Everyone I talked to: WHAT?! You are nuts!
My brother was planning to propose to his fabulous girlfriend in Nebraska. Both families were invited to join in the celebration and surprise my brother's girlfriend at an engagement dinner after the proposal (good thing she said "yes" or that could have been awkward). When I found out my husband was not going to be able to go to Nebraska for the weekend (darn school and work), I decided that I was going to take on traveling with a baby on my own...I NEEDED to be at this engagement celebration and my little T man needed to be there, too!
- Give yourself plenty of time to pack!
2. Plan out outfits, activities, and food
Baby clothes, while so cute, have so many little pieces. I have found that packing outfits in zip-loc bags helps to keep all the little pieces together. It also makes it really easy to get my little T dressed....pull out a zip-loc bag and the outfit is complete! In my "Super flying through the friendly skies" diaper bag, I packed go-to toys, books, even my iPad with downloaded episodes of Sesame Street. A fun tip from my mom was to have a few new items...so I bought a couple small new toys and new books! T loved the new items and they really worked to keep his attention when we were delayed on the runway. I would also suggest packing a blanket you don't mind putting on the floor so your little one can stretch out during layovers. Food was the hard part to plan. T was still nursing so I packed one refrigerated bag of pumped milk (in case I couldn't easily nurse) and two frozen bags. When going through security, they needed to inspect the thawed bag, but the frozen bags didn't require any additional inspection!
*Don't forget to pack a snack for yourself...granola bars, crackers, and water!
3. Practice collapsing everything
One thing I did not think through was collapsing everything with baby in tow to get through security. Make a plan for getting the stroller, carseat, diaper bag, etc. through the security belt.
4. Check in at the gate!
I did not know about this step! Once you get through security, go to your gate and check in there. Let the airline employee at the gate know that you have items to gate check. They will tag your items and then you are ready!
5. Pick you seat wisely
For a baby who isn't walking, sitting next to the window is the way to go. You can rest on the side of the plane and you can have some privacy if you are nursing. If you have a walker, pick the aisle...easy access to walk the plane.
6. Be prepared for take off and landing
Baby ear's aren't the best for handling air pressure changes. If you are nursing your baby, be prepared to nurse during take off and landing. Bring your cover and get as comfortable as you can get snuggling up to the side of the plane. If you are lucky, you will nurse at take off and your little one will fall asleep! If your baby isn't nursing, be prepared with a bottle, pacifier...anything that will let the baby chew or suck.
I'd love to hear other tips/tricks of traveling with a little one. What are some of your go-to travel tips?
-Julianne
UPDATE: Suggestions and Questions
1. What strollers do you recommend for airport travel?-If you child is still in the infant car seats, check out the snap and go options:**
[caption id="attachment_85" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Click for website to stroller[/caption]We have the Graco version
If your child is no longer in an infant car seat, a great umbrella stroller will do. We like the Upton Stroller from Babies R Us. It folds up easily and has great functionality for traveling:
Click for website to Upton Stroller
Click for website to Upton Stroller
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