Flying with a 1 year old!

Harp went on her first flight a few weeks ago! It was a first for us all really. I am a person who loves going places (near and far) but airplane travel stresses me out sometimes. I do not enjoy the crowded areas, the long lines or THE GERMS. Since we’d be adding Harp into the mix, I knew we needed to plan/prep as much as we could. Corey boarded the plane first and wiped everything down with disinfectant wipes (wearing gloves). Aside from your typical diaper bag essentials, I packed these items: baby carrier, noise cancelling headphones, extra clothes for the whole family, formula/water (extra in case of delays), toys she had never seen before and baby antibacterial wipes. Here is a list of the things I think helped us the most:

1. Encouraging sleep/prioritizing comfort

On the way to Florida, we did not encourage her to sleep. Bad idea lol. The flight was only two hours. She was great until the last 10min. We were “those people” on the airplane for 10min (felt like forever). Right before the wheels hit the ground, she fell asleep. She slept on me for two hours while we handled rental car issues (girlie was tired!). On the flight back home, we planned to walk up and down the aisle with her if she did not go to sleep on her own. But thankfully, she put herself to sleep and did not fuss at all. We flew first class to have more room instead of going with three seats for the same price. The carrier and headphones worked great on the plane with her being in Corey’s lap. Next time we will likely bring a car seat and just pay for her seat. I am almost always willing to pay extra for comfort and/or convenience.

2. TSA Pre-check

If I can avoid waiting in line (and taking my shoes off) then that is what I am going to do lol. For this trip, there was no wait at all. This was very helpful because it allowed us extra time to get settled before boarding.

3. Packing light

We had two carry-ons, a backpack, a diaper bag, travel stroller and one checked bag. For a one-week trip with a baby, I thought this was pretty light. But I think we can do better for next time. On our next trip, maybe just two carryons and 1 bag on the plane will do.

4. Expecting the worst / staying calm

I thought about all the worst scenarios and prepped the best I could. But honestly, none of that prepared me for those 10mins of fussing. Of course we tried it all, but she was overtired. The only thing we could do was try to stay calm and be patient. It was not fun but we survived! I am grateful for our experience though (nothing to be afraid of now).

5. Realizing it would all be worth it in the end

Baby girl is going places. She will be better for it.

I will leave you with some photos:

Also: this pool float was so great! She loved it and it was easy to use.