Infant on the plane

Is it safe to fly with a newborn baby? With a little preparation and some good advice, flying with a newborn baby  does not have to be stressful. Flying with an infant just takes a little extra time and a little more patience then flying without one. Here is some advice on how to make flying with an infant easier:

  1. Ticket Selection
    When purchasing tickets, be sure that you get tickets for the first two seats in the isle way. This will make it easy to get to the bathroom if you should need to change the baby’s diaper. This will also make it easier to get into the overhead compartment to obtain any supplies that you may need to care for your baby. 
  2. Feeding Ritual
    If at all possible, try not to feed your baby too much before the flightNewborn infants are not as tolerant of motion as adults are and can develop motion sickness. By providing the newborn infant with a light meal plenty of time in advance of the flight, motion sickness can be avoided, making for a better trip for everyone involved. 
  3. Bag Check
    When checking in, make sure the baby bag is checked as a carry on itemIf necessary, do not fill the bottle until past security or while on the airplane if you intend on feeding the baby on the flight. By following the rules of air flight security, the additional stress of being stopped by security can be avoided. Be sure to check with your airliner about the rules and regulations regarding bottles on the airplane. 
  4. Take Off and Landing
    When the airplane is landing or taking off, be sure to provide the newborn infant something to suck on and something to swallowJust like adults, newborn infants must clear their ears due to the change in air pressure. Since they do not know to do this naturally, they must be encouraged to do this by having something to swallow. Most women will either nurse their babies or they will bottle feed their babies during these two moments,
  5. Diaper Change 
    If the newborn infant should have a bowel movement while in flight, it is courteous to immediately take the baby to the bathroom and change the diaper. The airplane is small and enclosed. This makes for a very uncomfortable plane ride if one should be riding with a dirty diaper.
  6. Fussy Baby
    Do not panic if the newborn infant should start to fuss. Simply attend to the baby immediately and do what you can to calm the infant down. People will understand that you have no control over the infant’s needs and crying is something that infants do. Toys and other items to distract the baby will help!
  7. Stay calm.
    This is the most important thing about flying with a newborn infant. The infant is going to pay attention to you. If you are nervous, than the infant will be nervous and begin to cry. If you are calm, then the infant will be calm and everyone will enjoy the flight.

Read More:

How to Entertain a Newborn Baby
How-to Guide for Newborns

 

 

 

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