1. Call the airline ahead of time to book the bassinet area.
- Be aware that the airline prioritises those by age of the baby. So although you might have called to book that area a few months before the flight, you might be bumped down the list for a younger baby. Nevertheless it is worth a try. It is still good to have that area as you might need to get up a lot to entertain the baby and for those diaper changes.
2. Pre-order a baby meal.
- This comes in super handy if your baby is in the weaning stages. The airline will either prepare cooked foods or provide baby pouches.
3. Bring your Baby carrier/Sling.
- That is excellent for long haul flights, especially if you want to sleep when your baby naps. Because please do bear in mind that any time there is turbulence you need to take the baby out of the bassinet. Sometimes my husband and I didn’t even bother putting our daughter in the bassinet to sleep, because if we would have to take her out during turbulence she wouldn’t go back to sleep. Do depending on what kind of sleeper your baby is you might just keep him/her in the sling to sleep. 🙂 We have the Ergo baby sling and have been using it since Havana is 3 moths (when she was able to hold her head up herself).
4. Frequent travellers invest in a travel stroller.
- There are so many brands these days and I am open to hearing about new ones in the market, but based on the research we did the babyzen yoyo and mountain buggy nano are the best in the market and accepted cabin luggage. They fold up to the size of a carry-on so they are perfect for short or long trips. In addition you don’t have to worry about it breaking after having been checked in. Both do the trick and the main difference between the two is the brand name. We were given the mountain buggy as a gift and so far are pretty happy with it. It has been clutch during our travels across North, South America and Europe. Especially Paris as the restaurants and streets are so narrow.
5. Leave your baby car seat at home.
- This suggestion only applies if you don’t think you are going to travel around via car for longer than 2 hours at your travel destination. Although you can check the car seat in at the gate, it is still a hassle as it is another items you need to bring. If you are like me you actually remember to bring all the baby stuff and forgot to bring all your items LOL. Anyhow, legally you can take a taxi/sit in the car with the baby strapped to you in the sling/carrier and put the seatbelt around you. I recommend this option if you won’t be in the car long and will just be taking a short taxi trip in the city you are visiting, as you will have your baby stroller on you as well.
6. Bring extra clothes for you and your baby.
- I was so happy I remembered to bring extra sleep suits on our flight from Atlanta to Sao Paulo. That was when we just started her on solids and yep it wasn’t pretty with poop all up her back. So try not to get too attached to some of your babies outfits hehe. Another time while flying with our daughter Havana alone I had her in the sling and she vomited all over my sweater. So my suggestion is better safe than sorry and bring an extra change of clothes for yourself too. I got that advice from my friend Bianca and am forever grateful for those kinds of honest tips.
7. Booking an evening flight for long haul flights.
- On our recent flight to Jamaica we flew at night and as Havana generally sleeps through the night, she slept for about 6 hours on the plane, which was amazing. This wouldn’t really be my advice when flying short distances. I would say the opposite for a short flight so that our daughter can be in bed for her sleep at night (for her long sleeps). When the baby is still young i.e. 2-4 months they sleep so much anyhow and that is actually the best time to travel because they sleep so much, aren’t difficult to travel with and adjust to the time zones super easily.
8. Always bring extra diapers/nappies and baby food if your baby is in the weaning stages.
9. Breastmilk /Feed milk or get your baby to use a pacifier at take off and landing so their ears don’t pop.
10. Buy the travel size 70ml Aptamil formula w/ sterilised teets or powdered Formula.
- This of course only applies to those mothers who are not Breastfeeding anymore or who haven’t pumped. My husband and I called them our emergency milk. They are excellent for multitasking on the go parents. The whole Breastfeeding thing is separate beast on its own…Better left for another day and another blog lol..But yea the emergency formula bottles were helpful on many occasions. The flight assistants on the plane are always extremely helpful, but sometimes it was quicker to give her one of those pre-made bottles rather than waiting for the staff to help and warm up the milk. We definitely didn’t want to be the ones with the crying baby everyone complains about 🙂
Happy Travels Happy Baby,
xo
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