Flying Allegiant Airlines with a Baby
We fly Allegiant Airlines frequently because they are the only airline with direct flights from St Pete to Des Moines (where we are from). We recently returned from our first flight on Allegiant with a baby and while I consider us to be avid travelers, adding a baby to the mix made me feel like I was traveling for the first time all over again. I had so many questions! If you’re feeling the same way, you’re not alone and hopefully this article will be helpful.
First, let’s talk about what it is like to fly Allegiant in general. Allegiant Airlines is a low cost/budget airline. This means that it is no frills. Don’t expect in flight entertainment or first class seats. You will pay extra for basically everything outside of your ticket – picking your seats, a carry on that goes in the overhead bin (you are allowed a personal item, but dimensions on Allegiant may be smaller than other airlines), checked luggage, snacks and drink on board – you get the picture.
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Lap Babies on Allegiant Airlines
If your child is under the age of two, you can book them as a lap baby. This means they do not get their own seat and they sit on your lap for the duration of the flight. The benefit of this is that your baby can fly with you for no extra charge.
Before you book your baby as a lap baby, you should also know that the seats are no frills. They are small. It’s not comfortable. Having a lap baby on Allegiant Airlines is definitely doable, though. We did it and while we’d get our baby his own seat if the flight prices were right, we’d take him as a lap baby again. We somehow got really lucky on our way back home to get an empty seat in our row and it was the only empty seat on the entire plane.

What to Know About Flying with a Baby on Allegiant Airlines
Here is a list of everything I Googled before our first flight with a baby. Maybe you have the same questions about flying with a baby and what I learned can help you. I do encourage you to check the very important things (like what proof of identification you might need, for example) with the airline just in case it would happen to change between the time of this article and your trip. While every airline is different, most answers will be the same, or at least similar, with other airlines.
What ID do I need to fly with my baby?
You may be asked to provide identification for your baby such as a passport, birth certificate, or government-issued photo identification card. It’s common not to be asked, but we were asked for it on his very first flight. We had his birth certificate with us and they told us that we could bring a copy or a photo of it next time. In the future, I’ll still pack his original but I’ll tuck it away safely to prevent damage. Then I’ll provide the copy unless they need the original.

Gate Checking Baby Items
You can gate check a stroller and car seat for free. In case you are not familiar, gate check means that you can use your items up until you board the plane and you will leave the items at the gate (not the ticket counter). This is really convenient with kids because you can have your car seat and/or stroller while you wander throughout the airport. Then, right before you get on the plane you’ll leave it wherever they tell you. For us, this was outside next to the plane but sometimes it’s on the jet bridge. It is easy to figure out, you can either ask or you’ll likely see a whole stack of other people’s strollers and car seats collected in a general area. We do use a car seat protector bag just to keep our car seat more protected.
Car Seats on the Plane
If you purchased your child a seat, you may bring a car seat for them on your Allegiant flight. The car seat needs to be FAA approved. Usually there is a sticker on the side of the car seat that will tell you if it is FAA approved.
Best Travel Stroller for Babies
For this trip, we weren’t going to need our stroller too much once at our destination so we just brought our normal Graco stroller. When we go on bigger trips, then we are planning on getting the MINU travel stroller.
Best Travel Car Seat for Babies
We bought the Cosco carseat for when we purchase our baby his own seat. It’s lightweight, making it easy to bring along. Do keep in mind that it is only good up to 40 pounds.
Keeping a Baby Entertained on a Flight
Our baby was 6 months old at the time of our flight. The toys he loved were these fidget spinners with suction, a sensory toy, and a spin toy with a suction. I recommend waiting to introduce baby to the new toys until the flight so that they are new and exciting. Of course, the downside of this is that you don’t really know if they’ll like the toys until the flight.

How to Handle Breastfeeding and Formula on a Flight
If you are breastfeeding, you might want to consider a window seat. This will be personal preference, but it offers a little more privacy if that’s something you’re looking for. I also recommend breastfeeding during takeoff to help baby’s ears adjust.
Formula requires a little more work as far as packing goes. We bring a whole can of formula, which TSA will need to check. Our TSA agent put on a fresh pair of gloves without us asking, but if they don’t, you probably want to ask them to. I recommend bringing more than you think you’ll need onto the plane with you. All of Allegiant’s flights are direct. However, there is still risk of getting stuck on the runway. As far as water, you can bring water bottles (they just have to be for the formula). We buy a large bottle of water in the airport just because it’s less hassle with TSA. Our baby doesn’t need his bottles warmed, but if you will need hot water you could either bring a thermos or ask for a hot water at one of the airport restaurants before boarding.
If you are pumping, your pumping equipment is considered a medical device. This means you can bring it on the airplane with you without an extra charge.

Ubering With a Baby
As long as you bring your car seat with you, Ubering will be relatively easy. We did bring our car seat base with us (we attached the car seat to the base before we put it in the protective bag when we gate checked it). We chose to do that because it’s the easiest way to install an infant seat in the car in my opinion. However, most infant seats do not need the base to be safely installed. I actually had no idea that you could install an infant seat without the base before we flew for the first time!
While there are some downsides to flying a budget airline, flying Allegiant Airlines with a baby can be a great travel option. Their nonstop flights and cheap fares make it a good option for many families.