TRAVEL CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING, AND MOST STRESSFUL THINGS WE DO WITH OUR BABIES. 

WE CAN HELP. 

Different airlines have different policies. Some require an infant to be at least two days old, others at least 2 weeks old. Doctors recommend you wait until your baby’s immune system is more developed before flying, usually at least one month, though most recommend anywhere between 3-6 months. We didn’t fly with Eula until she was 4 months old, but we took car trips with her down to Atlanta (a 2 hour drive) to visit Matt’s parents before that. It was nice cutting our teeth on those few road trips before flying. Our first flight was domestic, and we took her up to NYC over the holidays. And it was great! By 5 months old she went on her first international flight, Atlanta to London, and by 7 months old she made the 14  hour flight from Atlanta to Tokyo.

This is number one for a reason, mostly the bassinet part. You’ll survive in any seat on a short flight, though an aisle is super preferable for getting up to walk or change the baby. On most international flights there are baby bassinets that fasten to the bulkheads. You often can’t actually reserve or book them. However, I always call in advance and put in a request for one—they can note that you requested it on your ticket. It doesn’t hurt. The key is to show up early and beat the other babies! I’m only kind of joking. They are often (depending on the airline) doled out on a first come, first serve basis at the gate, so it’s essential to be early for your flight so you can be there to nab it. I also research the layout of whatever plane I’m flying and book the seats closest to the bassinet. You usually can’t book the actual seats because they are set aside for people with babies, such as yourself! We have managed to get the bassinet on every long haul international flight (and there have been many). Show up early, for real. And always call before to see if you can reserve it or at least put in a request. And note, the maximum weight allowance is usually between 20-30 lbs. This is a great comprehensive resource that covers policy by airline. 

See below for our minimalist baby travel essentials list. The lighter you travel, the easier your life. There’s nothing more exhausting than hauling a bunch of junk you don’t actually need around and unpacking & packing it up as well. Especially if you’ll be doing things like catching trains or moving around much at all. Definitely think about your mobility needs and pack accordingly—i.e. if you’re going to one destination and have a car door to door it’s no big deal to stuff a giant suitcase (thought I would still say annoying to deal with unpacking/packing all the stuff!), but if you’re going to be train hopping around a country, that would be very difficult. Below I cover both what’s in our diaper bag + carry-on as well as what we pack in our suitcase for her. Babies really don’t need as much as we’ve been led to believe they do. They need diapers, love, to eat, and a safe place to sleep. I pack a few modern mom extras, but I try to keep it simple.

It’s so much easier than a stroller, I think. You can move around easily, navigate stairs, and generally be faster and more nimble. Plus baby loves to be close to you! We found she napped and slept great in the carrier as well, even on the go and at restaurants. To this day, we get her down for naps anywhere in the carrier. One of us just puts her on and walks/bounces when she’s sleepy, and she passes right out. Won’t work for everyone, but it’s worth a try because it’s magic in tight spaces like a plane. We list our favorite carriers below in the gear list.

This is slightly redundant, as I say above to not bring a lot of baby gear. But this is for the parents. The less the better. Always. I’ll publish a separate post on packing light. But the key, for me, is making sure every single clothing item pairs with every other single one. I travel with one pair of shoes, two max. No outliers! And don’t pack for “what if’s”. You can buy most incidentals at your destination.

Buy diapers and wipes at your destination. Travel with enough to get you to your destination and maybe a day or two after to get your bearings (figuring out where to buy baby diapers in Japan took us a moment of orientation!) We joke that Eula has gotten a global tour of the “diapers of the world”.

It obviously makes it easier because, hey, no extra gear! Be willing to feed anywhere, don’t be shy. I was really worried about this when I was a new mom, like the first month. But trust me, you get over it. I don’t use a cover as it seems like an unnecessary hassle for me and an annoyance to baby. I dress for breast feeding (read: easy access!), and it’s always so discreet I don’t feel uncomfortable. I’ve been everywhere from Morocco to Japan to France breastfeeding and never once encountered any animosity or awkward situations. I’ve breastfed outside Buddhist temple gates on the steps, on the beach, park benches, everywhere. Bonus, I get to set an example for other would-be moms that breast feeding is great, natural, and normal. If for some reason you can’t breastfeed or don’t want to, don’t worry. Air planes have allowances for breastmilk/formula/baby food, and they will warm it for you. If you can’t breastfeed, I would strategically book places to stay that will make warming easy, like AirBnBs or hotel rooms with little kitchens or great staff!

You can usually get a carseat with a rental car. If you do need to travel with one (so far we haven’t needed to), get one that clips in as the seat on your stroller so you aren’t stuck carrying around a carseat. See the gear list below for our preference.

This is the safest mode of public transit. A lot of people in cities like London, Paris, and New York do not use carseats in cabs for short jaunts around town. I say this because I wondered so much what the reality was and few people were willing to just spell it out for me. I don’t encourage this, but I want moms to know the reality because I wanted to know. They take the subway or hop in the back and hold the baby or wear the baby in a baby carrier/sling. This is NOT recommended. That said, if you are going to do so against recommendations, wearing the baby and making sure that the seat belt is NOT over the baby is critical. NEVER put a seat belt over a baby on you. If you are in an accident and the seat belt is over the baby’s back, your body can crush the baby. Again, this is NOT recommended. At the end of the day, it’s up to the laws of wherever you are and you. A car seat or alternative form of transportation is always safest.

We have eaten everywhere from our favorite dives to Michelin star restaurants with baby in tow (though my preference for the latter style of dining is *definitely* to hire a sitter)—the key is go early. If your baby makes unfortunate, loud baby noises as babies do, there are less people to disturb and thus less mortification to be had. And if they’re a little more mobile towards the end of that last year, it gives them a little roaming room. Another tip, when a high chair isn’t available and the baby is old enough to sit up, we have been known to “strap” her to the chair using a baby carrier. When she was too small, we simply wore her, held her in our lap, or put her in the stroller on the rare occasion we had one with us. A lot of restaurants abroad are quite small, so a stroller isn’t the best option in those tight places. If you can hit dinner right when your baby passes out for the night, obviously that’s ideal, but you can’t always plan for that.