One of my professional passions is helping young families. Personally, being a father is a role that I cherish and believe to be one of the most important roles that men have in our society. For the first two and a half years of my daughter’s life, my wife and I took trips back and forth whenever we could to see family. This is the wisdom that we accumulated over 26+ flights. Despite getting better at traveling with a newborn/infant/toddler (depending on the time), it is no surprise we moved to New Orleans to cut down on these trips!
Pre-Flight
o Try and book a flight that happens during nap time or in the early morning/late evening so that you can have her tired at some point – even if it is during security.
o Talk about the trip the week before so he knows what is going to happen. Going on the plane to see X, Going to go up and then down again. It’ll be fun, etc.
o Check to see if the flight is on time. You don’t want to have to hang around the airport an extra hour for any reason.
o Be as well rested as possible. My wife and I play tag during this whole process. One of us gets to relax or pay attention to the travel details while the other is on point with the baby. This helps with fatigue, but sometimes it is helpful to have two people on point anyways.
o Don’t leave the stroller at home – you’ll want to strap her in at some point so you can keep her in a place you can see.
o Umbrella over jogger – You won’t use the extra space that the jogger provides, but you will feel its weight.
o If you have to fly alone, you can have someone accompany you to the gate even if they don’t have a ticket. – check on this beforehand though.
o Pack her favorite toys – bring one that is extra fluffy for when she passes out on you and you need lumbar support.
o Pack many different kinds of food. Not just a lot of one food. The novelty of a food can break a crying spell or a desire to walk around the plane… again. Same thing with toys.
o Pack an extra change of clothes – My wife made this mistake once. She’ll never make it again.
You Got to the Airport! Now What?
o Check as many bags as possible so that you only have to keep up with her. This includes a car seat. On longer flights, it maybe worth buying her a seat and bringing the car seat with you and strapping her in.
o Be extra cute and communicative going through security – TSA agents have kids too and will cut you some slack if they think your kiddo is cute or that you are paying attention to him.
o You can bring liquids for him in his bottle through security – they do test it though.
o Right after security, get to your gate and get the stroller tagged for the flight. The attendants will be less busy and you don’t want to forget.
o RUN, PLAY, WALK. Run her around and get as much energy out as possible in the terminal. You may get odd looks from people, but when she passes out on the flight they will be happy. The goal of all of this is to get her to sleep for the entire flight.
o Change his diaper before getting on the plane in hopes that you don’t have to do it until you get off. Stay away from the changing stations in the bathrooms. Studies have shown they have the more germs than anywhere else.
o Put her in the stroller when they call for boarding and go with the family boarding group. Leave the stroller at the plane door for them to check.
Picking the Right Seat and Keeping Sane
o Get a window seat so that she can look out the window. Switch with the person in the aisle if she wants to start running.
o If you can get an extra seat for her, try your best. Don’t hold her while people are boarding – let her play around on the seat next to you and meet the neighbors. Passing passengers will gladly keep moving.
o Watch her head when you are getting in and out of the seats.
o Don’t get a seat in front of the Emergency Exit, in the front row, or the back row. You’ll want your seat to recline and you’ll want the tray table to put books or the iPad or extra snacks.
o You can ask the flight attendant for a half juice/half water mixture in her sippy cup so you don’t have to try and mix it or buy juice in the terminal. 
o Have something for her to drink (before you do the step above) for when you take off. If she drinks before taking off then it will help with popping her ears with the altitude change. Same with landing.
o I’ve heard the idea of buying people around you a drink. Great idea and all, but if you are able to think about that when the drink cart comes around, then your kiddo probably isn’t bothering them to begin with. More likely, you’ll still have your hands full because the plane just leveled off.
o Distraction over punishment – when she is doing something that is bad, distract her instead of correct her. This is not a time for life lessons.
o If you have an iPad to use, don’t use it right away. Delay as long as possible. Once you have taken it out she will get upset if you remove it, so use it as a last resort. It can be your Ace in the hole. The last flight that I took Emma on by myself, I didn’t take the iPad out until after they had served drinks. After we watched a show, it was time to take a nap.
o iPads aren’t cheating by the way. Don’t feel guilty about using them on a flight.
o Don’t stand up when everyone else does when the plane lands. There is no hurry because you have to wait anyways and she doesn’t get that yet. Act like you have to wait for 10 more minutes and if you are a little slow getting off the plane that is fine. You may have to wait for the stroller outside the plane door anyways.
o When you land, put her in the stroller immediately. A strange airport is no time for her to be wandering or you to be focused on her. o Enjoy your trip. Making the most of this experience will justify the return flight!
One last thought
The worst flight I ever had was made better by breaking the flight down into five minute increments and trying to get through those. It was brutal, but the plane does have to eventually land or run out of gas. This is true for many of life’s tough moments, not just travelling. Good luck and happy travelling! -Logan Williamson, LPC
One of my professional passions is helping young families. Personally, being a father is a role that I cherish and believe to be one of the most important roles that men have in our society. For the first two and a half years of my daughter’s life, my wife and I took trips back and forth whenever we could to see family. This is the wisdom that we accumulated over 26+ flights. Despite getting better at traveling with a newborn/infant/toddler (depending on the time), it is no surprise we moved to New Orleans to cut down on these trips!