How to Fly With A Baby Or Toddler

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Fully Stocked Diaper Bag
Snacks & Sippy Cup/Bottle
Small Activity Bag for Toddler

Step 1

When booking tickets, consider that infants under the age of 2 are permitted to ride on an adult passenger's lap. The question is, will you want to carry your infant the whole trip? That depends on two things: the length of the flight, and whether you are traveling alone. If you have an especially long flight, or you don't have another adult to share the load and give you a break, another seat might not be such a bad investment.
Step 2

Arrive at the airport in time for your baby or toddler to get some exercise before boarding the plane. Going straight from being strapped in the car seat, to stroller, to plane is torture for an energetic little one. Giving baby a chance to burn off some steam before boarding may give you a more relaxing trip.

If you have a crawler, the thought of your baby crawling on a dirty airport floor may disgust you, but dirt washes off, and it's worth having a more peaceful trip. Just find a low-traffic area (like next to the window), stand by your baby the entire time, carry wet wipes with you, and don't let your baby put his hands in his mouth until you wipe them clean.
Step 3

If you bring an infant carrier on board, your baby can sleep in it safely when not being held. If you have a toddler but don't want to haul a big car seat on board, you can purchase a safety harness specifically designed for airplanes, called CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System). Check your car seat with your other luggage (don't forget the luggage tag!). To keep the straps from getting caught on the conveyor belt, you can wrap it in a large garbage bag, or purchase a cover for it that lets you carry it like a back-pack or roll it like luggage.
Step 4

Getting through airport security with an infant or toddler can be a challenge, but many airports have already responded to the feedback of young families by creating a separate lane just for strollers and wheelchairs. You can carry your baby (easier to wear her in a sling), but a child who is old enough to walk must go through the scanner by herself, followed closely by you.

You'll be required to remove everyone's shoes (including baby's) and run them through the X-ray machine, together with all carry-on's, car seat and stroller (you'll have to fold up the stroller and send it through the scanner). Some airports ask mothers to dump out liquids from sippy cups, as well. You can buy more juice or bottled water on the other side.
Step 5

If you're taking a car seat onto the plane, you can use a Travelmate from GoGo Babyz, which hooks securely to your car seat and allows you to roll your child in it like a stroller. Otherwise, just use your regular stroller for convenience while in the airport. You can take it all the way to the gate, where you will be given a claim ticket. When it's time to board, push it down the ramp, where you'll collapse it and leave it by the plane entrance. When you disembark, simply wait outside the door with claim ticket in hand, and pick up your stroller.
Step 6

Make sure your baby has a fresh, clean diaper before boarding. Use plenty of diaper cream to protect tender skin in case they have to spend more time than usual in a wet diaper. If your baby is too big to fit on the tiny lavatory changing table, you might have to change your baby in your seat. (If you have a stranger in the next seat, politely apologize for the inconvenience and thank them for their patience, but don't feel the need to ask permission).

Be sure to use a waterproof changing pad, and don't remove the dirty diaper until you've got everything ready (wipes, cream). Change it as quickly as you can, and put the dirty diaper in a sealed ziploc bag to conceal the smell. Wipe your hands clean with baby wipes and use hand sanitizer when you're done.
Step 7

Make sure you have a fully stocked diaper bag. Here's the short list:

Diapers
Wipes
Diaper cream
Nursing pads or extra bottle
Extra outfit
Burp rags
Ziploc bags
Baby Tylenol
Teething Tablets
Gas Drops
Pocket tissue
Baby nail clippers
Snacks

See my article "How to Stock Up A Diaper Bag" for more info.
Step 8

To keep your child occupied on the flight, bring one familiar "lovey" (favorite blanket or stuffed animal), and a gallon-sized ziploc bag full of toys he has never seen before.

For an infant, make a chain of plastic baby links, and attach several small toys. Choose a variety of toys with fun patterns and textures, buttons to push and blinking lights. Don't worry about music or beeping - the roar of the plane's engines is enough to all but drown it out for other passengers. Hook one end to your seat belt to keep your baby from dropping or throwing it on the floor.

For a toddler, you can pack up a small child's back pack full of surprises for the plane: a coloring book with washable crayons, small doll or action figure, stickers, toy cell phone or camera, thin story books, small puzzle, etch-a-sketch, toy cars, etc.
Step 9

Keep a variety of snacks on hand, especially in case there's a delay. Cereal, crackers, raisins, fruit snacks, or granola bars are portable choices.
Step 10

Encourage your child to nurse, chew, or suck occasionally on their sippy cup during ascent and descent, to help them "pop" their ears. Use the pressure in your own ears as judge: whenever you feel it and yawn to relieve it, have your child pop their ears, too.

Comments

tipperbooth said

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on 4/17/2009 Good points!

archip99 said

on 9/3/2008 I love this article so much as it's very usefull for me. Keep it up!

Limowreck said

on 7/22/2008 Wow... great article. Tons of very useful info. My fear of flying with my 2 year old keeps me on the ground, but maybe with these tips I should consider giving it a try. *****