Traveling Alone with an Infant: My Do's and Don't's

Flying alone with Elise definitely wasn't as bad as it could've been. That being said, I'm not sure I would do it again! Even though she did relatively ok, it was still very stressful for me trying to anticipate things that could go wrong and stuff she/I might need. This is how I prepped and handled my solo trip with a 9 month old...take what you will from it!

Since I was traveling solo, I didn't want to have a ton of carry ons to worry about. I decided to babywear Elise in the Ergo (This carrier is SUCH a lifesaver! I used the K'tan when Elise was an infant and loved it, but the bigger and heavier she got, the more my tiny shoulders required more support, so I recommend the Ergo for older babies!). Wearing Elise gave me two free hands, which was really helpful. I carried on my diaper bag (packed to max capacity) and my camera bag. We have a Nikon 3100D that we prefer to use for vacations and memory making, and I'd rather keep that expensive piece of equipment on my person while traveling.

My diaper bag ended up being much heavier than I anticipated. It shouldn't have surprised me since I'm the one who put everything in it, but it did. I have two diaper bags, but only one with a shoulder strap, which I'd recommend for airport traveling. It allows you to still have your hands free, and your shoulders can carry more weight longer than your arms can! The following items is what I packed in my diaper bag:

-Diapers/Wipes! More than I normally keep in there. You NEVER know how long you might be stuck in an airplane or how your baby might react. Better safe than sorry.
-Extra set of clothes for baby and YOU! At least an extra shirt for you. My baby can sometimes have blowouts that can end up on my shirt :( This is an even bigger possibility when baby is spending all day attached to your chest or in your lap. Please don't forget baby's extra clothes. I accidentally removed Elise's before our returning flight and I regretted it deeply....
-Snacks for you and baby. I tend to get a little air sick on planes on an empty stomach and with our short layovers, I didn't have much time to stop and eat. Layovers were spent going to the bathroom, changing the baby, and making sure she wasn't hungry, and giving her time to stretch her legs between flights.
-Toys. I actually bought a couple new toys to save just for the flights. Elise tends to be interested longer in new toys. So go ahead and buy a couple new toys and deem them the "travel toys". You won't regret it.
-Ipad. Or some other electronic device. Elise has a couple games on my ipad and sometimes I rent movies on iTunes, both of which have saved my butt in a pinch! Best way to pass 15-20 min with a baby. Make sure you're carrying chargers for your electronics too!
-Tylenol/Motrin/Teething tablets/Gel. Babies can have adverse reactions to traveling. You never quite know what to expect and I'm one who prefers to over prepare. I took all of these things. Plus her allergy meds (baby Zyrtec). You have to place these items in a Ziploc baggy per TSA rules but we didn't have any trouble getting anything baby related through airport security.
-Blanket. I know I tend to get cold on airplanes, and I didn't want that to be an issue for Elise. She wasn't fully dressed in the Ergo because she tends to get pretty warm in there being right next to me. Plus my Aden and Anais blanket doubles as a nursing cover
-Bottles or paci's if you don't nurse. If you nurse, then NURSE NURSE NURSE! This is what made Elise fall asleep and helped her through the pressure changes of take off and landing. Landings seemed to bother her much more than take offs for some reason, but nursing always helps.

I tried to make sure I had an easy to get to place for my car keys, IDs, and boarding passes. Those are things I had to get to quickly and I didn't want to be stuck digging in my giant bag for them.

Most people on the plane were pretty sympathetic about our situation. Elise did do a bit of crying on each flight, and I was worried people would be upset about it. But once they realized I was on my own I got more "bless your heart"s than evil glares.

Getting through security was no big deal. They let me keep wearing Elise and instead of doing their big machine for a scan, I just went through a metal detector and had to get my palms wiped and tested. Took less than 5 minutes each time we did it. I wore my Toms since those are easy to put on and take off. I also chose to wear leggings in case it was cold, a nursing tank with a sweater buttoned over it. VERY easy to nurse Elise without elbowing the person next to me.

I hope these tips were helpful and hopefully you don't have to do much traveling with an infant solo! It would've been MUCH easier with my husband there! But hey, we did it. We did ok, and I feel like a mommy badass for doing it myself. You will too. Good luck!