Tips for traveling with your child
Having just taken from a trip to Dallas I thought I would share some tips that made the trip much easier.
Fly off peak. If at all possible, it will make you life a lot easier. We flew out on Thanksgiving morning and are coming home Tuesday. It will cost us some vacation days on the back end but it is worth it. Plus flying on the holiday means you don’t have to help fix the meal 
Arrive Early. Yeah this one is pretty basic but I am amazed by all the people I still see scrambling to get the there flight, dragging there kids behind them.
Carry on the basics, ONLY. Check everything with the skycap if possible. (Side note American now charges $2 per bag for curb side check-in. Boo!!) The last thing you want to do is haul a bunch of heavy bags around and try to keep track of your child.
What are the basics? Those basics vary somewhat based on the length of the trip and the age of the child but what works for my daughter who is almost 2 is a few books, milk, water, food, DVDs, my laptop for the DVDs, a change of clothes (you never know) a couple of diapers and something to deal with the pressure change. My daughter is still hooked on the pacifier crack so we give it to her on take-off and landing to help her deal with the pressure changes. Your kid screams on the way up and down because they don’t know how to equalize the pressure in there ears.
Don’t buy a middle seat. If you are traveling with 2 parents and a child under 2 that does not require a seat, just purchase the window and the aisle. Middle seats generally get filled up last. If someone shows up for that middle seat just move over. If you are on Southwest put the baby in the middle seat and parents sit on either side. Unless the plane is totally full you will get the row to yourself.
Ask the gate agent to block the middle seat. Bring the cute baby, ask nicely and the agent when generally block people from getting assigned to the middle seat unless the plane is totally full.
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