I will be traveling by myself with my baby girl in a few weeks. She will be 10 weeks then. The non stop flight is 4 hrs. It is in the middle of the day and right now she doesn't have a schedule so I don't know how she will be. I don't want to buy a second seat. I know it isn't safe to buckle her in with me but can I keep her in a Bjorn, Moby, or sling while she naps? FYI she is already 12 lbs 4 oz and shows no sign of slowing down. Any helpful hints? Happy New Year
I plan on asking for a gate assist pass so my spouse can assist me to the gate.
UPDATE. Thanks for all the advice. I choose southwest because they have the two free bags and the only nonstop flight to my destination. Instead of having a car seat for me there I will bring an extra one and gate check it if I can't use it on the plane. If this trip doesn't go well then I will get her a ticket next time but for now I'd rather not buy another ticket. I checked and the infant ticket price was the same as an adult ticket. I plan on checking everything except for the essential items that will fit in a backpack. I do know they will give a gate pass at some airports but I'm not sure about LAS or southwest. Can I gate check a car seat and umbrella stroller?
My advice is to wear a baby carrier, that way it is easy to put her in when you need hands free to deal with tickets or use the restroom. Seriously, I don't know how I ever would have managed to pee in an airplane bathroom without baby in a carrier.
I wouldn't count on the flight staff allowing you to wear her during your flight. We flew with my baby a few months ago, and when I boarded the plane I was wearing my baby. The flight attendant told me upon entry into the plane, "Just so you know, the baby has to come out of that when the plane is in motion." (which I already knew)
We have flown with all of my kids while they were babies, and to give my arms a rest while they slept, I simply folded down the tray table & rested my arms on it. It helps a LOT.
Honestly, I don't think that you will need your husband's help if you just plan to be as hands-free as possible:
Check your carseat
Check your large luggage (Southwest gives you 2 free)
Wear your baby while walking through the airport (although you will have to take her out at security & just carry her--do this LAST, after you've put through your carry-on & liquids (if applicable).)
Use a backpack for your carry-on.
Make sure you are wearing something with good pockets to put your ID & boarding pass in
Edited to Add;
Yes, you can gate check BOTH the carseat and the umbrella stroller.
I was a flight attendant for 10 years and you can have your baby in a bjorn etc. as long as IT IS NOT during take-off or landing. Find out in advance if the flight is full. If not, take your infant car seat along and you MAY be able to get a seat next to you at no charge. This is NEVER a given, even if there are extra seats because many times it means people having to move around. Carseats can ONLY be placed at a window seat, so it doesn't block people from getting out in an emergency.
I know you don't want to pay the extra $$ for your baby to have a seat, but you might be able to get a discounted price if you let them know it's for an infant. You and your baby will be alot more comfortable and I'm not trying to scare you (actually I am, a little), but in the remote chance that you hit severe turbulence or there were an accident, you probably would not be able to hold onto your baby. In the ten years I flew, I was in severe turbulence about four times and thought I wouldn't make it out alive. Obviously, the chances are in your favor.
After all I said, you may want to call the airlines about the bjorn question, as all airlines might vary and some flight attendants might not know the rules. Good luck!
I traveled alone when my son was 11 months. He slept in my lap the whole time.
1. Nurse on the way up and on the way down to help with her ears popping.
2. Sure you can keep her in a Bjorn or sling or whatever. Holding her is perfectly fine too. I would not bother buying her a seat at such a young age. She'd rather be held by you anyway.
3. Pee before you board! It'll be harder to get up to go during the flight. So don't drink a whole lot before you board. Go right before you board. Hopefully you'll make it thru the whole flight w/o having to get up.
4. Don't hesitate to ask someone to help you. If your daughter is in a pleasant mood and you gotta go pee really bad, feel out the person sitting near you (the one that made ga-ga eyes at her and said how cute she was). See if they'd hold her for 2 minutes while you went to the restroom. Chances are they'd love to hold her.
5. pack extra set of clothes for you and for her .... in case of a blowout. Extra diapers. Extra wipes in case of flight delay.
I used to travel with my daughter all of the time. She was 8 weeks old for her first flight. I used the gate check for both the car seat and the stroller (not the umbrella stroller a regular size one). If there were seat available I would bring the infant carrier carseat on the plane. Four hours is a long time to hold a baby on the plane. The baby bjorn would be very helpful when board the plane as well as getting off. You need as many hands as possible to help get the stroller back open. I would advise trying to sit in the back of the plane as the humming of the engine may lull your baby to sleep. Happy travels!!
Be sure to nurse/bottle feed her on take-off and landings... that will keep her swallowing and equalizing the pressure in her ears.
When my son was just 2 months old, we flew from Iowa to Texas.... no problems. As far as I remember, he was a lap rider. (That was 20 years ago.. I don't remember what we did for a car seat when we got to Texas... probably got one through the car rental agency.)
when i flew with my son i checked his carseat at the gate. and yes you can wear the baby during the flight just not during take off or landing. as far as getting assistance through the gate you can ask an attendant and they will help you, i did this when i flew with my 5 year old from Orlando-Charlotte.
Do what Cindy M said. I traveled a LOT with my son before he was 1 year old. If you need a car seat where you are going, see if you can get one of those luggage wheel things to use to carry the car seat through the airport. Check it in at the gate if you can't get the extra seat that Cindy mentioned. You'll get it faster, and if you get lucky, it'll be wonderful to have the flexibility of not having baby on your lap. PM me if you need more tips.
Yes, you can check stroller and seat at gate. Yes you can wear baby in carrier DURING flight, just not take off/landing.
I just traveled alone with my 8, 4 and 1 year old on a 6 hour flight. I wore him in my Ergo THROUGH security. Last year they made me take him out and it was a pain. This year they just did a quick test on my hands for residue and we were on our way.
One time we bought an extra seat and he just wanted to be in our laps the whole time anyway. I also used the tray as support for my tired arms.
You'll be fine!
If there is an empty seat on your flight, Southwest usually lets you bring your carseat on the plane and use the extra seat at no cost, but don't count on it. I doubt they will let your husband through security to help you, so don't rely on him helping you. I would think you would need to put the baby bjorn through security belt, but then you can wear your baby throughout they airport. It's really not that bad to travel with an infant, you will get through it and you will be surprised how helpful the people around you will be. Limit the stuff you will take through security by checking everything at the ticket counter. Also, with Southwest they ask for proof of age for an infant to fly free no matter their age. When I travelled with my 4 month old, the required proof of age. The accepted her newborn discharge papers from the hospital since we didn't have her birth certificate yet.
M.:
To be honest - I'd rather spend the extra money and get a seat for my child. You will have to have a car seat any way. I'd MUCH rather have my child secure in the car seat instead of in my arms....I did that ONCE...thought I'd save some money and flew with Nicky from Dulles to Denver...it got "rocky" and there were a few times I didn't think I would be able to hold on to him - especially when we dropped fast (that's scary as an adult! now amplify it holding a child).
Talk to Southwest - they will work with....and trust me - Nicky was much heavier than 12 pounds and a 3 hours flight my arms were TIRED!!!
Happy New Year to you as well! Congrats on your new baby girl!
