My #1 Tip for Traveling with a Baby…and a Few More
There are very few things that can conjure a stress induced sweat as quickly as the thought of having to travel with young kids especially babies, especially on a plane.
With my first baby, we had to fly regularly and often internationally. To save all of our sanity, I did what most parents do and asked around for tips. These small tips made a big difference in our trips and I want to share my number one tip with you. With a few others thrown in for good measure.
My #1 tip? Three words: Request (the) Bulkhead Bassinet. You’d be shocked how many people are unaware that this exists. I was one of them until a kind experienced mom shared this nugget of wisdom with me.
Many airplanes offer bassinets that attach to the bulkhead of the plane. If you are able to secure one of these, the power of the plane’s vibrating noise will (usually) rock the baby right to sleep.
The first time my husband and I put our (at the time) 6 month old baby in the bassinet, we were shocked at what an amazing flight we ended up having. After takeoff, the flight attendant attached the bassinet, we put our daughter in it and she slept the entire (8 hour) flight until we had to get ready for landing and the flight attendant had to remove it.
For the first time, in a long time, we felt like we were having a date, we read, watched a movie, ate some dinner and even had a glass of wine. 100% highly recommend.
A few things to keep in mind
* There are only a couple of these available on each flight, the minute you buy your ticket call the airline to reserve it.
*These must be reserved ahead of time, I’ll say it again, the minute you buy your ticket, call and reserve your bassinet.
*You will be in the bulkhead so you won’t have seats in front of you to put your belongings under. Keep this in mind for when you are packing your carry-on and diaper bags for easy access.
Some other tips:
*You can gate check your car seat and stroller. I recommend keeping them with you until you are on the jetway so that you have a place for the baby to sleep, you have extra storage for personal items and it’s just easier to run through an airport if you have a tight layover.
*Once your child is in a toddler seat and you do not want to bring a big stroller, I recommend buying an attachment similar to this. It will attach the car seat to your carryon so you can pull your toddler on it through the airport. Admittedly, it’s been 6 years since I’ve used this as my oldest is 8 and my baby is not quite old enough. But when we did use it, we enjoyed it very much.
*Download any media ahead of time. I get it, we don’t want to rely on screens. But when you are on a 10 hour flight, you’ll use whatever you can to get you through it. Having a few favorite videos available offline will do in a pinch if you are running out of options. Don’t hope for wi-fi, even if it is available, it may not be very fast or may even be “down”.
Bonus: Seat slings/beds. I haven’t had a chance to use these yet. They didn’t seem to be very popular when my daughter was a toddler, but they are popping up all over nowadays. They look really cool and I’m hopeful they will add just a little additional comfort to the flying experience.
I’ll end with this, flying with young kids can be challenging so be kind to yourself. Give yourself some grace if things go awry or you just can’t seem to catch a break. This too shall pass…and hopefully it’s short pay for a lifetime of wonderful memories.
