Travel with Young Infant and Preschooler

For traveling with an infant (I traveled with a 3 month old), I would recommend a front carrier - LOVE my Ergo, a sling would even work too, but I found that more cumbersome. If it has no metal, you don't even have to take them off to go through security. I know that you aren't worried about germs, but this would also keep him/her more confined and not be exposed as much, plus, you can wear the baby at the wedding. If your husband is with you, I wouldn't even bother with a carseat on the plane or through security - just check it. Get a hooter hider, and a Blush topless shirt, and you should be good to go. I would change the baby right before getting on the plane, and if possible, wait till you get off, or change him/her across your lap.

Also, for when you get there, I'm not sure where you would have him/her sleep at that time, but I would highly recommend a PeaPod from onestepahead.com. It can fit in your carseat bag when you check it because it folds up so nicely, and you don't have to worry about sleeping arrangements when you get there...just blow up the mattress, and you are ready. Good luck.

I had to move from OH to ID when my little one was 3 weeks old (and yes, I planned it ahead of time!). He is a healthy, happy 9 month old now but here are my 3 lifesaving suggestions (that I searched for and didn't find more than other people's stories when I was trying to do this...):

1) Get the Sleepy Wrap if you are not an extremely busty person! I was nursing and was much bustier than normal but am not a normally busty person - my friend who is did not have as good of luck with it - but it was a lifesaver for the first 7 months as a mom!! It is a long piece of stretchy fabric that I was very dubious about at first but it is so incredibly snug and my little guy cooed in it from the getgo. There are 3 ways to put a baby in - the newborn hold, the cradle hold (which mine preferred at this age), and the love-me hold which is for when they want to be up and down but they face you instead of out. If you want to wear it without a baby in it, it isn't bulky and you can keep it on in the car or on the plane without bulk. I just slipped the shoulder straps off my shoulder, put a hooter hider on over my head, and nursed him on the ups and downs on both flights.

2) Bring a pillow of some sort. We had 2 flights - a 3 hour flight and a 2 hour flight. The Boppy pillow was a lifesaver because he just slept on my lap if he wasn't in the wrap. It allowed him to cool down without putting him on the airplane seat if it got hot on the flight, too.

3) Bring a blanket or foldable changing pad to put on your laps on the plane so you can avoid airplane bathrooms (yuck!). With my mom and I we could do it very quickly and discreetly and no one even knew, I'm quite confident (not like they're really stinky at that age!)...just make sure you bring a big ziptop bag to dispose of the goodies after you get off the plane and can find a trashcan!

Hope that helps. Best of luck traveling and be sure to post your lifesavers when you return!

I think new babies are awesome travelers! We are on a trip now with our baby. He wasn't 3 months old yet when we left on a two-day road trip. They sleep so much of the time anyway, that he slept most of the way. We also have a 3 1/2 year old who is still working on potty training, so we had to stop often, and if the baby was awake, I'd nurse him. I took bottles, formula, and water for when he was hungry between stops. It really didn't take us much longer than usual to get to our destination.

For the plane, I think a new baby is also easier. He's not so heavy, and you don't have to entertain him (or her, I guess). Just take a pacifier, a blanket big enough to cover you nursing (it might be easiest to not sit on the aisle), and diapers/wipes. You ought to be good to go. Use the pacifier or nurse during take off and landing to pop the baby's ears, and if the baby is fussy for no apparent reason, get up and walk around the cabin (especially near the bathroom) for a while. You have way more options on a plane than in a car!

I traveled with my infant to go meet his grandma when he was only 5 weeks old. My daughter was 5 and it was just the 3 of us. Sounds like your 4 your old will be fine and you are not worried about that.
I do not feel it is a problem to take a 6 week old. I too was nursing, it was a little awkward on the plane, but I just covered up and did it. It worked out fine.
I am glad to hear that you are not overly worried about germs. I am not either. And with a baby that small, they will not really be exposed to germs, they don't touch anything and most people won't bother to touch the baby.
Another thought, you will probably never see those people on the plane again, so don't worry about the dirty looks you are bound to get when you enter the plane with 2 kids. Oh, and we flew a longer distance, and had to switch planes then had a 2 hour car ride.
You will do fine and the kids will too. They will "feel" how you are feeling (ie stressed) and will "feed" off of that.
Have a great trip and good luck!

I think that 6 weeks of age is a great time to fly with a child. I went from Utah to NYC with a 2 mo. old and it was great. I just nursed him on take off & landing to help his little ears adjust. They are so much lower maintenance than their 18 mo to 3 yr old counterparts. I think that with the age of your kids it should be no sweat. If you haven't purchased a ticket for the baby already, get to the gate early & find out if there are any empty seats on the plane. If there are, ask to be seated next to that empty seat. Take the car seat on with you & they will let you keep your baby in the car seat next to you. If you take the car seat & there are no empty seats, they will just check the car seat for you at the gate & it will be waiting for you just outside the plane when you reach your destination. Just a little tip I picked up along the way. Have fun! I agree - don't let this slow you down!!

Hi!

Well here's my 2-cents: you haven't even had the baby yet and you're making plans. Probably not a wise idea, considering you have yet to see what/if any needs or medical issues your child could have when s/he's born. I would exercise caution in this kind of situation and err on the side of safety, i.e. not travel with one so young. Their little immune systems have a hard time with so much input from the outside world and I'd be afraid of the different environment you expose him/her to being a bit much to bear. You don't want your little one to get sick. Travel, combined with people touching a baby and a foreign place to sleep (not the baby's own crib) probably isn't as safe and clean as you'd make it at home. I understand the predicament of your sister's wedding being a challenge.. but if it were me... I know my sister would understand that I wouldn't be able to attend because I had a newborn. In short, I'd much rather protect my sweet little bundle of joy. Best of luck in your decision.. maybe you could visit her at Thanksgiving or have HER come to see YOU, as it's much easier to travel without children. :)

I haven't yet flown with our little guy yet, but we did take two long car rides (both about 10 hours one way with stopping to nurse and diaper him) with him when he was five weeks and nine weeks old for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don't know if it's typical, but he slept the ENTIRE time. I was nervous to start, but he traveled so well! There were a few times that I gave him a pacifier to help him fall asleep after getting back on the road after nursing, etc., which immediately soothed him. Those were the only times, really, that he used a pacifier (he doesn't need it at home).

I think traveling with a little one at such a young age has its perks because it seems to be easier for them to sleep just about anywhere then. They just "go along for the ride" so to speak. Luckily, when you're on an airplane, you can also hold the lil' bambino in your lap so that could help too if he gets a little fussy. Remember to stay calm and he'll sense that everything is okay.

Best of luck! Enjoy your trip!

I think that it is great that you are not afraid to travel with your infant. It should be a breeze. I would recommend using a sling for the infant. Some airlines will make you take the baby out during take off and landing. I am sure that you already thought of this but nurse the baby during take off and landing if they are awake. Make sure you have at least 2 changes of clothing for the baby and you might want to bing an extra shirt for yourself...just in case :)
Good for you!!

I traveled with my two boys (3 and 9) and newborn daughter (she was 4 weeks old at the time). It was a total of 27 hours of drive time and three cities. What we did is make fun bags for the boys (filled with all new stuff to keep them interested) and left at about 7 at night. It worked out great because my husband, myself and my mother-in-law all rotated driving for sleep purposes and we barely had a hiccup. I was nursing so every 2 to 4 hours we stopped so I could feed her.

Another thing I have learned is let the schedule belong to the kids, stop as often as you have to to keep the trip pleasant. We allowed an additional day on either end of the trip to ensure we could stop as often as we needed.

Enjoy and happy travels.

I road tripped with my new baby when she was only about 7 weeks and since I was nursing, the stops every 2 hours added SIGNIFICANT time to the drive. With a 4yo in the car too, the stops are probably going to be good to allow him to run around too for your trip. check out what rest stops/playgrounds are on the way that you could stop at, but there were times when we were just pulled off on a 'ranch exit' in WYO to be off the interstate. It was actually a lot easier to drive with my daughter when she was still SO LITTLE than when she had become mobile and felt hindered by her carseat. ;o) good luck.