Flying Internationally with a Baby Under 6 Months
Traveling is stressful. Rushing to get from place to place on time, making sure you have everything you need, and trying to not catch whatever phlem-y, hacking cough the guy next to you has been projecting into the air (without covering his mouth, mind you) is stressful.
When you have a baby, multiply that stress time 100. And then if you are traveling alone with that baby, go ahead raise that sh*t to the power of infinity. That’s right. Stress to the infinite power.
Here is a handy dandy little flow chart I made that may help you decide whether or not you should go ahead and click that purchase button…
If, after all of that decision making, the answer is yes, I have some helpful tips.
Now, I’m certainly no expert, but I did do the international round trip from Melbourne, AU to Los Angeles, USA with Kiwi when she was 4 months and then 6 months. Alone, both times. I learned a couple of things on those 15 hour flights.
TIPS:
DOCUMENTS. Make sure you have your documents in order. This makes going through security easier, and your general frame of mind much more settled. You definitely need your passport and your baby’s passport (obviously). I had to make sure that Kiwi’s visa status was updated before we left and I also had a typed and signed letter from her dad (because we have different last names) providing consent to travel with our daughter out of the country. Finally, it is not a bad idea to get travel insurance if you are traveling with an infant out of the country, cause you know, their immune systems still kind of suck. Especially if you have to sit in an airtight germ box for 16 hours. Which leads me to…
GERM KILLERS. Maybe bring some antibacterial wipes. Look, I’m all for exposing my kid to some bugs to build up her immune system, but airplanes are cesspools. They are disgusting. They never get cleaned. Seriously. Never. And all your baby wants to do is touch everything and put all the things they can grab into their mouth. Kiwi was obsessed with the seat belt and the video screen. I wiped everything down that I thought she could possibly reach. Besides the fact that airplanes are gross, you also really don’t want to have to have a miserable sick baby on whatever trip you are going on, or (God forbid) the plane ride back.
BABY SNACKS. Not only did I nurse her during take off and landing (which is encouraged to help their little ears pop with the altitude changes) but I basically fed her anytime she was fussy. Or awake. I basically nursed her every 1.5 hours on the return flight because she was struggling and everyone else was trying to sleep, and the redeye flight in economy is not the time to start putting your foot down in terms of feeding schedules. Pick your battles. Of course, bottle feeding would work too, as would solids (if your baby is old enough). When she was 6 months, on the flight back, I packed those amazing little pouches of fruit-veggie puree and she just sucked directly from the spout. Minimal mess, happy mamma.
BASSINETS. If you are traveling alone (or not), and your baby is small enough, call the airline and definitely try to reserve one of these. It was a lifesaver. My girl didn’t actually sleep that much in it, or really at all, but it provided the perfect place to park her while I situated myself/ate food/just needed a little break. I brought a fitted crib sheet, a heavier blanket and a lightweight muslin swaddle. I used the sheet to cover the whole bassinet, covered her with the blanket, and used the swaddle tied to the suspension bars to drape over the top of the bassinet to filter some of the light and general airplane goings-ons.
TOYS. Do bring them, but to keep the sanity intact of the entire plane, try to avoid loud musical ones. No one except for your baby wants to hear an obnoxious electronic pig oink 500 times in a row. I brought some teethers, a stuffed cat, and some books. I brought enough toys so that if she dropped a few, I could cycle another one out because shudder shudder airplane floors.
BABY CARRIER. This one was huge! Especially if you are traveling solo. Mostly because it makes it easy for you to hold your baby while you pee. And there isn’t always a flight attendant or helpful Samaritan lurking to hold your baby when you gotta go. It is also really great when you have to endlessly walk up and down the aisles because your baby won’t sleep and she also won’t be content to just sit on your lap. For the terminal, I actually didn’t even bring a stroller because I also definitely needed to pull a carry-on bag, and I was having a hard time thinking about pushing a stroller while pulling a carry-on bag in an enormous crowd. So I used the baby carrier and a carry on bag with a diaper bag stacked on top of it. In all honesty, it does start to hurt by the time you get to your gate, and I was sweating oceans through security, but for me, it was easier than the alternative. I tried to think of it as a mixed cardio/strength workout.
EXTRA CLOTHES. Definitely bring multiple extras of different layers for baby (I had her in a footed onesie and built on that) but also bring a spare set of clothes for yourself. Luckily, I didn’t have to use my set, but babies have crazy bodily fluids, so its better to just tuck away an extra shirt than sit in baby puke for 12 hours. Tip: Dress your baby in a onesie that has bottom access, like the snaps or the double zippers. You do not want to have to half-way undress your baby every time you need to do a diaper change!
MOM SNACKS. I’m probably going to get some eye rolls for my feelings about this, but I’m about ready to jump on my soapbox. Airplane food is unilaterally bad. I’ll paraphrase the dozens of articles I’ve read about plane food - it is stored poorly, it is ridiculously bad for your body, and it usually tastes pretty gross. It’s loaded with salt and sugar because your tastebuds function differently in a plane at high altitude for myriad reasons. Luckily, you can bring a surprising amount of food through security, and oh boy, I definitely bring a lot. I bring some perishables (you can also bring ice packs as long as they are frozen solid when you go through security…who knew?) like hummus and veggis, cheese and apples, sandwiches, and fresh fruit. Those I keep in easy reach (diaper bag) and eat first. I also pack shelf stable snacks in the rolly carry-on including nuts, crackers, granola bars, and chocolate. I try to keep everything relatively low salt because staying hydrated ESPECIALLY as a nursing mama is so important, which brings us to…
WATER. Yes, I know, there is water on the plane. But I’m paranoid, and I don’t trust it. I don’t know who cleans out those pitchers, or what kind of water they are filling it with, or where they filled it up last. And after the numerous exposés on the nasty bacteria found in the warm water heaters aboard aircraft - remember, they don’t boil the water for your coffee or tea, and so don’t kill any bacteria in the water - I bring bottles with me. There’s enough back and forth online to make me err on the side of caution - also, having worked in the food industry, I just don’t really trust people to clean things properly. I do not drink coffee or tea inflight - if I need caffeine, I take the nutritional hit and go with a Coke. It’s definitely more of a psychological thing than any actual danger, but that type of stuff makes me cringe. I bring two liters of water that I buy after going through security, and honestly, though it is a little expensive, I’d rather know that I’m going to drink every last penny of that precious bottled gold, than struggle to stay hydrated when I know I don’t really want to drink plane water. And it is SO IMPORTANT to stay hydrated - I cannot state this enough, especially if you are nursing (and as frequently as I did.) Your body will literally destroy itself so that it can get your baby adequate nutrition. You do not want to turn into a desiccated, shriveled up bag of crackly skin with a foamy mouth while stuck in the air for 15 hours and also probably sleep-deprived.
MAMA ME-TIME. Speaking of crackly skin…So although the time I got to myself on the plane were few and far between, Kiwi did have a couple of naps in the bassinet on both flights. Obviously I used that time to also sleep. But I did also give myself a little bit of self-care. I packed some of the sheet masks and some disposable Korean eye heating pads, as well as some heavy duty lotion, and lavender scented body wipes. I used the wipes when I felt sweaty and gross…to clean my face, neck, and armpits. It wasn’t a shower, but it made me feel slightly more human. I thought that I’d be more self-conscious about using the masks, but when they dim the lights and pretty much everyone is sleeping, it’s really not a big deal. My greatest worry was that I would scar some sleepy child or baby by looking like a plastic faced nightmare. Which didn’t happen, thankfully. So when my baby FINALLY collapsed from exhaustion, I put on a mask, my earbuds playing some soothing piano music, the weird, confusingly soothing eye warmer on my peepers, slathered lotion all over my hands, arms and neck…and drifted peacefully off to sleep. For a whole precious hour. #momlife
Hopefully this post will have illuminated more than the fact that I am apparently an enormous germaphobe. Happy travels!!