Traveling with infant?

[goster]

So I am looking for advice, since this is my first and I dont really know what to expect. I am trying to suprise my husband with an anniversery\birthday trip to visit his family with the new addition, since most of them will not be coming up after the birth. I am looking for advice about traveling with an infant.

Is it easier to fly or drive? With driving I like the convienience of being able to stop, however flying is more efficient. (Think Wisconsin to South Carolina, in a car straight through about 18 hours) DH and I have done this trip several times and have no issues, but we have never done it with a 4-6 week old. Is 4-6 weeks to early to be traveling at all?

I think that it would be really fun for us to go and see everyone. . .also do some relaxing on the beach but I dont want to plan for this if it is unreasonable

Any advice would be awesome, as I dont really know what I should do.

TIA

[SequoiasMom]

If I had a choice, I would fly. A newborn will be perfectly content to nurse throughout the flight, and will probably not notice the ride. In a car, you'll have to stop often to nurse and change, etc.
The only thing is I don't know of babes that young should fly. No advice there. I am planning a trip when baby is about 3 mo. old with a toddler (by myself)!
So, anything can be done!

[eli's mama]

I have a friend who drove from Wisconsin to Connecticut with a 2 week old by herself. She stopped a lot, but said it was manageable. The only issue for her was (and it's a biggie) she ended up in the ER as soon as she got to CT for some uncontrollable bleeding and they discovered that not all of her placenta had been delivered so she could have bled to death. But that is unusual, and she said the baby did awesome.

Me personally, I would pick flying.

[DahliaRW]

Flying is WAY easier, IMO. With an infant and the infant carseat/stroller combo it's even easier. I don't actually wheel the baby through the airport, but use the stroller to carry the carryons and wear baby. But the infant seat is way easier to travel with than a convertible!

[an_aurora]

Fly! My kids both flew for the first time at 4-5 weeks and did great! Slept in their car seats, came out to nurse and be changed, and were perfect angels. I would rather fly with four 4-6 week olds than one two year old

[gossamerwindweb]

We drove 700 miles each way with a 6 week old when my daughter was tiny. It was great. We just stopped and nursed whenever we needed to, took it slow and calm. Yeah, I think whichever way you want to go you will be fine

[georgiegirl1974]

We flew with DD at 10 weeks, and it wasn't fun (she was colicky and screamed a lot). (Actually the 2 hour delay on the tarmac was the worst part...DD screamed at the top of her lungs the entire 2 hours...and the plane was TINY...it seated 25 or so people.) But the 2 day drive at 13 weeks was even worse. I'd pick plane over car because you can nurse them and hold them. And the white noise helps to put them to sleep.

We are flying with this one in mid-September (for my sister's wedding), and I'm hoping he does better than DD did.

[askew]

We flew with DS at 2 months I think. He flew 5 times before he was one, and did awesome every time. I kept him in a carrier for the most part and he nursed a lot, and slept a lot. It was totally painless. Driving might have killed us all. DS HATED the car seat. Screamed the whole way anywhere for the first year of his life. He just hated being restrained like that. Flying he could be on me, which was his favorite thing in the world.

[goster]

Thank you for all of the wonderful advice and encouragement!!! : That makes me feel a lot better about planning the trip! I think that it will be a perfect end to my babymoon!

[mags]

Flying with an infant is actually pretty easy. As long as they are nursed and diaper is changed, they are pretty easily content at that age.

[Quindin]

Flying with an infant is super easy. Driving not so much (stops to breastfeed, etc)

Easy traveling will be over when your baby begins to walk though...

[melamama]

Flying is way easier.
Plus there are guidelines about how long infants should be left in the carseat (really not that long), and you would have to stop quite often to change the position and nurse.

[LindsC]

I have to agree that flying is probably easier.

I flew with DS when he was 3 months old and he basically slept most of the time. A couple of passengers even commented on the fact that they didn't even know there was a baby on the flight.

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by Quindin

Easy traveling will be over when your baby begins to walk though...

LOL, soooooo true!

Tips for flying with a young one that I've found useful: pack more in your carryon/diaper bag then you think you'll need. Including tons of dipes and wipes, a few outfits for baby (complete outfits), and at least one pair of pants and shirt for each adult. Sound excessive, but when you get a leaky diaper mid flight or spit up on mid flight, you'll be glad to have clothes to change into! And put your baby in a super easy to open/clothes outfit. I love sleepers for this reason. Cute outfits are fun, but when flying changing diapers is hard enough, might as well make it quick and easy!

[an_aurora]

Lol, true, my kids still travel in footie pajamas because they are so much more comfortable!

[lindsayjean]

Never flown with a baby but we drove 8 hours with a 3 week old and it was sooooo much easier than the same trip is to do with her as a 2 yr old now!! I lull of driving made her just sleep sleep sleep and we would just stop every couple of hours for her to nurse and be changed. It was not hard at all! Now I have to actually have her ENTERTAINED somehow while driving lol.

[mags]

Yes, lots of extra diapers, wipes and outfits! My son was SUCH a good airplane traveler as a baby, BUT it's like he pooped much more than usual. Otherwise, he was the only child on the entire plane who wasn't crying and throwing a fit, so an extra poopy baby during the flight was nothing compared to all the other kids on the flight who weren't doing too great.