Blueskyheaven

New father here. My wife, I and our one month baby are soon flying to Buffalo NY from ORD (Just 1 :20 mins flight). I have never before flown with a baby or child. I have a separate seat booked for the baby. We have the Britax B SAFE car seat with the stroller.
How do I put the baby in plane's seat? Will the airline agent assist us in this?
Do we have to take the car seat with the base?

Will the airport security check in allow us to carry stroller & infant car seat free of charge inside the plane and 1 checked bag for each of us?
Baby has birth certificate or live birth record with his name and DOB and we as the parents. Is that enough for him for domestic air travel and to enter the Canadian border?

Any advice is highly appreciated!

Thanks a lot^

flsunshineflyer

You do not need to use the base for the plane. The carseat goes in rear facing and the seat belt goes over the carseat through the slots on it. We used a Britax Chaperone and it is easy to use on a plane. I assume the BSafe will be as easy. You may need a seatbelt extender for it to go over the top.
The flight attendants do not help, but you should not need any assistance.

You can gate check your stroller when you board. Through security you can take the car seat and stroller and one personal item and one carry on per person. Baby counts as a person because you bought a seat. So you could have 3 personal and 3 carry ons. I would not necessarily carry that many. I recommend a diaper bag with more diapers than you think you need, in case of delays. Several changes of clothes for the baby and a spare outfit for adults in case of blowouts or spit up.

Several people on here will recommend using the Ergo. I love my Ergo and use it all the time but I have not found I need it through the airport. But, that is me. Lots of travelers love it.

Try not to stress about it all. It goes amazingly well most of the time. Also, it is the top of the descent that could affect ears. Not the landing.

I'm sure there will be others on here to give you more info.

A passport or passport card is needed for all international travel. A birth certificate is not enough anymore.

lost*in*cyberspace

Your question is confusing. You are flying ORD-BUF? What does that have to do with flying to Canada? Buffalo is in New York.

Are you then driving to Canada? If so, you don't need a passport for an infant, just a birth certificate to enter Canada.

Your baby needs no id for domestic air travel if he has his own airline seat.

Blueskyheaven

I hope the Britax B Agile B safe car seat & stroller is permitted in the plane. I hope it is not an abnormal size.
I do have the latest Baby Bjorn One carrier. It is fantastic.

I can just wear the baby and carry our 3 carry ons, 3 small bags or personal items and the stroller & seat FREE right?

We are flying to Buff, then renting a car to drive to Toronto.

mkbkk1

+1 Great advice. I had the Baby Bjorn carrier. Godsend! If you think of it, clear/suction out baby's nasal passages before. Give bottle or pacifier to aid in ear pressure when ascending/descending. Minimize the carryons but load up on neccessities as you never know with delays, waiting on runway etc.

Redhead

Your stroller will not go in the plane cabin. You will gate check it, yes, free of charge.

The car seat can also be carried through security and put in the child's seat free of charge.

The idea to bring just a diaper bag, lots of extra diapers, clothes, etc. for the baby is a great one. Since they will only be a month old, then you don't need toys.

The infant only needs a birth cert to enter Canada but they must have a passport or passport card to re-enter the US! Get the passport.

Redhead

Here is all the information on getting your child's passport. I got my daughter's in a couple of weeks. But if you go right to an agency, you can rush them for a fee

http://travel.state.gov/content/pass.../under-16.html

Muskrat

The link Redhead posted above about Canada Travel Requirements has a paragraph further down stating that US Citizens under the age of 16 only require a birth certificate.

I am Canadian, but I cross the US border regularly by car. I use a birth certificate for my daughters (age 10 months and 2.5 years) with no issues. I, of course, have a passport for me. Usually we are only in the US for a few hours (grocery shopping), but we have taken domestic flights out of BUF.

As for baby carriers, I personally preferred a wrap like the Moby Wrap for young infants rather than a Baby Bjorn or an Ergo. I have been told slings are another good option for the little ones.

Blueskyheaven

to my knowledge, our babys BC is enough to enter canada and back to US through the border. need PP only if flying.

I am a US citizen, have PP or PP card. Baby was born in US so i guess my baby is considered an American and won't be barred from entering his own country

Blueskyheaven

Can you tell me what is gate checking a stroller? Does it go in the plane? We carry it with us when we go board the plane? Do we have to pack the stroller in its box or wrap with something?

lost*in*cyberspace

When you get to the gate, ask the gate agent for a gate check tag, which you tie to the stroller. If you have a stroller bag, put the stroller in this for protection and tie the tag on this. Then when you board, you bring the stroller with you and leave it on the jetway at the door of the plane. When you deplane, the stroller will be offloaded and waiting for you at the door (you may have to wait for it).

MarcoPolo88

You don't need to do anything special to the stroller.

Just fold it up or leave it at the end of the jetway right before you board the plane.

Check the stroller before you leave it as any loose items may not be there when you pick it up (we "lost" my sons sweater).

Blueskyheaven

so gate check means the door of the plane itself and give to the AA employee ?
I have priority access with my card, that means No need to stand in security check in line I guess and have priority boarding too but don't know how this exactly works? Will they announce by groups and we should wait to hear GROUP 1?

wrp96

Priority Access on AA means that when you go through security you will have access to a separate line that is typically (but not always) shorter than the regular security line. It does not necessarily mean there won't be any line to stand in. Also for boarding, when they start boarding they will call Priority Access as a specific group before Group 1 boarding - you're boarding pass will show what you are entitled to and you should board when they call whatever your boarding pass shows.

Also, since you are flying AA be aware that they have special rules for checking strollers. http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInforma...nTraveling.jsp Basically if it's large, non-collapsible, or over 20lbs, you have to check it at the ticket counter. Otherwise what happens is when you go to board, the gate agent will put a tag on the bag indicating that it will go in the checked baggage area of the plane during flight and will tell you exactly where to drop it off before you board the plane (in some airports it is at the beginning of the jetway, some right before you step onto the plane). When you go to get off the plane, ask where you retrieve your gate checked stroller, typically it will be right after you step off the plane into the jetway - just please step aside as much as possible while you are waiting so you don't block others from exiting the plane.

Eclipsepearl

Before the day you fly, be sure to take your car seat to your car and practice the seatbelt-only installation. This is as, some say more, safe if done correctly, than using the base.

If you're not going for very long and/or not using the car much while you're there, you might consider leaving the base at home. Just one more bulky item to drag along. But like I said, you need to be confident doing the installation without the base, for both the car and the airplane. Trying to do this with people pushing by you during boarding is not the moment!

I agree about the baby carrier. The Bjorn is uncomfortable and holds the baby in an unnatural position. Better to get a quality carrier, like a wrap, ring sling or strappy carrier like the Ergo mentioned. For a breastfed baby, a wrap or ring sling is good because it both positions the baby and acts as a cover-up. The learning curve is well worth the effort!

This site is good because it has multiple products:
http://www.metrominisnyc.com/

Babywearing makes your life, not just travel, easier.

Be sure your baby is in the car seat for taxi, take-off and landing. It's a common myth that you're supposed to give the baby something to suck on or drink during take-off and landing. This is a bit of a problem with a breastfed baby in a car seat! So trust me, on too many flights to count, my babies usually slept through take-off/landing and their ears were fine. I also saw way too many babies peacefully sleeping at those times woken up violently by panicked parents sure their ears would explode. Didn't happen and the poor tykes woke up and cried, not wanting any parts of the bottle being shoved in their mouths...

If ears are really a concern of yours' (an overrated problem, I learned in 13 years as a Flight Attendant) than simply schedule your well-baby visit of the month just before flying. If his ears are healthy, he'll be fine with the pressurization changes.

I recently edited (although not finished!) my article on flying with children. It's non-commercial:
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com

Please skip the parts that aren't relevant to your flight! It's a bit long (originally written in 2000).