We're taking our first flight w/ our daughter (8.5 months old) on Sunday. I have a few questions about logistics.
(1) She doesn't have a seat of her own, and it looks like the flight is probably full. I don't think there was anywhere to indicate a lap baby when we purchased our tickets, but should we be informing the airline that we will have a baby with us?
(2) Do we need to bring DD's birth certificate with us?
(3) We're planning on bringing DD's infant carseat and a lightweight umbrella stroller with us. We will gate check both of these items. Do they count against our checked baggage limits? Also, is it bad that we don't have covers to put over each of these items to protect them in the cargo hold?
(4) How do you entertain a lap baby who only wants to move around and crawl all the time?
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@skibobrown: Did you see Bee's tips about traveling to LA and then the Philippines with Olive?
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We are flying Sunday with LO for 1st time too! She is 2 months.
Airline said car seat needs to be baggage checked, not gate checked and counts toward her limit (1 checked, 1 carry on, 1 umbrella gate checked (though we're not bringing an umbrella stroller, she's too small yet!) but this is all likely airline dependent, Air Canada for us.
When we booked, there was a dropdown to indicate we had an infant (0-2) with us.
We will have her in her carrier when we can to make holding her easier....though she is likely less wiggly than your LO
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@Beebug: Really? Now I'm going to call the airline. If we have to baggage check the carseat, that changes things a bit. True that a 2-month old won't be as wiggly. I didn't think that airplane travel would be so difficult w/ DD when we booked the flights, but in the last month or so she has gotten much more active... and *stronger*. Now she can squirm her way out of my arms if she tries hard enough.
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We did have an option for lap baby when we bought tickets. I also travel with their birth certificates and medical cards. We had to baggage check our car seats and they put them in plastic bags. I would check with your airline for their recommendations. The car sears and strollers did not count as bags for us. As far as the actual flying. I recommend lots if toys and snacks. Possibly s new one for the trip.
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You can tell them at the gate that you have a lap child. Take a copy of the birth certificate and medical cards just in case (sometimes they ask for it, and sometimes they don't). You should be able to gate check both the carseat and the stroller. I don't think it's allowed to count those against your baggage limits, but I would check the TSA website about that. My LO is in perpetual motion but on a flight likes to just stand in my lap and look around.
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@skibobrown: DONT baggage check your carseat! It voids your warranty!
I just flew from London to St Louis with my 8 month old. I was lucky enough to have empty seats, so I was able to take her car seat on with me. I just asked at the gate and they rearranged things for me.
Carseat and stroller were gate-checked (US Airways) and did not count against my baggage limit. I didn't have covers either.
I brought C's BC, passport, SS card, shot records. Pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. lol
I was able to select lap infant at booking also. No advice there.
I brought a few new toys and snacks to entertain her. She actually did really well.
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@zippylef: Oh good! Your baby is about the same age as mine, so this sounds promising. We're also flying USAir. I don't remember having a place to check off that we have a lap baby, but maybe we did? I'll call the airline just in case... Does your baby want to be in motion constantly too? Our baby only wants to crawl. All the time. I just don't think she's going to be even remotely amused by being forced into our laps for several hours.
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1- yes call the airline, they will add baby onto ticket and she will get a boarding card as well.
2- only if you don't have a passport
3- usually you can only gate check one item (stroller) and then the other gets checked with baggage. but a car seat is a free item regardless. if you don't have covers, you will at least want them in a plastic bag.
4- toys, snacks, walking up and down the aisle...this is the toughest part with a lap baby. -
I would also cover your items, even if you're checking them at the gate...advice given to me when i posted on HB a while back. At 4 months, i brought both my huge BOB stroller and car seat to the gate, and only one item was counted against my LO's luggage. I had no problems at all!
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Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet b/c I didn't read through other ppl's responses, but I would call the airline to let them know you have a lap infant. I remember they still gave me a boarding pass for him indicating that he's a lap infant and did check his ID but I was flying international. I would bring her birth cert. just in case. I do recommend getting covers for your car seat and stroller b/c they still get really dirty when you gate check it. These are decent cheap covers that you can find at Babies R Us if you have one nearby:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3155555
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3917666
And, no, they won't count as baggage. I flew United and they let me gate check both the car seat and stroller. You'll have to put your stroller through the x-ray machine though. I remember security being kind of hectic but then again I was travelling by myself with my then 10-month-old.
I would put a bunch of toys in a couple of large zip lock bags (easy to see)and change it out once she gets bored of one bag. And make sure to bring her favorite snacks, a pacifier (if she uses one) for take off and landing (or feed her a bottle/nurse).
Good luck!
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You will need to call the airline and register your lap child because they will need to seat you in a row with an extra oxygen mask.
You need to take a copy of her birth certificate just in case they ask but most likely will not need it.
I gate checked both my car seat and stroller because I was stuck at the airport if they lost the carseat. I confirmed this was acceptable on the phone and when I picked up my boarding pass. I recommend the protective bags because these items are considered fragile items and you will not be reimbursed by the airline for any damage. My bags got pretty dirty and I'd much rather have dirty, beat up bags than car seat and stroller.
For entertainment: empty cups, foil wrappers that make sounds when crumpled, books, a small compact with a mirror, blanket for peek-a-boo, snacks, etc.
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Oh and print out copies of the TSA and airline regulations regarding strollers, caresses, breast milk/formula, etc. Better to be prepared if you need it. The TSA agents were very helpful each time I had to go through security.
And have one person board the plane early to stash carry-ons and ditch the carseat and stroller while the other boards at the last second with the baby. Gives you less time on the plane where you're limited with what you can do.
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@skibobrown: US was very helpful through eveything. You should call the airline and make sure they know you have an infant, so they will seat you in the bulkhead row. If you ask at check-in, they may have available seats open also. She also needs her own boatding pass.
C did surprisingly well. Our first flight was almost 8 hours and she justbhung out and looked around and was really pretty chill.
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