Disclaimer: When I started writing this, I felt like supermom. My little pookie was perfect on our 2-hour flight to Chicago. A seasoned family traveler, I breezed through TSA without an extra bag or body check. I knew all the rules and I was #killingit. Then yesterday happened. A missing co-pilot and then a weather hold at La Guardia led to a 5 hour delay before an inevitable cancellation. Cue an airport hotel + an immense amount of tears (from me, my son was fine).

These are your most pressing questions about traveling with an infant. And my honest-to-mom answers.

Should you travel at all? The view from the top of Mt. Everest is worth the risk of the climb, isn’t it? Yes – you should travel with your babies. The memories are so worth it.

What’s the best age for that first trip? Go NOW. Go then. And go often. Every age comes with its own set of challenges. At 3-months, your biggest fear is that your baby’s ears will pop or that their sleep schedule will turn into a scream schedule. At 6-months old, you can’t even imagine how terrifying a grown-up food filled poopie change in an airplane bathroom is. And at 9+ months, babies need more ROOM to crawl, jump, jive than those seat recliners can offer. There’s never a right time. So take them everywhere. Every. Single. Time.

What are you allowed to bring to the gate/aircraft? You can gate-side check your traveling stroller or carseat (like my #1 obsession –The Doona). You can also bring your baby’s food and formula but discard of any ice, icepacks, or pre-packaged non-powder formulas that haven’t been measured into bottles unless you want to risk a holdup or additional TSA screening (note these items are allowed but will require additional screening procedures). Plan to have at least one fully-stocked diaper bag with you as one of your carryon items too.

What’s the worst part? Aside from the aforementioned risk of a mid-flight dirty diaper, the worst part of traveling with an infant is the cloud of judgement you’ll feel over your every move as a parent. Remember that everyone around you is experiencing your child for a few hours (at most). You’re the queen of your cutie castle 24/7. Be the parent you want to be and make every decision like no one is watching.

What do you need? What do you pack? All of the below…

1. TSA BFFs

The first time we traveled with Ezra, we were a TSA nightmare. All 4 of our bags were triple-screened. He was crying. I was crying. It was the beginning of the end of my cool.

I’ve learned a lot since then. Like to check more than you want to check. Carry only the essentials with you. Even if you get delayed, cancelled, or re-routed, you will not need the extra jogging stroller, pack & play, etc. So check those non-essentials in a bag like this.

The other trick to flying through TSA with a baby is to over-organize. In other words, just assume that everything looks suspicious when it’s x-rayed, like tushy wipes. And get ready to take multiple little bags out of their big bags. Place them into bins for full transparency with TSA and avoid a lot of unnecessary gloving for answers.

The same goes for food. Keep it all in one place. In clear containers.

2. A Cruise Director

Your baby doesn’t have an iPhone that automatically adjusts timezones on the fly. So the first few days of any trip with your cutie will require some scheduled similarity to their everyday life. Ergo, naps might be worth rescheduling by an hour if you’re shifting from EST to CST timezones. And you need the necessities in place to offer that.

Our pack & play is the perfect traveling crib. Sometimes we’ll order one ahead to our destination or confirm a replica at our hotel of choice. Or if that isn’t an option, we check this bad boy like it’s a suitcase. This complete version also comes with an on-the-go changing table.

And just like when you’re at home, you’ll always want an extra few clean crib sheets you know…just lying around.

But because moms plan and airlines laugh, it’s a great idea to have a little bit of bedtime with you on-the-go too.

#kaufMOMhack: Bring about 4x versions of a familiar blanket or stuffed animal. Sneak one into every single one of your bags. You never know when a little bit of comfort will come in clutch. And resort to using them only for bedtime, naptime, and dire screaming emergencies.

3. A Traveling Souz Chef

When they’re old enough, let your baby indulge with you and try new foods while you’re traveling. Loosen the reigns a little.

But assume that your shmoopies will need the same eating accoutrements. Like familiar baby-sized spoons.

And easy to wipe-off bibs.

#kaufMOMhack: Yes, what everyone else said was true. It’s important to feed them a bottle when you’re on the way up and descending. Especially when they’re 0-9 months. This will help avoid any ear discomfort. Also important to keep all 3 bottles clean when traveling so they’re there when you need them in a pinch.

And just to be safe, have a ready-to-make easy to prep menu staple that will double as a last minute meal or comfort food in the case of an airline delay or questionable menu.

4. In-Flight Entertainment

Let’s be honest, the real in-flight entertainment is your kid. Until we’re all flying in private planes, the entertainment isn’t just for you, either.

But having a few tricks up your sleeve will keep your 6-month+ baby somewhat engaged enough to self-occupy. I now pack 4+ educational, multi-functional, washable, inexpensive toys for every trip.

Like “books”…

And animals that moonlight as rattles, teething toys, and (soft) noisemakers.

Sometimes even a fluffy animal with a tail can entertain for an hour too.

And assume that you’ll probably lose half of the silly swag you bring with you – so come over-prepared. A 16-month old girl kept taking my shmoopie’s toys when we were delayed, and I was glad I had enough different balls and blocks to keep him wholly unaware of that fact, and TOTALLY pumped to play.

So…where should we go next?