The travel bug has already hit us 31 days into 2018, and I bet you are wondering how to travel with an infant under the age of one but over the age of 6 months (this is why you’re reading).
Life changes so quickly for your infant in the first year. Before the age of six months, it’s pretty straight forward what is to be expected: eat, sleep, poop, repeat. We traveled with Scout a lot during those months and it was a breeze! You can read my tips and tricks here: air travel and car travel with a baby under six months.
After six months hits, it’s almost like wait – where did my baby go? Your baby may be extremely mobile, vocal, and aware. All of this describe Scout. She is now 10 months, walking non-stop, and chatting with anyone who will look in her direction. She’s also eating solid foods now, but I will touch on that below.
To travel with an infant, one is required to have patience, preparedness, and ample time. Once you’ve got that down packed, you’re good to go!
What We Packed
Not much changed in what we pack for air travel from prior to six months to now.
Cloth Diapers
The turnaround time for this trip was 2 days. Since the time gone was so short, we decided to pack cloth diapers for the trip. You can see how we cloth here. We brought approximately 15 diaper covers and 19 inserts. I double the inserts for flights so that it is super absorbent should we get tangled up at airport security and have to bolt to the plane without a bathroom break.
We had access to a washing machine (which we didn’t need). I also packed a few disposables in my diaper bag for the “just in case”. Note: those have been in there for over five months (since the last time we bought them).
Car Set + Base
We sport the car seat and base on our backs while we travel in a car seat bag. I’ve worn it when it was just me and her traveling and have been just fine with it. I check it at the gate and have gate pick up because I would HATE for them to lose it, lose parts, or (even worse) damage it in transit.
Stroller
We decided to bring our stroller this go ’round, but she hates it so there’s that. It was truly a waste, but space wise it’s clutch. We have the Nano Buggy and it collapses to carry-on size so we can fit it into the overhead bin with ease. Trust me when I say it’s easier to transport it than it is to keep her inside.
Diaper Bag
I basically use her diaper bag as my carry-on bag. We have diapers in there, a couple of toys (see below for selection), and the rest of my stuff: make up bag, toiletries, extra clothing (for the both of us), changing pad, wet bag, computer and phone chargers, laptop – y’all. It’s my life that’s in that bag and not hers – what is a purse?
Carrier
I always bring a baby carrier. I wear her throughout the airport and it makes it so much easier for me to travel. Since we don’t typically check in our luggage, my hands are free to carry whatever needs to be carried and she is safe and secure inside of the carrier. My favorite to use is the Ergobaby 360 (easy to take on and off if I have to do security check plus hubby can easily strap it on and go). You can see more carriers I own and love here.
Food
Some of you won’t have this issue when you travel with an infant for a variety of reasons: the infant doesn’t eat solids or the infant eats purees. My girl eats solid foods, but loathes purees, so we have to make sure we are feeding her foods she can chew/swallow without all the icky ingredients.
For this trip, we traveled at night so I didn’t have to bring a ton of food since it was pretty much bedtime. I peeled a grapefruit before leaving the house and put that in the diaper bag, but that’s it.
The next day, she started off with the grapefruit and we visited the grocery store to grab a few more foods to prepare for her: broccoli, oranges, and beans. Easy to prepare and she loves eating them!
When we went out to eat, we asked for some sliced veggies and fruit and the waitress was very accommodating.
Additional Tips
All of my additional tips are the same as the tips listed here.
Window Seat
I’d also like to add that the window seat is the perfect place for a lap baby (yep, she’s still a lap baby until I HAVE to buy her a seat). She loved looking out the window at the lights and at the wing of the plane. After all the excitement died down, she was sleeping and stayed asleep for the duration of the flight.
Well, what about baby toys?
We are minimalists in this category and we believe that less is more when it comes to a child’s imagination and toy selection.
We kept it simple bringing her stacking cups/tower, a ball, and her moose plush toy. She ends up using the pieces as she sees fit so it leads to a lot of imaginative play and is easy for us to keep up with.
What are some of your tips and tricks for traveling with a baby 6-12 months?
