You can august ames eroticefly with a baby almost immediately after the bundle of joy is born – any time from 48 hours on some airlines – but should you?
For many people, and for many reasons, it's often not a choice so much as a necessity, even if the idea might make even seasoned travelers and confident parents anxious.
My son Oliver has grandparents and relatives on both sides of the Atlantic so he was always going to be a frequent flier, and I’ve taken several flights with him during his first 10 months on the planet.
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It was a daunting prospect – I’ve no doubt earned some serious negative karma for my own pointed glances at parents of screaming infants over the years – but in the end it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I’d anticipated.
We first flew from London to Rome as a family last June, when Oliver was two months old, and then at nine months made the 11-hour flight (and 17-hour door-to-door journey) to Los Angeles. He’s crossed the pond two other times with just his mum. And somehow, everyone has made it through.
We may have left a trail of trash in our wake, crescents of cracker dust on taxi floors and molehills of ripped up sick bags and in-flight magazines on airplane chairs, but we made it from A to B just about intact.
I learnt a lot as Oliver racked up his first 15,000 air miles.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable You can bring as many toys as you like but nothing is as interesting as a plastic bottle or the straps of a lifejacket under your seat. Stranger’s noses and ears just have to be pulled and prodded at regular intervals. He'll probably be sick just as the food service comes. Changing a writhing baby sideways in a plane toilet is akin to wrestling a jellyfish and made all the harder with knocks on the door, seatbelt dings, and the fact you can’t really stand up straight.
Changing a writhing baby sideways in a plane toilet is akin to wrestling a jellyfish
In our case, traveling when he was under six months old was much easier, as he napped in our laps much of the way. From then on it got a lot more lively. By the time he was crawling, he was heading for the exits at the front, middle and rear of the plane at the first opportunity.
We created playpens from cushions, bags and legs but he was halfway down the aisle in the time it took us to pour a G&T. We tried the sky cot, but you’d think we were laying him on hot coals. Eventually I carried him in a sling to the back of the plane and stood swaying and one-handedly reading through magazines as I counted down the minutes to landing.
Perhaps the most crucial thing I learnt, though, is that I was much less mortified by his noises on behalf of other passengers than I thought I’d be. People seemed relatively relaxed about his presence, and he was usually one of several babies on board.
Generally, the crews were helpful and we found facilities and people happy to help at most points on our journeys.
By following a few basic tips you can make that first flight with a baby a little less stressful.
Choose your airline carefully
Airlines offer a host of things to make the experience easier, from bassinets or sky cots to baby meals, infant baggage allowance and — in the case of Etihad and Gulf Air — even a sky nanny. Check around before you book.
Pick your seats wisely
A window seat offers more privacy for breastfeeding but the aisle has easier access to bathrooms. The bulkhead seats offer invaluable crawling space and brackets for the bassinet and can usually be reserved if you check in early enough.
If both parents are flying, cross your fingers and pray to the Gods for a row of three to yourselves. We had a bulkhead row of three just for us returning from Los Angeles to London recently… until a man with a neck brace shuffled up at the last minute and plonked himself in the spare seat.
Select a flight time that fits with your baby’s routine
If you’re flying anywhere further than a couple of hours, your baby’s routine is about to go haywire. But for the outbound journey at least, you can harness their natural rhythms to lessen the blow.
For us, taking a 4 p.m. plane from London to LA tied in quite nicely. The first meal service was finished and lights went down by around 7 p.m., his usual bedtime back home. Which meant he slept for a good 38 minutes of the 11 hour flight.
Pack this stuff
Nappies (diapers), wet wipes, favourite toys, books and food are a given. In both the U.S. and the UK, breast milk and formula and some other liquids are permitted in hand luggage. Airlines often offer some, and in the UK you can order food to pick up at the gate from Boots, but it's easier to take your own.
Beyond that, at least one change of clothes for the baby (and parents), a blanket, some travel-sized baby medicine, baby-friendly apps if you’re pro-screens, a pacifier and anti-bacterial wipes will all come in handy, as will a sling or baby carrier. I’ve spent hours over the Atlantic with the flight attendants at the back, trying to jiggle my son to sleep.
Choosing your seats wisely will make for a more comfortable journey. Credit: RyanJLane/Getty Images You'll probably want a buggy and a car seat, but they'll usually only make it as far as the gate. Check whether you'll get them back as you disembark, or at the carousel area. Sky mattresses, meanwhile, are designed to snugly hold a baby on a lap. (We have one, unused, at home.)
Oh, and a passport — for them — will come in handy.
Get to the airport early
Everything will take longer with a baby.
While you might get lucky and get ushered past the odd line along the way, any gained time will trickle away as you pack up bags, shoes, iPads, baby foods and the stroller chassis into a million plastic trays at security.
Find the soft play area
From Dallas-Fort Worth to Minneapolis St Paul and Heathrow most airports have a playground tucked away somewhere that might just tire the little ones out, if they're old enough to play.
There are usually nursing rooms and quiet areas separate from the chaos of the communal areas.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Board first
Normally, I’d let everyone else queue up to grab their seat and stroll on last, minimising time spent stuck on the plane and shuffling down corridors, but this is one time you want to get on first.
Get your bags in a locker by your seat, grab all the bits you need for the first hour of the flight and generally get the baby settled before take-off.
Make sure they’re sucking on takeoff and landing
Nursing, a bottle or a pacifier can help with the ear popping sensation.
Try and leave time after the flight to get over jetlag
Our UK-U.S. flights took us over eight time zones, and it took several days at each end to re-establish sleeping patterns. Babies will take even longer to adjust if you're crossing the globe horizontally, so try and keep the diary clear for some time after the flight if you can.
Be considerate
Most people don’t mind babies on planes, per se, but sometimes have issues with their parents.
If you entertain your own child, keep them off other people’s laps / food trays / faces, apologise if they yank someone’s hair or vomit on their shoes, try and minimise freakouts with food, cuddles or trips up and down the aisle, you’ll probably get on with your fellow passengers just fine. They might even offer a smile.
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