Preparing for a Flight with Your Baby

Many of us travel to see friends and family for the holidays – babies included! It’s crucial to prepare adequately for your little one’s first flight, but as a first-time parent (or even for the seasoned parent with their newest bundle of joy in tow), it required a lot of preparing and planning just to take a stroll at the nearby park. Trips in general, whether they are day trips or an extended stay, can be a stressful time – especially when you consider everything you need for your baby.

The first step to reducing your travel stress is by packing the right diaper bag essentials for your baby or toddler. Starting your trip stressed and disorganized is not a good sign for the upcoming adventure! Give yourself a head start in preparing and start with the number one essential: the diaper bag.

Your everyday diaper bag may be smaller in size in order to accommodate wipes, diapers, a spare change of clothes, a bottle and an extra pacifier. However, your travel bag should be larger to allow for extra essentials to get you through a day of flights, layovers or car trips. You don’t want to lose precious travel time by running to a store en-route because you forgot a necessity.

As for the contents of your diaper bag, here’s a list of the must-have’s that will help make your trip a success for both of you!

• Diapers (one per hour, or training pants for potty-training toddlers)

• Wipes

• Diaper rash ointment

• Wash cloth, burp cloth and a hand towel

• Two to three personalized baby bibs

• Bottle(s) or sippy cup (one sippy cup is generally sufficient, but you’ll need more than one bottle depending on the length of your trip and your child’s needs

• Formula, milk or breast milk — prepared and chilled

• Baby food with baby-safe utensils

• Bottled water

• Snacks (you can keep snacks for you or older children in your baby’s diaper bag)

• Extra clothes for baby (two or three bodysuits, shirts and bottoms)

• Baby/toddler-safe toys (don’t overstuff, but choose at least one or two you know will keep your child entertained and happy)

• Hand sanitizer

• Two pacifiers

• Travel-size first-aid kit