Flying With a Baby (...and living to tell the tale)
We flew with our baby girl, Adelaide, when she was three months old. It was terrifying. I thought of it almost as a band-aid we’d have to rip off sooner or later. After chatting with many of my fellow mamas, they all mentioned that flying with an infant was easier than flying with a toddler (the mobility factor). My father loves to tell the tale of flying with me from Houston to Salt Lake City as a toddler. According to him, I screamed bloody murder the entire flight, only managing to tucker myself out in time for him to have to carry me over his shoulder the entire length of the SLC airport. Solid timing on my part, I think. However, what a nightmare for my parents. I cringe thinking about this story now having a child of my own.
George and I felt pretty flustered getting everything together from our flight from Atlanta to Houston. Thankfully, I think Adelaide was oblivious. These are a few tips for flying with an infant that I managed to collect from fellow travelers, scouring websites and experiencing it for myself.
Tips for flying with a baby
Travel with a form of identification for your child. We traveled with a copy of Adelaide’s birth certificate and, thankfully, didn’t actually need to show it. However, I’ve known a few people to be stopped from boarding a flight without one. Better to be safe than sorry.
When you book your ticket, add the “infant in lap” option. We flew Delta, and I had to add this in after I had already booked my ticket. When I checked into my flight, we had two boarding passes to show the gate agent. Adelaide’s ticket had “INF” under her seat assignment.
You can take pre-made bottles and formula through TSA. We had two pre-made bottles in a cooler ready to take through security. We also had powder formula ready to go for extra bottles and JUST in case TSA wouldn’t let the bottles through. Thankfully the ATL TSA agents were understanding and let us through security without much fuss. They patted down her stroller (George carried her through the metal detector), tested her formula bottle contents (I guess to make sure it wasn’t explosive liquid), and sent us on our merry way. NOTE: George and I both have TSA Pre-Check. NOTE #2: You might consider having your carrier handy to get your children through security. George and I were able to get through with him holding her, but I would have needed the carrier if I were traveling solo.
Ask the gate attendant if there’s an empty seat for your baby’s car seat. They SHOULD reserve one for you if there are empty seats on the plane. We had a Scrooge managing the gate at our first flight in ATL who didn’t save an empty seat for us even though there were empty seats around us. Our flight from SAT to ATL was great, because we were able to keep Adelaide in her Doona so she could nap. NOTE: The Doona might be able to roll through 1st class, but not past. George had to carry Adelaide while I wheeled our two bags.
Babies will cry on the flight. Because babies cry! It’s ok. Adelaide was unsettled until we started pushing back from the gate in ATL and ended up sleeping the entire flight to Houston. Thank goodness! She was a tad fussy on our second flight (I imagine the pressure got to her ears) but it was manageable! The good news: you’ll likely never see any of your fellow passengers again if your child has a full-on melt down. I’ve read tips that feeding or having your baby suck on a pacifier help with ear pressure during takeoff and landing.
Stay calm. You will survive! Allow yourself a little extra time, give yourself grace, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
I hope these tips are helpful as you plan to travel! I’m not sure we’re up for flying with an infant again so soon, but it definitely seems less daunting now that we’ve done it once (and lived to tell the tale).
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