his first plane trip…and he had a very nervous mother. Not only was I reluctant about waking him up in the wee hours of the morning (4 am) to make the trip, but I was not looking forward to check-in lines, baggage claims, trying to make sure my son could slip in a few naps despite being overstimulated by the beeping baggage carts, and eardrum pressure.

Well, we planned ahead (using the tips I’ll give you below) and everything went fairly well (except for when my son demolished one of the magazines and left it’s remains in the aisle). Here are some tips to make traveling with your infant a smooth and enjoyable experience.

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Baby Clothes

• Pack 1-2 outfits for each day you will be on your trip (if you don’t go through 1-2 outfits every day at home, you’re lucky - so be doubly prepared for a trip! Is it just me, or do all children have most of their major explosions when you’re out?)
• Organize each outfit in a re-sealable plastic bag so that you don’t have to dig through everything to find a matching sock.
• Use the empty re-sealable bags for dirty clothes.
• In your carry on bag, pack a whole day’s worth of supplies – not just enough for the flight. You never know what may happen (i.e. delays, lost baggage, etc.)
• Dress your baby in layers so that you can make adjustments to different temperatures (if plane is too hot, take of a layer, vice versa).
• Make sure that you have medicines and liquids packed properly. You may want to check with your airline on their guidelines for this. When we flew, we had to have all of our medicine in a 1-quart Ziploc bag.

Ear Drum Tips

• Feeding your baby or giving him a pacifier or something to drink during ascent and descent (descent is the most important) will help prevent some of the eardrum stretching.
• Giving your baby acetaminophen just before the flight can ease discomfort.
• I’ve heard about these things called earplanes -”air pressure regulating” ear plugs. I’m not sure how well babies do with these, but I’ve heard about mothers using them on their babies!

Car Seats

• Infants can sit in your lap during a flight if you do not want to purchase an extra seat.
• If you have not purchased a seat for your baby, the stewardesses may be able to sit you next to an empty seat where you can put a car seat (on every one of our flights the stewardesses sat us next to empty seats – BUT it was useless because we weren’t permitted to use the car seat that we brought – more about that next).
• Check with your airline about car seat regulations. We had checked our airline’s website about car seat regulations and ours was “A Ok!” according to the website. But when we got there, the stewardesses said it wasn’t FAA approved so we couldn’t’ use it. I called the airline before our return flight to see if there had been a mistake, and they said that the regulations had recently changed (and their website did not reflect that change yet) – no rear-facing car seats (this was January 08). So, there’s a tip for ya. You may want to double check that, though, before you fly.
• Car seats cannot be placed in exit rows and must be placed in adjoining window seats.

Other

• Bring a your baby’s birth certificate along - the airline may ask for it
• Bring a child carrier or sling because you can navigate the aisles easier with it
• Bring some toys for distraction
• You can check strollers and car seats at the gate. They will be available to you as soon as you get off the plane
• Check as much luggage as you can so that your hands are as free as possible
• Use a backpack for a diaper bag
• Be warned: going through security with your baby can be “exciting” (you have to fold up the stroller to put it through the x-ray machine, carry baby through metal detector, if anyone beeps, you’ll get patted down, etc.)
• Bring extra pacifiers (if your child likes them) - those little things tend to get lost!
• Allow plenty of time at the airport for check-in and connecting flights
• Get on the plane first and off the plane last - this’ll give you a better chance at getting help from the stewardesses
• Lastly, have relax and have fun!