Like many parents, we want to share as many moments as possible with our children. So when we decided to go on a road trip along the West Coast of the United States in 2013, and then to Florida this year, it was simply out of the question to travel without our children.

In 2013, my son was not yet 2 years old, and this year my daughter was 10 months old while my son was 3. Of course, when you leave for long trips with little ones, you need a minimum of organization and adaptability.

Through this article, I will try to give a few answers and tips to parents who are thinking about traveling with a baby in the USA.

 

1 – Baby’s or child’s passport

To go to the United States, your child must have their own passport, just like any other traveler. You should allow at least 2 weeks to get it.

=> Be careful: a child’s passport is valid for only 5 years!

The supporting documents depend on whether the child already has an ID card or a previous passport, but in general you will need:

– the Cerfa form for minors, to be completed online,

– a €17 tax stamp,

– a photo in the required format,

– a photocopy of the passport (if the child already has one),

– a photocopy of the ID card (if the child already has one),

– a photocopy of one parent’s ID,

– proof of address.

2 – Booking baby’s plane ticket

Up to the age of 2, you can have your baby travel on your lap. In that case, you only pay the taxes, which greatly reduces your flight budget. After the age of 2, your child will have their own seat and you will pay only 80% of the plane ticket.

For long-haul flights, you are usually seated in the front rows, and a bassinet is available so your baby can rest during the flight. If you choose to buy a seat for a child under 2 as well, you can bring the car seat on board and install it in the reserved seat.

= > Be careful: when booking, remember to validate front-row seats and confirm your choice by calling the airline. Some airlines will tell you to request it at check-in. If this service matters to you, make sure you get confirmation that it is available on board.

 

3 – Preparing baby’s carry-on bag

On the plane, you have changing tables available (in the restrooms), and there are always cartoons and games on the TV screens. You will also be provided with blankets, pillows, and water. However, preparing your child’s carry-on bag is essential for their comfort during the flight (and for yours too!).

Remember to bring what you need to change the baby (diapers, cotton pads, cleansing water…), bibs, pacifiers (for those who use them), baby bottles, comfortable and warm clothes (because the air conditioning on planes is always more or less strong), the child’s favorite comforters, small toys, and a tablet if you allow it.

=> Also pack a small first-aid kit (thermometer, children’s pain reliever, saline solution…).

For your baby’s food, you can bring baby jars and powdered milk if you want. Restrictions for babies do not apply to food. At boarding, there will simply be a detailed inspection of what you are bringing onto the plane. This year, we actually brought a full can of powdered milk. Liquids must not exceed 100 ml (except for medication) and must be placed in a transparent 20 x 20 cm plastic bag.

As for the stroller, you will be asked at check-in whether you want to keep it until boarding. Most of the time, you will say “Yes” with a big smile. It is then tagged and left at the aircraft door. It is placed in the hold, and you get it back at the same time as your luggage. Sometimes you can pick it up again at the aircraft door on arrival, but that is exceptional.

One last little thing that is always nice as well: when boarding, families with young children get priority and board before the other passengers in economy class.
4 – Renting a car seat for the car

If you rent a car in the United States, you can reserve it with a child car seat or an infant seat depending on the child’s age. However, for insurance reasons, you will have to install the seat yourself. After a long trip, that is not always easy, especially when you are not familiar with the installation system. You can also bring your own car seat; ask the airline whether it will be transported free of charge or at an extra cost.

5 – Managing jet lag

This topic applies to babies, children, and adults alike! Poorly managed jet lag can make you lose 2 to 3 days, and when you are planning a vacation, you want to enjoy every possible moment, right!?

However, you may be surprised to see that babies and children have an amazing ability to adjust very quickly to the new schedule.

Choose flights that arrive as early as possible at your destination. Even then, tiredness is still there because depending on where you go in the United States, the time difference ranges from 6 to 9 hours behind France. For example, if you arrive in Florida at 6 p.m. local time, it is already midnight in France!

Do not forget that once you arrive, you still have to wait to clear U.S. immigration (which is often very long), collect your luggage, pick up the rental car (with the famous car seat installation!), and then find your way to the hotel or vacation rental => all of this while managing your own fatigue but also, and especially, your child’s!

Once you are settled in, have your meal so you can hold on a little longer. Then, even if you fight it, travel fatigue and jet lag will win. You will probably wake up very early the next morning, around 4 or 5 a.m., but you will already have recovered somewhat and you will be “almost” adjusted to the local time.

On the other hand, for the return trip to France, we always take the evening flight for two reasons. The first is that it lets us enjoy one last day in the USA, and the second is that it already shifts us back toward French time. Everyone will normally sleep on the plane overnight and wake up the next day in Europe! 🙂

6 – Staying in the United States

You should know that in the USA it is paradise for children: it is a kids friendly country! Everything is really designed to make life easier for families. They think of everything, from stroller access to changing tables and even priority family parking spaces!

 

At the hotel

You will see that everything is very well suited to families. You can choose a triple room or even a quadruple room at reasonable prices. On top of that, the rooms are usually very spacious, which makes it easy to add a baby bed. There is also the option of a suite or an apartment hotel where even more people can stay.

Do not hesitate to request a baby bed when booking. Depending on the hotel category, you may get a travel crib or a real bed with baby care items and even a few little toys. In most hotels, the crib is provided free of charge. If you have chosen a vacation rental, specify that you need a baby bed on site.

 

At the restaurant

You will always be offered a high chair, a booster seat, and coloring pages to keep the children busy. This may seem like a small detail, but in France it is rarely the case! All restaurants offer inexpensive kids’ menus from around age 3, and sometimes free kids’ meals depending on the day of the week.

All these little things make eating out much easier. Personally, since our children are still very young, we have lunch out, and in the evening we eat at the hotel so they can rest from their day.

Baby food

As for baby food, you will find everything you need in supermarkets. Only at Walgreens did I not find milk or jars for babies over 6 months old. Otherwise, you will find everything at Walmart (powdered milk, baby jars, even organic ones, biscuits…). At CVS Pharmacy you can also find milk. I have not yet had the opportunity to go to Whole Foods (an organic supermarket chain), Target, or Publix, but I suppose there are also baby food products there. And as for diapers, it is simple: there is plenty of choice, you just have to look at the weights indicated on the packs like in France.

Baby aisles are American-sized, as you can imagine: they go on forever!

To change your baby when you are out and about, you will find changing tables in almost all the restrooms of malls, parks, and restaurants, which does not happen very often in France (!). There are even vending machines sometimes if you run out of diapers. 😉

 

Out and about

The United States is a dream place to walk around and have fun with children. You will find many theme parks of all kinds there (you can rent strollers inside if needed), beautiful natural parks, and plenty of activities dedicated to little ones almost everywhere.

What you need to take with you for the day: a spare outfit, a light sweater (air conditioning is everywhere), diapers, bottles, water, baby jars, a hat or cap, sunglasses, and sun protection. Of course, all of this should be adapted depending on the region where you are.

For the car, if you are driving a lot, I recommend a few toys, a tablet, something to drink, and a few snacks.

7 – Vacationing in Florida

We went to Florida this summer knowing it was not the best period. Because of our current work situation and the validation of the green card, we did not have a choice. I have seen many parents wonder whether Florida in summer with little ones is a good idea. I asked myself the same question. Today, I think it is simply possible. Why? Quite simply because there are lots of young children living in Florida, and they do just fine! 😉

However, you do need to take certain things into account. In summer, the heat is very present in Florida, sometimes even intense, and it rains almost every day in the late afternoon. During our stay, it even rained non-stop for 2 days! According to the locals, that had not happened for years. But keep in mind that with the heat and very young children, you will need to skip certain activities. Otherwise, choose another time of year.

If, like us, you want to go to Florida and have no other choice than summer, you just need to take a few classic precautions for moving around with children in high heat (water, sun protection, a hat, UV-protective swimsuits…). If your rental car does not have tinted windows, I recommend covering the windows with towels or something similar to protect the children from the sun while you are driving.

I hope these few pieces of information will help parents who want to travel with a baby in the USA! I will add more after our future trips.

These are tiring trips, but they are irreplaceable, and they leave memories engraved in our minds with the little great loves of our lives!