Flying with your infant…. Don’t stress over the thought of flying with an infant or toddler! With summer around the corner and travel plans in your list, these vital tips will help you to make your air travel with your child more easy and stress free.

We’ve flown with our kids during this stage more than any other. And just how many pictures do we have of us on board the aircraft? Zero! Flying with an infant of this age means one thing for mom and dad and anyone else in your traveling party… You’re. Busy. And if you’ve got an early walker on your hands (lap)? Even. Busier. But this does not mean that flying has to be unpleasant. Unlike newborns, and younger babies, infants of this age are even more interactive than their younger selves, usually well-established into a sleeping and eating routine (that will not be blown away permanentlyby a few disruptions due to travel – promise!) and while you may be starting the exciting but nerve-wracking and messy process of starting solids, you can now (or soon!) take advantage of the calming and distracting power of SNACKS.

Flying with an Infant 6-12 Months Old…

For us, this was a very busy but still fairly easy time to travel with baby. Ours were not yet mobile, thankfully, but solid eaters and on a very well established routine of eat and sleep times. In terms of getting around, although they were getting kinda heavy, they were easily carted in an infant carrier, pretty content to ride in a stroller, though sadly no longer in the super convenient infant carrier car seat used with or without the base.

Biggest Concerns…

Seeing as this was the age (11mos.) of our very first flight with our daughter, I had so many. Would she scream the entire time? How would it be feeding her? What if she put everything in her mouth? It was preparing for that trip that provided the inspiration for this site, and my being part worrywart/part control freak certainly never helps matters. All my issues were compounded by the fact that our charter airline, the now-defunct Skyservice, had the most miniscule seat pitch I have ever encountered. My knees dug into the seat in front of us, and my husband (very tall at 6’7″) could not unfold himself at all. Later flights with Bub at this stage were worrisome to me simply because he was and is SO. BUSY. Even a seasoned flyer such as myself got pangs thinking about those upcoming flights.

The Reality…

As a first-timer, in spite of the ridiculously tight seating, our daughter flew well – well enough for us to be encouraged to create this site and hopefully inspire, motivate, and help other families to do the same. It was based on this trip that I wrote the 5 Ts To Happy Travel With Tots, which outlines in a nutshell pretty much everything we did and do when flying with an infant. Our carry-on was full of food and toys and distractions – and while it was certainly more than the magazine and bottle of water in my pre-baby flights, it really was not unmanageable. On our flights with Bub at that age, I was much busier. In spite of it being nap time, on our flight home from Cuba my arms got quite the workout as I acted as a human jolly jumper for pretty much the entire duration. But he was cheerful and relatively quiet, save for some happy squeals, so I was grateful for small mercies. We always used the change of clothes we’d brought with us for baby – diaper fails being a standard for us whenever it’s inconvenient. I always had a few extra jars on hand of their favourite foods, and in the case of my daughter some extra formula for feeds in case of delays. Nursing Bub on all of our journeys could not have been easier or more convenient, and I’m pleased to state that we received nary a stink-eye from anyone due to nursing in public. For take-off and landings I usually nursed Bub, or he drank from a sippy of water or used his pacifier. Pain from ear pressure is a common concern when flying with an infant, but neither of my kids have ever seemed troubled by their ears while flying (knock on wood!).

Extra Consideration…

As with all our flights, I did bring on board anti-bacterial wipes, which were used on armrests and the tray tables, as well as a quick swipe over the laminated safety card that both my kids seem to enjoy so much.  And because I’m a freak, I then went over those with our usual wipes because I was afraid of the anti-bacterial residue.

And also as with flying with a newborn or flying with a younger baby, changes of clothes are recommended for baby and you, as well as plastic bags to put them in. Again, your carry-on bag will be quite full of diapers (and possibly bottles) as well as toys or snacks. If you’re well into solids, the small foil packets of food are so much easier to travel with than jars. If baby is bottle-fed, the weight of the pre-made formula may outweigh the convenience of not having to mix it. Personally I’d travel with the can of formula powder (easier going through security as well) and mix it with bottled water once you’re at the gate.

Useful tips:

Get baby used to room temperature bottles and food, so you don’t have the additional hassle of heating en route.

Now baby can likely bear weight on her legs, so consider purchasing the new slip-on diapers. Not all airplane bathrooms have change tables, or if they do they are big enough to change a baby kitten on.

A cloth carrier or sling doesn’t take up much room in your carry-on and is useful to keep your hands free – especially if you’re flying solo – keep in mind you’ll have to take baby out for taxi, take-off, and landing.

Your baby will not remember these journeys, but you will never forget them. Trust.

(Article Credits: Corinne McDermott)