Is It Safe For Newborn To Fly

Do A Quick Diaper Change Prior To Boarding The Plane

When is it safe to fly with my baby? – Dr. Umesh Vaidya

Changing tables are available on board in the restrooms, but space is tight. Do a quick diaper change before boarding we guarantee youll have more room to move around in the airport restroom!

If you have a short flight, your baby might not need another changing until after the flight. At the very least, a diaper change beforehand reduces the number of times youll need to change your baby on board.

Figure Out Seating Arrangements Beforehand

Before you board, its important to plan and figure out the most comfortable way for your baby to sit. Consider where your child is most comfortable: Do they prefer to snuggle up to a human or are they more relaxed in a car seat? Your childs seating arrangement comes down to the preference of the parent and child. Just remember that youll need to book that extra airplane seat if you want to guarantee you can put your child in a car seat next to you.

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Arrive At The Gate Early

One huge benefit of traveling with an infant is that airlines allow you to pre-board and get settled in your seat before other passengers board. This can make it easier for you and others.

But to take advantage of pre-boarding, you need to be at the gate when boarding begins, so arrive early at least 30 minutes before boarding.

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Air Fares And Seating

Different airlines have different rules about travelling with babies. It’s best to check with your airline before you buy the tickets.

If you are travelling within Australia, your baby should be able to travel on your ticket. If you travel internationally, your baby needs their own ticket.

Your baby is allowed to travel sitting on your lap with an extension seat belt supplied by the airline. For long-haul flights, check if you can book a bassinet for your baby to sleep in. Note that bassinets are only suitable for babies under a certain weight and this limit differs between airlines.

If you want to use a child restraint on board, you have to supply a child restraint that is approved in advance by your airline. Airlines may also have rules stating certain seats cannot have child restraints installed, such as seats in emergency exit rows and aisle seats.

When booking seats, consider if you need easy access to toilets with change tables.

Travel With Another Adult If You Have More Than One Baby

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Be aware that each adult and person over 16 years of age can only hold one infant on their lap.

So if youre traveling with twins or two young babies alone, you can hold one on your lap, but youll need to purchase an infant fare for the other.

And typically, airlines only allow one lap infant per row. So if you have twins and are traveling with your partner, you wont be seated in the same row although the airline will try and sit you close to each other.

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If Possible Wait Until Your Baby Is 3 Months Old

Airplanes are a breeding ground for germs, so it probably isnt a good idea to fly shortly after giving birth since newborns have a weaker immune system. At the same time, though, an airline isnt going to ban a newborn from flying.

American Airlines allows infants as young as 2 days old, and Southwest Airlines allows infants as young as 14 days old. But a babys immune system is more developed by 3 months of age, making them less susceptible to illness.

If you need to fly with a younger baby, no worries. Make sure you wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer to protect baby from germs, and keep a safe distance between your little ones and other travelers.

When Is A Babys Immune System Fully Developed

In this article, Dr. Sabella explains, An infants immune system doesnt mature until around 2 to 3 months old. That is for babies who are born full-term and have no other health conditions.

To be safe, if you want to travel with your baby any significant distance its best to hold off until at least 3 months, but at the minimum wait until baby is 2 months old.

Like I said first up, we took long-haul plane journeys with our first two babies earlier than this, because it was unavoidable, but the advice is to wait until the 3-month mark.

Remember that if your baby is premature, theyre developmentally behind so itll take longer for their immune system to reach the maturity of a 3-month-old. If your baby was a month early, expect development around a month behind. In which case you should wait until baby reaches 4 months before traveling.

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Healthy Newborn Baby Surrendered To Fire Department Under Safe Haven Law

AMARILLO, Texas A newborn in Texas was safely surrendered to a fire department Wednesday afternoon under the states Safe Haven law.

The Amarillo Fire Department said firefighters were handed a healthy baby who is 6 to 8 weeks old.

According to the fire department, the person who surrendered the baby also provided the childs hospital paperwork and vaccination records.

The child was taken by Amarillo Medical Services for a checkup and is doing well, officials said. The baby will be placed in the care of an emergency provider.

Texas Safe Haven law, also known as the Baby Moses law, allows a parent to surrender their unharmed newborn baby at a designated location without any punishment. Babies up to 60 days old can be surrendered under this law.

In Texas, a parent may take a baby to any hospital, fire station, or emergency medical services station in the state.

For more information about Texas Safe Haven law, visit the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services website here.

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Things To Do Before The Flight

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  • Contact the airline to make seating arrangements for your child.
  • Notify the airline if your child has any food allergies.
  • Make sure your childs vaccinations are up to date.
  • Ask your doctor for nausea medication if your child experiences motion sickness.
  • Notify the flight attendants if your child has any disease.
  • If your child is old enough, explaining that youll be taking a trip can help prevent anxiety.
  • Check with the airline about what you can bring in checked and carry-on luggage.
  • Pack extra clothes for you and the baby in your carry-on luggage.
  • Get to the airport early.

What seats to book

When youre flying with an infant, the best seats are the ones furthest from the aisle. That way, your child wont be disturbed by people trying to move around you to get to the aisle. Especially if your child is in a car seat, having other people trying to get past can be uncomfortable for everyone.

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Soooooowhat Is The Best Age For A Baby To Travel

I think the best age to take a baby on holiday is definitely 3-6 months. We have now done 3 trips at this age with our two kids and each one has been a success. Ah, the blissful long stroller walks! Casually enjoying lunch while baby naps in the stroller or carrier. Not needing to think about food and not needing to worry about illness its a perfect age to travel with a baby. After 3-6 months its all downhill until age 3.5 when you can start to actually reason with your kids.

What do you think? What is a good age to travel with baby? Drop me a line in the comments below to let me know your favorite age to travel with baby!

If Possible Time Feedings For Takeoff And Landing

We know this isnt always possible. But in an ideal world, your little one would eat those altitude changes away. The sucking action from feedings can open your babys Eustachian tubes and equalize the pressure in their ears, easing pain and crying.

So if possible, hold off feeding your baby until takeoff or landing. You can give them a bottle or breastfeed, which is perfectly OK.

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Tips For Flying With An Infant

A little bit of prep work can go a long way towards making your journey more manageable. Heres what to know before you go, plus advice for keeping your cutie safe and happy in the air.

Babies and flying can be a tricky combination. But when you plan ahead and expect the unexpected, the odds of friendly skies will be in your favor.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

Know Your Airlines Policy For Checked Baggage Strollers And Car Seats

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Youll be happy to know that most airlines allow each ticketed passenger to check one stroller and one car seat for free at the ticket counter, and either one stroller or one car seat at the gate . This is regardless of whether youre traveling with a lap infant or paid an infant fare. Hooray!

If youre checking a stroller or car seat at the gate, dont forget to request a gate check tag at the gate counter before boarding the plane.

Beyond that, baggage policies do depend on whether your little one has a paid seat or not.

Airline policies vary, but typically a lap infant doesnt receive the same baggage allowance as an infant with seat. So if you check a separate bag for a lap infant, this bag will count toward your baggage allowance. Airlines do allow one carry-on diaper bag per lap infant at no additional charge .

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What To Expect On Board

There are some general precautions parents might want to take before flying. Not only do you want to make your baby comfortable while on the plane, but you also want to make the whole experience safe and efficient.

“Try to make sure not to overload your hands with bags and carry-on luggage, as you want to have full attention on the baby,” Dr. Kramer says. This way you don’t have to worry about juggling too many things or dropping anything. Of course, this may not always be possible, especially if it’s just you and your baby traveling, but trying to keep your other bags to a minimum and checking them when possible can help keep your baby safe.

Dr. Kramer also suggests not boarding the plane first, despite many airlines offering this service to families traveling with babies. “I advise to board last so that you avoid passengers climbing over you and walking past you in the babys path,” he says. This is especially good advice if you have a row to yourself and don’t have to worry about asking someone else to move to let you into your seat.

While flying with a baby is a daunting task, Dr. Kramer points out that it only gets more difficult once your little one can walk, because then they never want to stay still! At least you know your baby will stay put during the flight.

Managing Your Babys Crying And Schedule While Flying

Babies are notoriously unpredictable in the first few weeks, with irregular sleeping, feeding, and crying times. While this can certainly be managed, it may be very draining to mom and dad to travel before a baby has settled. Some babies do this by two weeks, others not until three months. Youre going to have to be the judge of when you think your baby has settled.

Even when your baby seems to be in a routine, getting on a plane can bring out the worst in them. Weve all heard stories about airline passengers yelling at crying babies. While you cant control when your baby is going to have an outburst or start crying, you can make sure they have plenty of food and something to soothe them. Pacifiers or a lovey never hurt and can help little ones get some needed Zen while on a plane. Be sure to pack more than one pacifier in your diaper bag and have some options when it comes to toys and soothers. Babies can get bored quickly, so anything new can help.

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Is It Safe To Fly With A Newborn

Yes, it is completely safe for your newborn tofly. Some airlines will let you carry a baby as little as a few days oldonboard. And if youre uncomfortable doing that, you can always wait until youfeel your baby is the right age.

Try not to wait too long, as it doesnt geteasier the older they become. There are still plenty of challenges when traveling with kids that areolder too.

Travel With Insurance Especially When Flying Abroad

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Babies get sick, pandemic or not. Its a good idea to consider purchasing travel insurance in case your little one gets sick or you need to cancel or change your trip due to illness or other events.

It also isnt a bad idea to know where the nearest health care facility or hospital in your chosen destination is before you travel, especially if youre visiting a foreign country.

Although certain airlines and many hotels offer flexible change policies, having travel insurance can make illness, emergencies or accidents much less stressful. Check if your that could help you out in case of an unexpected situation.

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Preparing To Fly With Your Baby

Flying can be overwhelming for babies, simply because they don’t understand what’s going on. It’s the parents’ job to make the process as easy and comfortable as possible for them . Dr. Grow suggests feeding before takeoff so your baby will be full and happy. This way you also may not have to worry about feeding on the flight .

“During the takeoff and descent, have the baby suck on either a pacifier, a bottle, or even breastfeed if you feel comfortable doing so,” Dr. Kramer says. “This will equilibrate the pressure effect that flying might have in the middle ear.” He does not recommend using any sort of Benadryl or OTC decongestants to try to get your baby to fall asleep.

Dr. Grow makes suggestions for traveling with a baby based on her own personal experiences as well. “Have clothing options and layers so you can help the baby be comfortable in terms of temperature,” she advises. “You also want to have plenty of changes of clothing for yourself just in case of an accident or blowout. When flying with my own children as infants, I found having a nursing pillow that they could sleep on and cocoon with a thin, breathable blanket over them to be helpful.”

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