Traveling with an infant can seem daunting. What do I pack? What can I travel with? What if my child screams bloody-murder the entire flight? How am I going to carry a stroller, carseat, luggage AND tiny human through a crowded airport?
I would be lying if I said all of these thoughts didn’t cross my mind. In fact, they crossed my mind so often that I almost cancelled our trip. The thought of traveling with a baby for the first time seems exciting “in theory”, but all of the unknowns were nearly too much to handle.
l’m writing this post 3 weeks after our trip and happy to report that my anxiety didn’t ruin any plans. Our experience flying with an eight-month old actually went way better than TJ and I could have ever imagined. While we’ve only made it through one trip and I’m in no way an expert at this, I thought I’d share what worked well for us.
With this being our first flight with Nori, I wanted to pack light. I was fearful of overpacking and feeling overwhelmed in the airport. Below, I break down exactly what we packed for our 3-day trip to Florida.
1. Diaper Bag
The diaper bag was free to carry on our flight with Fronter Airlines, in addition to your standard personal item. This allowed me to bring all of Nori’s necessities in her diaper bag while having a second bag to dedicate other items to. Here’s what I packed inside:
Diaper Bag: Skip Hop
2. Carseat and Stroller
We brought an infant car seat, stroller, and toddler seat. We wanted to check her car seat at the ticket counter (one less heavy thing to bring through TSA) and check the stroller and toddler seat at the gate to minimize damage.
I purchased travel bags for the car seat and stroller, which helped keep them damage and germ free. These bags were extremely roomy – so roomy that I stuffed a few light items into each bag (extra diapers) to free up space in the suitcase.
To my surprise, carseats and strollers are free to travel with (one per child). Oh, the things you learn once you become a parent.
Car Seat and Stroller: Evenflo Pivot Car Seat Bag: VolkGo Car Seat Travel Bag Stroller Bag: J.L. Childress Gate Check Bag
3. Personal Item
For my inflight personal item, I packed a bookbag with an additional blanket, airpods, and snacks. I also carried the stroller bag in my bookbag until it was time to board our flight.
Bookbag: Herschel Retreat
4. Lunch Box
I packed a few bottles with breast milk, ice packs and baby food for Nori.
Lunchbox: Breastmilk Cooler with Ice Pack
5. Large Suitcase
We were able to fit all of our outfits and toiletries inside one large suitcase thanks to these packing cubes. They were a lifesaver.
Suitcase: It Luggage Softside Spinner Packing Cubes: JJ Power Travel Packing Cubes
Once we arrived to the airport, we got our boarding passes and checked the suitcase and carseat at the ticket counter. TJ and I took turns baby-wearing Nori through the airport for convenience. We attached the toddler seat to the stroller and threw all of her bags inside, leaving us hands free.
Pro Tip: Prior to checking your stroller and carseat, add colorful ribbons to the bags to help differentiate your items. I lost count how many families I saw in the airport with the exact same bags.
Making it through TSA with a baby is fairly easy, but requires some work.
+ We were required to decollapse the stroller and remove the toddler seat. The stroller seat went on the conveyor belt and a TSA pushed the stroller frame through a side door.
+ I packed several small bottles of breastmilk. I was asked by TSA if any of the bottles were over 3 oz. Thankfully, they weren’t; however, had they’d been, I’m assuming it would have required additional screening. When traveling with a baby, you’re able to carry on liquids over the 3 oz rule, such as breastmilk, formula, food, etc.; just be prepared for extra screening. I left her milk, food and ice packs in the lunchbox and was not required to have them separated in a clear plastic bag.
+ Baby wearing Nori through TSA allowed me to skip the full body scanner. Instead, I walked through a metal detector and both of my hands were swabbed. I wore this carrier which is metal-free.
Before boarding our flight, TJ decollapsed the stroller and slipped it inside the stroller bag. TJ handed over the stroller at the gate. Simple enough.
Here’s where things got tricky. Sitting for 3 hours with an active eight-month old was a challenge. Once we found our seats, I proceeded to wipe down the seats, windows, armrest and tray table. The moment Nori saw me flip down the tray table, it was game over. Every five seconds, she would yank it down, giggle, and wait for us to push it backup before proceeding to yank it down once more. To the older gentleman sitting in front of us, I sincerely apologize.
We tried to plan Nori’s nap around take off so that she would sleep for most of the flight. I’m not sure if it was the excitement of flying or her curiosity, but she didn’t fall asleep until the tail end of both flights.
As the plane prepared for takeoff, I started to nurse Nori. I was told that nursing during takeoff would help alleviate pressure in her ears. Alternatively, giving her a pacifier would help as well. Thankfully, she showed no signs of discomfort during takeoff.
To keep her entertained, we pulled out a few of her favorite toys and books.
I’m so grateful that our neighboring passengers were friendly. For the majority of both flights, Nori’s choice of entertainment was standing on our laps and smiling at the passengers behind us. They got a kick out of it and it kept Nori content. Win-win.
Mid-way through our flight, Nori needed to be changed. I wasn’t prepared for the tiny changing table inside the plane bathroom, but we made it work.
Once Nori feel asleep, I grabbed the noise cancelling headphones from the diaper bag and slipped them over her ears. The last thing I wanted was a flight attendant eagerly promoting their airline credit card over the PA system to wake Nori up.
Once we landed, our stroller was waiting for us outside the plane doors. We slipped the stroller out of the bag, tucked our personal belongings underneath the stroller, and placed Nori back into the wearable baby carrier.
At baggage claim, TJ grabbed our suitcase and carseat. Thankfully, the car seat bag came with wearable straps. TJ wore the car seat on his back (he’s the real MVP) and pulled the suitcase while I wore Nori and pushed the stroller. Teamwork.
We finally headed to pick up our rental car, installed the car seat and loaded the car with our luggage. After placing the final piece of luggage inside the trunk, TJ and I turned and high-fived each other.
We just made it through our first flight with a baby.
Few Ending Thoughts:
+ I debated on purchasing this Doona stroller for our trip . It folds down to a carseat WITH a base, therefore this is all you would need to travel with for a child. It unfortunately is only for infants and Nori would have outgrown it within a few months. Had we started traveling with her sooner, this would have been a great investment.
+ If you plan to fly often with your child, it may be worth purchasing a car seat that’s meant JUST for flights. That way, their everyday car seat won’t get banged up (and potentially damaged).
+ For breastfeeding mama’s, keep an eye out for Mamava pods. Both airports we traveled in had them, making it super convenient to nurse Nori in a quiet and sanitary space. I am also pro-breastfeeding your baby in public, so do what feels most comfortable to you.
Finally, I share some photos from our first family vacation in Orlando, Florida. We stayed at Hyatt Regency Orlando, which is hands down my favorite hotel in Orlando.
I hope you found this post helpful. What tips do you have when traveling with a child?
Xo,
Brooke
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