Seeking Advice---how to Travel with 11 Week Old

AA will not charge to check your bucket/carseat. We just flew them to VA last week; checked our bucket for free and carried the rest of our bags on. (stuff your bucket full too save room in your bags).

Don't have much for you on sterilizing - I just packed dish soap with me and did the best I could washing with hot water in the sink. I would find a secluded/area to feed. Recommend the front pack for traveling to keep your hands free - they won't make you take it off or take her out to go through security. Also - pack a sheet or call ahead to make sure they have one for the pack n play/crib. Some places i have found do and some do not. I was surprised as a marriott did not one time.

Avent makes a microwave sterilizer kit. It's pretty cool. I got one at Babies R Us several years ago. The Hilton should have a microwave available for you to use.

ask your pediatrician, but at this age I don't believe it is necessary to sterilize bottles (if you can wash well)Attach carseat base to carseat (but label both with a tag in case they become seperated). No one that I know of charges for a careseat since you wouldn't beable to legally GO anywhere without it.

I would recommend that you ask your friends if they can borrow anything that you need (pack and play/crib, stroller, car seat) and I would buy as much as possible when you arrive. I took my daughter to Chicago when she was about the same age. We stayed with friends the entire time, which made it easier. As soon as we arrived in Chicago, the first stop was Target or Walmart. I purchased Diapers, Wipes and anything else that I would need for the week. The only diapers and wipes I had with me were what fit in the diaper bag. I was able to guess how much I needed close enough, that I did not have too much to leave behind. I asked my friend to give them to one of her friends or her church. To this day, I buy what my children need for food when we arrive at our destination.

I traveled with my daughter who was 6 months at the time and i checked her car seat. I also traveled with her 8 hours away in a car when she was 8 weeks old and it was not as hard as I thought it would be. I was breastfeeding at the time and I didnt really use bottles til we got to where we were going. You should sterilize the bottles before you leave and you should be fine. Take plenty of onesis I used those a lot and you will definitley need a blanket for the plane because it is very cold on there. I would recommend taking the stroller just to push her in when you are at the airport unless you have one of those swingpacks.

Medela pump has microwave sterilization bags. Each bag can be used 20 times. These are awsome traveling or not. We just took our daughter, hubby and 9 week old to yellowstone. In the cabins that had a microwave we just washed all the necessary parts of the pump and nipples and put them in the microwave. Great. One place we did not have a fridge or micro. The kitchen however would microwave the bag for us. I just took it down every morning to the kitchen area. When we were driving, Lauren just pumped, put it in a bottle and the baby took it while driving. Hope yours goes a smooth as ours did!
Our grandaughter was great on the plane. Just nursed on take off and landing. One time had a pacifier on landing. Never fussed. The airlines probably has large bags for your carseat and base. We flew Frontier. They had the bags there. Check with your airline.

L.,

I went onto www.aa.com and found some information for you. Also, Avent has a microwave sterilizer that my husband and I used for our son and if the Hilton has a microwave that should be safice. Also if you use Medila (sp) they have a travel sterilizer wipes that I had to use while pumping at work and I had no issues with.

Here is the AA info...
Infant Seat or Child Restraint Devices

If you did not purchase a seat for your child (under two years of age):
An approved child safety seat can be carried on board.
The device cannot be used in a seat unless there is an unoccupied seat available next to the adult traveling.
If an unoccupied, adjoining seat is not available, the gate agent will check the infant seat/child restraint device to your final destination. Please check with the gate agent for further details.
You may want to consider checking the infant seat/child restraint device at the ticket counter. However, American is not responsible for damage to infant/child restraint devices and loss/damage of any items attached to the device, whether these items are checked at the ticket counter or the gate. Infant/child restraint devices include, but are not limited to, strollers and car seats.
For taxi, takeoff, landing, during turbulence, or when the Fasten Seatbelt sign is on, American accepts only infant seats/child restraint devices that are certified for use in aircraft.

Personal Items

Purse
Briefcase
Laptop
Small book-bag style backpack
Other similar items that do not exceed 36 linear inches (length + width + height) will be allowed such as a small tote bag or shoulder bag.
Additional items that will be allowed above and beyond the restrictions listed above include:
Outer garments such as coats/wraps/hats
Approved safety seat for lap or ticketed child
Umbrella stroller for lap or ticketed child
Diaper bag for lap or ticketed child
Book or newspaper
Small bag of food that is consumable
Assistive devices for passengers such as wheelchairs, walkers and CPAP machines
Therapeutic oxygen provided by the airline

I didn't see anythong about NOT being able to take a breast pump on the plane but you can always call and see if they have that anything else about it and if not, let me know and I'll see what I can come up with for you.

K.
Working mother of a 7 mo old bouncing baby boy and wife for 9 yrs.

We just traveled to California with my 7 and 4 year old boys, ok yes very different than an 11 week old, however, my husband is Platnium status ( he is always gone) and he could check one of the car booster seats but I had to pay 15 dollars for the second one, just FYI. Also they told us that the car rental companies are now offering free car seats with the purchase of a car rental so that people will not have to check those things. call your aa cust serv rep and ask those ?'s about the breast pump and stuff not too sure about that.

Would it be possible to avoid bottles and pumping altogether and just breastfeed the entire trip? Less hassle, maybe. Use a light-weight blanket to cover yourself if you are concerned about modesty, or use a nursing cover.

I haven't travelled since the new luggage charges took effect, but I'll tell you what we usually do... For stroller - we bring it through security and gate check (we bring our big BOB jogging stroller because we like to have it to use and it's a great gear holder in the airport - they do a manual check on it since it won't fit through the xray at security). For car seat - you can rent, but they're not great. I learned how to put it in without the base so I wouldn't have to take that, too. We also gate checked the car seat - too many stories about it being the one luggage item that doesn't make it! For airport - I love having a sling. I have a pouch-style sling, no buckles, so I can keep her in it through security (and bathroom, napping, etc). At 11 weeks, baby can likely sit cross-legged in it, facing away, and it's easy to do a bottle while walking through the airport - super helpful!! Also means we can toss bags in the carseat/stroller. (Plus the attention you get with a cute baby in a sling makes the travel day that much better!)

For bottles, I just cleaned them with hot water and soap when we travelled. Made sure to take dish soap and a brush. (Dish soap can double to wash clothes if you need!) I only travelled with a pump once, and I just did the same with it.

As a frequent flyer mom of 3, I would recommend skipping the carseat base altogether. The seat part buckles in just fine by itself, especially if you can borrow a bath towel from your friends to put under the foot part to keep the angle correct. When my youngest was 6 weeks old, we flew to NY. I agree, the sling or other soft baby carrier is a must for boarding the aircraft and during turbulence if the baby doesn't have a seat. I also recommend using the stroller frame your carseat snaps onto. Gate check it.
If you really have to take your pump, try a microwave sterilization bag. Medela makes one that I've used with good results. (In my experience, pumping and storing milk away from home is a royal pain in the neck, and not worth the hassle.) We stayed in a hotel once for a fancy party and got a sitter through the concierge. Because we were in one of the ballrooms in the hotel, I just excused myself half way through dinner and went back to our room to nurse the 3 month old to sleep. Ask your friend to buy diapers and wipes for you in CA before you arrive, and borrow a pack and play. Bring one diaper per hour of flight time in your diaper bag, and a couple of plastic bags for wet/dirty clothes. Produce sacks from the grocery store work great and don't take up space. A pillow case is a great changing table cover and takes up much less space in the bag. Don't forget to buy a couple of large bottles of water for yourself once you're through security. As long as you have water, your baby has plenty of milk. Have a great trip!
S.
mom of 3 frequent fliers (7, 5 and 16 months)

Hi L.,
Just to add to all the other feedback you've gotten. I just traveled to CA with my 7 month onld son two days ago on AA and even with the new baggage charges, they didn't charge me for checking my stroller at the gate.

I did travel with him when he was 4 months and I was still breast feeding. I did have to use one of my 2 carry ons for the breast pump and took the diaper bag as my 2nd carry on. I had just started supplementing with formula so I also had bottles as a backup. I also had a small light weight blanket that I used t cover up with to breast feed. I ended up having to breast feed him while I was waiting in the airport as well as on the plane. While In the airport, I just found a discreet location (up against the window where very few people were around).

Hope this helps ... good luck!

Hi L. - if you have a sling or baby carrier, wear the little one as much as possible in the airport - easier to move that way. If you can afford the extra seat, go for it - more comfy for you. If you do that - check out Go Go Kidz TravelMate - it attaches to most car seats and turns it into a stroller. http://awayweegorentals.com/ - I googled and found this site if you need other stuff. Don't know if you're renting a car, but if you are, I would call the car rental company and find out if they can supply a car seat - one less thing to carry if they do. Or arrange with the people you're staying with to purchase a base for you so you don't have to carry the base, just the seat - you can leave the base in your car at home. Re. sterilizing, I don't think you need to do that anymore - just hot, soapy water. Good luck!

Our daughter flew for the first time at 10 weeks old and we got some nasty stares hopping on the plane. However, she did great and no one stared funny at disembarkment.

Lay your baby down in your lap for takeoff and landing - this seems to naturally help with the ears. Also, give her a pacie or bottle during this time to encourage swallowing. (Alternately, you can nurse at these times, but that seems a tough call to me.)

As for all the gear...Leave the carseat base at home. You don't need it. The carseat can be securely attached each time in the rental car without it - check your instructions. Also, check with AA - IF (unlikely these days) there is an open seat on the plane, she can fly in her carseat for free.

You should be able to "gate check" your stroller and carseat (if there's no empty seat). This means you'd take them all the way to the gate and then would tag them such that they'd be the first things out for you to use again on the other end. Now that they charge $15 for the first bag, I'm not SURE about anything anymore, so you might want to call the AA Gold line and check on that.

As for sterilizing, get those wonderful microwave sterilization bags and use them for all the stuff! We fell in love with those things - they can be used multiple times. I believe Target carries the Medela brand of them.

I'm sorry and a bit surprised to learn that Hilton will only RENT you the frig for this purpose. I had to pump during a business trip once and the hotel where we were just provided that when I explained I needed to store breastmilk for my baby. Ask them if the rooms come with a microwave or if there's one in a lobby area (not as convenient, but it'll work).

I agree with others - take your coupons or whatever and buy the diapers, wipes, diaper cream, etc. on the other end. Just pack in the diaper bag extra stuff for the trip and first day.

Good luck and have a great trip!!