Traveling with a Baby

It can be very overwhelming to think about leaving the house with your baby, in the beginning, and how you are going to feed them when you are out. Once you’ve accomplished the first steps, going out for coffee or the pediatrician’s visit, with a fully stocked diaper bag, and have given the on-the-go breastfeeding or bottlefeeding a whirl, you’ll gradually gain more confidence. It seems scary at first, but it just takes practice to quickly become a pro. 

Taking it to the next level and feeding your baby on the road - be it a car trip or airplane trip - involves a few more steps to think through. This time, there’s more of the gear that you may want to bring along for your comfort, and for practicality. Here are some things to consider:

By Air

• You are allowed to bring any amount of breastmilk or liquid formula through security, along with cold packs and cooler bags necessary for their safety. All of this is considered medically necessary liquid. You should let TSA know as you’re going through security that you have either formula or breastmilk with you and they will test it to make sure it’s fine (this just takes a few minutes), but then you can proceed. It’s more helpful if these supplies are packed separately and in clear containers and bags. See guidelines here.

• Babies are famous for crying during ascent and descent, because their ears hurt and they don’t know how to pop them. What can help is sucking, so if you can, it’s a good idea to try to nurse or bottlefeed them on the way up and down. Pacifiers can help here, too, but they’re likely to stick with the food source a little better.

• Some airports now have nursing pods that you can use for feeding the baby or pumping, so check on whether your airport will have those if you have time and need to pump or feed!

By Car

• Can you dangle a breast over a carseat to feed a baby? Yes, you can. Is it the most comfortable? No, it’s pretty awful. And, obviously, not super safe. This is a good time to bring along pumped breastmilk to give by bottle, or plan on stopping to breastfeed. 

• If you’re planning to pump in the car, you’ll need to have a whole set up - the pump, a car charger, a cooler, freezer packs, storage bags or extra bottles. It’s possible but it’s bulky. 

• If you’re mixing formula bottles in the car, make sure that you have enough clean water to mix with you, or bring bottles with water already filled.

• You will need to build in…significantly more time than this trip would have taken pre-baby. 

• Bring a pacifier! If Baby is upset, and has finished their bottle, and isn’t really hungry anymore but just wants to be held, but obviously cannot be, a pacifier can help with soothing until they fall asleep.

General

• Consider the Hand Pump! I am constantly touting the utility of the small, inexpensive hand pump as a practical back up to the bulky, plug in pump. It’s less efficient, but there’s a role for it in cases like travel. This pump weighs very little and requires no electricity, so you can toss it in your bag and use it in the car or on the plane or discreetly under your shirt at a restaurant or walking around under a wrap or literally anywhere. 

• Just like babies and kids need their security blankets when traveling, if you are having a lot of anxiety about this trip with your baby, think about what is going to make you feel more at peace. If bringing along the Boppy because it makes everything about nursing go easier feels better to you, bring it. If you need to ship extra bottles or microwave sanitizing bags to wherever you’re staying, do it. It’s a big step to travel with a little baby the first time and it’s ok to bring the things with you that make YOU more comfortable! A more relaxed parent will help Baby relax, too.

• I would love to see breastfeeding normalized everywhere, but it is still completely up to each person’s comfort level how much coverage they prefer while breastfeeding in public. Particularly on an airplane, when everyone is up close and personal, you might prefer a little more coverage. Keep in mind that babies do get hot under some covers, so lightweight blankets may do the trick just as well. 

• You can never have too many wipes.

Naomi, DCBD Infant Feeding Specialist