How to Fly Solo with a Baby

Thinking about taking a vacation with your baby? Nobody else is going with you? I've got you covered!

Last week, I accomplished something that would make a lot of people nervous. I took my 9 month old baby on a plane. By myself. No matter what your situation may be, whether you're single, have a deployed husband, or just happen to be traveling without another adult, you'll have to do some extra planning to make sure you can carry everything. So I'm sharing what I did to give you ideas!

1. Plan ahead- That's why you're reading this, right? I decided quasi-last minute to take my baby to Florida for a 30th birthday celebration for myself. However, even though the decision was last minute, I still considered every detail very carefully. Upon my research, and while buying the plane ticket, there was mention of potentially needing to bring baby's birth certificate because she is under the age of 2. When you don't buy a separate seat for your baby, he/she will still get a boarding pass. Some people at security will ask for the birth certificate, some won't. Really it's a game of luck, like many other things at airports. Instead of a birth certificate (how cumbersome!) I packed her passport. Small, easy to carry/store, not going to get crumpled up in a mess. Perfect. It turned out that I didn't even need it.

Mama's on the left, Baby's on the right. Top flap.

2. Pack the gear. So the big question when bringing baby along, is what gear do you take? For this trip, I brought the stroller, the carseat, and a soft structured carrier (God's gift to moms with puny arms.) I was able to check the carseat and stroller for free, which is another thing to research with whichever airline you choose. I also checked our suitcase, because I'm not lugging that around. I really struggled with the idea of taking the stroller, because I really don't use it much, but decided that it would be worthwhile as a solution for transporting all of the stuff:

Meet my free luggage cart.

The other issue of packing is trying to guesstimate how many diapers to pack. I threw an unopened small bag of diapers in, hoping to use them and free up room for souvenirs. In retrospect, the whole bag was way too much for our very short visit, so I should have left more space/brought a bigger suitcase. Live and learn.

3. Lodging- Something to keep in mind when traveling with baby is your sleeping arrangements! Do you really want to pack that pack n play to lug around? Probably not if you have to lug it all by yourself. Some hotels offer "cribs" for you to use at no additional charge, which is totally what we did. And by "cribs," I mean the hotel's pack n play.

Complete with sheets!

4. Transportation- Do you want to take taxis everywhere? If you're like me, then the answer is no. I love accidentally discovering things when I'm being a tourist (read: getting lost). I also like the freedom to just hop in the car whenever I feel like it, without having to wait on a cab. Plus, my little one naps really well in cars but not if you try to take her out. So, rental was the obvious choice for us. However, if you happen to have friends living in your destination city, you could save a lot of money by allowing them to be your super-awesome chauffeur. 

Note: I have been the chauffeur/host before, and it can get annoying and exhausting, so please bribe them by paying for dinner or something of this nature. Especially if you're also crashing in their house. If you can't afford dinner, make them a trinket. Something. Anything. 

5. Tips for the actual flight- Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you to make cutesy little party favors for other passengers to apologize in advance for having a baby with you. Nobody has time for that, especially people who travel alone. 

Carrying baby around-I have a Kinderpack, which is an amazing soft structured carrier. I use this to carry baby in the airport, onto the plane, etc. My diaper bag can be worn as a backpack, so I basically wear them both and have my hands free to text/take pictures/etc. This way I don't have to worry about folding down the ginormous stroller and wearing out my arms when I have to walk stroller-less to the back of the plane where my seats always are. 

Ear Pressure- When most people fly, they keep gum handy to prompt them to swallow to deal with popping your ears to adjust to the pressure changes during take-off and landing. If your baby is breastfed, then that's what you'll need to do to prevent discomfort from the pressure change. If your baby is bottle-fed, same thing. Have something ready for baby to swallow so those darling little ears don't hurt. I intentionally had both aisle and window seats just to see if I had a preference for either while nursing. I guess the window seat is better if you care about privacy. I kind of don't, so I was comfortable at both. (Although if you're going to have a super long flight, think about if you want other people crawling over your lap to get to the bathroom.)

Entertainment- Depending on the length of your flight, you'll want to have an arsenal of entertaining things to occupy your wiggle worm as you travel, confined to one seat. Babies love new stuff, so maybe get a few new toys/books/random items for your little one to investigate on the plane. Our longest flight was around two hours, and I just made sure to keep her favorite distractions at arm's reach in my diaper bag. My baby also happens to be a people watcher, so keeping her entertained in a plane full of strangers was a piece of cake.Baby ended up falling asleep in my arms for half of our flights, so that was nice too. 

At the end of the day, you know your baby's personality and patience limits better than anyone else, so you are the most qualified person to decide if he/she is ready for a flight! Good luck, mamas!

Love,
Stephanie