How to Fly with Your Baby for the First Time
/Two months ago, we took our one-year-old on his first domestic flight to LA. Although it was only a 5-hour flight, it definitely felt much longer as first-time parents. I wanted to take some time to write some tips and tricks I have for other parents who may be gearing up for their first flight. I hope you learn from my mistakes!
What To Know before flying with a baby
While every airline and aircraft may have its own set of rules, it was helpful to know this about ours prior to boarding. *Please check with your airline’s website!
Families with children under 2 are usually* allowed to board first.
This was helpful to know in advance because our tickets said otherwise. It would’ve been harder (and more overwhelming for our son) to board along with everyone else.Car seats, strollers, and diaper bags are usually* not included in your limited # of carry-on bags
- so you can bring them in addition and check the gear at the gate.You can bring a car seat on the plane.
This was incredibly helpful for us because we did not want to carry our son during the entire 5 hours (although we have seen many parents do this!)You may not have noticed this before, but changing tables in airplanes are notoriously small.
It is advisable to change your baby immediately before boarding if you can.
Tips and Advice About Flying with a Baby
While you can certainly bring a travel-sized car seat on the plane, it may be worth noting that this may leave no room for the person in front of you to recline their seat.
We purchased economy plus seats for this reason but our airline mistakenly seated us in basic economy, and we felt so bad for the person in front of us!If you are bringing a car seat, I would recommend purchasing a car seat carrier/backpack or straps that hook onto your carry-on so that your hands are free to tend to other things.
Check your stroller at the gate and pick it up immediately when you land.
I bought a tiny travel stroller (which I would highly recommend if it is within your budget!) but for some reason thought it was a good idea to bring it on the plane. It was one of those foldable ones that you can place in the overhead compartment. Anyway, it was NOT a good idea because the stroller kept getting stuck in the tiny rows when trying to find my seat!Book a flight closer to your baby’s bedtime.
Trust me. Do it. We made the mistake of booking a flight during the day (my reasoning was that our son does very well in the morning) and regretted it. He was awake for most of it and was extremely fidgety being strapped in. My husband had to walk around with him every hour!Bring lots of different snacks and entertainment for your baby.
In my opinion, an airplane is not one of those places where you should worry about screen time or vegetables. Keeping your baby occupied will avoid stressing out yourself, your partner, and your neighbors!Babies tend to get overwhelmed on flights (especially around this age) because of the number of people in close vicinity.
Airplanes are also loud, bright, and cramped. It was surprising to us that our happy-go-lucky baby started wailing as soon as we boarded the plane.Give your baby a bottle when you board and get seated.
I found that this helped our crying, overwhelmed baby to soothe and get comfortable with his surroundings.Bring something to block out the light from your baby’s eyes such as a hat (and possibly earmuffs to place on your baby after they fall asleep).
Keep your baby well-hydrated as planes are very drying.
The air pressure as the plane goes up/down may cause your baby to be uncomfortable.
A pacifier or drinking water/milk may help with this!If you must (and with your doctor’s consultation), give your baby an appropriate dose of Benadryl 30 minutes before boarding. We did this and if we had booked the flight during our baby’s bedtime, he would’ve 100% slept the entire way through.
I hope these tips are helpful to you!
Let me know in the comments below if I missed anything. Safe travels!
I’m finally getting around to sharing the photos from our son’s first-year photoshoot! In May of this year, we traveled to Los Angeles to celebrate our son’s one-year milestone with my in-laws. It was such a beautiful time of reunion and we still think about that trip often. Here are some tips for moms who are thinking about a similar shoot for their babies!