4 Reasons New Parents Shouldn’t Wait Too Long to Travel With Little Ones!

My wife and I recently attended a party and saw a couple whose young son was about to turn a year old.

“We’ll start traveling with him once he gets older,” the mom-wife said.

“No!” my wife and I said in unison. They looked at us like we were insane.

“Travel now,” I said.

“Really?” the mom-wife said, her voice dropping an octave from dread.

My wife and I went through the same doubt, joy, frustrations, and excitement about six years ago.

So, here are some of the reasons we shared about why new parents shouldn’t wait too long to travel with their bundles of joy. (Fellow parents who’ve been through this rodeo: please share your advice — and encouragement! — in the Comments below this post.)

Babies Fly Free (Domestically and Maybe Internationally)

Children under the age of two can travel for free on US domestic flights. However, they must sit on an adult’s lap. (Preferably a lap belonging to a family member or trusted friend!) The little tyke doesn’t get their own seat.

Our daughter was three months old when she earned her wings — taking her first flight! (She even got a tour of the cockpit!)

My wife and I simply took turns holding our daughter during meals (when we flew First Class) or whenever the other wanted a break.

Traveling internationally may be a separate matter, however. Based on some comments I received after originally publishing this post, some folks indicated they were able to travel with a lap child internationally and not pay the fare. (Maybe some taxes and fees.) Check with your airline. Delta, for example, offers reduced fares for children under two who travel internationally.

Airlines basically consider your kid an adult once they turn two. That means they need their own seat (which must be paid for). And no free access to airport club lounges. Although the level of enforcement varies. Some employees are strict, while others couldn’t care less. (Start racking up credit card points!)

Tip: take advantage of the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass promotion. Then you can have up to three people traveling free: one parent (the Companion Pass primary), the other parent/partner/whatever (the free Companion), and your baby under two years old.

Family & Friends = Babysitters

Most (if not all) of our baby daughter’s first trips involved her meeting family members and some of our dear friends.

And many of those people needed to satisfy their baby fixes. Most were parents and missed the days of “baby smell” (if you know, you know), snuggles, and simply holding a baby.

“You guys go out to dinner or something. We’ll watch her for a few hours!” was something we often heard.

The free babysitter time was gold. Plus, we already knew and trusted these people. So, our anxiety wasn’t through the roof.

(Beware: your child may become an unwitting prop in someone’s scheme. “Are you going to give me grandchildren like this little one?” Or even worse: “When will we finally get married and have kids like her?” Tread carefully.)

Time Off

Use as much of your maternity or paternity leave time. That’s just our general recommendation. Max that out so you have time with your new child — and settle into your new life. Enjoy it!

And use some of that period to travel! Our daughter went on a few trips before my wife returned to work.

Before you know it, there’s going to be a big scheduling problem you’ll encounter for (at least) the next 12 to 17 years. That, my friend, is called “school.”

School

Our daughter is a kindergartener. Planning travel around her school schedule and our work schedules is an absolute nightmare. It wasn’t a big deal if she missed a few days of preschool here and there. But leaving kindergarten for a couple of days? Goodness, gracious. Traveling not essential for the child’s physical health (like, heaven forbid, taking her somewhere for an organ transplant or receiving advanced care for an awful illness) is considered an unexcused absence.

We received several letters from the school district’s truancy department after our daughter missed two days — so we could attend her great-grandmother’s 100th birthday party weekend. (Never mind that we submitted a note several days in advance and also upon returning.)

Rack up six of those unexcused absences and then something bad happens. Like, a note on the kid’s academic record or something (at least, in our whacky school district.).

So, enjoy your school-less time while you have it.

Final Approach

Don’t wait until your child is two or three before you start traveling with them (at least, if it’s feasible.) Kids under two fly free on most US domestic flights. Many of your family and friends will love babysitting and helping you for a few hours while you get some “me” time. Use your time off wisely — especially because your schedule options are drastically reduced once your child starts kindergarten.

That said, it isn’t as easy as “Hey, let’s head down to the airport and see Grandma and Grandpa!” There are some mental, physical, and equipment preparations that must be made. We’ll cover those in an upcoming post.