6 tips to survive flying alone with baby

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Tip: Don’t wear white. What was I thinking?!

As if baby’s first plane ride wasn’t terrifying enough (will he/she scream the whole flight? Poop all over the seat? Vomit on the complete stranger next to us?), there may come a day when you are the only adult flying with your baby. No trusted person to hand them to when you need your hands free. No one to commiserate with when you’re wiping spilled milk from your lap. It’s just you and your spawn. I’m not going to lie, it makes me nervous every time I do it, but just like everything else with having a kid, it is doable. Here are six tips to get you through that first flight alone.

1) Practice, practice, practice

Practice carrying all your travel gear long before getting to the airport. You won’t want to be scrambling on the airport curb figuring out how to transport baby and all your gear to the ticket counter!

Before leaving for the airport, make sure you’ve practiced how you will get to ticketing, go through airport security, board the plane — basically everything you will be doing alone with baby that day — while carrying all your travel items and your little one. If you have a stroller, how will you fold it up while holding baby (hint: carriers and wraps are a lifesaver)? Can you push your stroller with one hand and simultaneously pull a large piece of luggage with the other? Will you bring along a carseat? While there may be tons of people offering to help you, it’s best to be safe and plan on how you will do it all on your own (which you can!).

2) Buy baby his/her own seat

Traveling can be very expensive, so the appeal of saving hundreds of dollars by putting bébé on your lap makes complete sense. But try to imagine getting their bottle ready when it’s shoved under the seat in front of you, baby is on your lap screaming and you have no free hands or someone helping you. Having them safely strapped in their car seat (and hopefully sleeping!) while you have 100 percent use of your hands is priceless.

3) Pay for extra legroom

If an extra seat just isn’t in the budget and baby is on your lap, even paying a little bit more for extra legroom is worth it. Having a few extra inches to maneuver around and not constantly knock the seat in front of you will relieve some of the stress.

4) Keep necessities in the seat pocket and under the seat in front of you

If only those seat pockets could be just a little bit bigger. Space is limited, so what does your baby usually want when they’re crying? A bottle, pacifier, toy, wipes to clean a mess…those should be within easy reach in the seat pocket or even tucked next to the armrest or window on your seat. Keep everything else under the seat in front of you in a diaper bag. Avoid the overhead bin for items you will need quick access to during the flight.

5) Wear baby in a carrier or wrap through airport security

My son actually hated carriers, but I’d rather have him fuss for a few minutes while I’m loading up the conveyor belt with both hands than attempt to fold up my stroller, remove my shoes and take out the liquids with one hand (tip: sign up for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® to alleviate some of this stress). Keep in mind some international airports will make you take baby out of the carrier to go through security, so do this after you’ve loaded everything else on the conveyor belt. I’ve also got other tips on how to get through airport security with a baby here.

6) Don’t be afraid to ask for help

No one wants to see a struggling parent. I always think people are just going to shoot daggers with their eyes at me, but I promise people are so much kinder than you think they’ll be. I’m always surprised how many people are willing to lend a helping hand in every aspect of my travels with my son. And if you need any help, feel free to ask a TSA agent, flight attendant and the total stranger sitting next to you. There’s a good chance they’ve been in your shoes. Even that serious-looking businessman may actually have four kids back home and will gladly strike up a conversation about Paw Patrol.

And if all these tips fail and your trip is a hot mess? You’ll never see these people again. Bon voyage!

Do you have any helpful tips for traveling alone with a baby or small child?