Parents: This is a call for help!

As some of my regular readers and social media stalkers know, my wife and I had our first kids recently. Yes, kids. Plural. Two healthy, albeit 7 weeks early, girls entered our lives and, among so many other things, have changed how we travel. And I really mean just HOW we travel and hopefully not too much of when and where we travel, as we hope to raise them with the joys and life experiences of seeing all parts of the world and the diverse people and cultures in it as they grow.

But for now, we stand at the starting line of “travel with children” as so many have before us. We are on the precipice of something great (right?) and those many trips to come start, for us, with four domestic flights in the upcoming weeks with our three-month-old twins on our laps.

We are flying one round-trip journey on Southwest Airlines (why settle for just one Companion Pass when it can become Buy One Get THREE Free! Ha!) with early bird seating (so guessing A20-25 in the cattle call) and the other round-trip journey on United in First Class (oh, the looks to come on those business travelers’ faces).

For Southwest Airlines, we will get our Boarding Verification Document (BVD) on the day of travel at the ticket counter using copies of their birth certificates. More info on Southwest Baby on Board.

For United Airlines, we have added them to the reservation for no charge (again, domestic) lap seat riders under the age of two. (Should I get them MileagePlus Accounts now?) More info on United Airlines Traveling with Infants.

flying with infant on lap

Every journey begins with a first step. The day our lives changed forever.

Some planning we have thought of so far includes:
Gate check the carriers and stroller (frame style that carriers drop into) using thick, clear plastic bags marked with our name and cell number and “GATE CHECK” instead of buying expensive gate check bags for them.
– Use our chest baby carriers to assist with the lap seating for the flights.
– Use pre-mixed bottles for feeding during take-off and landing, if timing works out appropriately. Print out a copy of the TSA formula travel guide should reference be needed to “educate” any TSA staff, but I don’t expect any problem if we declare the formula BEFORE passing through TSA security via our PreCheck line.
Arrange transportation to minimize juggling baggage, waiting in taxi lines, etc. (worth every penny for convenience sake).

What are some other travel tips that may help us out on our inaugural journeys with our two little ones?
Thanks!

flying with infant on lap

“I hear Mommy and Daddy are taking us on our first plane rides! Well… our first outside Mommy’s belly that is.”

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@travelblawg
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