pumping - Go Anyway Travel Blog

How to Fly with a Baby and Avoid the Mistakes I Made

The phrase “arrive early” has a whole new meaning.

It was a nightmare scenario. I was tucked away in a lactation space at the airport, a few minutes into pumping breastmilk for my daughter, when it happened. In the past, when I heard names called over the intercom, I would think: I’m sure glad that’s not me. This time, it was.

In this moment, I concentrated all my emotional energy to avoid dissolving into a puddle of pure anxiety. I knew I needed just a couple more minutes to finish up and avoid pumping again mid-flight. The plane wouldn’t leave without me that quickly, right? In my panic, I wasn’t so sure.

As I took those extra minutes, I could hear the buzz of constant new texts from my husband, but I didn’t have a spare hand, or spare time, to read them. Then, they called my name again. Around that time, I decided to call it good. I pulled my shirt over my head and dashed to my gate. I made it just in time, but we had the honor of being the very last passengers to board, carrying our bulky bags all the way to the back.

In this scenario, a variety of things went wrong, but the biggest factors were bad memory and timing. This was the first time my husband and I had flown in more than three years, thanks to Covid-19. I had simply forgotten an important detail: boarding happens about a half hour before departure. This was also the first time we had flown with a baby, and the first time we had flown while I was pumping breastmilk. These factors combined to create a whirlwind of chaos.

To add insult to injury, I had proven my husband right, at least in one regard. He initially thought flying with a baby had “bad idea” written all over it. He didn’t want us to be the conspicuous family creating trouble for the other passengers. Whoops.

My husband’s fear was certainly valid, but I also felt strongly about ensuring our daughter had the opportunity travel far and wide. Afterall, among brains of all ages, babies’ stand perhaps the greatest chance of benefiting profoundly from travel. Babies’ brains are highly flexible and receptive to novelty, and their interactions with other people and the world are the building blocks that shape their continued brain growth. From that perspective, babies are among the most important passengers, developing by leaps and bounds with every new trip — even if they get a bit fussy and noisy.

To work through our anxieties ahead of time, we considered a litany of nerve-racking questions. What if she cries the entire time? What if we need to change her diaper? What if she refuses to eat? What if our stroller gets lost or damaged? Should we buy her a seat? And if we do, how can we be sure our carrier will fit? These answers came eventually, through research and experience, including the one at the nexus of it all: will it be worth it? Even as I scrambled to my gate, pumping supplies in hand, I knew my answer was “yes”. My husband came around on this, too.

Now, as we prepare for our daughter’s first trip to Disney World, I’m revisiting our previous learning. I’ve summarized this learning in a convenient list of travel tips to help you fly with a baby and reduce your planning stress. After Disney, I’ll have a new set of learning when it comes to flying with a toddler. For now, here’s what we learned flying as a family from Des Moines, Iowa, to Clearwater Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Don’t Disregard Advice to Leave Early

Given my track record, it seems appropriate to start here. Looking back on my mistakes, I think a good rule of thumb is to consider how early you would arrive at the airport before kids and add at least 45 minutes. At some airports, this might mean arriving almost 3 hours early. For us, in Iowa, that looks more like 2 or 2.5 hours before departure. This extra time allows you to breastfeed or pump in peace, change a diaper, and handle extra shenanigans while going through security (more on that below).

Buy Baby or Toddler a Seat

This may be an unpopular opinion, but we opted to buy a seat for our daughter on both trips we took during her first year. Why? Because the FAA recommends it as the safest option. Her seat also came with the benefit of an extra personal item and carry-on luggage, space we needed to pack breastfeeding supplies, diapers, and other necessities. Financially, it definitely wasn’t easy to see our travel cost increase by a third. But the safety factor outweighed our wallet. Be sure to locate the sticker that certifies your seat is approved for use on an aircraft. Airline personnel will check for this when you board.

Pay Extra for Seats Together

I wish this advice wasn’t necessary, but it’s often the only way to guarantee side-by-side seats. Based on my research, most airlines will prioritize seating children and parents in the same row together. But only four provide a guarantee, according to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s dashboard. These airlines are Alaska, American, Frontier, and Jet Blue. The Biden Administration has urged Congress to take action on this issue, but Congress hasn’t acted so far. To save money, we usually fly with Allegiant, and we pay the fee to avoid uncertainty and anxiety. Allegiant is usually the most cost-effective option, even with the fee factored in. But it’s always worth comparing with the four airlines listed above.

Prepare for Scrutiny

When we first traveled with breastmilk, formula, and baby food pouches, I felt underprepared for the extra fuss I would face in security. These items are subject to scrutiny, and this will often take extra time. Security usually pulls me aside to scan the items, and they don’t always communicate well about what they’re doing. In one case, it looked like they planned to put something in one of my bottles. Of course, they didn’t. But communication would have helped assuage that fear. Hopefully, these notes will help you mentally prepare.

Pack Efficiently and Shop on Arrival

Consider buying diapers and baby food at your destination, rather than bringing them. You’d be amazed how much space diapers take up! This step will also cut down on the scrutiny at the airport. And it may go without saying, but your hands will be full. So much fuller than they were pre-baby. For us, moving from point A to point B with everyone’s carry-on bag, the stroller, the diaper bag, my pumping supplies, my purse and, of course, the baby, was a constant struggle. I recommend using either a backpack-style diaper bag (this is the one I have) or a backpack as a carry-on, so you’re able to haul at least one bag hands-free.

Scope out Lactation Spaces

When it comes to pumping on the go, Mamava Pods are a game changer. They provide a private space for either breastfeeding or pumping. Before you head to the airport, download the Mamava app and familiarize yourself with lactation spaces on-site. Mamava will list the location of their pods, which are convenient and wonderful, as well as other spaces. I was pumping in a Mamava Pod the very moment my name was called over the intercom. Luckily, the pod was located just a short stroll (or, in my case, dash) from my gate. Aside from Mamava pods, I’ve always found either a nursing room or a family restroom at the airports I’ve visited post-baby.

Change Diapers Before and After

This may go without saying, but if your flight is short enough, do your best to avoid an in-flight diaper change. So far, we’ve avoided them altogether. If this ever changes, you’ll be the first to know how it goes.

Bottle Feed During Takeoff

If you’re bottle feeding, offer a bottle during takeoff to help alleviate pressure in baby’s ears. The bottle might also help calm anxiety and keep crying to a minimum. And it’s one less thing to worry about in the scramble at the airport before you board. I went into each of our flights with low expectations about how much milk our baby might drink. She was a picky eater during her first year. But her appetite surprised me. Looking back, I think feeding her in her familiar car seat actually helped.

Bring a New Toy

This tip, which I picked up from the blog Baby Can Travel, worked for us, at least temporarily. Our daughter handled flying pretty well, but we did have a crying spell on our first flight out of Des Moines. The novelty of a new toy distracted her for awhile, although she did eventually lose interest. We opted for a toy cell phone, since she’s obsessed with trying to grab ours, and I think this helped prolong her fascination. When she started fussing again, scrolling through pictures on the real phone finally calmed her down.

Gate Check Your Stroller

With Allegiant, there’s no fee to check or gate check a stroller. And gate checking is faster than traditional checking. You’ll bring the stroller right up to the gate, ask them to gate check it, and pick it up right after you exit the plane. The downside is the risk of damage compared with properly checking. To avert this risk, we bought an extra sturdy gate check bag. Be warned that we did have a bit of trouble finding a bag that would fit our Evenflo Pivot Xpand Stroller. This one worked, just barely. For Disney, we’re traveling with just an umbrella stroller. This will help us pack lighter, but we’ll need to carry her car seat separately. We’ll see how it goes and report back!

How to Visit Hoover Dam with a Baby — and Love Every Dam Moment!

Family restrooms and mountain views. What’s not to love?

Family Restrooms: Yes
Diaper Changing Stations: Yes
Lactation Space: None
Stroller-Friendly: Yes
Overall Child-Friendly: Yes
Time Spent: 3-4 hours

I won’t lie: I didn’t expect to enjoy Hoover Dam. When my husband, our daughter, and I joined my extended family last spring on a trip to Las Vegas, it was my husband who advocated for this stop. I was skeptical. I don’t find engineering particularly intriguing, I’m afraid of heights, and I prefer green, rolling mountains to the desert any day. Despite all that, the Dam wound up at the #1 spot in my ranking of baby-friendly spots in Las Vegas!

What changed my mind? In short: the persuasive majesty of the landscape and the family-friendly amenities that helped us care for our daughter, who was 10 months old at the time. It’s hard to appreciate golden mountain views such as these until you’re there in person, and I found myself pleasantly surprised. They were stunning, even for a forest girl like me. Just as stunning? The surprise we found on the first floor of the visitor center when we arrived — a family restroom!

We were caught off guard because, throughout our visit to Las Vegas, we were repeatedly confounded by elusive amenities to help us pump breastmilk and change diapers. Actual lactation spaces are nearly impossible to find along the Las Vegas Strip, although they’re the ideal space to breastfeed or pump — sanitary, private, and usually well-equipped. Family restrooms are more widely available, if less ideal, but they can be tough to track down.

I would love to see policymakers in Las Vegas and Nevada taking continued action to increase and improve amenities for families. Nevada did pass a law in 2017 requiring most new buildings to be equipped with one or more diaper-changing stations in restrooms for men and women, and this is a great start.

In the case of Hoover Dam, the family restroom was easy to locate, and it worked for us. If you’ve traveled with a baby or toddler, you know how important family restrooms are. They’re private sanctuaries where both partners can change a diaper, clean up a mess, and maybe even sneak in a quick pee. The best family restrooms include ample space to roll a stroller in and out, as well as a diaper changing table. During our travels in Nevada, we were always relieved to encounter family restrooms that also offered a clean space to pump, since I was exclusively pumping for our daughter.

In most of these categories, the indoor restroom at Hoover Dam was just what we needed. It was clean and pleasant, with enough space for a stroller, and it offered a changing table, sink, and toilet. Unfortunately, there was no purse hook. I find these especially helpful now that the number of bags I carry with me has doubled — sometimes tripled. There also wasn’t a separate space to pump, so I wound up pumping on my feet near the sink, which worked ok in a pinch.

Just me, being goofy and eating taffy from the cafeteria next to the Hoover Dam gift shop.

A quick aside to talk equipment: Before my daughter was born, pumping on the go was already on my mind. I wanted a pump that would be travel-friendly. I ended up choosing the Medela Pump in Style, one of two options that my insurance would cover. The Pump in Style was my first choice because of its portability, allowing me to pump without plugging into an electrical outlet. It also came with a custom icepack, cooler bag for bottles, and a larger travel bag.

All these features came in handy in the family restroom at Hoover Dam. My husband helped me stow our daughter’s milk in the cooler bag, rinse my pump parts (we would sanitize them at our hotel), and get everything put away, so we could get back to enjoying our trip.

This restroom is located on the entry level at the Hoover Dam Visitor Center. If you pay for basic admission, without the tour, Dam staff will likely guide you upstairs right away. At this point, we were directed to the family restroom. I believe this is the only one on property, and I’ve reached out to Hoover Dam to confirm that. I’ll update this post if I hear back.

After I pumped, we strolled through the visitor center and stepped out to see the view from the observation deck. My vertigo took over and compelled me to steer the stroller as far from the ledge as possible, but in all fairness, the space was safe and very family-friendly. For older children, it’s an educational stop that would engage a variety of age groups. Before we took off, we grabbed a tasty, affordable lunch (a vegetarian-friendly grilled cheese) and some saltwater taffy at the cafeteria.

Timeframe is always important to consider on a breastfeeding or pumping schedule, and this stop stretched our limits. That said, after pumping on site, we were able to see everything we wanted to see and drive back to our hotel near the Strip before I needed to pump again. The drive to the Dam was about 40 minutes. We did the most basic tour, and we did skip a few scenic views to make it work. If you want to spend longer, I would recommend coming prepared to pump twice.

Overall, the Dam was surprisingly enjoyable and more lovely than any photo could convey. If you’re planning a trip to Vegas with a baby, or with children of any age, I would definitely recommend adding it to the list.

How Las Vegas Taught Our Family to “Go Anyway”

“What happens in Vegas…? No really, I’m actually asking. I’m traveling with a baby, and I have no idea what to expect.”
If this sounds like you, read on!

Ten months into my first ecstatic and terrifying year as a parent, breast pumps in hand, I found myself tucked away in a Las Vegas casino restroom. Reflected in the long row of mirrors in front of me, a cluster of pink-feathered showgirls touched up their makeup and fixed their costumes, unaware or unconcerned as I stood off to the side, catching snippets of conversation. With only their gossip to distract me, I did my best to keep my nursing cover in place and watched the minutes tick by. I had pumped in a lot of strange places, but the casino was (fittingly) a new winner.

Fast forward several months, and you’ll find me here at my keyboard, equipped with a wealth of information about making do when family-friendly amenities and breastfeeding accommodations are hard to find. Throughout my first year of motherhood, I pumped at casinos, airports, parks, and restaurants in Nevada, Missouri, Nebraska, Florida, Minnesota, and across my home state of Iowa. I deeply immersed myself in the pros and cons of traveling while breastfeeding, traveling while pumping, and, eventually, traveling while keeping a toddler safe and fed.

Before my daughter was born, I also racked up several years’ experience navigating safe travel during infertility treatment — and a global pandemic. Moving forward, the learning will only continue. My husband and I are busy planning new trips, even as we dive back into IVF and care for our energetic toddler.

Now, I’m ready to share the mistakes I’ve made, the strategies I’ve learned so far, and even a few things I’ve gotten right. I’m hoping others can benefit from the philosophy my husband and I developed over the years: Go anyway. Take the trip you’re on the fence about, even if you aren’t sure yet how you’ll breastfeed at the airport or pump on the road.

Go anyway, even if there’s another IVF cycle on the horizon. For me, it’s almost always worth it. With some careful balancing and planning, I’ve always found the solutions I need to successfully combine travel, parenting, and infertility treatment, even if those solutions weren’t obvious at the outset. While I certainly don’t mean to imply that travel is easy or accessible for everyone, I do hope this blog can chip away at a few, small barriers and help families become more confident and informed.

And Las Vegas feels like the best place to start. This trip put our “go anyway” outlook to the test. I found myself repeatedly vexed as I searched for public lactation spaces, family restrooms, diaper changing stations, and stroller routes that wouldn’t require half a dozen elevators. So. Many. Elevators.

Then, when I returned, I was vexed to learn how many amenities we actually missed as we ventured down the Las Vegas Strip. Although I spent weeks planning and checking maps beforehand, there were still several family restrooms and changing stations that eluded us along the way. This trip challenged my stubborn belief that enough advanced planning can quell the unexpected. But it also affirmed the notion that having a plan is worth it, as long as you’re able to adapt.

Red Rock Canyon State Park was one of my favorite stops on our family trip to Las Vegas.

In the end, I was able to identify three, key elements that helped us along the way: choosing the right hotel, planning an itinerary with relatively family-friendly stops, and exploring destinations beyond the Las Vegas Strip. What would I do differently? I would do much more thinking on my feet and ask for help more often.

So, if you’re looking for the TL;DR on Vegas with a baby, the takeaways are as follows:

Choose the right hotel. One with a family-friendly vibe and a refrigerator-freezer combo for storing breastmilk and re-freezing your icepack (which you’ll need in the heat).
Think ahead about where you’ll pause to breastfeed and/or pump, and create a flexible plan that involves at least one pit stop back at home base.
Venture off the Strip to see the mountains and desert. For us, these stops were the most family-friendly and enjoyable.
Think on your feet. Don’t assume an amenity isn’t there just because it’s hard to find, or it didn’t pop up in your research. It isn’t always easy to find someone who can help, but asking might be worth it.

When it comes to locating amenities, it’s also worth noting that Nevada passed a law in 2017 requiring most new buildings to be equipped with one or more diaper-changing stations in restrooms for men and women. I’m not sure how much this impacts the casinos along the Strip, since it focuses on new construction and has some exceptions. But it’s an encouraging sign. Overall, I would love to see Las Vegas and Nevada embracing more changes like this: More public lactation spaces, more family restrooms, and more guidance to help traveling parents find both.

As things stand now, this post covers the basics, as I see them. But if you’re looking for more details, I’ve got you covered! Below, you’ll find my ranked list of attractions, including our favorites, like Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon State Park, and Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart.

In these posts, I’ve done my best to review the highs and lows when it comes to baby-friendliness, taking into account the missing amenities we discovered after the fact. I cover pumping, breastfeeding, changing diapers, getting around with a stroller, and, of course, having fun together as a family. I was exclusively pumping for my daughter during this trip, so my research leans in that direction, but I’ve done my best to provide a broad range of helpful information. So, here we go: