My in laws offered us a trip to see them in Florida in the fall. We will have a 5 month old. It’s a very generous offer but I’m stressing over flying with a baby and vacationing as a (new) small family with my in laws around. What do we need to prepare for? Any flight (or other) tips from ppl who’ve done this?

You got this! I remember feeling the same about any travel with our LO and looking back, flying at 5m would’ve been great (we went on a longggg road trip at 7m which was amazing and ended up not flying til 10m and I was wishing we’d started her earlier)

Bring multiple extra outfits (for baby AND for you/your spouse) and more diapers than you’d think. I’m a big fan of using those dog poop bags for poop diapers - cheaper than the diaper equivalent; also wet/dry zipper bags for any soiled clothes, etc.

Make sure you give a bottle or nurse just after takeoff and on final descent before landing to help their ears adjust to the pressure change.

Highly recommend putting a slumberpod over the pack n play/travel crib even if your LO is in their own room. I strongly believe it helps our LO sleep wherever we travel because it’s less for her to get used to in a new place. Packs down really small so easy to fit in a suitcase. I personally would also just order a pack n play and sheets to be delivered to your in laws’ before you arrive - can find ones for pretty cheap on amazon.

Accept offers of help with your LO as often as you can while you’re there (even if it’s just 30 min to sit and have a cup of coffee with your spouse) - took me awhile to get comfortable with that and it makes such a difference

Flew with my girl to Florida at 3 mo for Thanksgiving.. to my in laws house…without husband 😂, you got this!! Mine slept in a bassinet and I brought the sound machine and camera. Worked out great I made a onsie of this being her first flight to see Mima and papa. It was a great memory and photos. She was a gem on the flight, so many new things to see and touch. Ooo Lysol wipes. I traveled with Lysol wipes lol. I did try to pick the flight for her nap time, and wouldn’t you know it she was awake the whole time, ha! I brought something for her to suck on for take off and landing (bottle, pasi, etc.).

I was pumping/breast feeding, that was the more difficult part then flying with her haha. Trying not to have any leftover frozen mike. Made it work tho.

Have fun, plan for what you can but understand it’s just going to be the way it is, enjoy it!! Make some memories and try not to stress. But moms always do ☺️🥰

Now that I have a wild 1 year old, I wish I traveled when he was less mobile!

Was just about to drop the bottle/nursing tip. Was just on a flight with a crying baby and I knew Mom wasn't using that tip. I slid up to her and offered it. And baby was much much better on descent.

Drove 12 hours with a 4m old and it was easy. Unless you have a colicky baby or a complicated recovery, traveling when they are that little is easier than you think! It gets much harder from ages 1y-3y!😝

5 months is perfect because the baby is still a potted plant. Once they become mobile it’s a nightmare. (For my son that squirmy phase was from ~7-20 months.)

Ditto the extra clothes for baby/yourself tip from above. Some babies get pukey on airplanes. We purchased an extra absorbent, quick dry towel that was about 2’x2’. We kept it on our laps and made pukes and spills much easier.

Also, going through security is 10x easier if you put the baby in a carrier. I’ve never had TSA make me take it off. My son is 2, and I still use the carrier when we fly. We still bring the stroller and car seat through and check them at the gate to prevent damage, but the carrier ensures you have two free hands.

My guy hated his first flight. He was the baby that cried most of the time. The bottle/nursing tip did not work.

But we made it! And will do it again!

Best case scenario is visiting to go see family because at least there will be (hopefully) be people to hold baby once you arrive. You’re gonna get a break too!

Depending on you’ll be, you might be able to rent baby gear so you don’t have to pack it yourself.

When flying, there are Mamava pods in most airports. Just download the app, and you have a quiet space for nursing.

SM1 nailed it. A couple of other things to add:

At that age, I was most comfortable in first class. You have more room in the seat to nurse / hold a lap child, and you don’t have to share the row with a third person.

Our baby was in a Snoo until 6 months; we rented from babyquip when we traveled but brought our own sheets and sleep sacks.

Second the recommendation for slumberpod. I also brought a baby monitor (infant optics) with a little clip I got off of amazon to clip it to the Snoo. When we were all in one room, I liked seeing what was going on in there, and when she had her own room it was nice to be able to chill in other parts of the house. I also bring a bluetooth thermometer to make sure it doesn’t get too stuffy in the pod. (Yes, I was a nervous FTM).

We bring two sound machines. I keep one in the slumberpod (if using pack n play) at lower volume, and then put one in the room or near the door to muffle other noise.

At 5 months, the car seat game is the easiest it will ever be. We had the Nuna Pipa and TRVL stroller and it was SO easy for travel. I preferred to bring it all the gate (baby containers are key), then it was super easy to gate check both the car seat and the stroller at once.

It feels like you’re going to have a lot of shit because you will - I used to hate checking bags but I got over it. It makes your life easier to have what you need when you arrive, esp if you’re pumping. I would love to hear any secrets from people who have figured out how to travel with a carry on with a baby! That said, we either Uber to the airport so that we aren’t hauling everything through a parking garage, OR my husband will drop me and baby and we’ll do curbside bag check, then he’ll meet me at the gate. The latter is more of a need now with a two year old - we bring a car seat for her and sometimes even the guava lotus. (It sounds insane but we’ve gotten burned by accommodations/transit confirming but not actually having a PNP/appropriate car seat when we land, so we always weigh how much we want to risk it.)

Have a wonderful time!! We did a trip to FL when my little one was 3 mo old, and while it had its challenges, it was so nice to travel and show ourselves we could do it. Give yourself grace, accept that it’s going to be a totally different pace, and remind each other (you and your husband) that you’re on the same team.

You’ll be fine, as long as your baby is not colic-y. If you have a chill baby who enjoys napping and doesn’t usually cry just to cry, you should be okay. Nurse or bottle feed on takeoff and landing, and as needed. Bring quiet toys and small board books.

If you don't want to go, don't go. If you do want to go, then 5 months is an ok age in my opinion. Babies at that age still take a decent amount of naps, and if they are still breastfeeding you can easily just feed them for the majority of the trip and give everyone else the finger if they give you issues. Since your little one will also be carrier aged, that makes things much easier than stroller-only. But there's a lot to consider like the car seat, the stroller, the pack and play, the feeding supplies, etc. that are very burdensome.

It honestly depends on your state. If you are very stressed about it, it will not be fun. I would say it also depends on how much your in laws will help while on the trip. If they are willing to babysit while you and your spouse go out to dinner and have date nights after baby is in bed, you will be surprised how different you feel after having some quality time and romance after 5 months of the trenches. During naps and bedtime, if you have that freedom the trip will be amazing! If your in laws only want bonding time with your kid without any responsibility, run it's a trap. They can come fly to you.