Free Under 2

Let me start by saying my toddler who is about to turn two will have flown 16 times before his second birthday! We took full advantage of the free flights and baby gear while we could. His first flight was when he was 5 months old (his younger brother flew when he was 2 months old). Here are a few things we have learned with flying with babies under 2 years old.

There are many options when flying with a baby. You can use a stroller and gate-check it, check the stroller with other large luggage, wear the baby, have the baby in the car seat, or carry the baby. We have tried several ways and quickly found the best way to fly with baby through all of the hassle of security and making it to your destination with your sanity still in check.

Does Baby Need a Stroller?

We brought the big stroller the first time and decided the amount of time we needed the stroller at our destination was not worth the hassle of taking it. Thankfully we were visiting family and they had a cheap stroller we used while there. If that is not an option for you I would check that in with the larger luggage and have it meet you at your destination. It makes it much harder to navigate the airport and security and then try to fold it up while trying to board the plane.

If you do need a stroller, I have found an umbrella stroller much better. I was flying solo with my toddler and also 6 months pregnant. My preferred method is wearing my toddler, but that was not an option for this flight. The umbrella stroller is easy to fold up at the gate and compact enough to navigate through security and airport congestion easily.

Either way you prefer with the stroller, it flies for free!

Does Baby Need to Ride in Car Seat?

The short answer, no! We chose to have our baby ride as a lap infant to allow him to fly for free and he would want to sit on my lap anyway. If they ride on your lap they do not need a car seat. We put a safety bag around our car seat and checked it in when arriving at the airport. The car seat will meet us at our destination and it flies for free!

If you choose to have your child ride in their car seat on the plane you will need to purchase a separate ticket for them and ensure that your car seat is airline-approved.

What does Baby NEED?

The only major item that you need to remember for your little is their birth certificate. When we fly the person who checks the car seat in for us will ask for the birth certificate. As long as we have shown it there we aren’t asked for it again. Please remember to bring this with you to save so much stress and headache.

How to go through Security with Baby?

The easiest way I have found to go through security with my little is to wear them. I need both hands to deal with the bags and other random things they request in the bins. The only challenging part about wearing baby for this process is putting my shoes back on (plan to wear some easy on and off shoes if possible).

Babies go through the metal detector and not the fancy scanning machine like you normally would when flying. When you wear baby through security they are required to test your hands. This is a quick stop at the computer and you are off.

If you pack food for baby that is allowed to go through even if it is over the liquid amount, they still have to perform their tests with it and some TSA personal are more strict about certain things, but overall I have never had issues with pouches or food for baby.

How to Pack for Baby?

Their diaper bag is also free to fly. Depending on how old your baby is when you fly, I often would purchase some new items and save them for the flight. This could be some snacks we don’t normally have, new toys, or mess free art.

My biggest concern when I first started flying with my baby was his ears. I was told by his doctor to give him something to suck on while taking off and landing to help his ears pop on their own. My baby would nurse for take off and landing when he was little. He also would use a pacifier if he didn’t want to nurse at the time. As he became older I would give him a snack during those times and he has been great every time.

Can you Fly Solo with Baby?

Absolutely!! I have flown many times alone and we had no issues getting from point A to point B. Baby wearing is so helpful or a small umbrella stroller. Just relax and enjoy the memories you are making with your baby traveling.

Now we have upped our level and are flying with two babies under 2 and that is a little bit of a different story! I will share more valuable information we have learned through that experience in another post.