Between the ages of 6 weeks and 19 weeks, I took Naomi on nine flights. Girlfriend racked up her frequent flyer miles, that’s for sure. Out of those nine flights, seven of those flights occurred within a 30 day span. And of those seven flights, I flew solo with the baby. No husband, no mother to help me out. That’s right. I went on seven flights alone with an infant, in 30 days. Here’s what I’ve learned.
FLYING SOLO WITH AN INFANT, WHAT I’VE LEARNED
BEFORE LEAVING THE HOUSE
Sometimes the baby will nurse on the plane, sometimes not. Either way, I like to have bottles of breastmilk with me, especially when landing. We have two sets of Dr. Browns Bottles, the 4-ounce (small) and 8-ounce (large). I pack a total of four 4-ounce bottles, filling them up only to the 3.5-ounce line — with that small amount, TSA will not test your milk. Trust me, there is nothing more annoying (and time consuming) than watching an agent open up and test every.single.bottle. I put four 4-ounce bottles of milk inside a gallon sized freezer bag, and then place that inside another gallon sized freezer bag so it’s doubled up. I’ll explain later…
I pack the diaper bag the same way I do everyday. But I make sure to have an extra onesie, a gallon freezer bag, and extra wipes and diapers, in case of a blowouts. Maybe a second book, back-up toys, and other random things occupy the baby. Also, airports are pretty dirty. I make sure to keep hand sanitizer easily accessible in the diaper bag. This is what my pediatrician advised for germs.
Pre-baby, I would plan on arriving at the airport ~1 hour before take-off. Post-baby, I plan on arriving ~90 minutes before boarding. There’s a lot of unknowns when traveling with littles and you’ll thank yourself for the extra time later.
WHAT I WEAR / PACK
Knowing that my hands are going to be full, I wear a shirt that’s not only easy to nurse, but has a pocket for cellphone, cash, and my ID, leggings, and shoes that are easy to slip in and out of. And of course, a baby carrier to wear the baby. Instead of a purse, I use my diaper bag, and always back carry-on. So it’s me, a baby strapped in a carrier, a roller-board, and my diaper bag backpack.
AT THE AIRPORT
Once we arrive at the airport, we’ll immediately get our boarding passes and head to security.
Back Story: I loathe Southwest and will never fly with them again, at least if I’m traveling with a lap child. They need ‘proof of age,’ they will waste your time by forcing you stand in that eternal line to see your baby’s birth certificate / passport in order to receive your boarding passes. JetBlue does not waste your time with this bullshit. When you book your ticket and claim your child is under 2, they believe you. With JetBlue, you can print both boarding passes at a kiosk and save yourself oodles of time. JetBlue and Southwest are the only two airlines I’ve flown with Naomi, so I can’t speak of other airlines. But trust me, you’ll want to fly with an airline that doesn’t waste your time with such garbage. Those lines can take THIRTY minutes to get through, and if you pack like me and don’t need to check your bag, it feels like a massive waste of time.
I digress.. now onto security! I always let TSA know before my bags go through that I have breastmilk with me, pulling out my gallon ziplock with the four bottles. And this is what happens every time: agent takes a look, nods, says they’re small bottles filled with less than 3.5-ounces, places bag with bottles in one of those small round bins for cellphones and keys, and that’s it.
As for the baby, they allow you to keep the baby strapped to you. Instead of going through the microwave, they let you walk through the metal detector (keeping the baby on you) and will test your hands. It’s a pretty smooth process. You’re still required to take off your shoes, but not a big deal.
TERMINAL ERRANDS
Once through security, we head to our gate, making several stops along the way, which I call my Terminal Errands. I go to the bathroom (yes, keeping the baby strapped to me in the carrier), fill up my water bottle (a nursing momma must), and search for coffee and snacks (another nursing mom must). It’s hard to eat on the plane holding a baby, so it’s best to eat beforehand, while you’re still hands-free. While I pay for coffee, I kindly ask the barista if I can have a scoop of ice for my breastmilk, pulling out the doubled up gallon bags with the bottles. I take one bottle out so it can stay room temperature, while the other three are cooled with ice. After these post-security errands we finally head to the gate.
At the gate I unhook the baby from the carrier, where I proceed to nurse her and then change her diaper, praying she won’t poop in-flight — there’s nothing more annoying than having to change her on the plane, the space is SO TIGHT. And if you’re wondering why I don’t nurse her in the ‘airport lactation room’ instead of at the gate… it’s because airports have their lactation rooms BEFORE security, which is insane and poorly planned out. Anyway, I pack up whatever I unloaded from the diaper bag and put the baby back in her carrier, by now it’s almost time to board.
All airlines will let those with small children board early on, which is very helpful. Once on the plane and at our seat, I unpack and settle in. In the seat-back pocket I place my water bottle, the baby’s bottle, a burp cloth, her paci, her book, and my book (though I’ve only been able to read on one flight so far). The airline requires you to take your baby out of the carrier for take-off and landing, so after I get ourselves situated, I unhook the baby and hold her.
As we take off, I nurse her again and pray she’ll fall asleep. She usually doesn’t. And the rest of the flight I hold her, sing to her, play with her, read to her, smile at her, bounce her, tickle her, and nurse her on demand. It sounds easy, but it’s exhausting to do this for hours on end in such a tight space. Especially alone, with no relief.
She’s actually a pretty great flyer and rarely fusses or cries on the plane (even during final decent), which is so nice. For final decent, I want to ensure she’s swallowing and not simply sucking, this helps ease her ear pressure. So instead of nursing, I’ll give her the room-temp bottle.
AFTER LANDING
Once we land, I back up all our stuff in the seat-back pocket and place the baby back in her baby carrier so I can be hands-free walking back through the airport. Another round of terminal errands begins; bathroom, water bottle refill, a new batch of ice for the bottles. And then it’s off to Grandmas!
I’m very, very lucky. My mother has a carseat and a stroller waiting for us in her car, so I haven’t had to travel with either yet, which of course makes this whole process 100x easier. Flying alone with an infant isn’t as bad or as scary as you think it’ll be. Also, the kindness of strangers is always so heartwarming, people who notice you’re alone will always offer to help you with your bag or whatever else. Take them up on it. You’ll need the second pair of hands.