Any tips for traveling with a baby on a plane?

You asked and you shall now receive. It’s only fair for us to share all of this stored up knowledge about a baby and what happens once the baby is born until they are no longer called a baby but a toddler! We now will answer, in a very public forum, all of those burning questions about babies and those first 12 months. Each Tuesday, we will tackle a commonly-asked-question from the point of view of a new parent. Chiming in to give her feedback will be three women who have been there and done that: an expert (you know someone who does this for a living), a mom from our community (for the “best” friend advice you need) and a babybites’ team member (someone who will promise to give you the REAL deal and no fluff). Earmark, share and add your own input to today’s question; it’s good karma.

When is the first time I can take a baby on a plane? Any tips?

Expert: Dr. Gina Lamb – Amato

While there is no hard and fast rule about when you can take a baby on a plane its usually recommended unnecessary air travel during the first 2 to 4 weeks of life when your baby is still adjusting to life outside the uterus. Air travel exposes infants to lots of people and their microbes (germs) especially in recirculated cabin air. However newborns can travel if needed and usually are fine. The hardest part of traveling with an infant is the preparation more than the flight itself Infants can experience ear pain because fluctuations in cabin pressure can cause temporary changes in middle ear, which can be painful. Sucking helps equalize the pressure in ears. Therefore you should breast or bottle-feed your baby during the plane’s ascent and descent. When traveling with a baby its important to use a child safety seat that’s properly installed and secured in a seat next to yours. Most child safety seats are certified for air travel. American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a child is best protected on an airplane when properly restrained in a car safety seat appropriate for the age, weight and height of the child, meeting standards for aircraft until the child weighs more than 4o pounds and can use the aircraft seatbelt. You can also consider using a restraint made only for use on an airplane and approved by the FAA. Wash your hands frequently and bring hand sanitizer to prevent illnesses during travel. Consult your pediatrician before flying with a newborn or infant who has chronic heart or lung problems or with upper or lower respiratory symptoms or if flying within two weeks of an ear infection or ear surgery. Finally make sure you take enough baby supplies especially bottles if you are not breastfeeding.

Mom: Jen Dolce

My doctor in 2002 gave me a common answer of two months. My opinion is you can fly when you feel the newborn is able and ready. Ask yourself if your newborn is bottle feeding or nursing well and sleeping. If your newborn doesn’t have any health complications then the right time is according to yourself and your baby will adjust to the new surroundings.

babybites’ team: Laura Deutsch

Medically I’m not sure how old the baby needs to be so you should check with your pediatrician. But the younger the baby, the easier it is! All newborns do is sleep, eat, and poop, all of which are easily manageable on a plane. Once babies get older, then they start to have needs and wants and can be very difficult to keep still for so long. I’m sure you may worry about the possibility of your baby crying and not being able to make her/him stop. I heard the greatest piece of advice once – buy a few small, (inexpensive) boxes of chocolates to give to the people in your aisle when you first get on the plane as a preemptive gesture to get them to not hate you if your baby won’t stop crying!

About our team

Dr. Gina Lamb – Amato MD

Gina is a general pediatrician and developmental pediatrician who works at Village Pediatrics and Agho Medical practices both in Manhattan, NY. She has a masters in child therapy and works with a child psychologist Rosa Vasquez PhD performing office and home consultation for newborns and parents, office and home developmental assessments, school consultations and parent child playgroups where play and art along with baby massage and other techniques are used to help parents bond and support their child’s development. Formerly, Gina was the Director of Pediatric Special Medical Needs before she went into private practice where she cared for medically fragile infants and children. She is also a Early Intervention Pediatrician for Early Intervention which assesses and treats infants from age zero to 3 years. She has extensive experience in Early Head Start programs which work with infants from prenatal to 3 years of age. She is the mother of a beautiful daughter who is 3 years old and the joy of my life. Her husband is an artist, producer and owns Synchronicity Space, a non-profit arts organization that supports emerging artist in fine art and theatre. Finally, she is also an artist who paints mainly babies and children.

Jen Dolce

Jen is a mom of four girls, living in Windy City of Chicago.

Laura Deutsch

Laura Deutsch is the original founder and creator of babybites. Since first starting babybites in 2006 by handing out post cards to fellow moms on the streets of Manhattan, Laura has continued to use her business savvy, dedication and creativity to cultivate and grow babybites in its flagship city of Manhattan. Prior to founding babybites, Laura worked as a middle school math teacher at The Dwight School in Manhattan. Laura holds her BA from Binghamton University and her MA in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College. She currently resides in Summit, NJ, with her husband, Brian, daughter, Ava, and son, Jacob.