Flying with a Baby

Tips and tricks for flying with child under two

My daughter and I on our most recent plane ride.

My daughter has flown 5 times in her first year of life, and I have to tell you; It's been really easy. 3 out of the 5 times, I have even been by myself.

Through these travels, I have discovered some helpful tips and tricks for flying with a baby.

• A child under two can fly in your lap for free. Since they normally want to be snuggled on you anyways, save your money and skip buying them a seat.
• Babywearing is your best friend. It frees up your hands, calms them down, and keeps them from getting overstimulated. Your child has to be unwrapped or at least untied and unbuckled for takeoff and landing. Pre-tie your wrap so you can pop them in and out of it when you need. We like Solly Baby wraps, they are lightweight, and do not have to be retied often.
• If you're breastfeeding, try (if you can) to wait to nurse them until you're on the plane. It gives them some comfort and helps their ears adjust to pressure changes. 
• Most people are incredibly helpful. Let people put your bag up in the overhead, run something to the trash can, etc. If you look like you need something and they offer. ACCEPT, you focus on snuggling with your baby. 
• Unscrew the cap of a straw sippy cup before you open it. We use a tommee tippee cup when we travel, since you can close the straw in. We opened the straw to give my daughter some water, and it squirted out and on the head of the person in front of us!
• Let your child be themselves. My daughter is a budding extrovert, meaning she loves to talk to everyone and gets energized by doing so. She waves, smiles, giggles, and talks to anyone that will look at her, and yells at anyone who won't look at her. If we tried to make her sit still and be quiet, she wouldn't understand, and she would get upset that we don't seem to like her natural behavior we like every other time. Plus it's a bonus if people think your child is cute and likes them, they'll be patient with a lot more.
• Relax. You can not control your child. If they're crying, relax into it and have empathy for what they are going through. A plane is scary, it's loud, it bugs their ears, there are lots of people to overstimulate. Even worse, their mommy might be clearly frustrated and upset, which must mean there's something wrong. Take a deep breath in, exhale and drop your shoulders. 
• You will likely never see these people again. To the person who is giving you looks and glares. To the person who huffs and puffs. To the person who can't sleep because your baby can't sleep. To the person who is trying to make you feel awful because they're annoyed by your baby. Get over yourself.  I don't say that lightly. Mammas (and dads) we have enough going on besides worrying about other people's slight inconvenience. They can put their headphones in, stare at their own book, and just get over being annoyed for a few hours.

Most importantly, it is only a slight amount of time in your life. You are a strong person and an incredible parent. You can handle this. Wrap your baby up in a carrier, snuggle and kiss, hum a song, rock back and forth, and just stay in your own little world with your child. 


P.S.
Unsolicited ad for Southwest: We now never fly anything besides Southwest (when available). You get two checked bags for free. There isn't a fee to use your airline credits if you have to reschedule your flight. Families with a child under 6 can board together between the A group and the B group. They've taken to presenting their safety announcements with humor, which starts the flight off on a good note. I feel all of these components make them very baby and family friendly.