Our First Night in Miami and Tips on Traveling with a Baby
On February 6th of 2019, Jorge, Adeline, and I hopped on a plane to visit our good friend Angelo in Miami.
This was a much-needed vacation and I’m so happy that we got to do it as a family! It was Adeline and I’s first time there so I was really excited! We decided to fly into Ft.Lauderdale instead of Miami because it was cheaper, and the drive into Miami isn’t bad at all! Shoutout to our good friend Enzo for driving us to BWI!
Adeline looked so happy flying for the first time, and she didn’t even have an idea what was going on. Haha. We flew Southwest.
Navigating around the BWI airport was easy peasy! We were able to easily check-in our bags, go through security, and whatnot. Even as first time flyers as first time parents, the process was easy. It was of course a little bit more challenging because we traveled with a stroller and a carseat but we wouldn’t have done it any other way! Walking around the airport with a stroller is the move!!!
Since we were traveling with an infant, aka, a “free flyer”, we didn’t pay for her own seat. Thankfully, it wasn’t a full-full plane and it wasn’t assigned seating so we were able to seat Adeline in between Jorge and I. Shoutout to that one flight attendant that I think purposefully blocked our aisle so nobody else could sit beside us. HAHA. Also surprisingly, the other passengers weren’t giving us the side eyes because we had a baby in tow. In fact, they were pretty warm and happy and a lot of them even said “hi” to Addie.
PS: During take-off and landing, your child (assuming they’re an infant and didn’t pay for a ticket) must be on your lap.
Can you tell how excited I was? :)
My airport attire was comfy as heck.
I’m sure all parents when traveling for the first time, get really nervous and anxious because “so many things could go wrong,” and “I’ll probably forget a thing or two and we’ll be screwed,” and “what if she screams bloody murder on the plane?” But honestly, “traveling with a baby” sounds worse than it really is! Adeline, as well as the other babies that I know have traveled, were so good at the plane! She didn’t cry at all, and she slept most of the plane ride. Granted, our flight was only 2 hours long, but still! I’m pretty proud of how she handled a brand new environment.
Now here are some tips when traveling with a baby:
BIRTH CERTIFICATE - Check if the airline you’re flying with requires a birth certificate. Southwest required one but we didn’t know until the night before our flight so Jorge literally had to go get a birth certificate the. day. of. our. flight. after he was done at work! Haha. I asked for tips on Instagram about traveling and NOBODY TOLD NOTHING ABOUT A BIRTH CERTIFICATE! 😂
ALLOT EXTRA TIME FOR CHECK-IN & SECURITY - Now that you are traveling with a baby, you will be checking in more luggages, and you will go through security with more stuff in tow. Just make sure you give yourself a good amount of leeway for “just-in-case” moments.
BRING A STROLLER - If you have one of those compact travel strollers the better, so you can easily stow them in the cabin of the plane. But we didn’t, so we just brought our Uppababy Cruz. Having a stroller makes walking around the airport so easy. I didn’t have to carry Adeline that much and she was a happy camper in her carseat. If you have a baby carrier and your baby loves being in it, do that. We brought a baby carrier but barely used it at the airport.
BE PREPARED TO PUT THE STROLLER AND CARSEAT THROUGH THE BELT AT SECURITY - We honestly didn’t know what to do at security but luckily, there were other people traveling with a stroller so we just watched what they did and copied them. Haha. Just be ready to collapse your stroller right before your turn at security to make things fast. I’m sure people will be a little bit more understanding since you’ll be traveling with a baby, but to avoid nasty and annoyed travellers, try to move fast.
CHECK-IN YOUR STROLLER AT THE GATE, NOT DURING CHECK-IN - Does that make sense? Right before boarding, you will be waiting at the gate. Ask where you can check-in your stroller (and carseat if you bring one). They will ask you to collapse your stroller at the end of the jet bridge (walkway thingy) into the plane. Checking in your stroller will avoid loss.
DO NOT PACK YOUR WHOLE HOUSE - Hahaha. I know that traveling with a baby may make you feel like you’ll need everything, but think really hard on what your baby (and you) actually use regularly. Just pack those! Do you want to know what I packed for Adeline?
PACK SNACKS AND TOYS ACCORDING TO YOUR BABY’S AGE. - They will need it at the airport and the plane.
YOU CAN PACK WATER FOR FORMULA - They will allow you to go through security with water if they know that the water is for the baby. This is great news especially to you mommies who formula-feed your babies. I didn’t, just because I’m scared of confrontation, haha, but it’s allowed. They may have to swab the water though so make sure they handle it very sanitarily.
FEED BABY DURING TAKE-OFF - Since the baby should be on your lap during take off, feeding them will help soothe them if ever they feel fussy because the plane gets extremely loud. But more importantly I think, it helps them pop their ears!
RELAX AND HAVE FUN - If it’s your first time flying with your baby, relax. Breathe. You got this. Remember that this is your first time traveling with your child, and it’s your child’s first time traveling too! Take this time to learn about each other more! Also, ask help from your husband if he’s there too.
I hope this helps you for your future travels! Moms that have already traveled with kids, care to share your own personal tips? We will be traveling again very soon and I need all the help I can get!
Excited to fly!
Such a good girl.
She was touching her ears because we were landing and I think her ears were plugged.
Looking out the window . Hello Miami!
SO LONG MARYLAND, HELLO FLORIDA!
We landed in Ft.Lauderdale at around 10PM so really, there wasn’t anything we could do. We drove into Miami, dropped off our bags, and walked around Brickell City Centre, the area where our friend Angelo lives. We stumbled upon this pizza place that was still open and had a very late dinner there. I forgot what the place is called! Haha. I’m not a travel blogger okay! The mural in that pizza place’s wall is so sick! 😍 After several slices of pepperoni pizza, we went back to our friend’s apartment and crashed!
Traveling can do stuff to your soul like foreal foreal.
And I’m kinda sad that we don’t do it more often because duh, we ain’t flowing in millions. But that night, as I was recapping our day for instastories, I was just thinking this: I am in a completely new city, and even though I feel so tired from the day, I’ve never felt so alive.
