Mickey. Mouse was born on November 18th and our own mouse was born just two days later.. on November 20th.

Not only does this mean being thrust into a world of all nighters and dirty diapers with no time to update this website – but it means we now need to make room for baby on our trip next month. Now that I am feeling back to normal, I decided to share some of our plans to make room for baby without a lot of stress.

First things first – update our flight itinerary

While most babies fly free as a lap child, you need to let the airline know so that they can reflect the additional passenger. You also should usually be prepared with your child’s birth certificate (a copy is fine) as your child will not yet have proper identification. While the rest of your family can usually print out or scan their boarding passes from home, you and the baby will have to formally check in at airline registration so that they can check id and give you a boarding pass.

Worried about feeding the baby in transit? Don’t be. Formula, breast milk and juice in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters are allowed in carry-on baggage and do not need to fit within a quart-sized bag. Separate formula, breast milk and juice from other liquids, gels and aerosols limited to 3.4 ounces. If bringing a breast pump, do not scan it through the X-ray machine just to be safe, separate it with the rest of your electronics.

You should also be able to walk through security with your child without having to go through the X-ray machine. Generally babies and X-rays don’t mix.

Another tip? Try and Book a Direct Flight. As hard as this might be at peak traveling times, try and book a direct flight to avoid “settling in” with baby too many times. Once is hard enough.

Do you have an expensive stroller? Consider buying a cheaper one for the plane. Strollers usually have to be checked. And can often be damaged in transit. We decided to plan and go with this Babytrend stroller. At $80 the price was right. While you could try and check stroller in in advance. if you are traveling with multiple kids I would suggest checking the stroller in at the gate, right when you board the plane.

Finally, bring plenty of activities and a comfortable feeding/traveling pillow. Playing cards and anything with distractions will hopefully keep you and the baby happy and quiet throughout the entire trip. And please, don’t forget the diapers.

Customers may carry on one diaper bag and government-approved child seat, in addition to the maximum carry-on baggage allowance. United Airlines also accepts one stroller or one car seat as checked baggage — free of charge — for each childtraveling on the flight

If you plan in advance your trip can be smooth and pain free, trust me.