Need Advice on Travel W/ 12 Wk Old

My daughter went on a place when her baby was about 4 months old and they did fine. Make sure that when the plane is taking off or landing, you give the baby a bottle so his ears don't bother him. And try to get a seat at the bulkhead, so when he takes a nap you can put him down and he can also have a chance to lay down and play with a toy. Good luck.
R. S.

1 mom found this helpful

I just traveled with my 4-month old to Detroit. It was a 5 hour trip before de-planing and boarding a connecting flight. About 8 hours each way. I was worried about my baby's reaction, but she loved it! We just brought our diaper bag and baby and she smiled at everyone and loved to look at all the folks. When it came time for takeoff and landing, I just put her to the breast, but she seemed completely unphased by the pressure. We made sure she was comfortable, not too hot, no gas, fed and entertained. When she got squirrely, we walked her up the aisles and played games she enjoys. It was tricky to do the diaper changes, but Northwest Airlines had a changing station in their coach bathroom...not sure about other airlines. We just changed her on our laps though as there was a line for the restrooms pretty consistantly. We even hit some bad turbulence, but she slept through it.
I hope your experience goes as smooth as ours. Have fun visiting your brother and don't worry too much about the trip, as long as you stay calm and have fun, your baby should too!

Now is the BEST time to travel with your little bundle. Especially if you are nursing, you don't have to worry about bringing bottles or anything. I traveled with both of my kids at 12 and 10 weeks, respectively, and in retrospect, it was the easiest travel has been ever since! Once they want to crawl, walk or be amused every minute, you will remember fondly how easy it was to just cuddle a sleepy head all day. One tip: Instead of trying to pack diapers, even if you are a cloth diaper user, go to drugstore.com and have a package of diapers and some wipes sent to where you'll be. Then you only have to pack what you need for a day of travel!

Do it. To make it easier, take another adult along. There is lots to carry with an infant. Take the baby's car seat and use it if there is a seat available. Nurse the baby or give the bottle on take off and landing to reduce ear problems. I traveled with my newborn regularly all over the country from the time she was 2 months old. She is 14. D.

T., I cannot count how many times I flew with my daughter in her first two years of life. This is the perfect age for traveling! It's nice because they aren't mobile yet and are so happy just snuggling on you=) I would recommend wearing your son in a sling or some sort of babycarrier and carrying a backpack with items you want on hand. Otherwise, check everything at the counter. This way you can just wear him and zip with ease around the airport and while changing planes. I would also recommend having an extra of this or that just in case. Our last flight was crazy because my suitcase didn't arrive with our other luggage. It was fine for me, but it also happened to a mama ahead of me and she had no more diapers for her son(!). I remember packing my necessary meds in our little travel backpack "just in case" and I'm so glad I did! Now, this was the first time this has happened to us in 5 1/2 years of traveling with kids, so it likely won't happen to you=)
Also, the one time we decided to bring her car seat on board and have it in an extra seat on our row, she was unhappy in it and happier on my lap. I would have rather had the extra space.
Take some mama magazines to read, and a couple of small toys for him, if you think he'd like 'em. Happy flying! J.

Hi T.~
I am Amelia and mother of 3. I took my 1st child on the plane about 4 months back to NJ and we had no problems except on take off and landing. If this is an issue I have since learned that a bottle, pacifer or breast can help. Since he got an ear infection just after that we have since used sudefed or benadryl to help keep his passages open. We have also do this for our other kids too.
I hope you have a wonderful trip it is so exciting to travel with kids. Be very gentle and kind and allow them to express themselves even at 12 weeks and everyone else will know it is just a short time to put up with a baby!
Good luck!
~Amelia mother of 3 boys

Go for it! The best time to travel with a baby is before they are moving and sitting up. Once they are walking it is a lot more challenging. If your baby gets fussy, just feed it and it should go right back to sleep. I'd suggest a front baby carrier like a baby bjorn. They work great and it'll allow you to keep your hands free in the airport and on the airplane. You can do curbside check in which works great. You can check the car seat and pack n play right at the curb and then you and baby walk with nothing but your cary on to the plane. Works out great. We do this when we travel. It really takes a lot of stress off not having to stand in lines with luggage, etc.
Good luck.

Traveling with infants isn't as bad as it sounds, but there are a lot of things to consider. Are you bottle feeding or breast feeding - because you can only take limited amounts of liquid on the plane (check out guidelines at tsa website/infants). Is your baby healthy? Do you have a sling or other carrier that you can wear the baby in?

Traveling with infants is fairly easy - it's all the other considerations that add stress. Good luck!

Go, go, go. They are very good to travel with at this age since they still mostly sleep and eat and make dirty diapers. Be sure to use a sling or other carrier which will leave your hands free and allow the baby to be covered up - so that strange, but well meaning, people don't go sticking their hands all over your baby. Most airplanes have changing tables now, its a tight fit, but you can do it. Also your changing of planes will give you a chance to change and move around. You'll be fine and you'll be glad you went. Have fun.

I would go for it! Be mindful of what you carry with you, I see so many new moms with way to much stuff to manage. It may help to have a longer layover at your stop for a break, lunch and to deal with any delays. I like to check the carseat in, carry just a good size diaper bag with my wallet and makeup bag, and use a comfortable wrap-style carrier. Always be ready to preboard and researve aisle seats too. Enjoy your trip!

I remember the terror I felt traveling with my daughter when she was that small...The best part is you get on the plane first, this helps to get babe and yourself settled in.
I found it is best to FEED her during take off and landing, so the pressure doesn't bother her as much. She too is very passive and seemed to enjoy the sights and people on the plane. If you are bottle feeding, I would get individual portioned formulas, that way there is no question at security check points and you can travel with unopened bottles of water for the bottles.
since you have to change planes, I would travel light with the carry ons, make sure you have just what is necessary including a change of clothes for the babe and a shirt for you, just in case of spit up!
Good luck and enjoy your visit with your brother...you will be very happy you went!

I did the same thing with my daughter to go see my husband's relative in Tennessee. I bought her her own seat and made sure I had a car seat she could sleep in on the plane(one that the airline allows). It worked great. Baby seats on plane cost next to nothing. There were 4 other babies on the plane with us and all of there parents chose not to buy them seats, everyone new where they were. They cried the whole flight. My daughter slept though all of their noise and at the end of the flight when we stood up to leave everyone around us exclaimed "There was a baby in that seat, I didn't even know , she was so quiet!" You know I was happy. My advise is by a plane ticket for your baby and make sure you car seat is allowed on the plane so he can sleep on the plane if he wants to. The trip will be so much less stressful for you if you do. Airlines are constanly over booking flights to make their money so I really do reccomend buying him his own seat.

this is the best time to travel with a baby!!! especially if he is easy going! the one thing I would caution is to bring along ibuprofen - and give it to him about 1/2 hour before each plane takes off... even if he doesn't have a fever or cold at the time.. it can help if he has any ear pain as the plane ascends and descends.

if you are breastfeeding... it helps to have him nurse as you ascend and descend, too.

I traveled with my first two kids when they were that age and it was the easiest time to travel with them... have a great trip.

Continental and United has set out some new luggage rules so your two bags free may not exist any longer. Call your airlines to verify.

Usually when one airline changes their rules the other airlines like to follow, so please check before you travel and get the agents name and date and time you talked to them just for backup at the airport.

i recommend a sling... it keeps your hands free, as well as keeping your baby secure. (very nice for breastfeeding next to a stranger) when the doors close on a plane, the cabin is pressurized, it's important to have your baby sucking on something until you reach the flight altitude. we traveled with our 2 1/2 year old & newborn last summer (we had recently taken the pacifier away from our 2+ yr old) she complained about her ears hurting. i ended up giving her my sons extra pacifier and she was fine. either feed them or give them a pacifier. we have traveled at least 10 times with both kids, we have never had a bad experience.

We travelled with our daughter to Panama when she was only 5 months old and it went really well. The key is to get the baby to nurse during take off and landing to keep their ears clear. If you can't manage that, try to get your little one to sleep during the flight. Many small babies seem to manage better through the pressure changes if they sleep through it. If all else fails, the crying is actually good for helping to clear the ears. As soon as it's safe, take your baby into the bathroom and let him cry a couple minutes to make sure his ears are clear and then try comforting him. Holding him upright and letting him get full movement of the jaw really makes a difference when it comes to clearing the ears quickly. But if you can, try nursing through it. It is the easiest for everyone!

I also recommend a baby carrier! You need your hands free and it is so much easier than a stroller when dealing with lines and luggage! We used a Moby Wrap to get through the airports and it was such a lifesaver! I recommend something that is comfortable and easy to carry. If you like slings, they are great because they have little fabric and many can fit right in your purse when not using them. I liked my Moby because it worked great as a cover up during nursing, a blanket when the plane was cold and extra padding for the baby to lay on when I needed to put her down.

Good Luck! and it will be easier than you think it will be!

Hi T.,

We have a now 2 year old that when she was that young, did great on planes. In fact, she still does well she just needs more things to keep her occupied now. Anyway, we used the baby bjorn and she slept a lot, or just slept in our laps from time to time. I highly recommend something like that to keep the baby and you comfortable and peaceful. :)

Blessings,

K.S.

Hey T.!

We traveled a ton with our baby! He is 9 mo now but we traveled with him pretty early and he did great! It is a lot of "stuff" to lug around, but you can do it! THe security gate is the toughest but if you can check the stroller and ise a Bjorn or some kind of a front pack for the airport it will be much easier. Sometimes there are open seats and you can use the car seat - but know in advance because you wouldn't want to lug that car seat through the airport with the baby if you don't have to! Hope that helps! I say go! It will be much easier than you think! :)

Don't take extra diapers and wipes. Buy them when you get to your destination. It will free up a ton of space when packing! Also look into places that rent cribs, etc. as that will save you from hauling your pack n' play and such. Check out the following site for some rental places:
http://www.babiestravellite.com/baby_equipment_rental.html#a

I traveled back in September with my 8 week old and then again when she was 18 weeks. She did great every time. The first time, I took my Boppy pillow with me and nursed her on the take off and landings and she just slept the whole rest of the time. People didn't even realize that there was a baby behind them! The second time, I didn't take the pillow, but asked for a couple of the airplane pillows and did the same thing with the nursing. The sucking helps their ears adjust.
I have to admit though that I planned out everything before I left. The first time I travelled with my husband but we had everything so planned out that I felt very confident to travel with her by myself. By planned, I mean, I even planned exactly when I would take her out of the carseat and stroller and how I would carry her on the plane! And remember to give yourself a lot of time. If you take a carseat and/or stroller on the plane, you can get it through security, but you have to take it all apart (baby comes out, all bags off the stroller, stroller folds up and goes through the x-ray machine and the carseat goes through separately, you carry baby through screening). and then when you get on the plane, if you don't already know you have a seat empty next to you, ask the flight attendants if you can get one if one comes available. that really helps to not have all the stuff on the floor and having to keep leaning over. I found the flight attendants to be very helpful with this. OH, and changing diapers is a trick on an airplane because the bathrooms are not very, let's say, big. Just be ready for that!
Okay, now that you have a book about flying with infants...! Hope it's helpful! Good luck!

It actually could be very easy, as your baby will probably sleep most of the time. In our travels I found it helpful to do the following:
get an isle seat so you can easily get up
sit in the back of the plane because the hum of the engine is loud and comforting, plus you can stand in the back and bounce.
bring a breast feeding pillow (boppy) so he can sleep easily in your lap
bring a carrier ( we LOVE the ERGO) so you can strap hm on easily in the airport and even in the plane. ( our son napped in the ergo for the first 5 months)
board first so you have plenty of time and space to get situated.
Have him nurse/suck if he is awake on takeoff and especially landing.

good luck (: