First-Hand Tips & Advice for Flying with a Newborn Baby
The thought of traveling with a newborn was overwhelming.
With my first child, the thought of leaving the house sent me into a tizzy, never mind the country!
I wanted to believe I could still travel with baby, but was definitely not a carefree new mom.
But I was not a road trip person (back then). So, in order for us to get away, I needed to get over my fear of flying with baby. My daughter’s first trip was when she was 11-months-old.
My son came with us on our first family-of-four trip when he was just 10 weeks-old. Bub traveled quite a bit by the time he was two, and was on planes at pretty much every developmental stage of his life.
Some trips were easy. Some trips were tough. But they were all worth it!
Our Experience Flying with a Newborn…
I consider a baby aged three months and younger to be a newborn.
Our son was a big baby who nursed well, so by 10 weeks-old we had a robust infant on our hands who was slowly developing a sleeping and eating routine (but had lots of growth spurts and early teething that kept us on our toes).
We flew to Quebec City via Porter Airlines Both are highly recommended for family travel!
Biggest Concerns Before Flying with a Newborn:
Our son had not yet had his routine vaccinations. I was worried about the germy environment of an airplane’s interior, as well as various strangers touching his hands. And I was really afraid of him getting sick on vacation. This was pre-pandemic, mind you, but this worry (obviously) still stands.
Also, I was also really afraid that he’d scream for the entire flight.
The Reality of Flying with a Newborn:
Flying with a newborn is (comparatively–to, say–a toddler) easy. A baby this small is actually easy to keep fairly separated from the germ-laden population as they are not yet mobile. When Bub was not in his car seat, one of us was holding him, and various baby admirers seemed to know enough to keep their distance. We had anti-bacterial wipes for his hands if he did manage to touch something (and then regular wipes to wipe off the anti-bacterial residue. Because, residue).
Our flight out was not full, so we were able to keep him in safely in his car seat for the duration of the flight. This was awesome. For our flight home, we had to gate-check his seat but we had no issues with that nor keeping him on our laps. He slept for the majority of the flight in my husband’s arms after a good nursing session during take-off. For long-haul flights, check with your airline to see about availability and using an airplane bassinet.
Extra Consideration When Flying with a Newborn:
Our biggest issue was that, as an exclusively breastfed infant, our son’s poops were quite explosive. If the diaper did manage to contain it, it would end up seeping out anyway. (Normally I’d worry about TMI here. But, if you’re reading this you’re likely a parent (who won’t care), or an expecting parent (who needs to learn this stuff ;))
I brought a change of clothes for our flight out, but he went through that rather quickly. And the new outfit barely held until we reached our hotel. Since baby clothes are so tiny at this age, more than one change of clothes (for you too, if you’ve got the room) is a good idea. If your infant is formula-fed, bring extra feeds and bottles. You never know when or for how long delays will happen. I can’t imagine the stress of having a hungry baby and not having access to formula and water.
The usual flying with baby advice holds here when flying with a newborn… Try to keep them sucking during takeoff and landing, whether that’s by nursing, a bottle, or a pacifier. Don’t be afraid to administer a bit of infant pain relief medication if you think baby’s ears are in pain. Our son’s naps were not yet consistent by this point, but we were flying at typical naptimes so he slept for most of both flights. Toys won’t really do much at this age either, so enjoy the relative lightness of your carry-on bag!
Of all the ages and stages our son’s been at when we’ve flown with him, this was definitely the easiest. Although if you’re a first-time mom (as overwhelmed as I was), you probably don’t believe me.
You will, if you have another!
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See also:
- Planning Your First Trip with Baby
- Traveling with a Baby? It Gets Easier…
- Traveling with a Baby? It gets Harder…
- A Complete Guide to Traveling with a Newborn
- Coping with Time Changes & Baby Jet Lag
- A Complete Guide to Booking and Using an Airplane Bassinet
- The Complete Guide to Baby Travel Gear
- Tips for Flying with an Infant 3-6 Months
- Flying with an Infant 6-12 Months
- Flying with Toddlers and Preschoolers
- 10 Dos & Don’ts for Flying with Babies and Toddlers
We didn’t take our twins anywhere until they were older, and didn’t fly until they were almost 4. When our youngest came along, we packed up and took off when he was only 3 months old. That was, by far, the easiest flight with him. He fed, he slept, he didn’t need much room to wiggle. It is hard to convince new parents, but they really should fly while the baby is tiny.
Oh boy. You are flashing me back 2 years to our first flight with our guy at 3 months. We went across the country. I thought everyone was right and we must be insane. He slept almost the whole time. When he wasn’t sleeping he was chewing on a toy. As usual, I was more crazy than he was. And you are absolutely right about packing more formula than you think you will need. This saved our butts. We got stuck in San Fran over night on our way home from Maui when he was 5 months old. I was panicked because we only had 2 bottles left. I was asking for our luggage, where a 24 hour grocery store was. Anything! Somehow we managed without more formula, but it was definitely more stress than we needed to deal with if we had planned a little better. We packed some extra in case of delays, but didn’t even think about getting stuck overnight! As always thanks for all the amazing baby advice.
I’d give anything to travel with a tiny one these days!
Corinne,
I have some grand kids you can take .
Jack
Totally not what I expected coming in to this entry, haha. For some reason I was expecting tips about how to keep your baby quiet on a long flight.
But all of these made sense. I’ve got no kids myself, but I had wondered in the past how my sister would deal with poopy nappies on a long flight. That confined environment makes them all the more lethal :-p
About to make our first air trip with our newborn, he will be 9 weeks. That’s great you were able to use the car seat on board. … We have requested the bassinet so hope he sleeps ok in it!
I will post our experience on my blog http://www.milkandsandcastles.com wish us luck!
Good to hear it’s not so bad traveling with an infant. Most people tell me I’m crazy for planning a flight with a 2M old. They said I am being naive as a fist time mom to think that all baby needs is sleep, food and change of diapers.
This is all good advice but is there anything else I should consider for a long haul flight? We are flying NY to Australia which usually means 3 long flights of 6/16/5 hours. Besides extra clothing/diapers, is there anything else I should be considering to bring along? I plan on breastfeeding so that cuts down on bottle feeding gear. Should we really plan a layover somewhere for a few days to make travel easier for all?
Way to go, Marlyn! You will be all be tired, so make sure you have a day or two on the other end of your journey to recuperate. Hopefully you’ve bought baby a seat or will have a spare seat between you so you can have a break from holding baby. A layover mid-way just extends the journey in my opinion, but I’m of the “grit your teeth and get it over with” school of baby travel 🙂
We some time really become worried if we need to travel alone with a toddler and a baby. These tips will definitely help people to get prepared before the trip.
Thanks so much for this, I have been nervous about flying with my newborn but this has put my mind at rest a little!
Thanks a lot. I have been worried about flying with my 2 months old baby but this helps..
I’m planning on flying with my baby when she is 3 weeks old, crazy I know. We’re traveling missouri to California so one hr and one 3 hr flights. Any tips for a baby so little? Planning on wearing her and breast feeding for takeoff and landing.
Good luck Caitlin! Maybe this post will help: https://havebabywilltravel.com/2011/09/04/flying-with-baby-travel-tips-for-flying-with-a-newborn/
How did ur flight go? I’m taking the same from Missouri to lax in California in 3 weeks with out 2 month old. I’m nervous but allegiant airlines is nonstop 3 1/2 hours
I think it’s more safe take a baby on travel when he/her anti-body activates aside from the vaccines. Thanks for sharing your toughts.
We want to take our kids travelling once we start our family. My parents took my siblings on airlines when they were 3 months old and it seemed fairly fine. There was one scare with one of them catching a cold. Apart from that, they never really had any trouble. And the flight was from Sydney to LA.
I could never muster enough courage to travel with my infant.. Well they are 3 and 4 years old now, so i guess i missed the chance.. LOL.
Last time I travelled to India there was a baby screaming for about two hours. I cannot imagine what that would be like for the parents….The air on that plain was also extremely dry, so maybe that’s why.
I traveled with my 6 week old son from NYC to Michigan for an hour, then 6 hours to Claifornia. We stayed in LA for 3 days and proceeded to Manila, Phils. via Tokyo for another 15 hours straight flight.
All he did was sleeping, eating and pooping. Layovers are good for long travel and with this age, travel light is recommended. I made sure to bring extra baby clothes and prepared water baby bottles.
Way to go, Phoebe! Thank you for leaving this comment. You’re an inspiration to moms of newborns facing a marathon flight.
Wow! Did you bring your carseat and stroller with you on all flights?
We did! It was a PITA sometimes, but I never regretted having them with me.
I didn’t travel with my two children until they were 3 and 5. Went to Disney World and was just amazed at how many people actually take their newborns, toddlers, twin infants and more! To me they were quite ambitious! At three and five it was so much easier with them being potty trained and able to talk. Kudos to the parents for braving it through the earlier years!
Dear Madam/ Sir,
Could you tell me that My daughter she is 3 month old can travel by Air and Total travel time is 4.5 hours.
But via flight 1. hours from Madurai to Chennai,
Get 2.25 hours from Chennai to Mumbai.
Kindly Advise.
Hi Ganesh! You should be just fine. Plan ahead by packing all you will need, and be ready to be busy for those 5 hours! Take care, Corinne
I will be traveling with my baby once he’s 6wks back to Alaska where my husband and I are based. It’s a 5hr plane ride and I’m not sure where or how I’ll change him? Any info on that would be much appreciated.
Hi Sarah!
Most planes have a change table in the washroom in the back of the plane. At 6wks your baby should fit just fine, but it is a challenge for older babies since the space is so tight. I recommend bringing along a change mat and lots of wipes to clean things beforehand. Have a great flight!
Thanks for this and all the comments. We are travelling soon and my baby will be just over 3 months..I am very anxious and scared of her getting sick during the travel but all these comments are helpful. Thanks
Great tips! The more tips the better!
Hello, I’m a first time mom and my husband and I will be travelling with our newborn in a few months from NYC to the Philippines. Was thinking about not getting her a separate ticket since the aircraft provides a bassinet but we will still be bringing a car seat with us. Do you recommend checking it in along with our other free baggage or should I take it with me to the plane? Can it be gate checked if the airplane is full?
Hi Karen!
I would definitely gate-check your seat, ideally in a padded travel bag. The airline should be totally fine with this, and also not charge you for it.
Oh wow, that was quick! Thanks! Do you recommend gate-checking the stroller too? We’re taking the new york-seoul & seoul-philippines flights.
You should be able to gate check both.
Hello just want to have an idea since i am a first time mom of my daughter 6th month old and we want to travel from philippines to bahrain (it’s a long travel) i was thinking that maybe she might be afraid during take off and landing.. Can someone suggest to me what to do? Im thinking also what to do if she is not comfortable during our flight since it’s her first time to travel.
Hi Micha! Six months is a pretty ok time to travel with a baby. Seek to comfort during takeoff and landing by nursing or offering a bottle or pacifier, and make sure you have lots of diapers on hand! It will not be a relaxing flight for you but you should both do fine. Good luck!!
We have a weekend trip planned, 4 days from FL to NY. Our little one will be 11, almost 12 weeks by that time. My husband doesn’t want to take her, for fear of germs, getting sick, etc. Any resources available to help change his mind?
Hi Alexa!
I don’t have any official resources to suggest other than our personal experience. My son was 10 weeks on his first trip which is kind of similar–we did a long weekend in Quebec City. It was a short flight and a few nights in a hotel. At this age, since they’re not mobile or (usually) sticking their hands in their mouths, it’s pretty easy to shield them from things and surfaces that usually harbor the nasty germs. We kept him in his car seat, he had a seat on the plane, and I’m not exaggerating when I say he slept from the plane, through the airport, in the taxi and didn’t wake up until we’d checked into the hotel. If you’re nursing your daughter will have some immunity from your breast milk, but even though NYC is a busy place, you’ll have her close to you either in her car seat, stroller, or carrier. You can control who touches her and what she touches. Enjoy this phase because it doesn’t last long!
Thanks for this write up. Being reading various comments so I’m not so scared anymore. Will be traveling on a journey of 35hrs 30mins from Texas to Nigeria with my 3months old baby. Guess I’ll have to pack as many diapers, bottles and extra cloth.
Hi Bibi! That is quite a journey! You could probably get away with 20 or so diapers, but since your baby is only 3 months they are still pretty small and don’t take up too much room. Don’t skimp on the bottles, though. It would be awful to run out and delays are possible. Good luck and have a great trip!
Hi Bibi, How did the travel go? I am planning to travel to Portland from Nigeria soon. My baby will just be around 4 weeks then and I do not know if he can cope with the jet lag. I do not want to drop him because I want to exclusively breastfeed him.
My grandmother is not expected to live much longer, so I am planning an unexpected trip from NC to Florida with my 9 week old. My husband and older two children will be staying at home. I was thinking about wearing the baby in a cloth baby carrier – if I do, will I have to take her out of the carrier during take off and landing ?(I believe I could still buckle my seatbelt with her in the carrier). Thanks!
Oh Alicia, I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother. Yes, you will have to take her out of the carrier for takeoff and landing. Luckily I would imagine your flight will be short. Wishing you and your daughter a peaceful journey.
Getting ready to take a 4 hr flight with my 2 month old, I’m planning on baby wearing, I know I will have to take her out during takeoff and landing, my question may be stupid but what do I do just hold her on my lap during that time?
Hi Tracy! During takeoff and landing, you are usually directed to hold your baby upright in the “burping” position.
Hello
Corinne,
Nice & very informative article you shared with us. it is very important to carry travel seat for a newborn to 18 months baby. if anyone have car seat then its very useful when you flying with air plane.
You need lots of diaper storage when travelling, so check you have available diaper on your bag.
Thanks for Article.
We are about to embark on a 15hr trip (with two flights and layover and car ride) with our five week old. We are just praying she sleeps well. One thing I was curious if anyone has had success being able to wash bottles/hand pumps while on the plane or in layover? Just trying to figure out the safest way to ensure clean utensils.
At five weeks I think your bottles, nipples, and pump parts still need to be sterilized. If it were me I’d have extra on hand, sealed in ziploc bags, rather than risk the water from an aiplane restroom sink or airport bathroom. Good luck!
I have a girl baby 3 month old. Recently I have to travel a long journey for an important reason. It is about 4 hours journey.I am very worry about this how can i travel with my little baby in a long journey. plz dear suggest me.
This is a great post on realities of traveling with a newborn. I have gone through this myself with my son. Traveling with a toddler is a little different, since they become attention seekers and need constant entertainment. I am going to place a link in my blog to this post, and I would appreciate if you linked to my post talking about traveling with toddlers and what to take with you on the way. https://mommycando.com/2018/08/06/traveling-with-your-toddler/
Good evening.
I am plannin to travel from Washington DC to Europe( around 20 hours) with my daughter who is going to be three months old at time of traveling. Besides having a lot of diaper and formula bottles , do you have any advice for me. How does she travel? Do I need to buy separate seat for her? In that case, I should use car seat, right? What about stroller? Does it go with us in the airplane? Thank you in advance!
Hi Milica! 20 hours is a long time to have a baby on your lap! if your airline offers bassinets, see if you can book one. Otherwise, she would be safest and most comfortable in her own seat, in an airline-approved car seat. But if that’s not in your budget, it’s not in your budget. You’ll want to gate-check your stroller, instructions on how to do that are here. Have a great trip!
Thanks for posting this article! We’re debating whether or not we should take a trip with our newborn from California to France (approx 11 hour flight). She will be 10 weeks old at the time. We originally were not planning on buying a seat for the baby, nor were we going to bring a car seat with us. Do you think that’s doable?
We were also thinking of getting back row seats, because it’s closer to the restroom and there’s a higher chance that nobody will sit in between us. Is this a good idea? Or should we ask for bulkhead?
11 hours is a loooong time to hold a baby in your arms, even a cuddly 10-weeker 🙂 Bulkhead would likely be most comfortable for all of you, especially if you can get a bassinet.
Very important things to know when travelling with a baby.
Nice write up!, Thank you for sharing this amazing topic, I’ll like to call it ‘an ultimate guide when traveling with your baby’ ☺️you know what?
I just discovered this website and
I used read a lot of Parenting blogs, and I’ve read articles similar to this, but I’ve never seen written this way, very insightful and educative.
Thanks for sharing this information. I am a new father, and it’s help me a lot.
Thanks again.
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