We flew with our daughter for the first time when she was 8 months old to San Francisco. I had the opportunity to attend a conference there. At the time, I hadn’t flown a lot… and as a new parent, I had a lot of questions about flying with a baby. Could I take breast milk through airport security? Would we take her car seat on the plane with us or should we check it? What about a stroller? What if she cries the entire flight? If you are preparing to fly with your baby, some of these same questions might be going through your head. Here’s what we’ve learned in our experiences:

• Booking tickets: If your child is under 2 years old, you usually don’t have to purchase a separate ticket for them if they are going to sit on your lap. If you would prefer to keep your baby in the car seat on the flight, then you will be most likely be required to purchase a ticket as they will be occupying a seat. Some airlines charge the same for this seat as an adult ticket, and others have a child rate. We have learned that not all airlines will give a child rate if you are booking on their website. If you are booking online and it’s charging you the same price as an adult ticket for your infant or toddler, I would recommend calling them to see if they have a child rate. When our daughter was an infant, we personally decided to have her sit on our laps. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends keeping your child in the car seat on the plane because it’s safer. If you are not holding onto your baby well and hit unexpected turbulence, this could present a safety issue. See more information about their recommendations here: https://www.faa.gov/travelers/fly_children. If you feel safer keeping them in the car seat on the plane, then follow your instincts and pay for the extra ticket. You have to decide on whatever works best for you and your family.

• The car seat and stroller: Both the car seat and stroller can be checked at the gate at no additional cost. Pack and plays may need to be checked with your regular luggage, so make sure you check your airline’s policy. For the gate checked items, they will give you a tag that goes on your baby gear. As you are about to step from the tunnel onto the plane, you will set it down there. The airport staff will take it down and put it below with the other checked items. When you get off the plane, they should be waiting on the same spot on the ramp. If they aren’t there yet, you may have to wait a minute as they may still be unloading the items.

• Airport security: Going through TSA can be anxiety inducing for many. By the time you get your shoes off, put your baggage on the belt, empty your pockets, go through the body scanner, and put yourself back together one the other side…. (oooff!) you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. I was most nervous about how we were going to juggle doing all that while holding a baby and with our extra baby gear. Thankfully, I found that there was nothing to be nervous about. Most TSA workers are friendly and understanding – especially when you have kids. They understand that you have your hands full and are there to make the process as smooth as possible. You should bring a copy of your child’s birth certificate as identification just in case. We have never been asked to show an ID or birth certificate for our daughter, but I have heard from others that were required to show it. The number one thing that will make this process the smoothest is wearing your baby through security. It frees up both of your hands to manage your luggage. Baby wearing is actually our number one travel tip when traveling with infants and toddlers. If you want to read more on baby wearing while traveling, check out our blog post about this topic here. Instead of going through the body scanner, they have you walk through a metal detector while holding your baby. As far as breast milk and formula: yes, you can take these through security and it can be more than 3.4 oz, unlike the rule that applies to other liquids going through TSA. Make sure to remove this from your bag when you put your luggage on the belt, as it needs to be screened individually. They may take a very small sample of the milk to make sure there’s nothing else in it, but this is a very quick test and is only a tiny amount. Cold packs are also allowed if you need them to keep the milk cold. Baby food is allowed in your carry-on as well. Here is a link to the TSA website for more information about traveling with children: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures/traveling-children

• Carry-ons: As you may know, each person is allowed 2 carry-ons, one being a personal item. So how is it going to work when you have your carry on, personal item, plus your baby bag and possibly breast pump in tow? The good news is that the baby gear items do not count against your 2 carry ons. So go ahead and bring your 2 items as well as your baby gear, although you may be wishing you were able to bring more arms with you to help carry it all.

• The plane ride: Many parents worry about being “those people” with a screaming baby and worry that it will make others on the flight upset. This was a concern of ours before flying. Thankfully, it went really smoothly and she only cried a total of 5 minutes or less between our two plane rides. Of course, this won’t be everyone’s luck. To help soothe your baby, feed them during take off and landing. This will help equalize the pressure in their ears and also make them feel calm and safe being close to you. I breastfed our daughter during take off and landing. She ended up falling asleep and slept over half of the flight. Make sure to pack toys, snacks, and maybe even a tablet if watching shows helps calm your baby. (I don’t generally promote screen time for babies, but this is one of the few times I make an exception). One idea is to pack a new toy for the baby. It’s something new for them to explore and play with and might keep them distracted longer than a toy they are familiar with. If your baby does cry a lot on the plane, it’s not the end of the world. Many people have been parents and are understanding. You might be surprised to find that some strangers will actually offer to help you console your baby. We sat next to a lovely older lady one flight that asked if she could take our daughter and walk her up and down the aisle when she started to fuss. I think her grandma instincts probably kicked in and she was looking for an excuse to hold her. She was super sweet and she couldn’t exactly go very far, so we figured, why not? She walked with our daughter up and down the aisle a couple times talking to her and stopping to wave at people. It was amazing how it brightened everyone up (including our daughter). There may be a few grumpy people that shoot you a dirty look if your baby cries, but don’t worry about them. Just focus on you and your family.

• Getting their wings: Want to make your baby’s first flight a memorable one? Ask the pilot if they will take a picture with your baby. Let them know it’s their first flight. Many will happily oblige and some airlines give out a small pin shaped like wings in honor of their first flight. When we asked the pilot to take a picture with our daughter, the whole crew jumped in! That’s when one of the stewardesses asked if she had gotten her wings yet and gave her the small pin. Wait until the end of the flight to ask for the picture. As long as you aren’t in a hurry, I recommend waiting until most of the other people have gotten off the plane so you aren’t holding up the line. 

As always, be sure to check with your airline before traveling on their specific policies about traveling with baby gear. Flying with a baby can seem overwhelming to some. There’s definitely a lot more work and planning that goes along with it, but I assure you, it’s worth it!

Have any other questions about flying with babies? Maybe you have your own suggestions about flying with an infant. If so, drop us a line in the comment section below! 🙂