Baby G and Me

Adventures of a (first time!) Mom and Daughter

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  • Newborn Travel Trips

    Baby G and I traveled to my parents for the holidays this year. She was eight weeks old. Traveling with Baby G was a lot of fun but required preparation and planning. Here are some of the things we learned!

    TRAVELING BY AIRPLANE

    • Baby Seat: We debated buying the baby her own seat, but tickets were expensive so we decided not to. She was just fine without her own seat. However, be sure to ask the gate agent if you can get a seat for the baby. On our way to Florida the gate agent kindly secured us the entire row so we had more space. Be sure to call the airlines to add “infant in arms” to your ticket. Delta also now has a texting feature I used that was super easy to add the baby to my ticket. I think you can also do it online. We also traveled with a copy of the baby’s birth certificate. No one ever asked us for it, but I had read that it was a good thing to travel with.
    • Baby Carrier: On the way to Florida, I wore Baby G in a carrier for the entire flight. We use this one (https://www.amazon.com/BABYBJ%C3%96RN-Baby-Carrier-2019-Silver/dp/B07HPYXBXY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3HHSUY2Y2K72O&keywords=baby+bjorn+carrier&qid=1641850823&sprefix=baby+bjorn+carrie%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-3), but I think the key is finding the one which you like the fit of the best. I tried this one on in the store before purchasing. Having the baby in the carrier worked very well. The flight attendance might ask you to remove the baby from the carrier for take off – I just took down the should straps and wrapped a light blanket around her. If you choose not to wear the baby in a carrier for the entire flight, I still recommend wearing it as you get on/off the flight as being able to be hands free is a big help. Others have recommended to wear the baby in the carrier and use your stroller to put your luggage in. On the way home, my husband ended up just holding her in his arms.
    • Sit Together: If you are traveling with someone, be sure to be together and both people might want to mark “decline upgrades” to be sure you do not get split up. This happened to us on our way home. My husband and I both ended up in middle seats separated. The gate agent could not get us together but she was able to offer me a aisle seat which was much better than a middle. In hindsight, I should have made sure I had the aisle seat vs. my husband in the event we did get separated so I could sit with the baby in an aisle seat. I have seen that some traveling parents recommend both parents getting aisle seats. We did not do that, but I see how that could be beneficial.
    • Under the Seat Bag: I put the baby’s diaper bag under the seat. I made sure it had the essentials: diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, extra pacifiers, a bottle, milk, a light blanket, burp cloth, gas drops, and change of clothes. I also included a little bottle of Dawn to wash bottles if needed – I took a travel shampoo bottle and put it there. I liked traveling with the Dawn because it allowed me to wash the airport bottle before we got on the flight.
    • Carry On Bag: In addition I carried a larger bag that I put in the overhead compartment. It included: extra diapers, extra wipes, an extra change of clothes, dog poop trash bags for dirty diapers (seems unnecessary but I really like having them!), my breast pump (I didn’t want to risk losing that in luggage), baby medicines, a lightweight changing pad that came with my diaper bag, and pre-made formula (in case of total emergency in which the baby could somehow not get access to breast milk).
    • Milk: I decided to take “fresh” milk that had been in our fridge. I transferred it into freezer bags and put it in this great cooler. I took enough for 3 feeds to be safe. We fed the baby just before we got on the plane. We did not rush to get on the plane and that would be my recommendation! I saved a little milk at the end of the airport bottle for takeoff. People say you should make sure they are feeding or sucking on something when you takeoff and land. On takeoff on the way there the baby slept and my pediatrician told me there was no need to wake her but the baby did eat on takeoff on the way home. As we landed the baby did get a little fussy so we fed her then. Net, ensure you have some milk ready to go (whether that’s boob or bottle) for take off or landing. I had my husband give bottles because our breast feeding game is not yet that advanced! To warm the milk, I simply put it inside my sports bra and next to my body. Yea, it’s a little strange but it’s incredibly easy with the milk in the freezer bags and practical. You can buy a travel bottle warmer but I didn’t want one more thing and Baby G does not need her bottles to be too warm. I think you can also ask the flight attendant for warm water. I used this cooler for my breast milk and I love it because it is the most compact one I could find. I transfer my fresh milk into freezer bags before I put them in this cooler as it allows you to get more milk into the cooler. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V5KB6GH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1)
    • Pumping: At the airport I did decide to pump before our flight while my husband gave a bottle. The CVG airport has a mamavava room, which is nothing special, but does the job. You can download the app – the one at CVG you can just walk into. On the way home I did not pump as it was too much of a hassle for me. You could also of course nurse the baby before or during the flight.
    • Car Seat/Stroller: You can absolutely gate check these and that is what we did. Our car seat came with a travel bag and if you have one I definitely recommend using one. We have the Doona so we did not bring our big stroller.
    • Security: Be ready to take the baby out of the car seat/stroller – -this surprised me and then the car seat got screened. Also, all my breastmilk got screened – but you can absolutely bring whatever liquids you need for the baby on the plane.

    AT THE DESTINATION

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