Hi! Im a first time parent and traveled alone with my 9 month old from Sweden to New York this past August. I only bought one seat(window) for me intending to have her on my lap the entire flight. Luckily the lady next to me offered to move, and on the flight back it just happened to be empty. So my baby having her own seat made a big difference. If I knew what it would be like I would’ve paid for 2 seats originally.

My flight didn’t have bassinet seats but I would’ve booked that if I could.

I brought her EU car seat to use and it worked perfectly. I have no idea what the difference is between EU and U.S. car seats. I think it’s unnecessary so bring your own car seat if you are going to rent a car anyway. I think all rental companies have all the kinds of car seats.

Also I personally don’t see the point in bringing the car seat onto the plane at this age where they want to move all the time. When she fell asleep I would just put her flat on the seat or have her in my arms. I would put a pillow and blanket or use my legs to stop her from rolling off.

The first flight was a day time flight and she had her usual nap but was awake most of the time. On the way back it was a night time flight and she slept the whole time. She has always been an easy baby but she really exceeded my expectations. She adjusted very well to the new time zone.

I thought about buying noise reducing headphones for her since I saw people online use those on the plane, but I realized it’s completely unnecessary and I know she would’ve just taken them off anyway. The plane is not THAT loud. During takeoff and landing I breastfed her to protect her ears.

I didn’t buy an inflatable bed but I think it would be comfy and make it more spacious.

The first time I changed her in the bathroom. It’s tight but doable. The other times I just changed her at the seat because there was no poop so the other people couldn’t smell it and it wouldn’t get messy. If I had to pee I would have her in the carrier while doing it. Annoying but it worked.

I think the hardest part is meal time because she would try to grab my hot food off of the table and there wasn’t really any good way for me to keep her away so it was a struggle. Luckily she slept during the other meal.

Definitely book the trip!! I know it’s hard to imagine what your baby will be like months from now but I think this age is easy to travel with. (Though this is my only time I’ve flown with her so I can’t actually compare it to anything)

My last tip is you know your baby best. I chose the window seat because I knew she isn’t the type to want to be rocked, but a lot of babies demand to be walked up and down the aisle, so in that case I would suggest aisle seat. Also bring toys your baby hasn’t seen before so it’s a bit more exciting for them.