Hello loves,
It’s about time I do a traveling with baby checklist because I got lots of questions over on instagram about it. As you know, we traveled to Montreal for my husband’s work. After one flight, I’m in no way an expert! Like, at all. haha BUT I do think I have a few tips and suggestions for anyone traveling with a baby that will help make it as smooth of a ride as possible. Of course, what they will be into really depend on their age and where they are developmentally. Charlie was 8 months when we made this trip so a lot of these things are based on his age. However, there are several things that will be helpful to most ages of babies under 12 months. Here’s my traveling with baby checklist.
New toys
Having toys they’ve never seen before helps to keep their attention longer than toys they have played with a bunch. It’s a totally new thing for them to explore! It’s actually surprisingly difficult to find toys that light up that don’t make noise (keeping your seat mates in mind) but I managed to find some for us so I included a couple in here. As well as some amazing suction toys that Charlie loves.
Every medicine they may need
This might seem obvious but look. there are a million things to pack and not to forget so I’m typing it out so you don’t forget. I keep a ziplock bag in his diaper bag at all times with everything he may need. Infant Tylenol, children’s Benadryl, teething medicine (we use a homeopathic one first (linked below) and if that doesn’t work then we whip out the big guns with infant Tylenol), a thermometer and gripe water/something for gassiness and saline spray for a stuffy nose.
Baby wipes and anti-bacterial wipes for everything
Before your baby touches anything in your seat area, wipe it down completely. Wipe down the seat, the seat belt, the metal part of the buckle, the arm rests, the tray, the pouch in front of you, the tv screen etc etc. Get. It. Clean. Now if your baby is crawling and cannot sit still (like Charlie was on this flight) “mobility breaks” will be 100% necessary. Charlie was crawling up and down the isles nonstop. I know that sounds so gross and dirty. But hey, it’s either that or they scream their heads off in the seat. I was wiping his hands down constantly and washed them in the bathroom sink a couple of times. Luckily there wasn’t much turbulence so we were able to do that. Just keep cleaning as you go.
Come prepared with food/feeding essentials
If breastfeeding, there’s not as much to figure out besides stuff for solids. If you’re bottle feeding make sure you have prepped the correct number of bottles, filled with distilled water to the correct amount and have the formula pre-measured. This little container linked below was super helpful so that we didn’t have to measure out each bottle for him while in flight. There are some travel containers for formula that are small but come with a scoop for you to measure out. Honestly, get one like this that has separate containers for each pre-measured portion. Makes it much easier. Besides bottles and formula, you’ll need things for solids. Be sure to bring a couple spoons for baby and whatever food you are giving them. We brought organic pureed pouches for him while in flight to keep it easy (you don’t have to refrigerate) and teething crackers. Keep them on their regular feeding schedule and don’t forget some water for them as well. We know flying is dehydrating!
Get an isle seat
Makes it way easier for mobility breaks or even if you have to stand to rock them and walk the isles with them. Just trust, it’s easier.
Feed during takeoff and landing
You may have heard this one before and it’s true. Swallowing helps their ears adjust to the change in pressure, just like us. Charlie had just eaten in the airport before we took off so I offered him sips of water several times during the takeoff to give him something to swallow. Some people say pacifiers also work! Charlie is more into his thumb but I still brought a few just in case.
Use overnight diapers
This may sound strange but they are way more absorbent and changing a babies diaper mid flight is not an easy feat. I had to once and I’m happy it was only once. Be sure to pack ointment and wipes as well. Here’s a handy little travel changer we use and love.
Bring a thick/dark blanket
You’ll probably bring a baby blanket anyways (it’s cold on flights) but bringing a darker/thicker blanket to drape over both of your heads can help block out some light while they are trying to fall asleep. If your baby is sensitive to light, this may help. Once Charlie fell asleep, I removed the blanket and just had it around him to keep him warm.
Best time to travel with a baby
Everyone has a different opinion on this (like most things lol) but we liked traveling during the day. We didn’t want a night time flight to disrupt his night time sleep and worried that with takeoff and landing, waiting at baggage claim under those bright fluorescents, transferring to a carseat, car ride and then transferring to the crib would be too much and would result in an awful night and awful next day. The day time flight was, dare I say easy? He napped on me which was the cutest thing and enjoyed looking around, crawling around etc etc.
Worth noting!!
- We didn’t get Charlie his own seat because he would not have been able to sit still and would’ve screamed had we had him strapped in his carseat. You can check the car seat, stroller base and stroller seat for free. We checked the car seat at the baggage check when we checked our baggage. Then we took his stroller base and stroller seat right up to the gate with us and checked it as we were boarding the plane.
- Traveling with formula… Definitely pre-measure the bottles as I explained above for ease. We packed one full container of formula in our carry on and an additional 3 containers in our checked baggage. We had no issues with this at all. If you have any doubts, call your airline (or go to their website) and ask them or you could call the airport you’re flying out of and check with them.
I hope this was helpful!! Are there any things I didn’t mention on this traveling with baby checklist that you have found helpful or any questions you have? Ask me below and share your tips. Remember… you got this!
