3. Line up some dining chairs to make airplane seats, and act out how you should sit down and buckle up on a plane. Build a security checkpoint using a doorway as the metal detector and a cardboard box and towel as the conveyor belt and X-ray. Practice putting your child’s stuffed animal or blanket through the X-ray and getting it back on the other side. This can be a fun and engaging way for your child to act-out the protocols before heading to the airport.
4. Depending on their age, let your children help pack their carry-on bags (but secret away a few new toys in your own). That way, they’ll get to choose which items they just can’t live without, and you’ll get to set expectations about which toys are okay on the plane (leave the harmonica at home, please!).
What to pack
If this is your first time flying with a baby, it’s safe to say that you will bring significantly more items than you’ve flown with before. For optimal organization, create an itemized list of the major items (i.e., the car seat, stroller); the bags you’re checking; and the bags you’re carrying on. Do a count of your bags like they’re children on a field trip when you get to the airport, get through security, and get off the plane. (If it sounds like overkill, think about what your trip might be like if you forget the one bag with your baby’s favorite stuffed toy. Yeah.)
The go-to items we love the most
The Doona Infant Car Seat/Stroller (for infants up to 35 pounds) combines two of the most cumbersome items you have to bring on a trip. With the Doona, gate check the stroller, and leave the car seat at home. Uber drivers always get out of the car to open the trunk, assuming the stroller will need to go in the back—and are always amazed when you collapse the Doona and slide it into the backseat instead.
The Dohm sound machine helps little ones fall and stay asleep in new and strange places. “I bring my son’s Dohm everywhere with us,” says Traveler contributor Lauren DeCarlo. “Hotels, my parents’ house. It’s essential.” You can also download white noise apps on your phone.
The Ergo Baby 360 Carrier is for newborn or toddlers, and known for airy support through the airport and the flight. Its light mesh material makes for necessary ventilation for both you and the baby. Not to mention, it’s strategically designed for lumbar support with double adjusters that tighten for parents in favor of lower back support, helping mitigate the pain caused by sitting on a plane. There’s also padded shoulder straps for your baby, a criss-cross option that buckles on the front, and a detachable storage pouch that can be helpful for more packing space.
A well-stocked diaper bag with enough wipes, diapers, and formula/breast milk/food to get you through the flight and an hours-long delay, minimum, is a must. Frequent flier, Skift aviation reporter, and father Brian Sumers recommends three days’ worth of food for the baby to account for any mishaps. Make sure you also have basics like hand-sanitizer, scented diaper trash bags, a pacifier clip (“this will save you the horror of watching a pacifier drop to the airplane floor,” says Traveler contributor and mom of three Juliana Shallcross), and one new baby toy. “I still swear by the one-new-toy trick,” Shallcross says. “Buy the baby one new toy specifically to open on the airplane. It will keep their attention for a little bit longer than if you brought an older toy. However, for young babies, you don’t need much. All they really need is their bottle, maybe a pacifier, and a nice seat mate who makes funny faces.”
