25 Tips and Tricks Mastering Traveling Alone with infant/Toddlers under 2. Baby Bag Packing List included

What is even more scary than traveling with a baby? Traveling ALONE with a baby! It was definitely MUCH easier when he was an infant, when he would spend time sleeping in the bassinet (NOT! But still, some time at least!). This article is divided into 3 stages of traveling on an airplane, the pre-planing stage, airport/security, and inside of the airplane during traveling. I have also included a list of some travel friendly toys and also a list for the baby bag.

  • I have travelled alone from Dallas (DFW Airport) to Karachi, while making stopovers in UAE for a couple of hours. It used to be an almost 24 hours of journey door-to-door! YES!!!  (You can definitely pat on my back when you meet me next time!)
  • I DO NOT like to entertain infants and toddlers with electronics so it was a phone and screen free travel.
  • If you can get an extra seat for your infant or toddler then of course your travel will be MUCH easier and comfortable. For an infant you can take the car seat in the plane and strap it up to the seat.

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Let’s jump onto the stages of traveling, shall we?

PRE TRAVEL/Preparation/Booking the FLIGHT:

When traveling with a baby, ALWAYS prepare in advance. Because you have to pack for 2, Duh!

  • Make a list of all the items you will need during your travel, and/or where you are traveling to and for how long. Trust me, I swear by last minute productivity, but NOT when it comes to traveling with a baby.
  • Make sure all the paper work/passports are in order and valid.
  • Try to book a flight at a time where your baby will be napping/sleeping most of the time.
  • I usually love the aisle seats that are bulk head/bassinet. This way my baby has more room to himself and I don’t have to ask anyone for the million trips to the bathroom and kitchen that I make during the flight. However if you have a breastfed baby/toddler then you might want to go for the one next to the window (for better coverage!).

Airport/Security/Baggage:

  • Always take fewer bags, specially the non-checked items (hand carries – that you have to take with YOU on the plane).
  • I HIGHLY recommend taking a lightweight yet sturdy stroller with you. You usually drop it on the gate of the plane and collect it back from there only. I personally use Graco stroller Jetsetter which is ideal for traveling (and I have reviewed it as well, listing all the pros and cons about it!).
  • I only travel with a stroller and my Ju-ju-be legacy baby bag, which I absolutely love because of its compartments and usability. When my baby was an infant, I also took a baby carrier for wearing him, and I think its the best thing that one needs with an infant.
  • I always carry milk for my toddler. Make 2-3 bottles and keep them – I have never had any trouble as when you are traveling with an infant or a small baby, you can exceed the allowed extent of the liquids in your hand carry. The reason being they have crappy milk on the flight. If the milk is not packaged milk, then you can have the airplane staff keep it in the fridge for you as well.
  • A strapped/leashed band or bag is a must for toddlers! I got this dino one for my baby but there are a lot of different ones available now. I kept all of his toys in that and he loved carrying it.
  • Wearing your infant is the easiest way to rock your journey alone.
  • Carry your important documents in a plastic bag (just in case an accident happens with water/milk leakage, etc.).
  • Appropriate clothing for yourself and the baby is a must. Its usually cold, so wear warm clothes, as well as carry a light weight blanket. I even used the blanket to line the bassinet when he was an infant. I LOVEEE the zipped footed onesies, specially in the fleece material for traveling, as it gets colder in the plane.
  • Keep a Nursing cover if you breastfeed your child.
  • Keep toys/activities to entertain your child during the journey. A lovable toy would be:
    • NEW (or an old one but had been kept away for a couple of weeks prior to the travel)
    • Compact
    • Light Weight
    • Attractive

Check out the list of age/month appropriate travel friendly toys later in the article below. Let’s move on to the actual traveling ..

IN THE PLANE:

  • It is very much possible that you end up with someone with a kid next to you or an elderly person. Either way, make that person your best friend. Because you have got a long way to go buddy!
  • Entertain your child, so you HAVE to be ready with the age appropriate and easy to carry toys.
  • Carry double the amount of snacks that you think your baby is going to eat. And its ok to if they are not as healthy as per your standards. Remember that you are traveling, and it’s just a matter of few hours. Get a snack catcher, as it occupies them in getting the snack in and out of it (read: they get busy).
  • If you don’t mind electronics for your child then make sure you have downloaded his/her favorite rhymes/shows. If not, then be prepared for singing the rhymes a million times (and even entertain the entire crowd!).
  • Don’t forget to take a lot of wipes. I usually wipe the tray, seat, belt at the beginning of our travel to sanitize it.
  • Don’t forget to take mini plastic bags to throw away the dirty diaper in.
  • Although most of the airplane staff is super nice, but you gotta be nice to them as well. If you will, they might end up giving you extra stuff, like a mineral water bottle so you don’t have to get up from your place to get it, or some extra snacks, etc. *without you asking *
  • Make sure your infant/toddler is sleeping, drinking or chewing on to something during the take-off and landing. Thank God a million times that I never encountered the problem of ear pressure building, but I very strongly believe that its because of this very reason.
  • Check the TOYS/ ACTIVITIES list AND baby bag list below to make sure you have all the items that you need for you and your baby.

Now to the fun part, the TOYSSSS and activities for our excessive energy balls and the baby bag list.

Toys/Activities for travel for Infants (under 5 months old):

Toys/Activities for travel for Infants (5-10 months old crawling stage babies):

Toys/Activities for travel for Infants (10 months to 24 months old babies):

BABY BAG LIST:

Your baby Bag MUST have the shoulder straps to make it like a back pack. Lucky for me that my JUJUBE BFF diaper bag (from their legacy collection – https://amzn.to/2LnOhfa ) had those and everything else to make it my true BFF while traveling.

  1. Teethers https://amzn.to/2uLRmLN key shaped gel NUBY teether https://amzn.to/2O84liS
  2. Bibs (if your child wears one)
  3. Pacifier (if your child takes one) – I have never used one for my toddler, however I liked this one as this one is a orthodontic pacifier https://amzn.to/2uL7Bc1 and of course, do not forget the pacifier clip https://amzn.to/2uJzO2Z
  4. Milk (if you give whole milk to your toddler then keep these pouches of organic milk https://amzn.to/2LNhGMc ) or if you keep formula milk then keep them already measured and ready to be put in such dispenser: https://amzn.to/2LNhGMc
  5. Milk bottles – If you have an infant then I swear by the DR. BROWN’s bottles. If not then, any plastic bottle will be good. (I made the mistake of traveling with glass bottles by EvenFlo, the ones that I use at home for my toddler and one of them broke at the airport – at the start of my journey!)
  6. Important medicines like infant Tylenol, Advil, Pedialyte drop-ins, colic drops or other things that your infant or toddler might need during the travel.
  7. Extra clothing for your baby AND YOU for the flight and until you reach your final destination.
  8. Snacks or baby food for your baby.
  9. Snack Catcher
  10. Activities/toys for your baby
  11. Nursing cover (if you breastfeed)
  12. Small toys and activities discussed above
  13. Phone charger
  14. Passport holder (which holds the tickets as well)
  15. wallet
  16. A light blanket
  17. Diapers and Wipes

Enjoy your journey and make memories mama! This time will not come again! Safe Travels <3

This article contains some affiliate links, and if you will shop with these, I will earn a small commission from it, with no extra cost to you. Thank you.

 

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