This France-Inspired Life: Air Travel with a Baby

This website is all about France-Inspired Tales. Living in France, however, comes with a lot of daily logistics and practical decision-making before the imagination can be allowed to take flight and dream up those fanciful novels. France-Inspired Life articles are straightforward, factual stories about our life in France. I know that every situation is different, but I’ll just describe things as they happened to me and if they can indeed help you or yours, then all the better! Enjoy!

The first time travelling from France to the US with Josy was filled with apprehension because I would be taking the train then the flight alone. Not that gut-wrenching check-that-she’s-still-breathing-at-2am anxiety, but those little worries that often visit and revisit in lighter nightmares: forgetting something, being late, not being strong enough to carry her, a plane-ful of passengers staring me down as she wails non-stop from seat 38A.

However, once the trip had been completed and we arrived at Josy’s grandparents’ (my parents’) home Stateside, I surprised myself by telling them that “it wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined.”

Well, I’ll be honest, there was one significant difficulty: strikes (what else?). I waited with Josy in a jam-packed passport control area just before security with lines stretching across Terminal 2E thanks to an airport strike that meant less personnel to funnel everyone through. We did end up making it to the gate just as the last passengers were being boarded, and our flight left two hours later than planned.

And, I’ll be honest again, despite my decent level of physical fitness, that night I did feel like I had just participated in a triathlon followed by an hours-long CrossFit workout… not that I’ve ever done either, but I imagine that that’s how muscles would feel after that type of exercise regimen!

However, for the most part, the trip passed rather smoothly so in this article today, I wish to share my experience and maybe offer a few hints, tips and words of encouragement to anyone feeling like their first cross-Atlantic flight with baby seems a monumental task. Of course, I was also handed many of these tips from friends who have done this before me… a huge thanks to them!

For information, I flew AirFrance from Charles de Gaulle. Not all airlines and airports operate the same way, but hopefully my experience can serve as a guideline for you!

1. Carrying baby: Most airports allow strollers to be carried up to the gate, then folded and stored in the cabin or checked right there if they respect airline requirements. This was the case at Charles de Gaulle as of the writing of this article in 2022. There are also strollers you can borrow in the terminal if you didn’t bring your own (but won’t be loaded onto the plane, obviously).

Another note on strollers: I recommend one for any baby who has gotten too heavy for you to carry in a sling or carrier for hours at a time. A carrier would have eliminated the stroller issue, but I wasn’t physically able to carry her and walk for more than 15 minutes with it. To solve this, I invested in a Cybex Libelle foldable stroller, which requires a small budget if purchased new (do look around at second hand stores or websites like LeBonCoin for better deals) but the quality is worth it and it folds into the size of a backpack. I used it in the US, where it was also useful with all that driving around to see relatives, etc., then packed it up again for the return flight.

However, always be prepared for the unexpected: I was told I could pick up the stroller as soon as I got off the plane, but for unexplained reasons, they told us to head to the baggage claim. I therefore did passport control and a lot of walking with baby and luggage in hand. An excellent workout, but a tiring one! See point number 3.

2. Luggage: I was travelling alone, and the bag filled with her food, diapers and other baby essentials was already quite heavy. Knowing that there would be moments when I had to carry the baby, even with the stroller, I did the most minimalist packing for myself that I had ever done on an international flight. My own bag included little more than the bare toiletries, my travel documents, my glasses and contacts, and a phone and phone charger.

It truly is amazing how little you need to travel when you come to terms with the fact that you your usual brand of shampoo may not be available at your destination, but you will find something totally fine to fill the void (unless, of course, you’re travelling to a very remote location, but even in my parents’ tiny town in the deep countryside, I was able to find everything I needed, even if I did have to separate from my favorite overnight eye masks for two months!). In fact, during my trips to the US, I live much more simply and minimalist than in France, as anyone would on vacation, and it is a breath of fresh air to simply enjoy being home and with others rather than worrying about total comfort. With the baby this time, it became even more important to adopt this mindset.

3. Comfort: I usually wear dresses, but this type of trip was physically taxing and called for athletic wear. A great pair of athleisure leggings with deep side pockets allowed me to keep my phone and passports safe and at my fingertips at all times during the trip so that I didn’t have to dig through my bag each time (with baby, usually only one hand is available at one time!). I wore a tank top for moments when things would get athletic (unpacking and repacking at TSA, hurrying to the gate, boarding the plane with baby in one hand) and a cardigan that could be easily removed and tied at the waist if needed or quickly slipped into later. Oh and sneakers, of course! Not my most fashionable moment, but a practical one.

(Disclaimer: I’ll rewrite this article when I travel with a baby in winter… that may change some things!)

4. Aboard: I have a nifty changing mat that with pockets for everything I need to change Baby: diapers, lotions, change of clothes, Ziplocs, etc. It all folds up to a little pack the size of a hardcover book and has a strap to hang around my wrist. Very handy for an easy trip to the bathroom to change, or wherever I may need it. It’s useful for every outing I do with Josy, but was particularly appreciated during the trip, especially for the wrist strap since my one free hand had to be used to steady myself in the aisles, open doors, etc.

In fact, for my packing, I tried to keep everything I needed for one activity in a separate bags (feeding, play, changing, documents) then placed those together in one large bag. It limited the amount of things I needed to hunt through to fall small items.

On my flight, the attendants offered a crib that they hung on the wall in front of me (because I was registered with a baby, they automatically placed me in a wall seat). Baby must be lighter than 22 pounds (10 kilograms) and 2’4” (70 centimeters), so at 9 months, tall Josy just fit! Since babies travel on mom’s lap, I got a much-needed break and could eat during her naps.

5. Other people: Even before boarding and meeting the friendly flight attendants, other passengers volunteered to help. At TSA, the lady behind me who was travelling with three young children herself held Josy for a few seconds while I repacked my bag (I returned the favor and watched her kids while she got herself organized, too), and passengers at the gate carried my bags once my stroller had been taken away. Don’t say no to help if you’re comfortable with it and don’t hesitate to ask (other parents are usually very willing if they’re not too busy themselves); it’s a long trip! And don’t hesitate to ask. The French can be shyer about offering help than Americans are.

6. Mindset: Best of luck if you’re planning this type of trip! It will fly by (bad pun not on purpose) and be physically exhausting, but you can congratulate yourself at the end. All moms are already superheroes, of course, and those who venture out on cross-ocean adventures, baby on hip, have their own certain merit!

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