Solo Baby Travel - Must Haves
Flying solo with my 11-month-old baby went better than I expected. I was so happy to have my Colugo carrier to take her around the airport (and through security w/o taking her out). It also makes an excellent toy on the flight if you leave it on. I loved having a foldable stroller so I could put her down for periods on our connection, but wouldn’t have needed it if we flew direct. I did not buy her a seat and it was fine having her in my lap, even when the plane was full.
Sharing everything I used with baby on this trip and why below the video.
This blog contains affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, we earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. We appreciate you using our links to explore and shop.
Carrier.
First off, you’re going to need a good carrier so you can go hands-free! I am obsessed with my Colugo carrier. I’ve posted a few reviews of it on Instagram, but it has a removable fanny pack and a front pocket that are so helpful for traveling solo. I put my ID and ticket in the fanny pack for easy access at security You can also keep it on and wear baby through security (in the US) which is amazing.
An alternative is the tush baby which I’ve heard great things about but haven’t used yet.
Snacks.
Snacks are a great way to keep baby entertained! I grabbed this snack spinner that’ll grow with baby. I filled it with some new to her (and staple favorite) snacks and pulled it out during out connection. On the flight I used the MorePeas snack cup and tether because it stays a little less messy at this age. Our favorite snacks include Hipeas, cheerios, puffs, and banana (though it was messy) - but you can put in whatever you want. The best part about both are they are completely dishwasher safe and fully come apart for washing.
Side note: We LOVE the Amara smoothie melts, but I found they stain when baby spits them out or doesn’t eat the whole piece, so I kept those for when we got to our location and I could better manage her hands.
Travel stroller.
The great unknown. Land of tooo many freaking options. Dive into the depths with me here, OR just know that at 11 months I could’ve completed with trip without the stroller had it been a direct flight.
Since we had a longer connection I knew I’d want to be able to safely set her down, so I reached for this travel stroller we had on our registry and were kindly gifted. When we got it before she was born, it was hard to imagine our bassinet-loving baby would ever fit in this type of stroller, and we thought about returning it. However, now that she’s bigger, I’m very glad we kept it. It easily folds up and fits in the overhead bin. It’s not a trendy, name-brand travel stroller with storage, but when you’re traveling solo with a baby, it works super well. We also used it once we got to our destination for short shopping trips in tight spaces.
Toys.
Honestly, she barely used any of these. She preferred in order:
The safety and movie brochures in the seat pocket. Beware person in front of us, it might hit you in the head.
The clips, buttons, and buckles on the Colugo carrier I kept on during the flight.
Snacking on the in-flight biscoff, or shaking the bag of pretzels.
My face and generally trying to put her hands all over me.
Snacks.
However, she has in the past enjoyed them and I’d bring them with me again.
Clothing.
Since our first flight was at 6am, I had to wake baby early, so I dressed her in a footie I wanted to travel in the night before. This is our preferred way to travel with baby and I highly recommend Little Sleepies for this purpose. The rainbow zipper is a game-changer for solo in-flight diaper changes, I’m just saying.
On our flight home, we had more time and were leaving a warmer climate so I just did a tee and pants and brought along a sweatshirt. Baby runs warm and stays warm on me in the carrier so I wasn’t concerned about her being cold. I’m torn about doing a onesie next time, her belly was getting a little irritated under the carrier when I realized I hadn’t pulled her shirt down, but not having to snap together a onesie when I changed her on the plane was very nice.
For me, I like layers and I specifically like something that zips or buttons that I can easily throw on over the carrier. I went with a flannel over a t-shirt on our first flight and then coming home did a lulu crop long-sleeve that was extremely warm on our first flight and perfect for the second half. I always do leggings. I did my side pocket leggings on the way home and it made accessing my phone so easy. Highly recommend.
Let me know if you have any questions about solo travel with baby in the comments or send us an email - I’d love to help!
