Momma Tara~Parenting

My Top Three Suggestions re: Air Travel with a Baby

February 19, 2014 /

DSC00907At the end of Ella’s gymnastics class yesterday, a young mom and I were talking about her upcoming (flying) trip with just her 2 year-old, her newborn, and her. Solo. Husband/Daddy couldn’t make it.

When she found out that I Sophie and I flew on 74 flights together before Sophie turned 1 year old, she asked if I had any advice. (This photo was taken when Sophie and I headed out on our first flight in February 2004.)

The problem was, our kids’ gymnastics class was ending and we were juggling small children and putting shoes and coats on, etc., so I only had like three minutes to think of something to say. So here are the top three suggestions I could think of re: traveling with a baby:

1. The hardest transition points will be TSA and the actual boarding time. If your stroller can’t collapse with one hand, you are going to need to have a plan for what to do with the baby, or else you’ll end up laying him or her down on the jetbridge/airport floor. (Not a good plan!) I always traveled with Soph in my Maya Wrap, so if you have some sort of secure baby carrier, that should cover you. If not, look for a friendly mom-type (whose hands aren’t full!) and ask if she would consider either a) holding your baby for 30 seconds while you collapse your stroller at the end of the jetbridge OR b) collapsing your stroller while you hold your baby (whichever you are most comfortable with). Either way, have a plan.

  all folded down into tiny rectangles in snack-size ziplocks. That way if a diapie and/or diapie blow out happens, you can try to contain all of the icky smell as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the entire plane will pay the cost.

3. In the bottom of my frequent-flyer-momma-diaper-bag, I always had snack size ziplocks with crisp $5 bills and brand new earplugs “at the ready” in case my daughter ever had one of those “babies freak out sometimes” freaking out time. Most people are fairly gracious about such things, especially if they see you working hard to try to soothe your baby. Babies cry! What can you do? But I wanted to be able to say to the people around me, “I’m so sorry. May I buy you a glass of wine or a big pack of M&M’s? And I have these brand-new earplugs you could have …” That usually softened even grouchy people right up.

So those are my top three suggestions. I hope her travel goes well and that these ideas help you if you’re flying with a baby soon.

Blessings,
Tara B. 

2 Comments

  • Kim Kargbo

    February 19, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    And I have two more, given that this mommy is traveling not only with baby, but with toddler too (bless her heart!!)…!

    1 – Put aside ALL – yes, ALL – of your excellent mommy discipleship standards about how much screen time you will allow little people to have and give that precious 2-year-old an iPad with a million preschool apps downloaded and a million episodes of whatever the preschool PBS-show-du-jour is and a good set of earbuds (let go of the future ear-damage precautions as well) and let her/him go! You will thank yourself at the end of the flight, and in 10 years, your child will remember a fun trip.

    2 – Give the people with diapers on plenty to drink, and be sure to take empty water bottles with you that you can fill after TSA throws all your water away. But for mommy – don’t drink a thing! Figuring out how to take a baby, a toddler and yourself into either an airplane bathroom OR an airport stall is just too much! (Or maybe you can just borrow a diaper from a little one…)

    Been there, done that! Hope your trip goes smoothly and your fellow passengers don’t need those ear plugs or wine! 🙂