Flying (solo) with a baby
In the past year Ruth and I have flown on almost 20 airplanes. She was almost 3 months old for her first flight and it’s been every month or so since then. Back and forth between Minnesota and Washington quite a bit, but also out to the East Coast! Most of these flights have just been the two of us and we have a pretty good system now!! Here are some tips and tricks for flying with a baby first by age and then some general advice (especially if you’re solo!)
Tips by Age
2+ months
If you think your baby will fall asleep - wireless headphones or earbuds and have a movie or podcast downloaded so you can easily start something one handed
You can bring breast milk through security (normal liquid limits do not apply) if you bring formula I recommend putting dry formula in the bottle so you can just add water from your bottle when the baby is hungry!
When Ruth was small I’d wear the wrap the whole time so I could easily put her in and out of the carrier
6+ months
bring a blanket for stretching/tummy time before the flight
10+ months
get to the airport with enough time to run/crawl around and get some energy out! Most airports have an indoor playground!
12+
Lots of food and big variety! On our last flight I had a muffin, quiche cup, goldfish crackers, cheese stick, applesauce, blueberries and strawberries, milk (I had a coffee shop put some milk in her cup), & water
General tips
Ask for an empty row! This doesn’t always happen but if the flight isn’t full, often they will move you so you have a bit more space!
Feed during takeoff and landing - this helps little ears!
Carry on just diaper bag and make sure it fits under stroller
New toys/snacks! Novelty helps distractions last longer.
Gate check stroller - it is a huge help to not have to carry a baby the whole time, especially as they get heavier! As an added bonus you can put your carryon under the stroller and carry nothing! It is also helpful if you have a long layover, Ruth and I have gotten nice long airport walks/naps in!
Check everything you possibly can so you aren’t carrying extra things through the airport!
Ask for help if you need it! Strollers were not meant to be collapsed one-handed while holding a baby. People are usually great about helping fold a stroller at the end of the jet bridge.
You can board early but I prefer to wait until ~halfway through boarding because the sitting and waiting for the plane to start moving seems to be when Ruth gets the fussiest so I’d rather give her more time to move around.
In the carryon -
plenty of diapers and wipes
Spare outfit x2
Spare shirt for you! (I spent a 12h travel day in a shirt with spit up down the front)
Keep the stuff for yourself limited and small, you likely won’t have much time for it! I recommend a kindle or having podcasts/shows predownloaded and headphones in a pocket so you can get them out if the baby falls asleep on you
Snacks, water, milk
