Traveling An Airport With An Infant

Hey Y'all, Since we just traveled to the West Coast & back with a two month old for vacation and survived to tell about it I'm going to share what I learned while traveling an airport with an infant. If you'd like to see where we traveled on Our First Family Vacation see my previous post.

In the weeks leading up to our vacation I felt a great deal of anxiety.. we were preparing to fly across country & travel with an infant. I'm not going to lie I was extremely nervous about flying with Carter Cole. I have flown plenty of times in my life however this was my first time ever traveling with a infant. The most important thing I learned while traveling an airport with Carter Cole was to be prepared!

Whenever I travel I have a tendency to over-pack. A baby requires a large amount of items for 14 days of travel so I knew I was bound to over-pack in the end. And yes, I did over-pack. When I travel I usually try & fit everything in a carry-on that wasn't happening this time. The last thing I wanted to do was carry a baby, an over-packed suitcase & a diaper bag through the airport. I recommend checking a suitcase it's worth the $25.00 bag fee & it was the best decision I made on our trip. I packed only the necessities in the diaper bag & packed the rest of Carter Cole's items in the suitcase! Our diaper bag had six 6oz. bottles of water, pre-measured powder formula for each bottle, plenty of diapers & wipes, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, a changing pad, 2 pacifiers & pacifier clips, a baby blanket, two burp cloths, an extra outfit for Carter Cole (just in case the unfortunate happened), extra t-shirts for Bo & I, my cellphone, wallet & the Tula baby carrier. I ended up over packing diapers & wipes in the diaper bag but my biggest fear was running out of these items while traveling through the airport. Since I only packed enough diapers & formula for our travel day & to last until I could get to a store, we bought Carter Cole diapers & formula while on vacation so it didn't take up suitcase space.

Your infants food is considered "medically necessary liquids" & is exempt from the 3.4 ounces liquid rule but is subject to additional screening. Inform the TSA officer at the beginning of the security check point that you have liquids for your infant in your carry-on. I packed enough bottles for Carter Cole to eat on his normal 2-3 hour feeding schedule. The bottles were sent through an additional screen in TSA because of the water in the bottles but it was worth it since we didn't have to buy water for Carter Cole at the airport. This process only added a couple minutes to our security check point. For additional information on the TSA procedures for traveling with children/ infants I suggest you visit the website. I kept the bottles in Carter Cole's diaper bag in a gallon size Ziploc bag. It proved to be the easiest way for us to get them out of the diaper bag for security check points.

Carter Cole loves being in our Tula baby carrier & it worked out for us that I was able to wear Carter Cole in the carrier through the airport & on the airplane. I recommend wearing your infant in a baby carrier. I was so relieved that Carter Cole was asleep each time we went through airport security in our Tula & that I was able to keep him in the carrier. I was sent through an additional screen in TSA because of the baby carrier but it was worth it since Carter Cole stayed asleep. I am so thankful that the TSA officers were so helpful & friendly to our little family each time we went through security, it helped eliminate some nerves.

Even though Carter Cole was asleep in the baby carrier both times we went through airport security it was so convenient for me to be dressed appropriately! I wore slip on shoes & a t-shirt. I didn't have to sit down to take off my shoes & I didn't have to take any layers off which made it that much easier to make it through the security check point in a timely manner. I am so thankful for the t-shirt that I wore because I didn't get over heated or uncomfortable while Carter Cole slept on me in the baby carrier.

I was fortunate enough to have an extra set of hands to help with Carter Cole during our travels. Having my husband Bo with us was such a blessing! Being able to do the "hand off" with Carter Cole when he wasn't in the baby carrier made things so much easier. If you're traveling alone with a infant it can make things more challenging but trust that it can be done. I'll be doing the airport adventure alone in a couple days to visit family & I'm going to miss being able to pass Carter Cole between the two of us. Wish me luck!

The hand sanitizer & disinfectant wipes became my best friend during our travels! It didn't take me long to realize how dirty airports & airplanes are. I didn't want Carter Cole to be exposed to more than his little immune system could handle. I wiped down the changing tables before Carter Cole & the changing pad touched them. I wiped down the tray table, seat buckles, arm rests, lights & air buttons, & the safety information on the airplane. Bo & I reapplied hand sanitizer as well. Yes, I was "that mom" fighting germs & I was not ashamed!

We borrowed the larger baby items from family & friends while on vacation so that we didn't have to fly with them. Carter Cole slept in a pack & play for most of our vacation, used the baby swing & bouncy seat similar to the ones we left behind at home. Carter Cole had a car seat to ride in when we arrived at our destination so we didn't have to carry one through the airport. I'm thankful that I didn't have to add these baby items to my packing list. It was convenient for us since we didn't have to carry anything through the airport or worry about the items at the gate or baggage claim. In the case that you have to travel with an infant car seat I suggest you read the TSA requirements regarding infant car seats & strollers before you travel.

If you can, plan your flights around nap or bed time. Carter Cole slept during all of our flights! Hallelujah! Our flights to Portland were during a time when Carter Cole normally slept so he had no problem sleeping through the flights. One of our flights home to Pensacola was during his nap time & we had the same luck! If Carter Cole would have been awake & fussy for our flights I was fully prepared with a pre-made bottle or pacifier. *Drinking & swallowing helps your infant with the pressure changes that he/she will likely feel in their ears. As we boarded our final flight home Carter Cole was awake, fussy & crying. He drank a bottle as soon as we got seated, calmed down & following take off fell right to sleep! What a relief, the pre-made bottle came in very handy for us. If you can't plan your flights around times when baby sleeps I recommend that you have food, toys or entertainment ready!

Also, don't stress.. I learned this one the hard way. Remember that the passengers on the airplane with children of their own will understand if baby gets upset or cries, they know what you are going through. The passengers who don't understand don't matter since you probably won't see them again! If your infant decides to add some hiccups to your airport travels, take a deep breath! You'll be able to laugh about your travels after the fact I promise!

I was so worried how Carter Cole would do during our travels & he ended up sleeping most of the time! It was such a blessing that I was able to enjoy our airport adventure traveling with an infant. Carter Cole is becoming an experienced traveler one trip/ vacation at a time! If you have suggestions for our future travels leave them in the comments!

xo, Jordan