A the ripe ‘old’ age of 9 month little miss Jellybean has been to the east coast, west coast and Midwest! Pretty well traveled baby don’t you thinks?!?! Between the age of 3 and 9 months we’ve flown with Jellybean a number of times and taken two long car trips. During each trip I learn of something new I should pack as well as what not to pack. Finding the balance between enough and not enough stuff has been challenging.
The ability to wash clothes at the grandparents’ houses was clutch! When we were in Seattle clean clothes were hard to come by and, yeah, we totally ran out of diapers … the trip was only 4 days. The husband admitted (after the fact) he thought I over packed, and was completely befuddled when he had to hand wash a onsie and go buy more diapers on the last day of the trip!
Let me put my cards on the table here. Traveling with a baby isn’t as bad as I thought it would be! Do I want to travel with her weekly or even monthly?! No, not really. But all in all flying with an infant isn’t all that bad — even when taking into account the blowout we experienced on Mother’s day.
Traveling with all of the baby’s STUFF …. now THAT, THAT my friends, that is another story. :) For such a little person Jellybean’s suitcase and carry on bag {aka diaper bag} is overflowing every time we travel.
I did my share of Googling and surveying friends when planning how to best travel with our infant. While I am clearly not an expert when it comes to traveling with a baby I did want to share what I’ve learned so far!
Tips to make Flying with an Infant Easier
- Gate check the stroller and car seat. It’s free so there is no reason not to bring them with you. Yes they are clunky, but the ability to put JB in her stroller/carseat and walk through the airport was amazing. While a baby carrier is great I find carrying the baby plus carry-on bag to be a bit much! If you little one is out of the car seat already you can check it for free after obtaining your boarding pass. Not shlupping that thing through the airport is SO nice.
- Change baby’s diaper just prior to boarding. Even if the diaper is just a tiny bit wet it’s best to start fresh.
- Boarding early . When able, that is, apparently United doesn’t do early boarding for families, boo! It’s nice to get on and get settled without having to navigate around others … or hold up the boarding process. Better yet, when traveling with another adult, have one person get on early with the gear and then other board last minute with the baby.
- Allow for extra time to go through security. TSA is super chill about carrying on formula/pumped milk, and purees/food. TSA does do an extra check so it adds a tad bit of additional time for them to do the check.
- Place the diaper bag and ALL baby related items under the seat in front of you. Inevitably something I thought we would not need became a MUST HAVE RIGHT NOW item during take off or landing – clearly if it’s in the overhead one will need it when we can’t access it. :)
- Bring a baby carrier. For most it seems like the baby carrier and stroller are an either/or travel item. For me, BOTH are a must. The carrier was clutch when we were flying to Seattle. It was the only way I could have my hands free and allow Jellybean to take a nap. I wouldn’t ever travel without it again.
BONUS TIP! Cheerios and/or Puffs are great for entertainment and containing the little one in tight corridors.
Here is Jellybean on her maiden trip to the Midwest :)
Any travel tips? What is your must have items for baby when traveling?
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// This is the same brand as the as Sophie Giraffe, which seems to show up on EVERY baby registry list I’ve read. Honestly I liked the Elephant way better than the Giraffe. The giraffe has long legs, which Jellybean has gagged herself on more times than I can count and the elephant’s legs are shorter. Plus it’s nice to be a little different! Tip – this also come in a lion you just have to look past the ginormous giraffe display. :)
// When the pulling up began I quickly realized we needed a toy Jellybean could pull up on and play with. The coffee table was effective at first, but it wasn’t interactive or stimulating … even with toys on the table. I love this activity table and so does JB.
// I can’t even remember who suggested I tries these, but I was sold after 1 night. Instead of purchasing specific night time diapers we place one of the booster pads into the diaper each night and we haven’t had a leak or issue yet!! PLUS the booster pads fit into every size diaper we’ve used so far (sizes 1 -3) … no need to purchase new pads when your little one outgrows their diapers.
// These double as bath toys, regular toys and teething toys. Jellybean LOVES the different characters and at least one can be found in every room in the house.
// No real explanation needed here.
to be shown on TV?! Seriously, I still really like … okay love that movie!
& Lock / 
– Pretty standard item most women purchase pre-delivery. The only addition I have to this is get multiple sizes and bring a few of your own pads to the hospital in case, like me, you don’t really like the ones the hospital provides.
– I am all about my DSLR, however the ability to quickly capture moments remains key. It’s lightweight and doesn’t take the ‘effort’ of shooting in manual with my Nikon D90. Also easier to use for the non-shutterbugs, as well as increasing the odds you are present in future family photos. Added bonus for this camera is it shoots well in low light … super helpful when trying to limit or completely eliminate using a flash on a newborn.
in the nursery.
