Need advice! Flying with a newborn

[matokshilli]

Hi!
I don't know if this is the "right" forum for my question, but any advice on flying internationally with a newborn? We have a flight that is about 12 hours and my baby will be about 10 weeks. I am breastfeeding and I am a first time mom

[berry987]

I flew with my son when he was 6 weeks old and I found it was actually the easiest flight of all of my flights with my kids.

He slept a lot of the time, nursed and never got fussy (even though he was a fussy baby at home). I think the noise of the airplane was soothing for him. The biggest issue was I was traveling alone (it wasn't international, but it was a 6 hour flight) and I had to go to the bathroom. Luckily I'd been talking to the woman sitting next to me for a lot of the flight and she was a grandma and I just asked her to hold him. I figured they couldn't go anywere

Really it was pretty painless. (Compared to flying with my kids when they were older...ugh...16 month olds are not meant to sit in confined spaces for long!) I'd just say get there plenty early to get through security, which always takes awhile with kids. Oh, and make friends with the people around you so if your baby gets fussy they'll give you a sympathetic smile.

Good luck!

[meemee]

awww my dd's first flight was when she was 8 weeks old but it was a 2 hour flight.

have you already got the ticket? request a bassinet seat. pros - you can put baby down. also doubles up as a place to keep things. cons. your baby might not want to be put down. if there are other babies around and they cry all the time then your baby might start crying too. i personally discovered i did not like to be near babies - too noisy.

2. landing and take off make sure baby is sucking so that it takes the pressure off the ears.

3. carry enough stuff in your carry on - supplies - so if flight is delayed or they lose your luggage you wont be in a jam.

if your baby is comfortable in the car seat and enjoys it i wuld say take it with you inside the flight if you get a seat for your baby. i never bought a seat, but always got assigned an extra seat.

i also visited teh airport a few times before we flew out - to get dd used to noise levels and hustle and bustle. she basically nursed and slept.

[russsk]

We flew domestically with DS at 9 weeks and internationally at 12 weeks. Total breeze. Definitely ask for bulkhead seats with a bassinet. We brought our stroller mostly so we could easily push the carseat around airports, but it was more of a pain than it was worth - and it was a small one. It might be easier to just strap the carseat to your carryon for wheeling around the airport.

Bring a carrier for in the airport, but I wouldn't recommend a wrap, as you may have to take it off to get through security. (Only in Turkey was I able to go through security wearing DS.) Something easy on/off is better.

I've flown with DS quite a bit since then, and never found that security takes any longer. I avoid the lines specifically marked "family," though.

We also found a family passport wallet to be helpful. Prior to DS, DH and I just carried our own passports and travel docs, but that gets complicated with a baby.

[Caneel]

While DS was 3.5 months for his first fligt, I agree with others - it and other infant flights - were the easiest of all.

Our experiences -

We didn't have any ear/pressure issues. DS was BF. We never had the need to nurse during take off or landings. Maybe we were lucky but I think this maybe an overblown concern.

We always got lucky and were ticketed next to an empty seat. Some times the ticket agent wasn't helpful but I would ask again once we got to the gate and they always helped out. I noticed planes are much fuller now a days so it might not be as easy.

I put him in his carseat and he was perfectly content and fell asleep before take-out. I think it was the vibrations that knocked him out.

FA were always so helpful.

Get to the airport early so you have plenty of time to check in and aren't rushed.

[pacificbliss]

I would echo what everyone has already said and add that you should carry on a change of clothes for you, the baby and ayone else travelling with you. Also some plastic bags you can seal. I don't know if it is the pressure changes or what but have seen several incidents on a plane where a clothing change was required and had one myself. Fortunately, I had some clothes!

[belltree]

I did a 9hr and a 15hr flight (including connections) with a 10 week old by myself. The Bassinett was great, nursing made it easy.

Bring at least 2-3 sets of cloths for your baby, a blanky, a carrier (wrap, sling), skip the stroller, if you travel alone think about how to dress so you can bring the baby and go to the bathroom. Don't bring to much, I actually packed my wintercoat, so I didn't have to bring it on board. Skip the cloth diaper for such a trip, have some snacks for yourself on hand - I am a hungry breastfeeding moma, that little bit of airplane food cannot keep me happy for such a long time.

[lifeguard]

Flying when ds was little was so easy! He slept through much of it, I could change him on my lap & breastfeeding was what he wanted to spend any awake time doing.

I personally found using a stretchy wrap worked really well for me. I know it's not the experience for everyone but I was never asked to take ds out at security or during take off or landing so it was really convenient & comfy for us.

[ithappened]

We did a 17 hour flight with my DS when he was about 8 weeks old. No problems. We used the Bassinett (lifesaver) and he slept for long stretches and only really woke up to nurse. I had changes of clothes but ended up not needing them. I do suggest gas drops if you have a gassy one like moi.

[hakeber]

I did an international flight with ds at 12 weeks. It was in three legs of 4 hours -11 hours - 5 hours with 5+ hour layovers between. I was alone. It sucked.

He cried nearly the whole time, and he was a very chilled out baby at home. He was in pain. His ears did not do well.

Sunsequent flights have been much easier, even the way home from that flight was easier. Now he sleeps before we even take off.

I had the basinette from Santiago de Chile to Miami. It was good except we hit a few patches of turbulence and so I had to take him out (when he was finally sleeping) so they could stow it for safety.

I was also assigned an extra seat at the check in desk from Miami to Nwk and the stewardess, who was acting like a BFUAV, took away my faa approved bucket seat "for take off" and then made the executive decision to STOW it below the plane! I don't know why, maybe she enjoys the sound of wailing infants? THEN she had the AUDACITY to ask me to cover up while nursing my child to calm him...I was in the window seat, with no one next to me...because the check in desk had alotted the seat to my BABY!! I was livid (heh heh, obviously I still am, eh?). USair got a long letter from me. I was offered miles but I will never fly them again!

If you have to change from an international to a domestic flight, and you are alone, see if you can get assisstance. I had to collect all my luggage in Miami and transfer terminals...I for one don't think you should be able to put a roof over a sidewalk 4 miles long and call the two buildings one, but whatever. It was torture. I REALLY wished I had brought my stroller! You can gate check it and it doesn't count against your allowances. Great luggage cart if you carry the baby in a sling!

Good luck and try to laugh! So much of the experience depends on the region/country, IME. Latin America was great to fly in: Really attentive staff, snuck families with LOs on before anyone else was even announced, went out of their way, above and beyond to make mom and babies happy. Europe was okay but the closer to England we got the ruder and more aggressive the other passengers were and the less helpful the staff became. Then Scotland was really nice again. The US has always been by far the worst, IME. Other passengers pushing past you to prove they deserve to get on before you, and stewards that seem to hate babies and go out of their way to make you and your baby as unhappy as possible.

That has been my experience anyway. But I see other people here feel differently.

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by pacificbliss

I would echo what everyone has already said and add that you should carry on a change of clothes for you, the baby and ayone else travelling with you. Also some plastic bags you can seal. I don't know if it is the pressure changes or what but have seen several incidents on a plane where a clothing change was required and had one myself. Fortunately, I had some clothes!

Good point! I pack a change of clothing for each of us in large ziploc bags, pushing the air out so I end up with flat packages for each of us. I took 2 changes for both of us when DS was little.

[jenmn]

Should be easy at that age!

[lizsky]

I understand how daunting this might feel. I'm also a first time mom and had to fly cross country (6 hour flight) last week- my daughter was almost 4 weeks old.

If your flight isn't completely full, you can ask about sitting next to an empty seat. It was really nice to have this option on our flight out- gave us more privacy for breastfeeding & changing diapers. It was a completely full flight on the return trip and I think the man seated by us was not thrilled about the crying or the diapers, but I just tried to focus on my daughter and not worry about things I couldn't control.

I wore my baby through security in an Ergo with an infant insert and had no problems. I also wore slip on shoes to make security easier for me. Best of luck to you mama!