10 Tips for Surviving a Flight with a Baby from Takeoff to Landing

How to survive a flight with a baby under 1 year old? Tips, tricks, experiences.

1. Preparations, tasks before traveling

When booking a ticket, there are generally two options when it comes to babies. 1) The baby travels on your lap (Baby on lap), and the fee is not free but 10% of the adult fare, although this may vary depending on the airline. Low-cost airlines like Wizzair, Ryanair often have a fixed price for babies under 2 years old. 2) You want a separate seat for the baby (Baby on seat). If you choose this option, it is only possible in a baby seat/carrier approved by the airline. Seats usually have a small airplane symbol indicating FAA approved, meaning the seat is accepted for air travel.

If you choose this option, you need to purchase a regular adult ticket for the baby. However, the system will throw an error during age entry since it doesn't allow children under 2 to have a separate seat. In this case, after purchasing the ticket, you need to contact the airline in person. They will manually change the ticket to a "baby ticket", so there won't be an issue with the birth year later.

If you opt for this solution, always inquire before purchasing. Call or email the airline because the purchasing process may vary among different airlines.

The next thing not to forget is requesting a bassinet (baby cot), exclusively for long-haul flights. Many airlines offer this service for free, but you need to submit the request when purchasing the ticket (e.g., Emirates). Unfortunately, some airlines charge for it, but there have been cases where flight attendants offered it for free. The bassinet can only be used after takeoff, and the baby cannot be in it during turbulence, even if strapped in.

2. Packing for the Baby (Things You Wouldn't Think Of)

• Before traveling, calculate how many diapers you'll need for the journey, and pack 10% more than that. (+1 tip for easier travel: Pack only enough diapers for the journey plus an additional 2/3 days; buy the rest at your destination. This is especially useful for longer vacations of 2-3 weeks.)

• Babies are an exception when it comes to liquid transport at the airport. You can bring water, liquid baby food, formula (even pre-mixed) for your baby. According to airlines, they allow bringing "reasonable amounts," especially for flights lasting 6-10 hours.

• For the duration of the flight, pack at least 2 extra sets of clothes for accidents.

• Additionally, bring necessary baby medications for the flight, such as fever reducers, teething gel.

• Ensure your baby is dressed warmly on the plane because the air conditioning is set to a very cold temperature on longer flights, regardless of the season. A more detailed baby packing list for flights will be available on the blog soon!

• Stroller: You can bring a stroller for your baby free of charge (if you are not also bringing a car seat). There are two options here.

1) You bring a compact foldable stroller (e.g., Babyzen Yoyo). Advantage: Since it goes into the cabin, it won't get lost/damaged. You can use it immediately after landing.

2) You bring a regular-sized stroller. Disadvantage: They take it before boarding, and you receive it along with checked baggage later or after waiting at the gate. There's a high chance of damage. (Unfortunately, we've experienced having ours broken before).

3. At the airport: Security check with a baby

The good news is that when traveling with a baby, you always have priority at the security check. In Budapest, for example, you need to go through a separate gate, but even if you forget, it's not a problem because the inspectors almost always pull you out of the line and place you at the front. If you're carrying your baby in a carrier, you may need to take the carrier off (not at every airport!). The stroller should be placed on the conveyor belt in the folded position for scanning. The baby's liquids need to be placed on a separate tray, as well as formula and baby food (if liquid).

4. Waiting at the airport

If your baby is already crawling or walking, it's worth checking if there is a playground at the airport. Our baby loves airport playgrounds. In Budapest, as far as I know, there are currently three playgrounds for little ones. The more tired they are before the flight, the easier the journey will be.

5. Boarding the plane

With low-cost airlines, you can often join the priority queue with a baby under 2 years old (Ryanair, Wizzair). Waiting can still be lengthy, so I recommend having the baby in a buckle carrier. This way, your hands are free, and it's easier to take your seat on the plane.

6. Takeoff

Babies' ears may be more sensitive during takeoff due to the pressure difference, so it's a good idea to breastfeed or bottle-feed during takeoff.

7. Entertainment on board

Unfortunately, we often have to settle for limited legroom during the journey, but entertaining babies is not impossible even in these conditions. Window clings, empty bottles, sensory toys that make clicking sounds with buttons kept my daughter engaged very well, although most of the time, she slept through the trips, so we didn't need to use many toys. If no toy seems to work, feel free to stand up and take a walk with the baby for a couple of rounds on the plane.

Tip: Buy a new toy specifically for the trip!

8. Sleeping, Resting

If your baby tends to sleep during travels, be sure to pack a neck pillow and a regular pillow. You can use the regular pillow to support your neck or place it under the baby's head if they fall asleep on you. This way, you don't have to completely give up the hope of having a restful sleep.

9, Layover/Arrival at the Destination

If your stroller went to the cargo hold, it will usually arrive with the checked baggage, but it's not excluded that it might be waiting for you at the gate. (For example, in Taiwan, we could pick it up right after landing.) After passing through all the gates and arriving at the airport exit, make sure you have a plan for approaching your accommodation. If you're traveling as a group of three, it's worth having one of you stay with the baby while the other takes care of the tickets needed for airport transfer. I noticed that our daughter doesn't tolerate standing in line alone, so during boarding, I usually walk around, and my husband stands in line with the bags.

10. +1 Tip: Choose your flight time wisely!

This point is at the end because I know, especially with low-cost airlines, there may not be many options for choosing the flight time. However, if you can be relatively flexible, it's worth looking for a flight that takes off during sleeping hours. For example, when we went to Korea last time, we intentionally booked the tickets so that the departure from Budapest was in the evening (after 7). The longer 8-hour flight after the layover started around midnight, so our daughter slept almost the entire journey.

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