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Lap-baby flying across country

My grandson graduated high school in Raleigh, North Carolina, in June of 2018. We could not attend the graduation, so we attended a graduation party for him the following month. Dylan was 19 months, and we had no idea how she would do on a six-hour flight with one layover.

Dylan had flown on a shorter trip to Seattle, so we had the initial steps down. On this flight, we purchased milk before taking off, thinking we would buy more on the layover. Southwest’s domestic flights do not offer free meals or beverages for kids under three. Southwest offered a snack box for lunch. peanuts are not available because of nut allergies. When flying internationally, meals are available—special diets upon request.

Entertainment

For this trip, I downloaded videos to her Fire, 10 hours worth, but of course, she wanted YouTube instead to watch her favorite shows. Southwest has Wi-Fi, but you need a browser, like google or explore, to connect to your device. The fire did not, so I had to use my phone. With a combination of fire, games, books, and sleep, we made it there and back without crying on the plane.

We were renting a car, so we did not need to bring a car seat. As a rule, I use Hertz, they are not cheap, but I don’t have to wait in line to get my car. You must install the car seat yourself, and they are not allowed to do it for you. While we were on the East Coast, we made a side trip to Prince George, Virginia, to visit relatives. The baby did great.

Virginia

The drive to Prince George’s, traveling interstate 95, was easy, lasting about 3 hours. The thing to remember when driving in VA is the State Patrol usually sits on a transition road that leads to both sides of the interstate. Usually, it is slightly woody, so you won’t notice until you are closer to their location. Side note: I-95, in my mind, is the best to drive. It is green and lush in the Spring and Summer and bursts with vibrant red, yellow, and orange leaves in the fall. The drive takes you through the old Confederate capitol, Richmond, VA. Pass the exits for Mount Vernon and Monticello onto the Pentagon and drop you off in the Nation’s Capital on Capitol Mall. However, we were not traveling that far.

Cousin
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Flying with a Lap Baby

Booking the flight

To start with, eighteen months ago, I adopted a little girl. To be exact, my girlfriend and I adopted her great-granddaughter. Previously, we fostered her eleven months. This week she turns three years old.

Since her birth, she’s flown on four separate occasions. First things first, her very first flight she flew to Seattle, Washington.. She celebrated her seventeen months birthday the day before boarding the flight to attend a wedding. One hour and forty-five minutes later the flight landed, and so she did marvelously, and we did not do as well.

We are Southwest Rapid Rewards members and we book our flights through the Southwest App. The lap baby requires an additional step. First, make the payment to confirm the seat. Second, call the Southwest reservation line and get her added to one of the tickets as a lap baby. Our approval by Transportation Security Agency (TSA) means she receives the same blessing.

TSA approval is a must for frequent flyers, the low cost for approval for the purpose of worry-free flying is great. Additionally, the prescreening must renew every 5-years.

Checking in

As a consequence of fly with a lap baby checking in online is pointless. You must check in at the counter. But even so, it is ok because they make sure the child is yours. we showed adoption papers, birth certificate, social security card and immunization records. Only the yellow card would do. More importantly, they printed our boarding passes. The boarding pass for the lap-baby is attached to the back of one of the paying travelers. As a result the traveler must have the baby at the security check point and to board the flight.

On-board

We cleared security, checked the stroller with the host as check bag. The “A” boarding group, allowed us to find the seats we wanted mid-plane. Since there were two family members accompanying us, the baby did not get bored. Additionally, lessons learned, no milk on planes. Bring your own.

With the little one no ear problems, thanks to sucking no stopp on a pacifier. On the trip home, the lap baby slept the entire flight. In conclusion, we thanked the Father above.