It’s the time of year for lots of travel! Even if you don’t travel frequently, chances are you might travel during the holidays. We fly a lot to visit family, and this is going to be our 6th flight with baby girl.
I’ve taken about half of these flights alone so I know how to pack efficiently but still have what you need. When you’re alone you don’t have two sets of hands (duh) so you can’t just bring a ton of backup items! You have to be able to carry/transport the baby and have what you need. So I wanted to share these essentials that get me through the trips.
A Great Diaper Bag
I LOVE my Fawn diaper bag. It can be carried in tons of ways but using it as a backpack so you’re hands free is key. It has tons of pockets so you can be organized and know where those diapers are when you need them. And it looks good!
2 Outfits for Baby, 1 Top for You
Blowouts happen when you least want them – so be prepared. Bring two new outfits for babies (I pack zipper footies for ease) and a new top for you.
2 Diapers per Hour of travel!
So if you’re going to be at the airport and flying for a total of 4 hours, bring 8 diapers.
Bottles, Pacifier or Water
You’re going to want to either give a bottle/nurse or use a pacifier on takeoff and landing to prevent any ear issues. We are fine not nursing on takeoff, but starting to descend *really* makes her uncomfortable – so she basically just nurses for the last 20/30 minutes of the flight. So do whatever works for your baby, but be prepared with a bottle if needed! (TSA guidelines here) Once she’s older we are just going to bring her cup and fill it with water once we’re through security.
Garbage Bags
Again, you want to be prepared for icky things. I’ve used small garbage bags to contain messes in my diaper bag (when I didn’t want to just throw the outfit away). I’ve also offered them to people who aren’t feeling well! lol. I put them in an outside pocket of my bag so they’re easy to access.
Baby Wipes and Antibacterial Wipes
Baby wipes are obvious for diaper changes and anything you need to wipe up, but also bring antibacterial wipes to wipe down the plane seat and tray table. Those things do NOT get cleaned! I wipe down my seat, arm rests, tray table (both sides), the wall if I’m in a window seat and the back of the seat in front of me.
Blanket
Blankets are great for covering up a baby who is sleeping or trying to fall asleep, or for nursing on the plane. I always bring a Little Giraffe blanket – BE SURE TO WASH IT when you get where you’re going.
Rags for Changing Baby and Cleaning Up Messes
Instead of traveling with a thick changing pad I usually use rags that I can lay on a changing table and throw away if things get bad. If you have an explosion and need to clean up you can just throw these away and not worry about it! I usually bring about 2 of these cloth diapers because they’re super absorbent and cheap.
Toys!
My go-tos are the following because they’re hard to drop and pretty entertaining:
But honestly most of the time she just wants to look around and people watch. So I just do what she wants and keeps her entertained!
What YOU need
Here are the things I include for myself so I can be prepared should crazy things happen:
- Wallet
- Passport and birth certificates (sometimes I’ve had to show her birth certificate when checking bags)
- Cash!
- Phone charger and backup battery
- Headphones – if you’re lucky and someone is sleeping so you can watch something 🙂
Confidence!
I have only ever received compliments or people offering to help, but I know sometimes people can be annoyed by babies on planes. Here’s my motto – people can deal with it. I only worry about my daughter and myself – if she’s crying I obviously don’t want her to be uncomfortable, but I don’t worry that it’s making other people annoyed. They are adults and a few seconds of crying is not a big deal! Or they can invest in Bose headphones and drone it all out 🙂 More often than not people have asked how they can help or what I need – and flight attendants are awesome too! So those angry people are few and far between in my experience.
There you have it – what I think you need to travel with a baby and be prepared for whatever might happen! And remember, YOU CAN DO IT!
