In February 2021 I travelled with Olivia, then 6 months old, from Sydney to the Gold Coast so she could meet her Grandparents and Great Grandma for the very first time. We were supposed to see each other earlier, however due to border closures (thanks COVID!) and illness previous trips were cancelled.
Unfortunately my husband had to stay in Sydney to work so I had the daunting task of travelling with Olivia on my own. I did a bit of research before I left and also asked some other mum friends for advice. I was determined to be as prepared as I could be and try and make the flight as stress free as possible for both of us. Here are are my top tips to you:
Booking the Flight
Make sure you book a flight during the best time of day to suit bubs. Olivia is her most happiest and calmest in the morning so I booked a 9am flight each way. This is also usually the time of her first nap so my plan was for her to nap on the plane.
Seating
If you have an option when booking your ticket, reserve your preferred seats. On the way up to the Gold Coast I reserved seats right up the front in Economy X (I was flying Virgin Australia). My theory was this had more leg room so we would have more space. I was right at the front of the plane, however I had people sitting on either side of me. On the way back I switched my seat to the main area in the cabin and chose somewhere that looked like had a spare seat next to it. For me a spare seat next to you is much more beneficial than more leg room! As I was able to put down my back pack on the seat next to me and have easy access. I also sat Olivia on the seat next to me a couple of times when I needed to grab items or when I fed her puree so I could see what I was doing and she loved it.
Also a window seat is great so baby can look out the window and it gives you a little more privacy if you are breastfeeding or baby is sleeping.
Packing
When you are flying on your own you need to make sure you pack very strategically. Airlines are very accommodating for passengers flying with a baby. You are able to take an additional 7kg carry on bag as well as up to three check in special infant items which can include a:
- Pram/stroller
- Portable cot
- Car seat
- Baby capsule
- 1 x 23kg bag
As I was travelling on my own, I didn’t want to be carrying too many items through an airport so I packed one check in 23kg luggage, one portacot and one carry on bag. While walking through the airport I had Olivia in the carrier, a backpack on my back with the portacot sitting on top of the check in luggage as I rolled it around. See this link to the Virgin Australia website with all the information with travelling with an infant/child. Here were my items I took with me on the plane:
- Diaper change items: wipes, diapers, diaper cream
- Toys – lots of toys!
- Change of clothes and bibs – Make sure baby is dressed warm as planes are always cold!
- Rusks/snacks/food
- Feeding bib and spoon if necessary
- Multiple bottles of breast milk/formula/water – ESSENTIAL
- Two Muslins – can be used as a blanket if plane is cold, cover when breast feeding, toy, emergency bib if you forget to pack one like I did
- Sleeping toy – Olivia always sleeps with the same soft toy bunny, I brought this on the plane hoping she would sleep, didn’t work for me, but might work for you!
- Antibacterial wipes – as soon as I got on the plane I wiped everything!
- Panadol – I didn’t need this, but especially if you are going through teething bring Panadol so its just one less pain to worry about
Download some screen time
If your baby responds to screens/cartoons, make sure you download one on your phone pre flight, just incase the inflight entertainment is not working and you really need some screen time to keep baby occupied. For me, screen time is not the first thing I would use to distract baby, but good to have in your back pocket in case you need it! Hey why not download an episode of something for you too, who knows baby might sleep and you can watch something!
Easy Access
Make sure you have things like your phone and photo id (including your child’s ID or birth certificate) handy on you so you don’t have to go through your bag. This includes at your destination, when I entered Queensland they requested I provide photo ID on arrival to make sure I wasn’t from an at risk COVID hot spot.
Check in
I would not recommend checking in before you get to the airport, as I think having a spare seat next to you is so helpful. If you check in prior to getting to the airport, you are usually locked in those seats. If you check in at the airport you can ask the check in staff to try and put you next to an empty seat. The Virgin Australia staff were great on my second flight, they put a courtesy hold on the seat beside me so no one else would be moved there. Try and sweet talk the check in staff to do this for you too.
Toilet break
Make sure you have been to the toilet and change your babies nappy just prior to boarding. The thought of trying to change a nappy in those tiny airplane bathrooms scares me!
Boarding the aircraft
With a baby you are classed as a person who needs special assistance when boarding and are allowed to board first so take that opportunity so you can get yourself sorted on the plane.
As soon as I got on the plane, I antibacterial wiped EVERYTHING – the seat, the window, the tray table, the seat belt, everything! Because you can bet your little one is going to put that seatbelt in their mouth. I then took everything out of the back pack I think I would need immediately and put in the seat pocket in front of me. Then proceeded to show Olivia all the aspects of our seat and the plane.
Seatbelt
Flight attendants will come and provide you with an infant seatbelt which just straps the baby onto your seat belt. Thankfully the seatbelt allows for lots of movement if you need to breastfeed/feed the baby.
Both flights I took with Olivia I was hoping she would nap on the plane, on the way there she didn’t nap at all so I had to keep a tired baby entertained. On the way back she had a quick nap in my arms before take off then was awake the rest of the time. The flight felt like it went forever, I was looking at my watch every 5 minutes!
Time has never gone by so slow then when you are trying to keep a baby entertained on the plane
Feeding
The most recommended advice for flying with a baby is to breastfeed/bottlefeed when the plane is ascending and descending. This sucking and swallowing motion helps to ease the pressure on the babies ears. If you can delay their feed to either taking off or landing do this! Descending is the worst part of the flight for them, so definitely make sure you have something set aside for them then. Olivia wasn’t interested in breastfeeding both flights, I think she was too distracted. Luckily I bought a baby bottle full of water which she just sucked the whole way down as I sung quietly in her ear to distract her. Worked a treat, no tears! In an ideal world it would have been breastmilk but hey water worked!
Toys
I bought all of Olivia’s favourite toys on the plane, do you think she wanted to play with them?? NO! Luckily on the way there I had a lovely woman sitting beside me who helped keep Olivia entertained. Another tip MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR NEIGHBOUR! The woman sitting next to me really enjoyed playing with Olivia, for the majority of the flight she was taking things out of her purse Olivia could play with such as her keys and sunglases. She even took the paper sick bag from the seat pocket and ripped it up with Olivia. She loved it! Strangers are always more entertaining then Mummy!
On the way back her favourite things to play with was an empty wipes packet and empty food wrappers I had from breakfast haha. My advice when it comes to toys on the plane, maybe even bring a couple of new toys they havent played with? Or just get creative with new things such as food wrappers haha.
Snacks
On the way back from the Gold Coast I used up all the tricks I had to keep her entertained so I gave her some puree on the plane. This was great to take up a bit of time and keep her busy. Can be messy, so just be prepared with a lot of wet wipes to clean up any spills before it gets too messy.
Other Distractions
Other things I did was show Olivia out of the window, let her stand on the seat and on the floor (make sure they wear socks/shoes) and she tapped the screen/seat/tray table in front of her. Olivia loves me singing to her so I did a bit of that too. I figured the passengers on the plane would rather me quietly singing than her screaming. Isn’t it funny how once you have a baby you have less shame for that?!?
When we finally got to the Gold Coast I was so relieved, let me tell you it was not a relaxing flight! My parents picked us up from the airport, they were eager to take Olivia off my hands and help me with the bags.
Think about what you can hire or purchase when you get to your destination to minimise the amount of stuff you need to take. Especially if you are going to be there for a long stay, or if it is family you plan on visiting often. As I was at my parents who we will visit at least a couple of times a year, I purchased a cheap second hand pram off Facebook Marketplace the day we got there. I didn’t want to risk my pram getting damaged on the plane. Take advantage of all the free items on Facebook Marketplace I got a baby bath, high chair and baby walker all free! Score! This sets up my parents house with baby items so it is easier for us to visit next time.
As for the car seat, this is the one thing you shouldn’t buy second hand. In case it has been in a prior accident this could affect the safety of the seat in case you are in a crash. I hired a car seat for $63 for 10 days from https://www.allbabyhire.com.au/ and my Dad got this installed prior to picking me up from the airport.
Overall flying with a baby is nothing you need to stress about, as long as you are prepared with everything you might need. Ideally it would be best to have someone on the flight with you to help you, but obviously that isn’t always possible. If the flight doesn’t go to plan and your baby screams the whole way – who cares! I’m sure we have all been on a flight with a screaming baby before so now you can have your turn. Also nowadays 90% of people on the plane have their noise cancelling headphones and they are binging a tv episode on Netflix or listening to a true crime podcast!
Have you flown with your baby?
What are your flying tips?