PLANNING

Just knowing where you’re going to sleep each night won’t cut it.  PLAN EVERYTHING. So, you’ll be in a museum at 3, and need to breastfeed.  What’s the game plan? Do they have a nursing room? Are you prepared to nurse in public?  Be ready for what the day will bring, and be willing to change plans on the fly. Planning is the most crucial step, and it eases your mind to know that you’re well prepared.

PICK A LOCATION

Picking a location can all of the sudden seem hard when toting a baby along.  Relaxing on the beach isn’t quite the same while trying to keep a little one out of the sun, and city exploring needs to be taken at a different pace.  Surprisingly though, babies are quite adaptable, and can go almost anywhere.

The key is to find somewhere that YOU will enjoy, even with a baby along.  We find that hiking or city exploring trips are the easiest with a baby.

Make sure to take into consideration the vaccinations that baby hasn’t been able to get yet, and contact your pediatrician or travel nurse for additional guidance.  

RESEARCH

Once you’ve picked your location, start researching on pinterest and save anything you like to google maps.  

If you’re short on time, you’ll probably be tempted to try to cram it all in, but don’t.  Make sure to plan plenty of rest and play time, and try to avoid huge crowds and lines as much as possible.  Always remember to save some kid friendly restaurants and parks or playgrounds.

START BOOKING

Before booking your flight, you will need to make the decision on whether you want baby to fly as a lap infant or in his own seat.  Each has its own pros and cons, check out our comparison.

Booking a flight with a lap infant is completely different than normal booking, and usually cannot be done online.  With several pitfalls that you can fall into, including massive fees or no room on the flight(for a lap infant? what? – yep!), make sure to read all about booking a flight with a baby before you book.

Finally, you’ll need to find places to stay.  We’ve found that having 2 rooms is almost essential, so we often opt for a house.  Read all about why, and the pros and cons of both hotels and home rentals in our lodging comparison.  Make sure to check what baby amenities, like high chairs and cribs, are available, and request them.

GATHER DOCUMENTS

If flying domestically, baby can fly using only a birth certificate.  But, internationally, even the littlest ones will be required to have a passport.  You can get one quickly by scheduling an appointment at your local passport agency, if you have an emergency or are traveling within a couple of weeks.

If baby is not traveling with both parents, he will most likely be required to have a notarized letter of consent from the other parent allowing the child to be taken out of the country.  If the other parent is deceased, a death certificate often must be presented.

CREATE AN ITINERARY

Creating an itinerary is the most time consuming and important part of planning travel with a baby.  Don’t worry about planning every hour of the day, because, as any parent knows, things with baby never go quite as planned.  But, have your accommodations planned with contact information and directions.

In addition to that basic information, keep a list of possible activities and places to eat.  This way when everyone is ready to go, there’s no question about what to do or where to eat. Make sure that you plan plenty of down time and take things a little slower to save your sanity.

PACKING

PACK IT UP, PACK IT IN, LET ME BEGIN…

Being prepared with the right gear is ULTRA important, and can make or break a trip.

Pack too much and you’ll be miserably lugging a million bags everywhere, but pack too little and you could end up with a frustrated and crabby baby to deal with.

You won’t be as mobile as you were pre-baby, because babies just require more stuff.  But, with proper planning, you can minimize the stress on your mind and your back.

Plus, traveling lighter means more options for transportation and the ability to move from place to place, quicker, easier, and cheaper.  We often opt to have a home base or rent a car, because even babies who travel light require extra gear, not to mention they must be carried too.

BABY TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

Keep your gear to a minimum.  Getting through the airport and from place to place with a baby is hard enough without a pile of luggage slowing you down.  Although most people believe that babies require a ton of gear, most of it is completely optional. One regular sized backpack or tote bag will have plenty of room for everything the whole family should need on the flight.  

Check out our minimalist baby backing guide, which covers everything you will actually need, and leave the rest at home.  Don’t worry that you may have forgotten something. Unless it’s money or your passport, you can probably find it your destination.  Your arms and back will thank you.

MOM TRAVEL DAY UNIFORM

A travel uniform makes life so much easier.  Find the perfect outfit that looks nice enough for first class(if you score those coveted seats), but also comfy enough to feel like pajamas.  For breastfeeding, easy discrete access is important.

This has been my tried and true go-to travel outfit for the last 10 years.  

HOW TO PACK

If traveling to places where a rolling suitcase will work well, the whole family’s luggage can fit in one medium sized suitcase.  In places with cobblestone roads or where you need to be a bit more agile, 2 45L backpacks should be more than enough. However, packing cubes are essential.  When a family of 4 is all packed in one bag, organization is key. Color coded cubes keep everything in its place and easily recognizable.

FLYING

CHECKING-IN

With a lap infant, the check in process will be much slower and a bit more complicated than usual.  Things are constantly changing, so check with your airline for the most up-to-date information. Typically no one on the reservation with a lap infant can check-in online.  It must be done at the airport, which requires waiting in those LONG lines to speak with an agent. Even after booking with the airline over the phone and later confirming tickets, there has still often been confusion about the lap infant.

TSA & AIRPORT SECURITY

So, you’ve survived the check-in process.  Next up, security. If your bags are well prepared(read what can baby bring), and you know the easiest way to get baby through security(read surviving the airport with a baby), then this should be a relative breeze.  It will still be a slower process, but with the proper preparation, you will look like an old pro.

Official TSA information on Travel with Children

AIRPORT MOTHER AND BABY SERVICES

After the stressful part of the airport is over, many airports actually offer some wonderful mother and children services.  If breastfeeding, you can usually find a mother’s room or lactation pod in at least one terminal(there are exceptions though- I’m looking at you St. Louis!).  Check out Breastfeeding and pumping on a plane for links to services at the major US airports and tips for how and when to feed baby. Once baby gets a bit older, many airports have playgrounds so kids can let loose and run some of that energy out before getting on the plane.

BOARDING

Boarding can be tricky for families, so the most important part is to know your baby and proceed accordingly.  Families with children can board early, which sounds wonderful, with plenty of time to get settled and, and no worries about overhead storage.  But, this also means more time sitting quietly on the plane- sometimes up to an hour later for international flights. If baby is ready to sleep, this may be a good option.  Typically though, it’s easiest to wait until closer to the end of the boarding process so baby will have less time confined on the plane.

SURVIVING THE FLIGHT

The flight… the scariest part of traveling as a new parent.  There’s good reason for this, seeing as how I’ve been on two separate flights with my heart racing, sweating bullets, trying to calm a screaming baby.  Know that a flight won’t be a relaxing several hours of reading a book or watching a movie. It will be work- hard work. But, it will all pay-off in the end.  The most important thing to do is to try to get baby to SLEEP and keep him there.

An awake baby will need entertained, so be sure to have an assortment of snacks, toys, apps, and movies ready and easily accessible.  Yes, I said apps and movies- Gasp! Screens?! We limit screen time at home, but on a plane Baby Shark sings for hours and goldfish are in endless supply.  

Yes, baby may cry.  Typically it doesn’t last long and is only on take-off or landing.  So, be ready with a bottle or pacifier to clear his ears. Usually the biggest fear is annoying other passengers, but surprisingly, most people are sympathetic as long as you appear to be trying.  And, if baby fusses for an entire 12 hour flight(been there, and may have cried in the bathroom for a bit), just remember that this too shall pass. The flight attendants are almost always very helpful, offering extra snacks while allowing you to encroach on their space to bounce and rock baby.  

DRIVING

DRIVING SCHEDULE

Starting out an hour or so before baby’s bedtime seems to work the best, as baby can fall asleep (hopefully) for a prolonged period of time allowing you to really make some progress.  If baby can’t relax, you can nearly always find a last minute hotel somewhere along the interstate. Make sure to plan for MANY breaks, and just consider yourself lucky if he is a good little traveler.  Research parks along the way and store them in google maps for easy stops to feed baby and let him stretch out on a blanket or crawl around.

WHAT TO BRING

Since you’ll most likely have plenty of room for extras, bring along plenty of snacks and picnic items.  Those parks you researched are perfect places to picnic and keep you from needing baby to sit in a restaurant.  In addition to food for the trip, you’ll want to plan plenty of entertainment. Movies and the ipad are your friend.  I KNOW, I KNOW, SCREENS, but relax the rules for travel days and save your sanity. In addition to the screens though, bring lots of toys.  Since you have the luxury of traveling in a car, you can bring many more toys to keep baby occupied both on the drive and at your destination.