So DH and I decided that our first vacay with LO will be to either Orange County or San Diego in March. I'm starting to put together flight costs, and have come up with two different options. Both of these options have the same flight cost, the only difference is the city and incidental costs like gas + parking. The flight time from Houston to OC or San Diego is 3+ hours.

Option A: Fly out of our small, local airport, and connect in Houston. This option has us flying United.

Pros:
Don't have to pay for gas to Houston or parking at airport.
Shorter security lines
Wouldn't be in car for 2 hours before flight

Cons:
Have to change planes in Houston
2 hour layover
Don't get into city until late afternoon

Option B: Drive to Houston and fly Southwest
Pros:
1 non-stop flight
Get into city in the morning

Cons:
Pay for parking, gas
Two hour drive there and back after flight

If you were traveling with an 8-9 month old, which would you pick? I'm not sure the 2 hour layover is a con, because I could use that time to feed her, change her, etc. I don't mind the drive to Houston if the non-stop flight would be significantly easier OR if Southwest is more baby-friendly than United. The other factor here is commuter flights between Houston and my city fill up very fast, so I'd have to book option A in the next couple of months, while I have several months to book option B.