Tips for Flying with a One-Year Old

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We decided to take our first cross-country flight when our baby turned eleven months and we had NO Idea how that was going to go. Would she sleep? Would she cry the whole time? Will her ears hurt? Just a month prior she would have been content sitting in our lap, but now with her newfound skill of climbing and speed crawling would she even be able to sit still for a four-hour flight??

I got some great tips from other experienced moms before we traveled that really helped our trip go smoothly.

I’m going to start this post with the best advice I received before flying with a baby, then share with you what I learned from my own experience, including a carry-on packing list.

So here is the complete guide to help your baby’s first journey on an airplane go as smoothly as possible.

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The Best Advice I Got Before Flying with an Infant

Advice #1. Bring the car seat and stroller

If you are debating whether you should bring the car seat and stroller, the answer is YES. Of course, this largely depends on what you are doing and where you are going, but if you are planning on renting a car or doing walking of any kind, then my advice is bring them!

My husband and I like to travel light, so the thought of lugging around a stroller and car seat on an airplane seemed stressful and overly indulgent. However, my cousin talked me out of leaving them behind, and I’m so glad she did for a few reasons.

• They fly for FREE. Most airlines will allow you to check a car seat and a stroller with no charge, so it doesn’t count against your check-in bags.
• You can use the stroller to haul your luggage through the airport and check it at the gate. We personally didn’t do this flying out because we used curbside service at the airport, but this did come in handy when we returned our rental car at the end of the trip and had to lug all our stuff through the airport. *Update: The last trip we did we checked the stroller at the gate, but I personally do not recommend it. I found it to be more complicated through security and felt it was much easier to wear my baby through the airport!
• You want your baby to be as comfortable as possible on a trip. They are already dealing with the stress of being in a foreign environment, so the more comfort you can have from home, the happier they will be. You cannot guarantee the comfort (or safety) of a rental, so the peace of mind that comes with having your own gear is worth it. We were traveling on winding mountain roads, and possibly through bad weather, so I loved having a car seat I knew I could rely on.

If you do check them, I recommend buying these travel bags. They are HUGE and can fit most strollers and car seats (we have a Graco jogger stroller) and we were also able to slip our booster feeding seat in with our car seat along with a few blankets to save room in our luggage. 😉

*Side note— we were also SUPER happy to have our booster seat on the trip. It made mealtimes much easier when a high chair wasn’t available.

Advice #2. Buy a bunch of cheap toys at the Dollar Store before you go

The three secrets to good airplane toys are novelty, novelty, novelty.

They don’t have to be fancy, just new and varied. Go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of different little toys you think might capture your baby’s attention even if it’s just for ten minutes at a time. And DO NOT let your child play with them before the flight. They need to be new to keep their attention longer.

An experienced mom in my family was like, “Oh, and buy glow sticks. It will keep her busy forever.”

All I gotta say is, Dude. Glow sticks. Buy the glow sticks.

Advice #3. Nurse (or bottle feed) during take off and landing

This is pretty common advice, but as a new mom, I just would not have known to do this. Nursing or giving a bottle as you change altitude helps their ears equalize with the pressure. You could also try a sippy cup, or if they refuse to suck on something, give them some snacks since even chewing can help their ears adjust.

Advice #4. Bring LOTS of snacks

Bring lots of different types of snacks, including ones your baby has never tried to keep them interested. Whenever our little girl was getting restless and too distracted for toys, we would bring out the snacks. These were a big hit with our kiddo, and they are individually wrapped so they are easy to throw in your bag.

Bring some snacks for you too mama! These days you just get a tiny bag of pretzels on the plane, so you will be happy to have some more substantial snacks like protein bars or beef sticks— especially if you are breastfeeding! These bars are my personal preference (as long as you don’t have a peanut allergy.) They have to be refrigerated, but they are good for a week on the go! They are healthy and delicious. You can find them at Costco as well.

And bring your own water on board. A Southwest agent gave good advice to have my own water in case we got stuck on the tarmac or if turbulence delays drink service during the flight. That way you always have enough for you and baby’s sippy cup.

Now here are some additional tips from our own experience…

First of all, there are a few things about booking a flight with an infant I didn’t know before this trip:

• Some airlines require a birth certificate or form of ID if you are traveling with an infant
• If you are traveling with Southwest, you add a lap child AFTER you book your flight. You can call an agent or do it the day of travel at a ticketing counter.
• Security will allow some liquid exceptions when it comes to babies, like bottles of milk. Check with your airline, but we were able to bring a sippy cup of water through security. They just had to run a little test on it. As long as it is in “reasonable amounts.”

Tip #1. Use overnight diapers for travel days

I read a lot of moms saying their baby’s leaked or had blowouts on travel days, so I decided to put our kiddo in overnight diapers whenever we were traveling. They are a little more expensive but totally worth it for the extra absorbency! We used these overnight diapers and never had any leakage or blowouts during any of our long travel days.

Tip#2. Change baby’s diaper right before you get on the airplane

Changing a diaper in an airplane bathroom typically requires you to be a professional juggler and contortionist, so it’s best if you can avoid it all together. Plus, if there is a lot of turbulence, it can be unsafe to be up and about with the baby.

But if you do have to change a diaper on the airplane…

Tip#3. Make sure you have Sassy Sacks

You are not suppose to put diapers in airplane trash cans since they don’t change them between flights, so Sassy Sacks are great at containing the smell if you have to pack out a dirty diaper. (I didn’t know any of this, so the aggravated flight attendant had to put on gloves and a stank face as he fished out the poopy diaper I had thrown in the trash… oops. Classic rookie mom mistake.)

Tip #4. Dress them in a footed sleeper (zipper, no buttons)

It is the easiest and most comfortable option. It keeps them warm on the plane, you don’t have to worry about lost socks, and it’s great for quick diaper changes.

I suggest bringing a second footie sleeper in your carry-on as a spare change of clothes.

Tip #5. To save space in your bag, wear a scarf that can double as a nursing cover

You can wear a lightweight scarf, or you can actually wear a swaddle blanket like these ones as a scarf. Aden and Anais swaddles are beautiful and stylish and can totally get away with being a scarf. It makes nursing on demand so much easier while traveling and saves you a little space in your bag.

Tip #6. Wear your baby through the airport

Baby will love being close to you through the chaos of the airport, and it was even a breeze going through security with baby in a carrier. And even if you have a stroller, you can use the stroller to carry your stuff and put the baby in the carrier.

I HANDS DOWN recommend the Ergo 360 baby carrier for traveling. I have tried many different carriers and this one by far is my favorite. It is very versatile and comfortable for baby. You can wear it four different ways and I prefer the Omni version since it comes with a little pouch that you can put your phone and wallet in while you’re on the go. If you’re trying to decide which carrier is best for travel, get this one!!! You’ll love it.

Should you get on the plane right away with family boarding, or wait till the last minute? That is the question…

If you have assigned seating, I would definitely recommend waiting till the last minute to get on the plane. Let the baby move around as much as possible before they have to be stuck on your lap for who knows how long. I even brought an extra blanket that I didn’t mind getting dirty for the baby to crawl around on the floor at the gate before we got on the plane.

But who am I fooling… she didn’t stay on the blanket. She crawled everywhere and I just washed her hands when it was time to go. And if you don’t have access to water, these wipes are fantastic for cleaning baby’s hands (and for wiping down the airplane tray).

We were the last to board, and it was so nice taking off right after we sat down. No unnecessary sitting for baby.

As for the timing of the flight…

A lot of other moms recommended NOT flying during naptime but making sure baby was well rested and awake for the journey, since most babies are too stimulated on their first flight to fall asleep.

I don’t totally agree with this… but that’s because our baby had no problem falling asleep on the plane. We timed our first flight at the start of her first nap of the day, and she fell asleep while we were taking off. On our flight home, she fell asleep about half way through the flight.

So this advice is totally dependent on your baby, and whether you think they will be able to fall asleep somewhere unfamiliar or if you think they will be happier starting a flight well rested.

Baby carry-on bag checklist

I recommend a backpack like this one as a carry-on bag. It has tons of space and we absolutely love it. Here’s what we packed:

• diapers (6-8 for a day of travel.)
• wipes
• changing pad (this backpack comes with a changing pad.)
• change of clothes for baby (in case of messes of any kind)
• extra shirt for mama (in case that mess gets on you, and it most likely will)
• swaddle blanket
• sippy cup of water
• antibacterial wipes (I use Wet Ones. They are great for wiping hands and everything at your seat. If you don’t want to use those on baby, you can also pack a small spray bottle of soapy water and wipe there hands with water wipes… another good tip I received.)
• Sassy Sacks
• toys (nothing too loud or disturbing for other passengers.)
• board books— this one and this one were a big hit with our baby.
• book for mom (if baby does fall asleep, you’ll be glad you have it.)
• phone charger
• wallet
• phone
• baby-essentials kit— (any medicine or essentials you want for the trip. We had a thermometer, baby Tylenol, Benadryl, nail clippers, suction bulb, band-aids, and Chapstick.
• travel-sized white noise machine
• snacks for mama— protein bars, beef sticks, nuts, etc

My last tip is… try to relax.

Babies feed off our energy, so the more relaxed we are, the more comfortable and happy they will be. Don’t worry about everyone around you and what they might be thinking of your baby’s noises or your parenting skills. Give all your focus and attention on staying calm for your baby and adapting to their needs along the way, whatever they may be. =)

Happy travels and enjoy the ride!

Did I miss anything?? What are your airplane travel tips and baby essentials?

Read next: How to Keep an 8-Month Old Baby Entertained on a Road Trip WITHOUT a screen