how to travel with babies
Caleb went on his first flight when he was 6 weeks old. These are my tips for flying with babies-
Rent baby items.
To minimize what you have to bring - rent it there! Especially if you’re staying in an airbnb. Search “rent baby equipment in ___ (your destination)” and I’m sure companies will pop up. We’ve rented cribs, life jackets and even highchairs. There are bouncy seats, beach toys - whatever you need, they’ll have it. Save yourself some sanity. We’ve done this in Florida, St. John and we’ll be doing it in Croatia too.
Bring your stroller.
If you’re going to want a stroller where you’re going, bring it. When Caleb was small enough to fit in the car seat that clicked into the stroller, that’s what we brought on the trip. We love our UppaBaby, but whichever one is compatible with your car seat works. You can check both the car seat and stroller at the gate - game changer. I love that UppaBaby has a travel bag for the stroller so it stays safe as you fly. I got a generic car seat bag and I’m so glad I did - it was big enough to fit our infant car seat (and then for later trips, our toddler car seat too!). Plus it had extra room to stuff in a sleeve or two of diapers with the car seat - winner!
Carry your baby on the plane in your baby carrier.
If you’re comfortable sitting with the baby in a carrier on your chest while you sit on the plane, that was THE best for Caleb when he was little. That’s all we needed on our early flights - the carrier, a pacifier clipped to the carrier and a bottle (or two). He was totally content for the full flights just strapped to my chest.
Know you got this!
Babies can feel what you’re feeling, so do whatever feels good to you to keep yourself as calm as you can. I didn’t focus on this as much and I wish I would have. You got this mama!
I’ve loved traveling with littles. They make the trip so much fun - and we all deserve to see the world!
