Three months ago, we decided to travel with our son to somewhere within a country, as a test to see how we would travel with him and handle him on a plane. We want to travel to Vietnam in the near future, so a domestic trip is a good test case for it. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to create great memories as a family. Hence, we did a three-day trip to Washington DC and this is how we did it.

Preparation

We knew that we did not want to bring a car seat with us. Too much of a hassle. As a result, it narrowed down the list of destinations to only cities with good public transportation. After taking into consideration of flights, attractions, weather and safety, we decided to visit Washington DC, which we already did two years ago. I deliberately booked a non-stop flight to DC and a return flight with a stopover in Nashville, to see what it was like for both kinds of flights.

Next up is accommodation. We wanted to be close to the National Mall & a metro station with good connections. We settled on the Riggs Washington DC, which is close to Gallery Place in China Town and has three lines, including the yellow that can take us to and from the airport. The hotel is a bit pricey, but it looks good and fits our criteria.

We knew this trip would involve quite a bit of walking and getting in and out of a metro station, so we brought an Ergobaby Deluxe+ Compact Storller, which is lighter and smaller than our Graco Chicco Travel System, and theoretically we could fit it in the plane overhead bin.

In addition, my wife and I sat down and thought of all scenarios and came with us a bunch of things to prepare for our son. Here are some that really helped us:

• Gaiatop Mini Portable Stroller Fan. It kept our son cool and comfortable throughout the trip, whether it was on the plane or out and about in the mild heat of Washington DC
• Pacifier Clip. Game changer! We used this to make sure that our son’s pacifier didn’t fall off
• Baby Portable Changing Pad Travel. We appreciated all the public lactation rooms, but wanted to use our stuff for hygiene purposes. This one was a life saver.
• The Honest Company Babe’s Mini Must Haves Gift Set. Small and light, to bathe the baby every day.
• Ubbi Retractable On the Go Bag Dispenser for Travel. To store dirty diaper bags and wipes in case there is no trash bin around
• Baby Ear Protection Noise Cancelling Headphones
• Mamava app. We used this app every day to look for lactation rooms. It was particularly helpful at airports in showing where the rooms were.
• Smartrip app. It was convenient to just tap your phone at a turnstile. You can use the app to top up and especially add a pass.
• Passport card. We got him a passport a couple of months ago since he would travel with us to Vietnam in the near future. I decided to sneak in a passport card for domestic travel. I did not like the idea of carrying his passport or birth certificate around. If I lost a passport card, no harm done. I am glad I did it.

Flights

We flew with Southwest and got one of the last legacy flights with free checked bags and open seating. Since we have an infant, we were allowed family boarding which was between Group A and B. It helped tremendously for us to stay together and sit next to each other. That also means we needed to be ready when the call for family boarding started.

We got to the Omaha airport two hours in advance. After spending 30 minutes to park and getting to the terminal, we checked in and went through security. You don’t need to check in the stroller at the counter. You can do it at the gate and they will give you a tag. For security, TSA Pre Check doesn’t require you to remove shoes and laptop from your bag. But you still need to hold your kid and have the stroller scanned through the machine. So don’t have a lot of things to carry. Keep it simple.

Before we boarded, we made sure our son had a clean diaper and got something in his stomach. If you need some privacy and a lactation room to feed your kid, plan it accordingly because obviously you won’t be the only one that wants to do so. When we boarded, a Southwest attendant was kind enough to let us know that the plane had a lot of free space, so we should take the whole row for ourselves. And we took it to heart and asked the attendants every time on our return flights whether the planes were full.

Thankfully, our son was very cooperative. No cry on the plane. No fuss. He just sucked on his mom’s breasts and chilled. We got a bit of a situation close to our landing in Omaha, but we realized it was because he pooped in his diaper. Some people told us that flying with an infant was easy. That turned out to be true.

Moving around in Washington DC

The transportation network in DC was good enough for us to go to the Zoo and some other places such as Nino’s Bakery or Adam Morgan. There were elevators for wheelchairs and strollers, but they were not always easy to find. So my wife and I just worked together to navigate around the inconvenience of getting the stroller up and down stairs at metro stations. As mentioned earlier, having a metro card on the phone was super convenient.

Accommodation

A word on the Riggs. It was a nice hotel, conveniently located in Penn Quarter near a metro station and a lot of attractions. Upon checkin, we were given two glasses of champaigne; which was a nice touch. The room was nice and the crib we requested looked sturdy and good. The bathroom was clean and the bottles of shampoo and shower gel look luxury enough. They made our room every day and everywhere we went, we were greeted politely by the staff. Overall, pretty happy to stay there.

Attractions

We wanted to visit the White House. As foreigners, we had to book three months in advance through our Representatives or Senators. I reached out to Senator Deb Fischer’s office and her staff was kind enough to help us arrange a tour. If you are not American citizens, bring your passport because most likely the registration form will ask for passport information and they will check whether your ID matches EXACTLY what’s on the form.

Don’t bring a stroller. They will turn you away if you do. Bring a baby carrier on your body instead. Don’t bring any bag. We read conflicting information on the Internet on whether we could bring a diaper bag. Some said yes, others said no. We decided to bring a small zip bag that had a diaper, some wipes and a muslim cloth. If they wanted us to throw it away, no harm done. Luckily, they let us through.

There were five rounds of security check. First, they will see if you have a reservation. Print out the confirmation. The next two rounds, they check your ID. Then, a quick security scan, followed by a more thorough scan.

It was not a very long tour, and there was no guide. There was no restroom, so plan ahead! It was cool to see the Red/Green and Blue room as well as the Presidential Seal. Now, we can say that we visited the White House!

We really wanted to take the tour to the Bureau of Engraving & Printing to see current production. The tricky thing was to get a timed entry ticket. You have to book in advance through their website. You can also do it through your Representatives or Senators, but it will have to be at least two weeks prior to the tour date. The last resort is to be there at 8am every day to get limited same-day tickets. We were late to the party, so I decided to get up early and take an Uber there to get tickets for the family. I got them. However, we overslept in the afternoon and got there 10′ late. They did not let us in. So, if you want to see the tour, be there on time. It’s the only regret I have from this trip. Where else could you see current production?

Eating out

• Zaytinya. Excellent Mediterranean food, great atmosphere.
• Boqueria. A spanish restaurant in Penn Quarter. We had a fabulous dinner there.
• Nino’s Bakery. I love love love the sesame croissant there. It’s our second time and if we ever come back to DC, we will definitely visit Nino’s again
• Pitango Gelato. The stainless containers seem to indicate this is real gelato, not just ice cream. Good gelato!
• Maman: Crowded and overpriced. I don’t mind going back there again if there is no other choice, but I don’t necessarily recommend it
• Ella’s Wood Fired Kitchen. Wonderful Italian food!
• Soleluna: Very good bakery, though we think Nino’s is better
• 54 Restaurant. A Vietnamese restaurant in Penn Quarter. The food was alright, but the atmosphere wasn’t great. Plus, there was no water for guests. I did not like it much.
• Akira Ramen & Izakaya. Very good ramen with decent toppings. Located in Adam Morgan, 15 mins of walk from the zoo
• Swings Coffee Roasters. A decent coffee near the White House.

Overall, the trip was successful as we learned what it was like to travel with an infant. Our return flight from DC was scheduled to take off around 12:45pm. We woke up at 7:30am and still had just a little time before the family boarding for the flight started. It definitely took a lot more time and planning to travel with an infant than alone or with just adults. But we had a great time as a family and even though my son won’t remember much, we will.