Tips For Flying With a Three-Month-Old Baby
If you are anything like me, you have spent a couple of sleepless nights googling how to keep your little one from interfering with everyone’s flight experience. Here’s what I learned from three plane rides with our three-month-old.
Baby holding his passport and boarding pass
Helpful Tips For Travelling With A Baby
Packing For Three
The first thing I noticed while preparing for our trip was how much more time I spent packing. In a way, I was packing blindly cause I didn’t know how the flight would go. We had a one-way ticket to visit our family for Christmas and packed one 23kg suitcase for the three of us. The baby’s stuff occupied half and the other half we divided for ourselves. This is new for us since we always - no matter the length of the trip- travel minimally with our hand luggage only. We took two suitcases with us - one with electronics and one as the diaper/ essentials bag and checked one big suitcase. Still, when we arrived at the counter, with our puff jackets and layers, the baby, the pram and car seat, the suitcases and backpacks with empty water bottles and a tote bag, we looked like we were carrying all our belongings. Travelling in winter is always a bit of a hassle.
In the diaper bag, we included things like the baby’s medicines, toys, blankets, three clothing changes (in case of several poop explosions), five diapers, baby wipes, a changing mat, and a muslin cloth.
Arrive with plenty of time at the airport. It’s no longer just the two of you, who can run in case of a gate change or hang out while having a coffee until boarding begins. Make enough time to check bulky luggage like the pram or car seat. Make time for the security check- it is helpful when there’s a family line, but families carry a lot more stuff! Make time for a quick feed in case of a crying baby and a diaper change so the baby is nice and fresh at the beginning of the flight. (These last two might take some time; not all bathrooms in the airports have a changing station or a quiet spot to breastfeed.)
Inside the Airplane
We found testing the waters first with a short trip helpful instead of jumping straight into a long-haul flight. During the flight, we kept checking with the baby to see if he was okay, and honestly, he didn’t seem to notice what was happening. (By then, he was two months old). I kept reading to breastfeed him during take-off, but he also needed to be strapped on, so I didn’t breastfeed him until the seatbelt sign was off. This is recommended to “pop” their ears from the change in air pressure. Also, to keep them hydrated during the flight.
Work in shifts with your partner or travel companion so you don’t burn out all of your energy in the first hours of the trip.
Dress baby in layers since some aeroplanes can have the AC too strong.
Change baby at the beginning of the flight while the aeroplane’s bathroom is still clean!
Keep your baby’s nap/ sleep schedule, if they have one, not to disrupt too much sleep. We carried our baby in the Ergo baby or Marsupi, walking up and down the aisle to put him to sleep.
Consider asking if the flight has any empty seats left to have more space with the baby (as opposed to buying extra space for him). This usually happens on flights, not during popular hours such as Friday or Sunday evenings.
Our First Experience Travelling With Our Baby
Ultimately, we found that travelling with a three-month-old - despite all the carrying around- was much easier than we thought. Our baby barely cried or noticed what was going on. The time seemed to fly by while playing with him or putting him down to sleep, and we luckily didn’t have any poop explosions. I would do a few things differently, though; I would pack fewer clothing changes and carry fewer diapers in the diaper bag. I wouldn’t take the car seat in the cabin with us, and I would pack our coats and puffy layers in the checked bag. I think these changes would have helped us travel lighter. Many people have been concerned about our baby’s schedule and how disrupting travelling must have been for him. We didn’t find the actual travel to be the problem. Once we arrived at our destinations, we did our best to set a routine and stick to our regular times. It takes our baby around a week to feel comfortable and settled in a new place, so we discovered that day trips or weekend trips by car were more disruptive than a long-haul journey and an extended stay in one place. This will change how Kevin and I travel, but we enjoy staying longer in just one place instead of seeing everything in a week or a few days. Overall, it was a positive experience, and you will never hear from me about not travelling because you have a three-month-old baby!