Snookums and I flew back to Newark today from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport. With each trip, I'm getting more adept at traveling with a baby. So here are some more helpful tips:
- Wear a sling/baby carrier. This comes in handy at security, so you can pass through the metal detector hands free. It's also useful at the gate -- once you've gate-checked your infant car seat and stroller, put baby in the carrier so you can get on the plane hands free.
- Put your car seat face down on the conveyor belt. When you go through security, you'll have to put both the stroller and the car seat on the conveyor belt, along with everything else you're carrying (except the baby!). Car seat goes face down.
- Breastmilk, formula, juice and baby food are all permitted in your carry-on luggage. The TSA allows "reasonable quantities" of these items. They don't say what that means (I asked a TSA spokesman and the answer is it's up to the discretion of the officer, depending on how long you're traveling), but nobody questioned anything I had with me.
- Use an overnight diaper. There may not be a changing table in the plane's bathroom on your plane; there wasn't on mine, so I ended up having to change the baby on the floor on top of some airplane blankets. Next time, I'll put an overnight diaper on her so I don't have to change her at all for several hours. Heck, I might even wear one myself.
- During takeoff and landing, baby must be seated in your lap, not in the sling/carrier. I personally don't think this rule makes much sense -- I find it much harder and less safe to try to hold a squirming baby on my lap with no assistance from the Gods of Bjorn. Luckily, my flight attendant said Snookums could stay in the Bjorn, provided I wrapped both my arms around her tight during takeoff and landing. But this evidently isn't the official FAA rule; I plan to ask the FAA about this and will report back once I learn more.
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