28 Jul
Flying with Baby
I’ve now flown two roundtrips with T1, which certainly makes me no expert on flying with baby, but I’ve certainly learned some things that should be helpful to some.
1. Have proof of age
I flew on Delta with no ID for him, so I foolishly assumed that all airlines used common sense to determine that an infant as small as he is (hello, he is 3 months!) is under 2 years old. Not so with Southwest. At first I thought they weren’t going to let me on the plane, but they agreed to let me get on for the first flight as long as I had proof of age by the time I returned. This proof of age could either be a birth certificate, which I didn’t have yet, or a shot record from the doctor’s office. The shot record is a joke, a Word document with a list of shots and the date they were administered (i.e. we could totally forge it ourselves if we wanted), but it was enough for them and he was able to get on the plane to come home with me.
2. Wear your baby
I decided to wear T1 in the Moby wrap instead of lugging a stroller around. Not only did I love this, the other passengers on the plane and in the airport just about died whenever they saw his bald head peeking out. He likes to face out and see the world so I would put him in facing away from me and everyone who saw him would coo in his direction, some of them openly laughing and remarking how adorable he looked. It’s a crowd pleaser for sure.
I walked right through security with him on my chest, no need to take him out. I don’t understand why but on both airlines they made me take him out for takeoff and landing, which was extra annoying when he was sleeping. I loved that wearing him gave me two free hands to write emails on my phone while he was sleeping. Another benefit of wearing him? I was able to go pee and use both hands while doing it.
Added at 12:00 pm: One more thing I forgot to mention. Because I flew “hands free” with him in the Moby, I was able to carry on all my luggage both times. Before all of the airlines charged a “checked baggage” fee this might not have been a very big deal, but now that it can cost you $25 to check a bag I think it is. I walked with my diaper bag balanced on top of my carry on sized rolling suitcase and didn’t have to check anything, something I could not have done if I were pushing a stroller around the airport.
If you’re considering wearing your baby instead of taking a stroller, I say DO IT. I’ll be wearing him whenever we fly from now on.
3. Think about the car seat
When you’re flying with a baby there is one critical thing you have to think about, and that is how you will transport him around when you get there. If you’re driving in a car a car seat is essential, and if you’re like me and wear him in in a carrier you won’t have one with you. Each time I traveled I was headed to a place where someone had a car seat ready for me, but this is the one drawback to wearing your baby while flying that I found.
4. Go to the gate counter early
Getting there early will give you the chance to make sure they know you have an infant-in-arms (they need an accurate head count before they take off), and I found that they went out of their way to try to get me a good seat. On my very first flight I sat in the bulkhead seat, the kind with buckets of legroom AND the ability to stash the diaper bag under the first class seat in front of me. So nice.
5. Look for larger planes
This is just me guessing, but I think most larger planes would have a changing station in the bathroom, something that you’ll really, really, want to have. On my first round of flights I had to change him while he was lying on the toilet seat, with his lower half on the seat and his head wedged in the space between the seat and the wall. He was not happy about this, and I don’t blame him, it was really disgusting. The Southwest flight had changing tables in the rear bathrooms and it made a big difference.
Bonus tip: Be willing to let fellow seatmates hold your baby
If the thought of their non-sterilized hands on your child gives you the heebee-jeebees you can offer them some hand sanitizer, but I loved handing the baby over so I could read my magazine in peace for a few minutes. Plus, people love babies and it really makes them happy to spend some time with one! I feel like I’m making the world a better place in some small way when I give someone a few minutes of my baby smiling up at them. Do note that babies should only be handed over to people who are making “I-want-to-hold-your-baby-eyes” in your direction.
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Is it really creepy that I would totally hold a stranger’s baby? But I’d be way too scared to ask, so only if the mom offered.
These are great tips! Traveling with a kid is something I’m terrified of doing, but I have a feeling the trick is starting young. Ha, I can barely get myself through security…
1I ditto your comments about wearing your baby at the airport. We traveled cross country recently and didn’t need to or want to bring a stroller because the whole family is happier when baby’s being carried. As for the car seat, you can check one for free no matter what airline you are traveling. Wrap the whole thing up in a garbage bag with just the handle poking out and put your name on it. Some airlines charge for the bag!
2With southwest you can now check your stroller and car seat for free http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/flying-with-kids-southwest-airlines-just-got-easier
woo free!
3oh, and I would be ultra happy if someone let me hold their baby. Except, that I’ve banned myself from touching babies recently. If I’m exposed for too long… I end up wanting one!
4I have yet to fly with both boys - I’m absolutely terrified. To go to Phoenix, we always fly Southwest -it’s so cheap, but I’m beginning to rethink that strategy because of the no common sense age thing and because they no longer offer early/first seating for families of young children. That’s the main reason I flew with them! Now you have to make sure to get the A boarding or they let you on after the A’s. Gee thanks.
I regret not appreicating flying with just one! Actually I should have appreicated flying all by myself back in the day, too. As long as I can get away with not flying alone with both, I’m doing it!
5Lol, it’s funny to read both you, and OMGmom (and some other blogs) talking about flying with babies, since it didn’t seem like a big deal to me. I’ve been flying since birth, and my parents have been flying us around forever - every time we move. Ya know, 5 kids and a dog flying from VA to GA to France to Germany.
Kelli Nicole Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 10:36 am
Haha, my mom flew with her 5 kids under 8 (my twin sister and I were under 1) by herself and at the end of the flight someone told her they dreaded the flight when they saw her get on, but thought we were the best behaved kids ever, lol (she MUST have drugged us). Not really looking forward to doing it myself though :).
Jessica @ One Shiny Star Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 10:49 am
Yeah… I’m sure my mom gave us something - my family is notorious for motion sickness. lol. I prefer sleeping on planes any way.
Austyn Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Wow! Major kudos to your mom. I am impressed!
Jenna put me on a flight with your baby and I’ll hold him the whole time! If every mom offered to let me hold their babies I’d try to fly a few times a day! Baby crazy?! I say yes!
7Good advice. You can just check your carseat for free with just about every airline. Easy solution. I have two kids and they let me check both carseats every time.
I love carrying my baby, but I always travel with a little umbrella stroller. Even if I carry or wear my baby, I can hang my purse, carry on, diaper bag, etc. on the stroller and let my arms worry about the baby. If you have a very long layover, this is key because hauling everything around another airport gets exhausting. Then you just check the stroller (also for free) at the gate, and as a bonus, you have the stroller if you need it wherever you’re going.
8I agree that it’s annoying that they make you remove him during take off and landing. Don’t you think it’s safer to have him strapped to your body?
I mean it’s not a car-seat-strapped-in type of safety factor, but I imagine that in the event of a rough landing, it would be better for him to be on your person, no?
Kelli Nicole Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 10:38 am
I totally agree with this and I don’t understand the regulation either. I’m going to have to look into it to see why they do this.
Jenna Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
If we did crash, having him in the carrier would allow me to have two hands free to apply my oxygen mask. This makes SO much more sense than holding him on my lap.
Kelli Nicole Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Ok, the ONLY thing I’ve been able to think of is this. If you crashed into a body of water and got stuck it would be slightly easier to pass your baby off to someone else for rescue (that is if the jolt of the crash didn’t cause him to fly out of your arms). So yeah, still doesn’t really make any sense to me.
I have to comment quickly, so I’m not sure if this will be clear, but my own tip for international travel with a little one would be: Request a bulkhead seat for your international flights-tell them you will be traveling with an infant and want to make sure you can use the bassinet attached to the wall. It’s free, you just have to have specific seats to use it. (I think some domestic flights also offer this feature, so you might want to look into it for future travel.)
Cristin Reply:
July 30th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Agree agree! Great tip.
Great tips! I think wearing baby would be the best way to travel as well - though I don’t really understand why you’d have to take him out for landing?! Seems he would be safer in there
Another tip if you’re wearing your baby, if renting a car, be sure to request a car seat!
11Glad you had a good flying experience! As others have said, you can check your car seat at the counter or at the gate. Ditto the stroller. As your kiddo gets bigger and upgrades to the larger car seat, you can look into getting a bakcpack carrier like this http://www.amazon.com/Childress-Ultimate-Seat-Travel-Black/dp/B0009RNXNA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1280331808&sr=8-1 to get you through the airport. Saved my bacon many times.
I also love wearing baby, but I’m really shocked that they let you go through the security like that. Yay for progress! I have many horror stories about trying to do that and some ridiculous experiences with the stroller. I’m glad they were more accommodating for you.
And yes, the newer planes have changing tables in the front bathroom- at least on SW. It’s crazy trying to manage a diaper change in such a small space, but it’s better than getting looks from other passengers as you try to do it on the seat, or the tray table like we had to do with Warren one time!
Can’t wait to read about your post when you fly with sick baby puking all over you (like one I had with Warren!) and you officially become a seasoned traveler with kids!
12I dont have a baby but thought this post was very interesting. What actually caught my eye was your last point about letting the person next to you hold your baby. Once or twice I’ve sat near a baby on a plane and had an inkling to ask if I could hold them, but always held off because I thought the mom might think I was some crazy baby lady. I wonder if most moms are as open as you are about this? (I personally think it’s great!)
Kelli Nicole Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Jenna is definitely a lot more relaxed than most first-time moms (I’ll be first to admit that I’m sure I won’t be as chill with my first), but I think as long as you’re not sneezing/coughing and use hand sanitizer first most/many moms would probably welcome the break. Any moms out there want to chime in?
Jenell Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
I am one of those, not too shy to ask someone to hold their baby types. I will be a mom in December. I’ve done it once at the nail salon a mom was with her one year old baby while getting her nails done and baby was getting bored of sitting on the floor so I asked if I could hold the baby. I told her I was expecting and it was a nice conversation. I’m a nerd though, just like I thought the pregnant lady walking on the street today was waving at me cause, Hey!, we’re both pregnant and maybe that’s what pregnant ladies do, but it was for the people walking behind me.
As for strangers holding my baby, so long as their not hacking up a lung or are dirty or smelly and sitting down, I wouldn’t have an issue with it.
I’m always so impressed by people who take their babies (quite frequently with other kids in tow) on airplanes with them. I can imagine that it could easily become incredibly overwhelming, so kudos to you for being so positive about it!
14I flew quite a bit with my baby, and it was always SO inconvenient when the airplanes didn’t have a changing station for them. When he was small, like T1 is, I just sat myself on the toilet seat and laid him on my lap for the diaper changes. It’s pretty close quarters, but works ok when they are small (plus they don’t have to touch the yucky toilet seat!) When he was old enough to stand on his own, we mastered the technique of the standing up diaper change, but so far that has only seemed to work with pee-only changes. It’s always an adventure traveling with a baby!
15I am so glad you’re the type of mom who is open to letting other people hold your baby! I was once on a flight where we sat on the tarmac for almost 2 hours (because of an emergency with an elderly passenger) and the mom next to me was having a rough time. I offered to hold her baby while she got up to go to the restroom and she glared at me and said “NO Thank You!” very rudely as if I was going to kidnap her child!
16I don’t agree with the hand sanitizer thing. But I’m an immunologist and I think it is crucial that kids are exposed to germs when they are younger so they can build up their immune systems. Think about it, did our parents make everyone slather on hand sanitizer just to hold us when we were babies? No! Because it didn’t even exist back then. There’s a reason why more and more people are getting allergies and autoimmune disorders like Crohn’s disease - we are becoming too clean of a society. Just google the “hygiene hypothesis”. So next time someone wants to hold your baby, let them do it without the hand sanitizer. The only time I would refuse is if the person is clearly sick. Obviously I wouldn’t want my baby to get really sick, but the normal germs and bacteria that people carry around with them would be ok.
Jenna Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
A believer in the hygiene hypothesis!
Oh my, I have so many questions for you. I am actually a believer myself, I learned about it from a Radio Lab episode from last year. I instantly thought it was a step in the right direction and we’ve done our best to ignore all the craziness surrounding germs and hand sanitizer since. Though it sounds lame for me to say it now, we actually don’t use hand sanitizer, I just put that in the post to try to help the other moms who are a bit more neurotic about germs. I’ve never asked anyone to sanitize before they hold my baby, if they’ve done so it was of their own volition.
I assume you know about that guy from the Radio Lab episode who says his allergies were cured by ringworm? I tell TH all the time that if P has allergies we want to give him ringworn. And I’m not joking.
Do you know if there are any sources that talk about parenting when you believe in the hygiene hypothesis? I know it should be just common sense, but I still have questions and I wonder if there are resources out there for others who are parenting this way.
Have you seen this article? http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=soil-bacteria-might-increase-learni-10-05-24
Kristy Reply:
July 29th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
It was hookworms, but I totally listened to that episode. I <3 Radiolab. And my dad and I both think my mom should go for it (her allergies are awful) but she was repulsed by the suggestion.
I was on a SW flight about two years ago and the mom next to me was holding the cutest little baby (just as cute as T1!). The little girl kept trying to crawl over to me (she was eying my long hair!) and the mom kept apologizing for her daughter trying to crawl over to me. I basically told her that I didn’t mind at all and she can crawl over if she wanted. The mom seemed really surprised, but it was one of the best. flights. ever. The baby played with my hair, my jewelery, my nose (ha)..I had a blast, and the mom got a break!
People like you who are willing to share the baby joy make people like me very happy
18My mom took me once when I was a baby - 1.5 years old (my parents barely flew and I think my next flight was when I was in sixth grade).
She used Dramamine or something so I wouldn’t bother anyone….
I fly all the time now, but I hope I can stop traveling so much when I have a baby. We don’t have to fly to see family, so we should be able to avoid it. However, I think Jenna has a good idea with the baby backpack thing.
19Great post, Jenna!
20I would be the person next to you giving you “your baby is cute” eyes, LOL! I think it’s awesome that you’ll hand T1 over if the person seems nice/clean/healthy. As a women who has been trying to conceive for years, I love any opportunity to hold a baby.
21That is so awesome that you’re open to your flying neighbors holding T1. I would definitely be giving you those your baby is cute lemme hold it! looks.
22I LOVE kids. My mom had a daycare while I was growing up, so I feel comfortable around them. Babies can always cheer me up, though, and I always wonder if people think Im weird for smiling and waving at babies in strollers, heh.
We all know my experiences with flying with a baby. We’ve been on 32 planes together in 11 months. Something new and unexpected happens every single time. When he gets older, get an umbrella stroller to wheel him thru the airport and the flight people will help you check it at gate. You can check the car seat for free. Unless you buy him a seat- which i recommend if flying with him after month 7-8-then you wont need the car seat on the flight.
23“I-want-to-hold-your-baby-eyes.” Ha! That cracked me up. I’ve held babies for people before. They are usually very relieved-looking to get a break and to get to go to the bathroom sans child.
24One time we were flying from Boise to Denver (so the lady next to me was from Boise) and she looked at me and actually asked if I wanted to hold the baby. Of course I did but I was surprised how willing she was to let me.
25Just a heads up - the picture on this post “flying with baby” isn’t showing up on my IE browser. It comes in as a red X with the file header.
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