We’ve all been on a flight that has a crying baby. It’s no fun. Even worse is when it’s YOUR crying babe. No one wants to be that person. Flying with your baby can be stressful. Especially for the first time. But it can also be AMAZING! My husband and I have flown 10 different times with our now 15 month old, so we are really honing in our strategy. We’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. And I’m here to share all of our secrets with you! To make sure flying with your precious babe is easy, breezy.
Okay, here we go!
1. Snacks
This is my number one tip for flying with your baby. Bring ALL of their favorite snacks, plus more. Go all out. When everything is going wrong, snacks can honestly save the day. They are yummy, entertaining, and the perfect distraction. Cuties (oranges), simple mills sweet thins (we love lemon and honey cinnamon), and the Serenity Kids pouches are some of our faves. Check out my post here for more on the go snack ideas!
2. Nurse/Bottle
Nurse or feed your baby a bottle during take off and landing! Or give them a pacifier or something to eat. Distracting your babe during take off and landing helps to eliminate any fear of the new motion/loud noises. The sucking/chewing can also help prevent their ears from popping! And therefore, prevent tears (the ultimate goal).
3. New Toys
New toys can hold the attention of new babes a little longer than their everyday toys. They are new and exciting. Check out the dollar store! I specifically look for toys they can fidget with/have to figure out. My son, Miles loves TV remotes. So we had an old remote we took the batteries out of and brought along! Don’t be afraid to get creative.
4. Isle Seat
Booking an aisle seat is a must when flying with your baby. We have been stuck in the window seat a couple of times (it is fun at first for takeoff!), but I feel like I’m constantly needing to grab things from our bag in the overhead bin. I will think I have everything I need. And then he’s hungry. Or I need to change his diaper. Or he throws his pacifier. And then you have to disturb the people next to you to get out. So for the benefit of yourself and your seat buddies, book the aisle seat.
5. Walk
Before you board the plane and during the flight, walk. It’s so helpful to let your babe get some energy out before you board! And then, when they get antsy on the flight, walk more! Me and Miles have honestly spent hours walking the center isle of the plane. The flight attendants have always been super kind and accommodating. They generally would much rather a walking baby than a crying baby. It’s a great way to pass the time. And we make friends doing it. People are bored on the plane anyways, and love to see a cute baby walking by. Some parents with their kids have even shared their toys with us. It’s really a community event trying to keep the babes happy, which I’m here for.
6. Extra Seat
If your plane isn’t full, your flight attendant may be able to move you to a row with an extra seat! This isn’t possible on all flights (obv). But if you’re lucky, it’s GAME CHANGING. Truly. Especially if you’re trying to get your babe to sleep on the plane. My husband and I always sit on the window and aisle seat when we first get on, in hopes that we’ll get to keep the middle seat to ourselves. We often have to move. However, on our most recent flight, the middle seat passenger asked the flight attendant if he could be switched to a different seat so we could keep the middle seat! It was so kind. I almost cried of thankfulness. (He also probably didn’t love the idea of sitting next to a potentially crying baby haha. But either way). All this to say, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
7. Diaper Bag
On most airlines your diaper bag doesn’t count as a carry on! So take full advantage and load it up. Bring a change of clothes (or 2) for babe. (Miles had his first blowout on the plane lol. Needless to say we were very thankful for an extra onesie.) Plenty of diapers. Wipes. A light weight blanket in case it’s cold. 100 pacifiers (just kidding, but at least 5). Water bottle. Snacks. Toys. (Linked all my favs)
8. Nap Time
This one will very much depend on your child. But if you can, coordinate your flight around nap time!! If your babe can sleep anywhere, by all means, schedule your flight during nap time so they sleep!! We tried this for one of our flights and learned that our babe does NOT sleep on planes. At least during nap time. So for future flights we will be scheduling during his wake windows.
9. Boarding Time
Families with kids are generally allowed to board earlier than your group! There are pros and cons to this.
PROS
Prod include getting settled. And camping out in the window and isle seats hoping your middle seat passenger is as nice as ours was (lol). We never pay for seat selection and are assigned seats (usually not next to each other). So we often have to ask someone to switch seats with us (I’m here for the thrill). It’s nice to be on the plane before them so we can scope out the situation. If they are flying by themselves, they’re generally happy to switch their middle seat for one of our isle or window seats.
CONS
Cons include additional sitting time on the plane. This is a big con to me. And if your seats are already assigned and you’re happy with them, I personally would wait until the last second to board.
10. Stroller/Carrier
Bring your stroller when flying with your baby! You can check it for free at the gate. And it’s SO helpful to push your babe (+ whatever luggage you can fit in your stroller) through the airport.
Your stroller definitely may get damaged being thrown in with all the luggage! So, we bought a cheap jogging stroller from FB marketplace (for my very occasional runs) and it has become our travel stroller! Now we don’t stress about it if anything were to happen to it. You also can purchase a carry bag to help protect your stroller. They have cheap versions or boujee versions.
I love to bring the baby carrier too! Especially when your babe is younger (under 6 months) – wearing them is ideal. This gives you 2 free hands. AND they might just nap through the whole airport experience. A true blessing.
**Bonus Tip
Download a show on your phone or laptop. I am not a screen time mom. The only screen time my son gets is when dad is watching football or if he steals my phone to play with. But desperate times. My husband downloaded Toy Story and Cars on his laptop just in case we needed it. And we did. We played it without sound and Miles was entertained by all the colors. And when he got bored of that we gave him an ear bud. And he was in heaven. His attention didn’t last for super long, but it was a nice little reset for my husband and I. Judge me if you want lol.
Let the Adventure Begin
These are all my secrets to flying with your baby! I hope you feel prepared. And reassured. You can totally do this!! With a little prep work, and some extra patience, your babe will be a world traveler in no time.
I do recommend checking in with your airline – call or visit their website, for their policies on all things baby. They do differ a little per airline.
I have full confidence in you! Please don’t let your babe keep you from traveling. If you start them young, (I’m hoping) they’ll get used to it and learn to love it! Comment below ALL of your best tips for flying with your baby under 2! What has worked for you? What hasn’t? I’m here for all of your ideas!
You’ll love my other posts here!
Weekend Getaway with a Baby Under One
Winter Activities Your Kids Will Love
5 Things You Must Know Your First Year of Motherhood
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