Flying Home for X-Mas!

[ps4624]

We just booked a flight home for the holidays - I AM SO EXCITED!!! Most of my family has never met my DD. I feel like I am going to jump out of my skin with excitement!

So, what ID (if any) do I need to bring a 10 month old on board?

THANKS!

[dex_millie]

Originally Posted by ps4624

We just booked a flight home for the holidays - I AM SO EXCITED!!! Most of my family has never met my DD. I feel like I am going to jump out of my skin with excitement!

So, what ID (if any) do I need to bring a 10 month old on board?

THANKS!

If you are traveling within the U.S. Then a birth certificate should be fine. I went to the the U.S. Virgin Islands when DD was 2 months and that is all I took.

Traveling outside the U.S. I think you would need a passport for even a baby these days.

[odoole]

Originally Posted by dex_millie

If you are traveling within the U.S. Then a birth certificate should be fine. I went to the the U.S. Virgin Islands when DD was 2 months and that is all I took.

Traveling outside the U.S. I think you would need a passport for even a baby these days.

Hang on, you need a birth certificate to travel in the US? We don't have one yet for DS (long story), and we're hoping to fly in a few days. What should we do???

[marrymeflyfree]

The birth certificate is to ensure the airline that the baby is under 2 years old, and typically it is only necessary for babies that won't have their own seat. If you have a pretty new baby, obviously common sense should prevail - but of course some agents are sticklers for policy. Double check with your carrier to be sure, of course! (One airline told me that 'shot records' would be sufficient...but we didn't have that either. )

[alaskaberry]

I would bring the birth certificate along (you can get it at your local records office). They didn't ask for either of our kids', but it's nice to have just in case they do ask.

[xmasbaby7]

In over 200 flights with my toddler, I have never been asked for a birth certificate for domestic travel.

For a 10 month old, I have found that it is still easy to get them to nap.

I always wore them and bounced around the gate and boarded the plane with a sleeping baby, but there is the trick. Some flight attendants will make you remove the baby from a sling for takeoff. I asked to see it in writing, and it is in the regulations, but most don't know it.

To be safe: hide your carrier under a blanket so that they just see a happy sleeping baby.

I always brought healthy snacks and a new board book or two or toy, and watching photo slide shows on a laptop works with a really awake baby.

The ear thing doesn't really start affecting kids until they are around 2, but I still began nursing during the descent, which is actually about 45-30 minutes prior to landing, when the plane drops the most in elevation at the highest speed. Once you can actually see the colors of the cars on the ground below, you are too late! If your little one has ear issues, it can help to have mullen garlic oil drops to put in before flight.


Good luck!

Have a wonderful time with your family and a very happy holiday!

[odoole]

wow -- 200 flights! that's great info, thanks!

what about DS getting sick? i know i always get sick on long flights -- so cramped in and breathing other people's air.

[pbjmama]

I used to fly frequently (although not close to 200 flights) with my ds and I have been asked for a birth certificate a handful of times. Flying with a baby is easy peas. Lots of extra diapers and wipes, at least one extra outfit for baby and an extra shirt for you.

[LindsC]

I have flown with DS a handful of times and have always been asked for ID, whether it be his passport for international travel or his birth certificate for travel within the US. I would always play on the side of caution and bring the birth certificate just in case.

[dex_millie]

Originally Posted by marrymeflyfree

The birth certificate is to ensure the airline that the baby is under 2 years old, and typically it is only necessary for babies that won't have their own seat. If you have a pretty new baby, obviously common sense should prevail - but of course some agents are sticklers for policy. Double check with your carrier to be sure, of course! (One airline told me that 'shot records' would be sufficient...but we didn't have that either. )

Yes some agents are sticklers for policy indeed!! I never get ask leaving from Maryland and I travel with lap babies until they are 2. The U.S. Virgin Islands follow the U.S rules and I always get ask for a birth certificate. With my son I didn't have it but they let me slip through though after a lecture and since the island is small I knew people who work there that personally know me.

Sometimes I am glad they ask for it. It is kind of scary how easy it is to take an infant on a plane w/o even a birth certificate.

[sunshynbaby]

We forgot the birth certificate when we traveled in October, and we didn't have any problems.

[Amandala]

Hey, has anyone flown with a baby since the "crotch-bombing" incident?

I'm flying Continental to Las Vegas and Delta back, for a New Year's Eve wedding with my 10-month-old.

I'm wondering if they're likely to give me trouble about wearing him in the stretchy wrap, bringing baby foods on the plane (we nurse, but once the boobs are emptied, only food will keep him from deafening everyone), and other stuff.

Also, does anyone have any tips/advice for someone who is taking their baby on a plane to Las Vegas for the weekend for the first time ever? We have never taken such a trip before and I am SO nervous that we're going to make stupid first-timer mistakes and turn the whole thing into a huge clusterf***.

[sunshynbaby]

I have a friend who was kicked out of a casino in vegas for holding her baby while playing on a slot machine. They take their gambling laws very seriously, lol