Things that have changed since we’re now traveling with a baby

Earlier this year, we added another traveler to our crew. We knew that we wanted to share our love of traveling with our baby, so before he turned four months old, he’d already been to four different states.

While we’re by no means experts on traveling with a baby, we wanted to share some of the ways our traveling has changed since becoming a party of three.

1. We get to the airport earlier

One of us is a perennially early person while the other is a just-in-time advocate. There were definitely times where we have gotten through security with maybe 15 minutes to spare before boarding. It was pretty easy with two adults and only bringing carry-on luggage.

But with a baby, however, we leave much earlier for the airport and try to make it through security with at least one hour to spare before the flight. We’ll drop off our bags and one parent will wait just outside security with baby and the carry-on items while the other parent parks the car.

After the parent parking the car returns, we go through security and head to the lounge & get settled. This extra time lets us ensure baby is in a clean outfit and diaper before the flight. We fly out of O’Hare and have United lounge access through our United Club Infinite Card. The lounge access with a baby is critical because we can always find seating, get food, and use a clean family bathroom rather than a changing table out in the open of the larger bathrooms.

2. We no longer take the first flight of the day

When the two of us used to travel domestically, we would always take the first flight of the day. This way, we could get pretty much anywhere in the continental U.S. in the morning and still have plenty of time to explore on day one.

With a baby, that’s just not realistic for us. We’re now looking at late morning and early afternoon flights.

3. We check bags

Prior to traveling with a baby, we never checked our bags unless it was a required gate-check due to room. We went abroad several times with just a carry-on and backpack for each of us.

But if you’re traveling with a baby, you’ll be bringing more stuff. Like countless outfits for baby, bibs and burp cloths, and a travel crib.

For the trips we’ve taken so far, we’ve checked two suitcases (one for each parent, which also includes baby’s clothes) and the travel crib. We bring his stroller/car seat hybrid with us to the gate and ask if there are any vacant seats on the flight. If not, we gate check it. We also bring a diaper bag, cooler with baby’s milk, backpack with our items, and a small duffel with extra diapers and a change of clothes for each family member.

4. We get a bigger rental car

For two adults, we used to pick the least-expensive rental car option. This usually meant we were getting the smallest cars they offered. But a baby comes with more stuff, so we have been getting slightly bigger cars. Yes, they are more expensive, but they’re worth it for easier trips.

5. We do laundry on trips

We used to pack enough clothes for each day of our trip so we wouldn’t have to do laundry. Traveling with a baby, however, means that even when we think we’ve brought enough clothes, bibs, and burp cloths, we will still need to wash something during our trip. We typically stay at hotels in the Marriott family, which often have laundry rooms. If they don’t, we’ll rinse items in our Scrubba and hang dry.

Summary

We’re still somewhat new to traveling with a baby, and we’re sure we’ll learn more as we continue. Our trips definitely look different these days, but we’re so excited to continue to show our baby the world.

We want to hear from you – what is something that you did differently once you started traveling with a baby or kid?