Have Baby, Will Travel

When I first found out I was expecting little Wriggles, I was sure my wanderlust would take a vacation. Everyone says how terrible and stressful traveling with a baby is and that it should just be avoided until they are 10 or possibly older. Unfortunately for me, I don't have that luxury. My family lives far, far away and if I want Eleanor to meet any of them we have to travel. And not the easy two-hours-in-the-car kind of travel. It's the 18+ hour-travel-day-with-two-flights-and-a-connection-in-Heathrow kind of travel. I took the advice from my cousin Jami and just decided the heck with it. I was going to Chicago to see my grandma! How bad could it be?

Then after that trip to Chicago when Ellie was 4 moths old (which I did by myself!) I figured everything else would be small potatoes in comparison. I've got the flying and travel down to an art, so I thought I'd share what I can for all you other traveling mummies out there. Now of course, your travel experience will depend on your child (or children), their temperaments, how old they are, how long the trip is, your destination, how you like to travel, etc. but I hope you find something here that helps. If you're not interested in trip lengths or destination, scroll to the bottom for my general words of advice.

Trip: Bristol
Age: 4 months
Travel Time: 3.5 hours

Comments: We took a quick trip to Bristol for Paul's work and for Ellie and I to visit friends. It was our first flight so we booked Ellie a seat (see tips at bottom of post). Paul was in a different aisle but was able to switch easily enough. The flight was quick and uneventful, although the packing was quite stressful. The best tip I got was to walk from room to room and pack everything you use everyday. I then assembled one outfit a day for Ellie, rolled it together, and then placed 2 outfits in a ziplock bag. This made my suitcase organized and everything easy to find.

Important Gear: Ergo carrier, ring sling, 2 pacifiers, links, shaker toy, mom's water bottle

Challenges: This was by far the easiest flight, although the trip back Ellie had sobbed in the taxi for the full hour to the airport. I fed her as soon as we arrived and calmed her down in the Ergo, just managing to get her to sleep. Of course as we went through security they forced me to take her out... which woke her up... and set her off crying again... oh well!

Trip: Chicago
Age: 4 months
Travel Time: 13.5 hours

Comments: This age was by far been the easiest for me, despite flying on my own. Ellie napped ALL the time, and only wanted to be held or in the carrier. I watched 3 movies, put my feet up, ate lunch on the plane and thought to myself - this isn't so hard! I fed her on takeoff and landing and she didn't cry once during the flight. She did, however, throw a total fit while we were waiting on the tarmac (for an hour!) when she was starving and I refused to feed her because I needed her to be eating when taking off.

Me watching a film while E napped in the sling 

On the return trip were upgraded to business about an hour after takeoff because they had forgotten to pack her bassinet. Again, she slept the whole way and I loved getting all the extra space. Breastfeeding made travel easier as there were no snacks to pack and no formula to bring. People were incredibly kind and helpful as were the staff on my British Airways flight.

Oh no.. stuck in lay flat beds in business!

Important Gear: my Ergo carrier, my ring sling, 2 pacifiers, a backpack as a diaper bag, and a teething necklace. I had a selection of her favorite toys and books, but in all honesty she was completely overwhelmed by all the people and hubbub of the plane. I made sure my phone and iPad were fully charged, with my earbuds in easy reach. On the way there she had a poonami and I needed a full set of new clothes for her. Having all her usual 'night time' items like pajamas, sleep sack, brush, teddy and books helped her get to bed easily for the red eye on the way home.

Challenges: Babies of this age need a lot of stuff, and they can also be unpredictable. I was lucky in that I was breastfeeding so I didn't bring any bottles, but I still needed diapers and wipes, a place for Ellie to sleep and a stroller. Also, with a 7 hour time difference we dealt with jet lag for a good few days. I was exhausted and so was she! Luckily we were co-sleeping and she didn't roll, so I didn't need to bring her a travel cot yet.

Chilling in Heathrow BA Lounge 

Trip: Los Angeles
Age: 5 months
Travel Time: 17 hours

Comments: Our trip out to LA was exhausting but fine overall. Ellie was still napping frequently, but the trouble came when she wanted to sleep and couldn't because of the bright lights and loud people. It was slightly easier with two people, so we could trade off when one of us was tired. The return flight (a red-eye) was especially challenging as she wouldn't settle in the bassinet we had booked. I ended up with her in the sling and waking every 45 minutes. I was beyond exhausted when we arrived home!

Important Gear: the Ergo, my ring sling, lots of books, a selection of toys, a spare change of clothes, nursing cover, teething necklace, iPhones (used to make shadow puppets as a last-resort distraction!)

Challenges: At this age Ellie was more alert and needed stimulation. We found it difficult to bring enough toys and activities to keep her interested for an entire flight. Also, the return flight was a red-eye and it took ages for the lights to be turned down. Ellie was incredibly cranky and exhausted but couldn't sleep. If possible, book flights to coincide with sleep times! Our first flight was delayed so we ended up stuck in Heathrow for 5 hours. Luckily we qualified for the lounge so we spent the time in there, even getting Ellie to take another nap so all in all it wasn't too bad.

Trip: France/Switzerland
Age: 7 months
Travel time: 5 hours

Comments: While Edinburgh to Geneva is a relatively short flight (2 hours), don't forget to factor in the time to get to the airport, check in your bags, and then the travel on the other side. Even the closest destinations can take hours! Once again I carried Ellie in the Ergo through security with only a backpack - the best way to go! We had kind people on our flight, and it was otherwise uneventful.

Important Gear: my Ergo, my ring sling, a teething necklace, Ellie's three favorite books, wipes, nappy change (of course she waited for the plane to take off to need a change!), snacks for Ellie and me

Challenges: As Ellie was still not crawling, she was happy to sit on my lap and play. The fights were short and the fellow passengers friendly. On our trip back, the airline did not preboard people with infants. By the time I got on the flight, Ellie was asleep and I had difficulty finding a place to put my bag. Usually I put it under the seat in front of me, but this time the feet of the seats were in a funny position and it was half the size as usual. I asked a flight attendant to help me find a place for my bag, as I had a sleeping infant on me, and she disappeared with it. A few minutes later she came back and told me she had put my bag in the hold, with everything for Ellie. And I mean EVERYTHING. All I had was my carrier and my teething necklace. The good news is we survived the flight with nothing, but it wasn't ideal.

Trip: Falmouth
Age: 11 months
Travel Time: 4.5 hours there, 7 hours back

Comments: This "quick trip" was to see my cousin, David, performing in a Sea Shanty festival. I thought what the heck, Falmouth isn't that far away! The way there was easy and fit well into Eleanor's napping schedule. The way back was much much longer with a connection in Birmingham and dinner on the road. We didn't arrive in Edinburgh until 8pm at which point Ellie was placed in her carseat for the drive home and she promptly fell asleep and stayed asleep until morning. This trip I tried bringing my travel stroller with me through security, and though it helped in Edinburgh (I put the diaper bag in it and pushed it, saving my back while Eleanor slept on me), it was a pain when I had to fold it down and put it in its travel bag - not sure it was worth it. Next time I might check it all the way through!

Important Gear: Ergo carrier, ring sling, 10 favorite books, bubbles, finger puppets, musical instruments, wipes, nappies, eating gear (pocket bib, long sleeve bib, spoon, drop cloth, snacks, water bottle)

Challenges: A mobile baby who eats and sleeps on a regular schedule is much harder to move around. She was desperate to be on the ground crawling but most airports and airplanes are not made for babies. Edinburgh has two soft play areas, and Birmingham luckily had a kids zone. Falmouth had nothing so we found the one high chair in the one cafe and got her snacks out as a distraction before letting her "cruise" down a row of chairs in the waiting area. Falmouth airport forced me to take Ellie out of the carrier even though she was sleeping (this has only happened once before in Bristol) and this woke her up making me one grumpy mama.

Carry On Packing List
While this has changed slightly as Ellie gets older with the addition of bibs, spoons, and snacks, most of it has stayed the same. I hope it helps you pack too!

• 2x as many diapers as I think I need (for example on the way to LA we took 20! You never know when you might miss a connection and spend 24 hours somewhere unexpected) 
• Wipes (full pack) 
• Changing pad 
• 1 change of clothes for Ellie 
• 1 change of clothes for mom (leggings and tank top) 
• Cardigan for mom and E 
• Bibs (long sleeve and pocket) 
• Spoon 
• Cup
• Snacks for E and me 
• 1 blanket (I use Aden + Anais swaddle blanket as they are thin but huge) 
• 1 burp cloth/spare bib (Aden +Anais again) 
• Nursing cover 
• Bassinet cover (if booking a bassinet on an overnight flight - we used SnoozeShade) 
• Small, foldable grocery bag (or two) 
• Kleenex 
• 8 favorite books 
• Small, light favorite toys 
• Calpol + syringe 
• Lovey 
• Pacificer + clips (x3) 
• Ring sling (love my Oscha sling!)
• Ergo carrier 
• Headphones 
• iPhone charger 
• Passports 
• iPad 
• Phone 
• Spare teething necklace 
• Water bottle for mum 

Travel Tips

Travel bags
For my carry on, I used a big backpack by Cabin Max that opened completely, and then packed everything in packing cubes so it kept all the small things organized. Still, be prepared for chaos! You will inevitably pack the thing you need at the bottom and you will have to pull everything out which leads me to my next tip...

Bring a small, foldable, reusable grocery bag, so when everything doesn't quite fit in your backpack, you can just dump whatever is left into the bag. Trying to expertly repack your carryon at the end of the trip is more stress than you need!

Carry on (left) and grocery bag (right)

Ask for help!

When you are traveling with an infant on lap, it pays to smile and ask for extra help. When you check in your bags, if possible, ask if the flight is full. If it isn't ask if it's possible to change your seats to be near the spare seat. If they can't move you because the empty seat is in an emergency exit row, ask if you could try asking someone in your row to move there. Most people are more than happy to move away from a baby. In all of the 15 flights, only 4 of them required me to have Eleanor on my lap. Even if you will be holding your tiny baby, it helps just having the extra space for elbows and baby toys and all the other things you bring along.

If you get to board the flight first, try to get the things you'll need for takeoff in the seat pocket in front of you, and be sure you've got a pacifier (if you use one) in case your baby refuses to eat/nurse. If you don't get priority boarding, try to put everything you need in the small grocery bag, then hope for space for your big bag in the overhead compartment. If someone offers to help you, say YES and THANK YOU! Normally I don't like people helping me, but with a baby you should always accept it.

Nervous about crying? The best advice ever ...

This is a big one for most parents - what if I have that baby that cries the whole flight? When you get on a flight, take a good look around at all the people and then remember two things. First, all of these people have been babies and cried at one point and many of them probably have children (and maybe grandchildren!) of their own.

Second, and this is the best advice I ever heard: Look around at everyone on your flight and just tell yourself YOU WILL NEVER SEE THESE PEOPLE AGAIN. So it might be stressful while your baby is crying but you can only do your best. If your baby is uncomfortable or in pain or scared or exhausted and you're doing everything you can, then ignore the plane. In 12+ hours you'll never see them again!

What's that smell?

On a short flight, try to put your baby in a fresh diaper just before the flight. But sometimes even the best preparation doesn't help and you just need to change your baby. I've found changing tables small but manageable on most flights (BA and Easyjet) and NO changing table at all on FlyBe. This meant I was changing Ellie on the floor in the back of the plane desperately trying to keep her from touching the grimy floor. I've also changed her on... the spare seat next to me (with Paul as my other seat mate and with a changing mat under her), the flat surface where the bassinet usually sits, and on my lap. You get pretty good at on the go changes when you need to!

Popping little ears...

You know to nurse or feed your baby on takeoff, but one important little tip someone passed on to me was to be sure not to start feeding your little one until the plane has actually taken off. If you are just taxiing, they might finish eating before you even leave the ground! This also means arranging feeding times around take off and landing. If it's a short flight and you don't have a milk guzzler, you might need another way to get them to swallow. I insist the pacifier is in Ellie's mouth if she won't eat. I just keep popping it in even when she spits it out as it helps her swallow. If you're breastfeeding, I'd suggest a discreet shirt, like the one below (peekabo top), as space might be limited. I also used a nursing cover to catch the shooting milk if she unlatched to look around as she was likely to do in a busy, exciting place. On the flight to Chicago I didn't use one and didn't notice she had unlatched and accidentally hit the man's sleeve on the armrest next to me with a little milk. I managed to rub it off with my elbow before he noticed... Oops...

Buy an extra seat?

The first time I went to book a flight for Eleanor and I to travel, we were flying to Bristol via EasyJet. My seat was £25 one way, and I had to pay £20 for Ellie to sit on my lap! I checked the "child" fare instead, which is a fraction of the adult fare, and that only cost me £5! The lesson here is, it pays to check whether paying the child fare is worth it. In this case it was cheaper for her to have her own seat that it would have been to have her on my lap. With the extra seat came extra space, which was so worth it. I've booked Ellie her own seat on several flights she's taken and it's always been worth it. I've bought Ellie her own seat for our Christmas flights this year, as she'll be 18 months old and I'm not keen on a wriggly toddler on my lap for 13 hours.

If you're on a long haul flight you can often book a bassinet for around 10% of the adult fare (this depends on the airline). What you get when you're on the flight depends on the size of your baby, so be sure to check the website. You'll most likely have to call the airline to book the flight, but they will also put you in a bulkhead seat where the bassinets are placed, which means more space (even if you don't use the bassinet!)

 

Bassinet on BA flights for babies under 60cm, bouncer seat on right for larger babies.

That's all I've got... for now! We have several more trips coming up, including a cruise, so I'll add on here as I go to help you other traveling mummies. I hope you found something helpful!