Have Baby, Will Travel

Traveling with an infant is stressful. You don't know how your baby will react to the new sounds, sights and the plane ride in general. Most people have no idea what they need to bring in order to make their plane trip with their little one successful. There are a few key items that will make the baby's trip (and therefore yours) a positive experience. Here are those necessary items anyone traveling with a baby shouldn't leave home without.

1. A Car Seat
No, you don't have to buy your baby their own seat on the plane. Children under 2 can fly on your lap or snooze in your arms during the flight. However, you will need a car seat wherever you're landing to drive the baby away from the airport. Most airlines allow you to check a carseat as luggage.

2. Stroller
Strollers save you from having to cart the baby around the airport. This is especially convenient if you have to change planes. Even if you're just using it to get to your gate and then from the gate to baggage claim, it's well worth bringing it. You can check the stroller at the gate as you board the plane, and then the airline employees will give it back to you as you deboard. Convenience all the way to and from the gate.

3. Extras
You really have no idea what's going to happen with a flight. Planes get stuck on runways. Flights get cancelled leaving you in a strange city for a night. Bring a bag with supplies. Formula, bottles, diapers, a few changes of clothes and whatever else baby needs to make it for a day. You don't want to be driving around a strange town in the middle of the night searching for a place that sells baby formula and diapers. Be prepared.

4. Blanket
Plane temperatures are unpredictable, and babies are very sensitive to temperature changes. Dress the baby in light layers the day of the flight, and bring along a blanket to cover them. The blanket can also help the mother discreetly breastfeed. An added bonus is the blanket can shield the baby's face from overhead lights and help muffle the noises on the plane. The baby can sleep a little more sound with the small buffer.

5. Something to Suck On
Some mothers have this built in if they breastfeed. For people traveling who aren't nursing, bring a bottle or pacifier. When the pressure in the cabin changes at takeoff and descent, the baby needs to be sucking on something in order for their ears to pop. Nothing causes fussiness more than ear pain, which is very possible if baby's ears don't pop after pressure changes.

With these 5 items, the plane ride and the vacation will go much smoother. When the baby's happy, everyone else can be happy, too. Happy travels!