Tips on Traveling with an Infant

In my most recent blog post I shared our trip to Naples, Florida which was actually Porter’s first flight! Today I wanted to share a little more about our travel experience and share a few tips on traveling with an infant. This was our first time flying with Porter (9 months) so I’m definitely no expert but I’ll share what we did for a relatively smooth experience.

We typically take an Uber to the airport but I didn’t really feel comfortable with Porter so Ryan just dropped me off at Departures then took a shuttle from long-term parking. This was such a great idea because it gave me time to feed him a little bit of food and I didn’t have to deal with the hassle of the shuttle. Highly recommend doing this if you’re not traveling alone!

Packing the car seat

We checked our UppaBaby Mesa carseat and purchased this car seat bag (the backpack style is super easy to carry around the airport). It felt very secure and here’s a pro tip- if you found your luggage is a bit heavy you can always throw a few things into the car seat bag! I opted for this bag vs. the one made for the Mesa because it can also fit a convertible car seat and is easier to carry (and also way less expensive).

We did not bring the car seat base with us- the Mesa can be used without the base so we made sure to practice that before we left. Since Ryan’s parents were picking us up we thought it would be easier to bring our own car seat, but if you’re renting a car it’s easy to rent a car seat as well.

Get a travel stroller!

Before this trip I debated bringing our full size stroller or purchasing a travel stroller. Ultimately we decided to purchase the Zoe XLC Traveler stroller and I was SO glad we did. It was so easy to maneuver around the airport and the one-hand open and close was so nice, especially when going through security. The stroller only weighs 11 lbs. but also feels very secure and I love that it has a really large canopy, can recline pretty far and has an adjustable footrest. It folds down super small so you can actually put it in the overhead compartment of the plane if you want, be we just opted to gate check it.

On the plane

Ryan’s mom actually recommended this, but strapping Porter in the baby carrier on the plane was a big help. I think placing him on our chest where he couldn’t escape or wiggle around too much helped him fall asleep. On each flight he was a little fussy for under 10 minutes but then snoozed the rest of the time and this mama definitely appreciated the cuddles!

Make sure to bring snacks (especially if your baby is teething!). We fed Porter a pouch while everyone was boarding and gave a paci at take-off and during landing. You can also give a bottle instead of a paci, the sucking motion helps equalize the pressure in their ears.

Make sure you have all the essentials in your diaper bag (which doesn’t count as a personal item FYI, but I’d still say less is more when coming onto a plane with an infant). We had our portable changing pad, lots of wipes, snacks, a thin blanket and burp cloths. I think if you’re traveling with a younger baby you need even less and as they get older, a cartoon to watch on your iPhone or iPad would be helpful.

Do you guys have any tips for flying with an infant that have worked well for you? Leave them in the comments below!