TRAVEL WITH A BABY BY PLANE
Providing your newborn does not have any complications after birth, your newborn is fine to travel by air. British Airways advise that a baby must be at least 48 hours old before they are accepted to travel on one of their flights.
Travelling with a baby by plane can cause some parents to be anxious before they even leave the ground. There is the extra luggage to carry, the worry of baby's ear pressure, and the concerns of baby crying and fellow passengers reactions.
Some tips to make your travel with baby more comfortable:
• If travelling overseas, make sure your baby has their own passport
• Make sure your baby’s immunisations are current, and enquire if there are any immunisations required if you are travelling to an exotic destination
• Book bassinet seats for the plane journey in advance as they are not normally automatically allocated even if you state that you are travelling with an infant, bassinets carry infants up to 11kg
• If a bassinet seat is not available you may like to take your infants car restraint to provide a safe alternative, check with your airline for approval first though
• Breastfeed, or give baby a bottle of formula to drink on take off and landing to relieve the pressure buildup in their ears which may otherwise cause them some discomfort. Infant formula travel packs are convenient as they don't require any pre-mixing.
• Give your baby plenty to drink on the flight to avoid any dehydration
• Some supplies that you may like to have onboard include breastmilk if expressed, formula, baby food, nappies, wipes, toys, dummy
• Book at hotels that are family friendly, these hotels will offer cots and a child care service
• Plastic bibs are great to use for your infant while on holiday so you can easily wipe over them without having to wash the cloth bibs.
Aircraft security has now been increased, and the new security measures include passengers being able to carry one clear transparent resealable 1 litre plastic bag containing liquids, gels etc. If you have baby formula or milk for your baby and it does not fit into the 1 litre bag or the containers are over 100ml it must be declared at the primary screening checkpoint.
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