Flying for the First Time with Our 6-Month-Old Baby
Sharing our experience of traveling abroad with our 6-month-old baby.
Jake Santos
6/27/20245 min read
When Bento was just seven days old, we applied for his passport so we could buy our tickets. Within a week, his passport was ready, and we quickly purchased our tickets.
At first, we were nervous about traveling such a long distance with a baby. What if something happens? Even private hospitals can be bureaucratic. And the weather is too hot for a baby? Those were our biggest fears. But we prepared well and went with hearts full of joy.
From Amsterdam to our final destination, it was a 24-hour journey. Traveling for 24 hours with two children is exhausting. But let me tell you how we prepared for our trip with kids.
Our first trip to Brazil was planned even before I became pregnant. We envisioned our Brazilian family meeting our baby when he turned six months old. Our dream came true, and as soon as Bento was born, we began planning our long-awaited journey.
We chose a night flight, thinking it might be easier with two children since they might sleep. Our flight was at 8:00 PM, so by 4:00 PM, we were on our way to the airport. Since we had many luggages, a dear friend dropped me and Bento off at the airport while Karin and Bryan took the train to meet us there. We arrived early because we hadn’t check in; Bento’s name was incorrect in the system. The check-in process was smooth and quick, and we were ready to go!
We checked in:
- 4 large suitcases and a car seat. The car seat and stroller we could bring it without extra cost, and we checked Bento’s stroller at the gate. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep it with us because the airplane was too full, but on the way back, we kept it in the cabin.
In our carry-on bags, we had:
- Bryan’s games to keep him entertained during the flight, warm clothes (since he gets cold easily), and personal items.
- Our bags and carry-on contained all of Bento’s clothes, which are tiny and so it was easy to put all there. You never know if luggage will get lost. We bought some toys to keep him entertained, headphones (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), extra milk (he was breastfeeding and formula), a travel stroller, and a baby carrier. These items were essential for the entire trip, not just for flights and connections but also for the trips we planned.
Products we used:
We used a different baby carrier but recently switched to this one and found it better:
The flight from Amsterdam to Zurich took some time for Bento to fall asleep, while Bryan was already asleep before takeoff (pre-teen). At first, Bento didn’t accept the headphones, so I breastfed him, and he fell asleep. We managed to secure him with the seatbelt, and the flight to Zurich was smooth. Arriving in Zurich was a bit stressful because we didn’t have much time and had to rush through immigration to our gate. Despite that the airport is giant, it was well-organized. After landing, we took a bus to a gate, went through immigration, and took a train to our gate. Even with the rush, everything went well. We had reserved a bassinet for Bento, which was incredibly helpful and comfortable for our baby. You can reserve it without extra cost.
Before takeoff, Bento was hungry, so we followed our night routine: diaper change and breastfeeding. I was worried about takeoff, but we put on the headphones, and he was fine. To our surprise, he slept for almost six hours straight. He woke up, fed, and slept again for about two hours. Bryan took a bit longer to fall asleep but spent a good part of the time playing games with Karin.
The flight was very smooth. When Bento was awake, he was happy and playing, so we had no complaints. Upon arriving in São Paulo, the crowd, fatigue, and heat stressed him, and he started crying/screaming, but he quickly calmed down after feeding. Our connection flight wasn’t long, and soon we were on our way to Cuiabá. Our hearts were already full of emotions; I hadn’t seen my family since 2022, Karin and Bryan saw them in 2019, and Bento was about to meet everyone.
The flight from Guarulhos to Cuiabá was also very smooth. Bento spent a lot of time playing and took some naps. My sister-in-law, brother, and my niece were waiting for us. We were very happy to see them again and introduce our baby to everyone!
Despite the long journey, traveling with a baby was surprisingly smooth. Our advice is to stay calm and let things go with the flow. We can’t anticipate everything that might happen. We believe that if we are calm, the babies will be too, and we were very calm. Karin and I are a team, and that made all the difference.❤️
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