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We will be flying with our baby in a few weeks - she'll be about 10 weeks old.
Have you taken a baby in a plane? How did they go?
Did their ears hurt? Did you try feeding them, or giving them a dummy, or anything else, to help them to equalize the pressure in their ears.
What else do I need to know? It's a short flight: Melbourne to Newcastle, but we will be making long ones later, in a few month's time.
Hi Tenar! I too would like to know the answers to your questions. We are flying Brisbane to Bali in August, and then a longer flight to LA in September.:
I've heard that feeding them on take off or giving them a dummy to use helps with the pressure in their ears. I'm concerned about how much formula etc we can take on the plane. I called the airline the other day about this and the lady there assured me I could take as much formula etc as I needed.
Oh I too am curious to see the responses to this one, I will be flying with bubs at 2wks old so am quite anxious about that, even though it is only an hour and 4omins it still concerns me.
We went Sydney to Adelaide when DS was about 5mths old. He did scream on take off and landing. I tried to bf him and it worked to some degreeon take off, but landing he SCREAMED! In between he was fine.
Later we flew Sydney to Hervey Bay. He was 7 1/2mths and he cried again, but not nearly so much as the first time, so I think his ears must have grown and matured so it didn't hurt so much. I fed him on take off an he was fine, landing he cried, but would feed and whinge, feed and whinge...for a while, then eventually fell asleep. Again he was ifne in between.
HTH :)
I flew with my DS2 a few weeks ago- to Cairns and back - all in 30 hours by myself
he was around 10 weeks old as well!
He flew like a dream
i just fed him on takeoff from melb and he fell asleep until about 15 mins b4 landing- he was fine for landing as well
on the way home we had a nite flight and he fell asleep on the tarmac in cairns b4 we had even taken off . I woke him half way through the flight as i had to pee- changed his nappy and he fell back to sleep again till we landed in melb!
I went jetstar on the way up and virgin on the way home
Virgin were heaps more baby friendly. They let me take him in the pram to the stairs of the plane and their staff were soo awesome as well. they even left a seat next to me free!
HTH and I actually found the whole experience really quite enjoyable
good luck and let us know how you go!
We are currently in the States, having flown here about 2 weeks ago, and heading home in about a week, so we just flew a LONG way with DS.
My first advice is: the younger the baby, the easier!! DS is crawling and will NOT stop moving, and he only slept for 3 out of the 14 hours of flying, so it was a challenge! We spent a lot of time passing him between us and walking up and down the aisle and sitting up the back of the plane by the toilets with some toys. We also got a bulkhead seat so that we had a bassinet- even if your LO doesn't want to sleep in there (like ours), it was a good spot to put him so he could look around and play and be off our laps.
We gave DS his dummy for take off and landing and he didn't have a problem. You can also try feeding them.
I took two of those formula "wheels" and some baggies of back-up formula in the right amounts, and a bottle of water. The hostesses would put hot water in our bottles when we asked, and then we would fill with cool water to make it the right temp. The also served DS a toddler meal, although they don't put it in the oven at the same time as everyone else- you have to ask and then it takes them like 20 minutes to heat it up, so ask well in advance if your LO is old enough to get a actual meal. DS didn't eat much of it- DH and I thought it was yummy and ate it for him!! I had plenty of snacks (arrowroots, jars of food, rusks etc) which worked quite well, although it is inevitable that you will get really messy! Don't wear nice clothes. You will be bending to the floor to pick up ten million things. I got some disposable bibs and plastic spoons at the reject shop which were good for feeding him, because I could just throw them out afterwards.
We were able to gate check our stroller with Qantas- you check it in at the desk like normal, but you take it with you and then they take it from you at the gate. You can board earlier than everyone else.
Hm, what else? Most people have been really nice and helpful. Its certainly a lot of work travelling with a baby, but very do-able. Although I would think again before travelling this far with a 1 year old!
Let me know if you have any other questions!
we've flown a bit with babies, the best thing to do is feed them on take off and landing. xavier has never once cried in a plane, he's usually asleep before we take off.
with a toddler, i packed some books and little toys and snacks to keep him occupied, and gave him a bottle on the way down. xavi loves flying though, he just watches us land out the window. no fear that kid
I agree, the younger the baby the easier it is...........most bubs under a few months should sleep & feed & you know they won't be trying to get up & walk away LOL.
Prob the only worry is their ears, but each will react different to the other...some will have trouble others won't. We lived in a remote part of WA for a while & didn't have much choice. DS had flown 10 times before he was even 1!!! The first time he was 5wks & was a dream, just drank & slept & lucky for us we've never had issues with his ears. We always offered a feed or dummy but if he didn't want them or was asleep already we just let it be & he was fine.
You can also massage around in circles just in front of their ears, that helps some too. Must say our most recent flight at almost 2 was a nightmare, he wanted to touch everything!!!
Also remember to keep bubs warm, it can be cold on the planes...a baby carrrier is great for keeping your arms free & you should be able to take all the formula you need.
as pp have said: travelling on plane is much easier when ur bub is small. we've travelled to adel when monsta was 4mths and overseas to/fro when he was 5mth&6mths.
* baby carriers r handy in the terminal but i wasnt allowed to use it in the plane
* the plane tends to get a bit chilly so bring blanket
* for international flights, request for bassinette when u book ur tickets. even if the baby doesnt sleep in it, its handy to have the extra room!
* toilets on plane r very hard to change bub, so plan to change bub just before u fly & as soon as u land if u can. it should b fine not changing bub for interstate flights until u landed
* dont rush urselves, babies can feel the stress. we made a big mistake rushing one time & baby wouldnt stop crying esp there were so many new faces!!
* bottles & dummies r helpful, if u bf thats even better
* baby supplies r exempt frm the liquid restriction. u can carry a carry-on bag for urself AND a nappybag in case u didnt know
sorry for repeating info which u may already know. alot of things r more relevant to international flights. PM me if u want more info, i'll try to help :)
Thanks everyone for all your responses - it's greatly appreciated! You've made me feel more at ease with flying with our DS! I will ask more questions as they come to mind, which (knowing me) is bound to happen! :)
Yes, thanks everyone for all the useful information.
I'll let you know how we go.
One thing I've done is ordered some baby earmuffs from a website. I always use earplugs on a plane, as I hate the constant noise, and I don't see why DD's fragile ears should be subjeced to that either. It remains to be seen whether they will work and be comfy for her, but we'll give it a go.
We're also gradually increasing time spent using the wrap carrier, so that I can carry her around the airport in that, assuming we'll have to check the pram first thing.
Anna, your DS and my DD share a birthday. Yay for Anzac Day babies :)
I have flown with my DS since he was 5 weeks old.. So i have flow with a
5week old
6 month old
12 month old
18 month old
2 year old and then
2 children.. so a two year old and a 5 week old.. ALONE.
Its really not that hard at all...
INTERNATIONAL
-call the airline prior to travel to insure they know your child will want a meal
-Qantas has formula, organic baby food, spoons bottle, bibs, wips.. panadol, change of clothes of most size babies, toys, snacks, rusks etc
-Bring snacks with you lots of little things
-They will give you whatever water on the plane.. so dont bring water as large amounts they wont alwasy let you thought security.. TOTALLY DEPENDS.. who you get at security
-Qantas had stollers so you dont need to take your own unless you need it for baby to sleep in etc. or dont have one at the other end.
DOMESTIC
These are only max 6 hours so easy flights,
Snacks
New toys
WRAP the toys in wrapping paper for toddlers.. THEY THINK ITS EXCITING A NEW PRESENT!!
you can feed taking off or dummy.. neither of mine have ever had ear troubles and between them they are 8 months and 2 have been on 19 flights.. so they are fine.
MOST IMPORTANT.. RELAX>. its only a flight. big deal. ask for help.. Give the hosts your baby to hold while you are eating etc.. or even soemoen sitting next to you.. NO BIG DEAL.. people are willing to assist!
Dont pack the kitchen sink. as you need to carry a child/children and your bag!
Wow, who would have thought. I'm impressed!:
my best baby-on-a-plane item was the sling. good for carrying around bubs when they take the pram (not all airlines are nice like virginbl). it also is good for lying on the ground at the waiting area so bubs can stretch out on their backs etc) and is great for a bit of extra warmth to wrap them up with on the cold flights.
also, qantas have little pillows and i highly recommend using one. great to prop your arm that is cradling the head on the arm rest, cause after awhile it can get a bit numb/sore.
how do I prepare formula on the plane? We are going to Europe so a 21 hr flight. Do I just take heaps of bottles as I can't sterilise?
Ooooh, this thread is very useful, our DS will be 6 months when we take our first flight - great advice everyone!!
I have never sterilised on the plane.. Some boiling water.. NO biggie... If you are overly concerned get a MILTON tablet and put it in the bottle to disinfect.
Prepare bottles on the plane, as you can take liquid but not that much, as they have water on the plane for drinking.
ok so they will give me the boiling water on the plane. so if need be a just wash and rinse the bottles with boiling water, correct?:
do they have microwaves or similar on the plane, that i can ask the hostess to heat up a bottle of water?
Hi, they don't have microwaves, we fly April from WA to Vic with a then 5 1/2 mth old. I'm BF but took bottle of formula with me in case. I did manage to bf once seated and, locked in as we were taking off, she slept a bit then woke screamed during the flight, settled gave hr bottle which the flight attendants just gave me a cup of boiling water to sit bottle in. She managed to fall back to slepp and slept through the whole landing. I do know though that the take off shouldn't affect their ears it's the pressure with the landing that does. I know for myself with a cold landing is awful on the ear drums.
I flew last week on my own with my 3 week old. I was concerned about his ears so began to feed as recommended before take off. We ended up sitting on the runway for 45 mins and his feed was finished by the time we actually took off. He did not flinch, slept the entire time. He was exactly the same on the way home. It was really quite easy.
I recommend if you have a pouch, use it. It frees up your hands. I also took a small suitcase with wheels on board, it didn't contain much - handbag, nappies, wipes and a blanket. Much easier than carrying a bag. Remember to take the blanket out, i didn't and didn't have the best feeding top on, was a little awkward.
No microwave on the plane.
Boiling water yes..for coffee tea etc,
It is quit easy.
Since I fly every 2-3 months from OZ to Canada.. 24 hours there.
I get boiling water in bottle and then cool it down with water from the tap. As if you wait till the water cools down.. baby is already really hungry etc.
I am not overly concerne with germs on the plane.not much you can do about it. the air is circulated back into the plane.. so germs are well everwhere as it is.
ITA with Didi- I found bottles on international flights very easy. I took my clean, empty bottles on board (so as to avoid the on-board fluid restrictions), and my little formula wheel. When Peter was hungry, we just went to the little kitchen bit and they would put some hot water in and some cool water in up to whatever level you need, so its just the right temperature. Put your formula in and you're good to go.
We had more problems with heating bottles on internal US flights- they wouldn't give us hot water due to safety restrictions, grr. They ended up putting hot water in a sick bag and then standing the bottle up in there to heat up!!!
I hope this makes sense, we just got back from the States this morning and I am soooo dead!