In At just over seven months, Delaney has already been on 18 flights. Yes, 18. That’s completely crazy to me despite the fact that I’ve been on every single one of them. Jordan and I have grown so accustomed to traveling all the time to visit family that it’s second nature, even with a baby. While traveling with Jordan and Delaney together is pretty smooth at all times, doing it alone is a whole different beast. I’ve been fortunate to go one some pretty great vacations with Delaney on my own and I’m proud to say that I’ve finally nailed down a pretty good system of traveling solo.

If you ever have to take a baby on a flight alone, here are my tips for what has worked!

1. Tell people you are traveling alone. They will be nicer. This is a fact. I didn’t do this the first three times I flew alone and once I actually TOLD someone I was alone, the amount of help I received skyrocketed.

2. Check everything and use curbside. Really, aside from the essentials for your travel and a couple backup items in case you lose your luggage, check all the bulk. I used to NEVER check bags because I’m probably the most impatient person on earth and pack really lightly always, but now it’s a life saver and leaves me way more hands-free. If you can do curbside check-in, even better.

3. Pack your carry-on by priority. If you’re going to need it, have it in the front pocket. If you might need it, put it in the middle pocket. If you’re just bringing it for a disaster, shove it under everything else. I keep my nursing cover, two favorite toys, a pacifier and Delaney’s stuffed duck that she sleeps with at the top of my backpack. I stock up a travel changing pad with three diapers and wipes just beneath those essentials and I leave a backup outfit, backup toys, a few extra diapers, infant tylenol and infant nasal spray (yes, for some reason that’s a necessity to me when traveling) at the bottom of the bag.

4. Wear something with secure pockets. I have a travel uniform and it’s not cool. I wear running shoes (less space in luggage used), running capri pants with deep pockets that I wore for the marathon, and some sort of nursing-friendly top. I put my ID and Delaney’s birth certificate in the pockets so they’re right there for me and for some reason, you’ll notice that everyone is giving you something you need to keep like the bag tag, baby’s ticket etc. so they come in handy. Once I get through security, I put them in a specific pocket in my bag right away. I also keep an extra pacifier and my credit card in there — you know for emergencies like a screaming baby and when I need coffee.

5. If you can swing it, ditch the carseat. Obviously in the early days, it’s just impossible to travel without the carseat even if you have one waiting for you at your destination, but if your baby is four months or older, consider investing in a padded car seat bag so you can check it or planning  They’re too itty bitty to hold their heads up and sometimes you need a break from the carrier. If you are getting a rental car, you can book an infant car seat. Or, if you’re taking a shuttle to a hotel, it’s a bus and you can’t use the carseat anyway! Think ahead.

6. Give someone a job at security. If you’re lucky and have a million dollar stroller that breaks down with one click, I’m really happy for you. If you’re like the rest of us, you WILL need help breaking down the stroller or handling your baby or getting things out of your bag at security. Figure out how someone can help you before you get to the airport, choose the nicest looking traveler in line and ask them to help before you get to the madness that is the security scanner belt. I’ve done this a million times and no matter how prepared I am, I still need help. (If it’s a jogger, it won’t fit through the scanner so tell the security person prior to them making you break it down).

7. Prep for gate check at the gate. This is the hardest part of flying alone. Not security or taming the screaming baby on the flight…it’s this. Everyone acts like it’s really simple and it is once you have a system but your first time or two, it can be hard. On my first flight with Delaney alone, I was bumbling around trying to get the car seat detached and the stroller broken down with one arm and absolutely no help while holding a weakling, squirmy baby in the other arm. I was sweating and panicky and it was way more stressful than it needed to be.

So, waste no time when you arrive at the gate. If your baby can’t sit up, bring the bjorn or carrier and put them in it. Get your gate check ticket and spend the time detaching the car seat and putting it into a gate check bag (I used a trash bag…note to self, check to make sure the trash bag is big enough BEFORE getting to the airport). Ask the person at the ticket counter if you can leave the car seat at the top for them to take down. If they won’t, keep the stroller in regular position and put the bagged carseat in the stroller and break it down when you get to the bottom. If they will take the carseat, the easiest thing to do is to break down your stroller before checking in for the flight and simply carrying it down. Oh, I don’t use a stroller bag for gate check anymore…so sue me…but it saves a ton of hassle.

8. Change into an overnight diaper prior to flight. Using the tiny airplane bathroom to change a baby’s diaper is annoying, but totally fine if you need it. When Delaney was a month or two old, I was always changing her diaper a million times but then I realized that was a lot of hassle for no real reason. I started putting her in an overnight diaper right before I boarded the plane and not changing her unless it was REALLY necessary (read: poop). Not to mention, when your baby is in the 95% for height, you can basically only fit her torso on the bathroom changing table and it smells. So…

9. Time feedings and naps if possible. By the time I get on a plane, Delaney is always starving so I can usually nurse her (also a fun activity with a baby giant kicking my newest neighbor) on the way up or down to help her ears. And after that, she will eventually fall asleep if only for a little bit. The great thing about airplanes is that they are essentially giant white noise machines so sleep usually happens at some point. If feeding times don’t align, try to offer something to suck on like a pacifier or teether on your way up or down to alleviate the ear pressure.

10. Ask for help. To be perfectly honest, this was my biggest mistake on all the early trips on my own. I was so scattered and just wanted to make sure I got to the gate on time and got Delaney fed etc. that I never asked anyone for help.