ou’ve patiently awaited your bundle of joy and finally they are here - you can’t wait to show them off! Or you have a family commitment that you can’t get out of. In either case, you may be facing travel with your baby long before you’re ready.

You are probably full of questions and anxieties about the trip ahead. Here are some answers to basic questions about airplane travel for your newborn to six month old. (Beyond six months, the advice changes as do the traveling challenges - crawling, teething, and packing real food all come into the picture.)

How young can I take my baby on an airplane?
Check with your airline for specific rules. Southwest Airlines, for example, requires a medical release for infants younger than 14 days but will allow them to travel.

Although the airline may allow it, air travel with an infant that early is not advisable. According to Dr. James Weidman, Pediatrician in West Hills, CA, you are better off waiting until the baby is at least 6 weeks old when their immune system is more likely to have “kicked in” or after their 2 month pediatrician visit where they receive their first vaccination.

Should I buy a separate seat or keep them on my lap?
This is a loaded question considering safety, cost, and ease of travel.

Safety while Traveling - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says the safest way to go is to secure the infant into a child restraint device (CRD) and strap them in their own seat instead of sitting the infant in your lap. If this is the way to go for you, you should know the following: 

• Not all car seats qualify as a CRD. "Any CRD must have both of the following labels: "This child restraint device conforms to all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards" and "This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft."¹ Your car seat probably has both labels unless you have a large car seat. If your car seat is larger that 16” across the back, you should double check it’s appropriateness with your airline.

• The FAA requires safety seats to occupy the window seat only and never in the emergency exit aisle. If you plan to travel on a full flight with your child in a car seat, make sure you are assigned the window seat and seat next to it. If you can’t get that online, call the airline directly. If you are flying an airline that doesn’t assign seats, arrive in time for early boarding.

Cost – A lap child is under 2 years old and sits on your lap instead of taking up a designated seat (thus the name). They travel free on most airlines that operate domestically.

If you decide to purchase a separate seat for your baby, many airlines offer a “child seat discount” off full-coach-fare. Beware, this is somewhat of a joke. When you book a ticket online, you are likely getting a discounted rate already. Full coach fare can be twice as high as the cost of an online discounted ticket. Therefore, even 50% off full coach fare could be more than the entire cost of your discounted ticket.

Confused? Consider traveling from Los Angeles to Las Vegas where you could pay $59 each way with an online discounted fare compared to $129 each way for a full coach fare. Assuming the “child seat discount” is 50%, the result would be $64.50 each way. That is more than it would cost if you just purchased another seat at the online discounted rate at $59 (which is what you should do!). You do not have to purchase a seat with the child’s discount; just make sure the airline knows the seat is for a child. If cost is a consideration, call your airline for details.

Ease of Travel – If you decide to skip the cost of an extra seat, traveling with a lap child in a baby carrier is much easier! You have hands free ability to get yourself settled, the child is more likely to sleep, and you don’t have as many worries about strapping in a bulky car seat. If you can, ask for a noisy seat (usually above the engines in the back) which will increase the chance that your baby will sleep the length of a short flight (usually 3 hours or less).

Another Option – For longer flights (international flights especially) there is another option. Check if your airline provides any special flying apparatus for babies. Some carriers have infant bassinets and will seat you in the bulkhead. It is easier to care for your baby if you have space to change diapers or clothes (although the person next to you might not appreciate the smell of a diaper change).

What about a stroller?
You should plan on taking a light weight stroller. Traveling without one is risky business. There may be long lines or delays and you don’t want to be stuck at the airport without a place to put your baby down. Ideally, airlines recommend travel with the umbrella stroller, but your infant is too young for that. Instead, you should plan on taking your car seat and a frame stroller (like a Baby Trend, Snap N Go). This method has three benefits. First, it’s best to travel with your own car seat because you are familiar with it and the baby will be exposed to fewer new germs (rental car agencies will rent them to you but they can be pretty gross!). Second, you can gate check these items and keep them with you for most of the time you are in the airport. Third, because you can gate check your car seat, the airline gives you the opportunity to occupy an unsold seat if one is available (you could get a separate seat for the baby without paying for it if the flight isn’t full!).

We wouldn’t recommend taking a large stroller (over 20 lbs) / car seat system. They are more likely to get damaged and can be more expensive when that happens.

What do I need for identification purposes?
For domestic travel, you should travel with a copy of the birth certificate. However, if the birth certificate has not been issued yet, you just need something from the hospital with the child’s date of birth. As of now, this document is not for verifying citizenship, but for qualifying the child for travel ability.

For international travel, you will need a passport for your baby (yes, even to Canada or Mexico). According to the FAA, minors under the age of 18 must have the same travel documents as adults for international travel.

No matter where you travel, make sure you get your airline's version of a child boarding document. For lap children, you may need a Boarding Verification Document. If you are checking in electronically, verify with the airline that you can get the appropriate documents through the kiosk. You don’t want to get to the gate only to find out that you need an additional boarding pass. Check with the airline before you get to the airport! You may not be able to use curbside check-in or the quick check kiosks.

What should I take on the plane?
Although many airlines, like American Airlines, don’t count your diaper bag against you in the normal carry on allowance, you are better off repacking your diaper bag and any other carry ons into a single bag... a backpack. It’s great if you have a diaper-bag-backpack but if you don’t, any backpack will do. You want to have your hands free while traveling. **Warning, you may feel a little like a pack donkey if you are traveling with a backpack and a baby strapped to your chest! But it’s the best way to get on the plane. Avoid fussing with a lot of little bags (diaper bag, computer bag, purse, etc).

Consider what your infant usually uses per day (in clothes, diapers, wipes, bibs, formula) then take a 1 day supply of everything in the backpack just in case the luggage gets lost. I also travel with a dozen gallon-size zip top bags. They are great to keep dirty spit-up bibs and accidentally pooped-on clothes from contaminating the rest of the bag (and smelling up the place!).

Soothing Baby During the Flight
Your infant’s ears are still delicate, so the air pressure that builds on takeoff and landing can be uncomfortable. To counteract the pressure, make sure your baby is sucking (nursing or using a bottle) on both take-off and landing.

As for the time in between take-off and landing, well, that’s the fun part. If your baby doesn’t fall asleep from the hum of the engines, you might find yourself straining for new ways to entertain him after the third hour of the itsy bitsy spider. If he’s old enough to be interested in toys, you might want to bring a few along. But don’t give them to him all at once. Rotate them so the first one seems exciting and new after he’s played with the other four!

Final Tips
Don’t travel without a thermometer, infant fever reducer (like Tylenol or Motrin), and doctor's instructions on how much to give your little one if a fever occurs while you’re gone. You don’t want to track down an unfamiliar pharmacy in the middle of the night when you’ve got a screaming baby.

New parents should pack light and plan for more to be available at your destination, advises Dr. Weidman. Bring your patience, a sense of humor, and a very loose, flexible itinerary!