The baby will be approx a week old when traveling. There will be one stop, the first leg of the flight will be 5.5 hours, then the next part of the flight will be approximately 8hours. Does anyone know if this is possible? I'm a former Flight Attendant and yes, it's possible. I fly now a lot with my three children, since each was 4 months old.
Each airline has its own rules about how young a passenger can travel so check with the airline. Seven days is about standard and some require a doctor's note. Be sure of what they want.
Germs are really not an issue at this young age. They don't crawl yet and most of the time, the baby will be with you, not in contact with others. If the baby is breastfed, he or she will be protected with your immunities from birth.
The real issue will be getting the passport. Get that all arranged before the birth and you may have to pay extra to get it expediated. You didn't mention the nationality of the child but most countries now require a separate passport for each member of the family.
I had many, many little passengers this age and almost all of them did great. It's actually a good time to travel with a baby. I think the biggest problem will be everyone coming to admire her. Mine were each 4 months old when they flew the first time and I wish it were so easy now!
I find that having a good baby carrier was a must. It's great to have your hands free and they're magic at getting babies to sleep and for calming them down during the flight. This was especially helpful since I'm by myself with three closely spaced children. They also doubled as a blanket, a baby changer, a suncover and you can descretely breastfeed in it. Definitely bring yours'! I can't stress it enough.
You should never have a baby attached to you in any way during take-off and landing. This risks the baby becoming a "human air bag" and they are actually safer loose in your lap. I found it easier, and I helped passengers do this, to simply loosen the sling and lift it up over the parents' head, especially if the baby was sleeping. So it's not necessary to actually remove the entire sling.
Double seatbelts, used on some foreign companies are not allowed on U.S. airlines because they're dangerous for the child.
Try to use a car seat onboard. This is the only way to fly safely with a child, even a newborn. Having the seat onboard means it'll get to your destination undamaged, where you probably need it.Checking them can be risky.
On my last flight, three of our four bags didn't make it (they did arrive two days later) but I had the car seat with me so my daughter was safe on the 2 hour drive home. I saw some car seats with the lost luggage while I was looking for my bags.
Here's a good article on the importance of using a car seat onboard;
http://www.jetwithkidsclub.com/lapchild....
If you are flying a U.S. company, make sure your seat is FAA approved. Most car seats sold in the U.S. are. To be sure, please visit this page;
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_childr...
If you're flying a company with another nationalty, check that airline's website. Search with the name of the airline followed by "children" to get to the right page.
If it's an infant bucket-style seat, get out the owner's manual and get comfortable with the belt-only installation before the trip. Most do not need the base onboard but check your model to be sure.
If you didn't purchase a seat for the baby, ask at check-in if the flight is full. If not, ask that they "block" the seat next to you. Then they will only use it if they need it.
Bring the car seat to the door of the aircraft and if you're not able to use it onboard, it will be "gate-checked", which is more gentle than checking it in at the desk in front.
To get it through the airport, please don't carry the whole seat around. If it's not part of a "travel system", then use a stroller frame for infant buckets. It's not necessary to check the stroller in at the counter. You can take it to the gate and they will tag it. Remember this doesn't count against your baggage allowance. Make sure the tag goes somewhere that wont be squished or hidden when the stroller is folded. Bring a bungee cord to double-secure your stroller or stroller frame, after you leave it at the door of the aircraft. This will prevent it from getting damaged if it pops open en route.
If you do manage to be able to use the seat on board, make sure your baby is in it for take-off and landing. These are the (hate using this wording but...) the most dangerous parts of the flight. It's very important that she or he is strapped in.
Many flying tips will say to make the baby suck during take-off and landing to help their ears. This is inaccurate. The baby can drink during ascent (after take-off) or even when he or she wakes up inflight. ENT specialists recommend that the baby be awake about an hour before landing (not necessarily drinking). Landing or "touch down" is too late.
http://www.entcda.com/AAOHNSF/earsandalt...
Try to get a bulkhead seat. These are the ones with the wall in front. Some have mounted bassinets, which are great but rare, especially on U.S. companies.
Just some extra tips;
-Bring about 1/3 more supplies than you think you'll need, formula, diapers, wipes, etc.
-Bring a change of clothes for both of you (at least a T and shorts for you)
-wrap everything bulky, like clothes and extra diapers in plastic bags, and use rubber bands to reduce the bulk and save space in your carry-on
-If you formula feed, use the kind of bottles with plastic liners. Premeasure the powder, roll them up and put them in a ziplock bag. Airplane bathrooms have bad sinks for washing traditional bottles.
-Make sure you baby is used to a room-temperature bottle. I warmed many a bottle in my career but I saw first-hand what a pain it is. The baby isn't getting any health-advantage to the warmed bottle and no one will do this task while you're in the security or check-in line.
About 8 years ago, I wrote an article on flying with children for an expat newsletter. Over the years many parents have contributed, both on line and in Real Life. I later put it on a blog so that parents had access to non-commercial information from someone with both practical and professional experience on the web.
Feel free to visit;
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
my contact info is in the back.
Good luck getting the passport on time! I don't see a problem, it will be hard for you though, ha ha! I am pretty sure it is possible.....it will probably be more tuff on mommy.... baby will probably just sleep the whole time. They usually don't let babies fly until 7 days old. Its not the best idea but if you have to then i guess it should be alright. Just make sure that you unplug the babies ears because s/he will be fussy the whole flight. Its best to have the baby sleeping while taking off. Contact your pediatrician before you travel and get their advice. Why would you travel, you're not going to be up to par yourself. I think it would stressful for the baby. I believe you will need a passport for the baby.
I recently got passports for my family -- and we were told all children, regardless of how young, need a passport.
Consider too the effects of flight on the baby -- cabin pressure is tough on toddlers. Then you have the whole germ issue. If it was me, I would think of the baby's health and not take the trip -- it's not worth the risk, but that's just me. The baby must have a passport, and you must have the birth certificate to get the passport...this is going to take several weeks. It is NOT advisable to travel with a baby so young...or for the mother to travel so soon either. You need to talk to the mother's doctor and to the pediatricain to get their advise. Also , call the airline and ask their guidelines. Don't know...i would'nt do it. |
