Series | Traveling with a Baby - 3 to 6 Months Old

Welcome to part II of the traveling with a baby series! If you haven't seen it already, check out part one which is traveling with a newborn. When Bricklet was 4 months we did a car trip to Montreal, a trip to the NJ shore, and a flight to Vancouver at just shy of 6 months.

My first tip is, do not do a long car ride. We drove Montreal to New York and back and it was horrible. Bricklet was done with being in his car seat 3 hours into the trip both ways. It was convenient to haul so much of his crap with us, but we have sworn off making that drive until he can watch movies.

What to bring

• Same as before, plus
• More toys and books. Baby interacts more now, and this will help keep him or her occupied while traveling and at your destination
• If you have introduced solids / purees, bring some for the trip. Note purees may be difficult to find in some countries.

At the airport

• Baby food is also exempt from liquid restrictions.
• Use that baby carrier still!
• If little one is crawling, get to the airport a bit early so that you can give them some floor time to crawl around. Have extra wipes to sanitize hands.

In flight

• It's a bit tricker with your 3-6 month old as they are really aware, curious, and possibly moving on their own.
• Occupy with toys and books noted above.
• I don't recommend putting baby down, since they will put everything in their mouth.
• Be open to screentime. We were really opposed and really didn't let him have screentime until he was almost 12 months. Be inflight was the except, and our hat trick if needed.

At the hotel

Some baby proofing may be needed. Block electric sockets with luggage, you can even ask to have things taken out if they are not needed. If baby has solids, try to book a room with a mini-fridge - or at least verify they can provide one (sometimes at cost) for medical supplies (i.e. breastmilk).

Aside from the awful car trip, looking back traveling with under 6 month old Bricklet was actually easy. Yes, still much more stuff to travel with, but he still slept a lot and wasn't really crawling yet.

What's your trick to keeping baby occupied in flight? Any favorite apps?