You have your first trip booked with your new baby and you can’t wait! However, the excitement quickly fades as you start packing and wonder how am I going to be able to bring everything on the plane?!?!
Traveling on an airplane with your new baby does not have to be as daunting as it seems. Here are some tips that I have learned over the years to ease the struggle.
First and foremost- get yourself a travel bag for your stroller and car seat. If you are able to purchase a seat for your new little, I highly recommend it as it allows extra space for you and a place to have the baby be in the car seat so your arms are not tired from holding them the entire flight. If not, no worries- get that stroller and car seat checked at the gate. Next, my very favorite accessory was the Baby Bjorn. I 100% recommend bringing some kind of carrier in your carry-on bag. This will allow you to walk up and down the aisles or bounce baby in the back of the plane if needed so once again you can avoid aching arms. My other won’t leave home without an accessory is my feeding cover. If you are formula feeding it can be helpful as well as it acts as a comfy, dark cocoon for your baby. Speaking of formula feeding…. since most babies drink their milk warm, you are able to ask the flight attendant for hot water to place the bottle in to warm it up in flight. Prior to boarding, I recommend grabbing hot water from a restaurant to warm the bottle. Make sure upon take-off and landing you feed the baby so their little ears are able to pop and release the pressure. Since air travel has changed so much over the years and food is scarce, don’t forget about yourself and pack snacks. Granola bars are great as you can eat them one-handed. I also can’t be without water, so I pack a reusable bottle in my bag and fill it up before the flight to the airport. Yes, they give you a cup of water on the plane but it never seems like enough for me.
Once you land and deplane, I LOVE that my car seat and stroller are right there when I exit as I can pop baby back in and be on my way. Not many times when we traveled with our son were we able to carry on a bag, so you then stroll to baggage claim to get your checked luggage. One tip for your checked luggage- I can’t pack without the organizer bags. You can roll many articles of clothing in those. So when you get to your destination, it’s super easy to grab what you need. Worst case scenario, you arrive and are missing something, a store is usually never far away. So don’t stress, you got this, and enjoy your adventures and make memories with your little ones!
