tips for traveling with a baby

Happy Monday! It’s been a week since Stia, Caleb and William returned from Finland and they are officially back into the swing of things. While they were away, so many of you reached out looking for tips for traveling with a baby. We shared a few tips after William’s first trip to London at 8 weeks old, but so much has changed since then! Let’s just say… be sure to start traveling when they’re young because it definitely doesn’t get any easier, but it does get way more fun!

Here are Stia’s tips for traveling with an (older) baby:

If you want to buy a seat for your child, the airlines offer a discounted fare.
Don’t pack too much. I am so guilty of overpacking, especially in our early days of traveling. Your baby will have plenty of clothes and so will you. We still pack diapers/wipes because it’s easier than going to a grocery store when we land. Plus, there will be extra room in your luggage on the way home ie: space to fit all your shopping! You can see what we brought to Finland here.
When you check in at the airport, always ask if there is space with an open seat so you can bring your car seat on board. We have never bought a seat for William, but have been lucky enough to bring his car seat on for more than half of our trips!
Always reach out to the airline for a bulkhead seat. This is so important when traveling internationally. If you don’t have status with an airline, these seats are typically an extra charge, but so worth it. You are guaranteed a bed for your baby and I can’t tell you how amazing it is to be hands free and be able to get some rest. The international airlines that we flew only allow families to sit in the bulkhead, which allowed us an extra seat for William’s car seat too.
Bring your car seat and stroller. We have always brought our stroller and car seat with us. William never liked to be worn, so the car seat was a better option for us. Plus, you can gate check both items. Be sure to buy travel bags to protect your stroller and car seat. We have this one for the stroller (it comes with a guarantee to replace your stroller if it is damaged while in the bag) and this one for the car seat. I have no idea what we do once William is too big for his infant car seat. Mamas with older babies- Do you rent a car/car seat? Bring your car seat? The infant seat is just so easy to bring at this age!
Always feed your baby or give him his pacifier during take off/landing: I am nursing, so I just wear a nursing friendly top and feed William during take-off and during the initial descent. If your baby falls asleep before take-off/landing, don’t wake them! They will sleep through any ear pressure. Before William’s first flight at 8-weeks old, he had his two month check-up. Our pediatrician said that it’s a very small percentage of babies with ears that hurt during flying- so don’t let that scare you into not traveling!
Learn the art of distraction: If you can sense your baby starting to get bored/fussy/restless, think about the things they like to do at home. William loves to go for walks- so we stroll the aisles. He loves to be outside, so we look at clouds out the window. William loves to flirt, so we take a walk back to say hi to the flight attendants. He also loves cups/water bottles so I let him play with those. Also, it’s a good idea to buy a new toy for the flight so it keeps your baby’s attention longer.
Dealing with time changes: We’ve experienced most of them! Behind two hours in California, ahead one hour in New York and Charleston, ahead six hours in London and ahead eight hours in Finland. I have to say that I am so thankful my baby adapts well. When we fly to the West Coast, we try to encourage three naps vs. his normal two. That way he is up later in the evening, ready for bed around 8 pm and won’t be waking up at the crack of dawn! When flying to Europe, the flight is overnight so we put William right to bed. He will usually sleep in my arms until the lights turn off, then we will move him to the bassinet. He is usually pretty sleepy when we get to Europe, so we won’t let him take a nap longer than 2.5 hours. That way, it’s more like his “daytime” routine. I do have to say that it was much harder to adjust going to Finland. William would wake up at 4 am and want to play, so I would stroll him around the hotel (both in our pajamas) until he would get sleepy again! Because we were only there for four nights, we decided to just go with it which made for a much easier transition when we got back home!
Schedules: We don’t have a schedule, but if you follow a strict schedule I suggest planning your day out around when your baby naps. There is nothing worse than an overtired baby!
Stroller naps: Because we don’t follow a schedule and I don’t mind if William naps on the go, we try to make his stroller naps as much like a crib nap as possible. Thankfully, our stroller reclines, making it a cozy nap spot. I also use a white noise app, which William always sleeps with in his room.
Hotel Requests: Be sure to request a crib and when you check-in see and if there is a larger room available or a room divider.
Get a blow-out pre trip: This may seem silly, but I got my hair blown out before we left for Finland and it was one of the best things I’ve done for a trip! My hair always lasts a lot long longer after a blow-out, so I didn’t have to wash my hair at all while we were there. It saved so much time in the morning when we were trying to get out the door. By the last day I was ready for some dry shampoo! Caleb was a big fan and encouraged me to do that before every trip.. He’s not so patient waiting for me to get ready!

Hope these tips help. As always, please feel free to reach out or leave a comment if you have any specific questions about traveling with a baby!

Have a great week!

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

Travel is a big part of our lives and something we love to do, so it was important to us to introduce Baby Will to travel at an early age. We decided that for his first trip we would take him to London to meet his great-grandparents. At just 8-weeks old, we probably could have started off on a smaller scale. As it turns out, the hardest part of traveling with Will was getting him to look directly at the camera at 3 weeks old for his passport photo! Will did great and slept most of each flight, adjusted to our new time-zone without blinking an eye and he loved being out and about in the city each day. Things went better than we ever expected, but we did learn a few things along the way:

If you are planning to travel abroad with baby, order and apply for their birth certificate and passport asap. Once we got back from the hospital, we ordered and expedited Will’s birth certificate. We had one long week in March that we were able to get away to London, so we knew we had to rush the process. Once you have the birth certificate, you can get their passport within three weeks, if expedited.
Packing: Of course we had to check bags on this trip, but we also carried on changes of clothes for us and three changes for Will (in case of accidents!). Packing plenty of baby blankets and swaddles is also key. The temperature in the plane can go from cozy to cold and back again, so we always had a blanket to put over Will. Blankets also come in handy when nursing to throw over your shoulder for more privacy. And in London we had to pile on the blankets for Will on those extra chilly days. We packed our own diapers and wipes, not knowing if the ones we like would be available. The empty space where the diapers were made a great spot for our London shopping! Pack extra pacifiers. You never know when Baby’s favorite may fall on the ground in a place where you can’t clean it. We bought a double of Will’s favorite and were glad we did!
Be prepared: We used to like to get to their airport at the last possible minute, right before boarding time. This time, because we knew we had to check a bag and have time to feed and change Will before we boarded, we got there two hours early. That was hardly enough time, even with no line in TSA pre-check! We had just enough time for a (very) quick drink, and to feed and change Will before rushing to our gate.
Request a bassinet: As soon as we went through security, we went to the gate to request a bassinet. Unfortunately, on the way to London they were already all taken, but thankfully we had a plan B, which was a wrap baby carrier. This was great for a secure place for Will to sleep while we tried to get a little shuteye as well. On the way home we were able to get a bassinet, which also made a very convenient place for diaper changes!
Get access to the Admirals Club (or the lounge for your airline of choice): This was key to have a nice place to relax before boarding. The club has a nice, clean family bathroom that was great for changing diapers in a space that wasn’t openly available to the public.
To help with change in cabin pressure, Stia fed Will while we were taking off and landing. If it isn’t a good time for a feeding, a pacifier will do the trick.
Pay more for first class/business class/main cabin extra/bulkhead: While we wish we could have flown first class to London, it just wasn’t feasible. But we were able to sit in main cabin extra to London. This section of the plane has only 3 rows and gives you more space and more privacy. On the way home from London we were able to reserve bulkhead seats which gave us lots of room for the bassinet, Will and all his gear.
Bring your baby’s stroller. We use the UPPAbaby stroller system (VISTA stroller and MESA car seat), and couldn’t be happier. We highly suggest the travel bag to protect the stroller when being gate checked. Will loves riding in his car seat which attaches to the stroller base. It made strolling him all over London a breeze! The stroller also comes with a bassinet attachment which folds up and fits in the stroller travel bag. This was the perfect bed for Will while we were in London. It was cozy and safe, and familiar to him.
Be willing to go with the flow: Impromptu diaper changes made this changing station a God-send. It’s used all the time at home, but when Will needed an immediate diaper change (i.e.: on the plane, on the train, using the stroller base in the middle of London, numerous pubs) we don’t know what we would have done without it! Also, a quiet corner in a pub makes a great nursing spot- plus it gave Caleb the opportunity to try a new beer and add a pub to his list.
Bring as much help as you can: on this trip we were so thankful for Jean’s third set of hands and arms to help with Will!
Most importantly, relax! Baby can sense if you are nervous or anxious about traveling with them and they will react the same. Know that your baby will probably cry on the plane at some point and that is ok. When we first boarded our flight to London, Will started screaming, but after a few long minutes he stopped (to the relief of our co-passengers) and then slept most of the flight there.

We are so grateful for a such a wonderful experience on Will’s first trip! Now we are busy planning our next getaway- this time it will most likely be on this continent 🙂

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Cheers,