Flying with a Baby
You can do this! You can totally do this. Flying with a baby seems very daunting, but my experiences have been really positive. There are a few preparations you need to make, but once you’ve flown with your baby once, you’ll be a pro! Let’s get started.
Before you book your tickets…
Seats: Decide whether you are going to book a seat for your baby or fly with them as a lap infant. Check out my post here to help you decide what will work best for you. If you do decide to buy a ticket for you baby, you will need to bring your car seat on board. On some international flights you can reserve a bulkhead seat with an infant bassinet. I have done this, but wasn’t able to take advantage of it because there was too much turbulence and the flight attendants deemed it unsafe. You will need to call the airline to book your flights if you want to reserve a bassinet – rather than booking online.
Schedule: Think about what a realistic flight schedule would be for your baby and you. A red eye might have made sense when you were childless and had unlimited vacation napping time. But now a lost night can’t be easily recovered. (I’ve tried.) Daytime flights are the best bets. It’s even better if you can line up your flight with one of your baby’s naps (if you know what your baby’s schedule might be when you’ll be flying).
Age: Check the policy of the airline you think you’ll be flying about the age limits on infants. Some allow babies as young as a week to fly, and others require infants to be two weeks or older. Airplanes are germy places, so some people choose to wait to fly until their babies are six weeks or even after their first immunizations.
You ready? Book those tickets!
Payment: Some airlines will let you book your lap infant’s seat directly online. For others, you need to call the airline once you book. Typically, lap infants are free on domestic flights, and they are 10% of the adult fare on international flights. If you’re booking a seat for your baby, you will likely pay the regular adult fare.
Seat assignments: Be sure to pay to get assigned seats when you book your tickets. If you don’t, you could be assigned a seat away from your family when you book, and you’ll have to go through the hassle of trying to switch at check-in or at the gate.
You did it! You worked hard. Take a moment to fantasize about your exciting trip. Ha ha ha, j/k, your baby just woke up.
Right after booking your tickets…
Permissions: As soon as you book your travel, ensure that you have the documentation that you need to travel with your baby. Will you need visas? Canada requires Electronic Travel Authorizations for passengers coming from certain countries. Be sure to check governmental websites of the places that you’ll be going.
Birth Certificate: Usually, if you are flying domestic in the US or Canada, your child is not required to travel with ID. However, it is a good idea to travel with your child’s birth certificate. Confirm with your airline what type of ID you need to bring for your baby.
Passport: If you are flying internationally, you must have a passport for your baby. In Canada, you are asked about the dates of your travel on a child’s passport application. Make sure that the spelling on your child’s passport matches the spelling on their ticket – even for a lap infant. There are often rush options for getting your passport quickly, but you’ll need to build in time to get the right sized pictures of your baby (not always a simple task!).
Consent Letter: If you are flying without your baby’s other parent, you should create a Parental Consent Letter that grants permission from the other parent for you to fly solo with your baby. US Customs and Border Patrol has guidelines for this, but not a form. Notarization is strongly recommended. The Canadian government has a form you can complete. This should to be witnessed and signed by another adult, but doesn’t necessarily need to be notarized.
The week before you leave…
Transportation: Figure out how you’re going to get to the airport. This might mean public transit, driving and parking your car at the airport, taking your child’s car seat in a taxi, or getting a friend to drive your car with your car seat in it.
Carry-on Bags: Lap infants are usually allotted one carry-on, along with a stroller and a car seat. However, your goal is to fly light, with just the basics, and check anything that you don’t absolutely need on your flight. You’ll want one shoulder or cross body bag with the things you’ll need immediately handy, and a backpack for the rest. I like the LeSportsac Deluxe Everyday Bag for my cross body bag. In goes:
- IDs
- Passports in a wallet
- Baby’s birth certificate in a plastic sleeve
- Boarding passes
- Diaper changing pad stocked with diapers and wipes
- Pacifier on a leash
- Separate bag of liquids for security with:
- Hand sanitizer
- Diaper cream
- Saline drops
- Baby Tylenol or ibuprofen
- Lotion or Aquaphor
- Wallet
- Headphones in their own case
- Sunglasses/glasses
- Anything else that makes you feel happy & comfortable!
- Empty water bottle for you
- Spare diapers (5 – 10) in a waterproof bag
- Spare pack of wipes
- Burp cloth in a waterproof bag
- Extra pacifiers
- Baby sweater or extra blanket for warmth
- Two extra sleepers, each in a waterproof bag
- Age-appropriate toys (3 – 4)
- Bibs (one for each meal you’ll give baby if eating food)
- Muslin blanket
- Packable tote or shopping bag
- First aid waterproof bag with:
- Nasal aspirator
- Bandages
- Tylenol or ibuprofen for you
- Snacks for you
- Extra outfit for you in a waterproof bag
- Bottles or sippy cup for baby
- If needed, a separate bag or cooler of baby food for security with:
- Pouches or baby food
- Puffs, cereal, or crackers, as age appropriate
- Water, formula, breastmilk, or juice if needed
You’ll also want to bring:
- A carrier for wearing baby in the airport and onto the plane
- My favorite is the Beco Gemini for its flexibility and simplicity.
- My favorite is the Beco Gemini for its flexibility and simplicity.
- Car seat
- If you decide to bring one with you, you’re sorted for ground transportation on either end. If you don’t, and you know you’ll be in a car at some point on your trip, you’ll need to make arrangements for car seat you can use on the other end. If you are checking your car seat, the J.L. Childress Car Seat Travel Bag is a great option. You can stuff diapers, blankets, or clothes around your car seat for extra padding, and checking car seats is usually included in your baby’s ticket.Sometimes the best option is to order an inexpensive but reliable car seat and send it to your destination. You can rent one with your rental car, book a taxi or Uber with a car seat, or rent one from a baby gear rental company, like Baby’s Away. You don’t know for sure exactly what seat you’ll get or what condition it will be in. But I’ve taken that gamble many times, and it has worked out fine.
- Stroller, if needed
- I like having an umbrella stroller with me in the airport, even with baby in the carrier. I use it to stroll my bags…or now I use it to stroll my preschooler.
The night before you go…
Check In and Double Check: Check in to your flight online. And do a quick do check of all of your bags, light a candle, take a deep breath, and know that you’re going to do great. Try and get as much as sleep as your baby will let you! (Blow out the candle before you do.)
Meals: Make a plan for what you’d like to eat while you’re traveling. You’ve got snacks packed, but if you’d like to throw in a sandwich, go for it.
Your Clothes: Choose an outfit that’s comfortable for you, but that’s not a dress or a tunic. I’d also avoid wearing maternity clothes. This will make it easier to use the bathroom with a baby still strapped to you.
The big day is here! Let’s go to the airport.
Timing: Build in time for all the extra baby steps (ha) that you need to take at the airport. So definitely two hours for domestic and three for international.
Check-In Again: Depending on the airline, you may need to stand in the check-in line so that your lap infant can be checked in by an agent.
Wear Your Baby: Once you arrive, you’ll want to wear your baby all the way to the gate. Make sure you don’t strap your baby around your jacket because you’ll have to undo everything at security. In most countries, you can wear your baby through security in the carrier, with extra screening. You’ll go through the metal detector as normal, and then be subject to extra screening such as swabbing your hands. You can often wheel your stroller right through the metal detector as long as it is completely empty.
Security: Present your liquids and baby foods for extra screening at security.
Fill Up: Fill up your water bottle, have a snack, feed the baby, change your baby’s diaper, and get to the gate with enough time to take advantage of early boarding if it’s available. If it’s not, sometimes it’s easier to wait until closer to the end of the boarding process so that you don’t have a throng of eager people behind you waiting while you get settled.
Gate Check: I like to gate check my stroller, rather than checking it with my bags. You can also gate check your car seat too.
On the plane…
Seat Pocket: Put both your bag and your backpack under the seat in front of you so you have what you need within arm’s reach. I like to put my headphones, water bottle, a snack for me and the baby, and a toy in the seat pocket.
Flight Attendants: I’ve had flight attendants come by and give me a security briefing about flying with an infant but that doesn’t always happen. If so, they’ll likely tell you to take your baby out of the carrier for take off and landing, or any time the fasten seatbelt sign is on. If things go really south, remember that the flight attendants want the flight to go smoothly too. If there’s something that you need or if you’re unsure about what to do, ask them. They’ve seen it all and solved any problem you’ll encounter.
Sucking: Your baby can’t adjust to the changes in air pressure as easily as you do, so they’ll need something to suck on during take off and landing. Breastfeeding and pacifiers have worked great for me. Bottles will too. If breast or bottle feeding, you can use the muslin blanket or an extra sweater under your arm to cushion it, or use the muslin blanket as a cover up.
Naps: If you can time it right, your baby might fall asleep right after take off. Babies tend to get really sleepy on airplanes with the humming white noise and the gentle bumping. If you’re lucky enough, you might put those headphones to good use and watch a movie.
Sadness: It’s the luck of the draw whom you sit next to on an airplane. Some people are enchanted by babies, and some people are just not. No matter what happens, it’s only a few hours, and you’ll get where you’re going eventually. There’s no need to hand out ear plugs, treats, or special notes to the people around you. Babies cry because they can’t talk, and you’ll have lots of tools at your disposal to soothe yours. You might need to put the baby in the carrier and bounce her near the galley for a while. Make sure you switch off with your partner if you are not flying solo.
Once you land…
Take Your Time: Everyone will be in a big rush to get off the plane. You don’t have to be. Take your time, gather your things, strap on the baby, and make your way out when there’s not a big crush of people jockeying to get out quickly. You’ll have to wait on or near the jet bridge for your stroller anyway. Thank those flight attendants for helping you out, and then make your way into your destination airport with the confidence of knowing that you actually did fly with your baby and that it was fine. Or fine-ish.