11 Tips for Traveling with a Baby Under 1

We started traveling with our son when he was just shy of 4 months old. We have taken him to London, Germany, Spain, Ireland, France, New Zealand, Australia, and Tahiti. We’ve also taken a few trips in the U.S. including Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Keep reading below for our top tips for traveling with a baby under 1 and check out our guide for baby travel essentials for 0-6 months.

1. Bring Help!
   1. Our best tip for traveling with a baby under 1 is to bring help! We have taken many of our trips with other family members. Obviously, this is not always feasible, but if possible – bring help! It is very nice to be able to pass the baby around when you are on a 12 hour flight. This keeps the baby entertained, and it gives you a break. This is also great because it allows grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends a chance to bond with your baby and create lasting memories as a family.
2. Get to the Airport Early & Utilize Lounges if Possible
   1. I would definitely advise getting to the airport early when possible. This will give you plenty of time to check your bags, get through security, and get settled without having to rush. We have run into a few issues where our son’s boarding pass was not issued correctly. Because he is traveling as an on the lap infant (kids under 2) and we often book using points and miles, we have had a few times where we have had to get his boarding pass straightened out. Getting to the airport early has allowed us the time necessary to get everything squared away without having to rush and worry that we will miss our flight.
   2. We almost always are able to use an airport longue which is fantastic for many reasons. First, there are often less people and more areas to sit and relax. There are also plenty of snacks, drinks, and full meals. We even had one airport where there was a high chair available. One way we are able to use airport lounges is through a Business class ticket. If you have a Business class ticket, you get to use the lounge. We also have Priority Pass and  our American Express Platinum and Delta Reserve cards get us into the Delta lounges.
3. Get TSA Precheck & Global Entry
   1. Another tip for traveling with a baby also really goes for anyone traveling, but having both of these programs is a gamechanger. If you apply for Global Entry and are approved, you get TSA Precheck as apart of that process. While your child can go through TSA Precheck with you, your child CANNOT go through the Global Entry line with you unless they have their own membership regardless of their age. Global Entry is super easy to apply for and we did the “interview on arrival” with our son upon our return to JFK (both my husband and I were already Global Entry members). The interview for our son took around 15 minutes including our wait time. Starting October 1, 2024, children under 5 will not have to pay for their own membership as long as they have a parent or guardian who is a member. However, children will still have to submit an application. 
4. Air Tags
   1. We have put Air Tags in EVERYTHING. Prior to having our son, we put Air Tags in our large checked bags. My suitcase got lost in Scotland at the end of a trip, and we were able to track it every step of the 3 week journey home. Now, we have taped an Air Tag in our son’s car seat and put one in the zipper pocket of his travel bassinet that we check all the way to our final destination. We’ve also started putting one in his diaper bag just in case that gets separated from us too. These can not only help if something gets lost, but they also provide peace of mind while traveling especially with an infant. You can grab a single Apple AirTag on Amazon and even snag a 4 pack. There’s also an option to purchase a holder if you want to put an AirTag on your car keys.
5. Bassinet on Airplanes
   1. This tip is mainly for traveling with younger babies and is not always feasible, but always double check with the airline to see if it is possible to get a bassinet for your baby. There are typically specific seats that you have to sit in in order for the bassinet to be possible. We called AirEuropa ahead of time for our flight to Spain and requested a bassinet. The flight attendant came out and set it up after takeoff and took it down right before landing. We put our son in his sleep sack and he was none the wiser!
6. Premixed Formula with Disposable Nipples
   1. I breastfeed our baby for the first 7 months of travel. However, when we switched to formula, we automatically had more items we needed to carry. We were nervous about mixing formula on the airplanes. We have also traveled to some destinations where putting the tap water in our son’s bottle made us nervous. We started buying our formula in premixed 8 ounce bottles and purchasing disposable, individually wrapped nipples. These nipples screw onto the bottle directly making for quick and easy bottle feeding in the sky and on the go. We estimated how many bottles our son uses a day and then added ONE per day just in case. It seems that he sometimes needed a bottle as a comfort, so we never wanted to worry about running out. We had bottles in his diaper bag and each of our carry-on backpacks. We’ve also used other adults traveling with us to carry formula as needed. Depending on where we are going and for how long, we also will put the powder formula in our checked bag for use at a hotel or AirBNB. For us, having the premixed bottles was a game changer for flights and time in the car.
7. Feed or Pacifier During Takeoff / Landing
   1. In order to help with the baby’s ears, we have always either feed our son in some way (breastfed or bottle) or given him a pacifier to use during takeoff and landing. We have never had a problem with his ears while doing one of these! This is probably a good time to mention investing in a good pacifier clip as well. We didn’t do this until our son was around 9 months old when we received clips as a gift. What were we thinking?!? Rookie mistake for sure. Absolutely get pacifier clips if your baby uses a pacifier. Our favorite pacifiers are the Philips Avent.
8. Book an Overnight Flight
   1. We tried our best to always book an overnight flight when possible even if its past the baby’s bedtime. This is great because the natural white noise of the airplane helps the baby go to sleep and stay asleep. This is great because you don’t have to entertain your baby for hours, and you might can get some sleep as well! We always packed pajamas for our little one and his sleep sack when he was using one. This helps keep as much of a routine as possible.
9. Don’t Overpack Toys
   1. I’ve always allowed myself to bring just a few toys that can fit into a small reusable bag that can fit inside my backpack. I typically pack the smaller Lovevery toys such as the balls, rattles, and stackable cups. I’ve found that on most flights my baby could absolutely care less about any of the toys I’ve brought from home, but he absolutely will play with them when we get to our final destination. On the airplane, we will let him play with anything in front of us from cups, napkins, headphones, and menus.
10. Overpack Snacks
    1. When our son was 6 months old, we started solid foods with him. This is when we started packing snacks. I typically pack puffs, Cheerios, and pouches. Keep it simple and pack the snacks that you know your baby likes. This isn’t the time to try anything new or fancy. I will say that I’ve typically packed the puffs in their original container, and I will be changing that for our next trip. We lost the lid to the puffs and had to forfeit the entire container. Consider packing enough snacks for the return trip as well if your baby has any snacks that they absolutely cannot be without. In my experience, I have been able to find pouches and puffs similar to what we buy at home. I haven’t been able to find Cheerios in some of the places we’ve traveled internationally. I’ve found a honey version and a vanilla milkshake version but no plain Cheerios.
11. Travel Early & Travel Often!
    1. This might be my biggest piece of advice. As with anything in life, there are going to be challenges and obstacles, but the sooner you get started, the easier it will be! We have most assuredly had our moments where we were exhausted and overstimulated, but we’ve learned something new every time we’ve traveled and tried to adjust accordingly for the next trip. Overall, we have had so much fun traveling with our son and creating lasting memories as a family!