We are home safe and sound from our wonderful vacation to Baltimore!  As promised, here are my top five tips and tricks for flying with an infant (or 6 month old).

Selby Bay is less than a mile away from my sisters house! AMAZING!!!

Tip #1:
Use a stroller or baby carrier!  I wish I had known that I could have gate checked a stroller for Amelia without being charged.  That would have made life SO much easier on me!  I was fortunate enough to borrow a friends Ergo and wore Amelia through check in and between flights.

 

Early morning workout and Amelia in her pj's... unrelated to travel, but THE BEACH!

Tip #2:
Feed baby during take off and landing.  Bottle or breast, whatever works for you!  The pressure change wrecks havoc on poor infants ears.  Even if it means pushing back a feeding and dealing with a fussy baby in the airport, it is well worth it (in my opinion).  I learned my lesson during our first flight; I didn't want to deal with a cranky Amelia before we took off, so I fed her early in the hopes her pacifier would work just as well.  It did not and I paid the price!

Tip #3:
Pack a few favorite toys for entertainment and emergencies.  For us, this included: a remote, an old phone cover, Chica Chica Boom Boom, Sophie the Giraffe and a hippo rattle.  I was planning on connecting to WiFi and utilizing the free DISH app; unfortunately, three of our four flights didn't have WiFi or it wasn't working.

Killing time at the airport playing with toys

Tip #4:
Ask about an extra seat for baby!  This was a huge bonus for us on two out of four flights!  If the flight isn't full, you can give your little their own seat, or an extra seat for you to spread out in, for free.  I checked into the "affordable" infant flight options before we left on our vacation... they were NOT affordable in any way (I am talking more than the price of my flights!).

Amelia acted like such a big girl

Tip #5:
Pack your babes favorite snacks.  For us, that means Gerber Puffs and a squeeze pouch.  Generally, I like to make my own squeeze pouches, but I didn't want to bother with it on the trip and picked up a few at Target before we left.

 

Leftover squeeze pouch enjoyment at Aunt Kim's house

 

Not related to airport travel, but Amelia tried Chic-Fil-A for the first time and LOVED their nuggets

Well... there ya have it!  My top five tips and tricks for flying with an infant.  I am sure we will make this trip again sometime in the future and I will have a whole new set of tips and tricks for flying with a toddler.  Stay tuned!

 

Swinging at the beach

Happy Weekend!