Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Advice required - Is there a minimum age that a baby can travel on a plane?

27 replies

Micku5 · 14/03/2006 11:57

Hi,
I am due to have a baby beginning of August and as a belated birthday present I am hoping to go and visit my parents abroad in September. (Dad is paying)
But DH says is not safe for a baby under 6 months to travel. (Have no idea where he got this idea from) and is very reluctant to let me go with such a young baby.
Does anyone know if there is a age minimum for babies to travel?
TIA

OP posts:

Feistybird · 14/03/2006 12:02

I went to Italy on holiday with DD at 5 months and have a friend who took her 3month DD to the US.

There were some reports a way back suggesting that taking a baby on a plane before 6 months heightened the chance of cot death, but these were disproved IIFC.

moondog · 14/03/2006 12:06

Mick,mine trevelled a lot before 6 months.
My ds must have taken about 16 planes by this stage,and his first flight was at about 7 weeks.
If you feel up to it,rhen go ahead.
Where are you going btw?

SoupDragon · 14/03/2006 12:07

No. Except it depends on how quickly you can get your baby a passport!!

I'm taking DD to spain shortly when she'll be 8 weeks old.

matnanplus · 14/03/2006 12:09

I have accopanied 2 babies on long haul flights to USA both were 7-8 weeks old, and both were accomplished travellers by 6 months.

Each airline has it's own quirks, best check with them.

iota · 14/03/2006 12:09

Isn't the air quality on a plane very poor on budget flights ( all to do with fuel saving) ? I didn't take mine on a plane before a year old

matnanplus · 14/03/2006 12:10

accompanied even

Original poster

Micku5 · 14/03/2006 12:12

Thanks for all your replies.

Moondog, my parents are in the Seychelles. We went when dd was 9 months old, but we went in April and it was too hot and humid. So we couldn't do much. This time i am hoping to go in September when it's a lot cooler.

OP posts:

iota · 14/03/2006 12:17

\link{http://www.house.gov/transportation/aviation/06-05-03/06-05-03memo.html\ info here}

Bugsy2 · 14/03/2006 12:42

Took both mine on short haul flights before they were 6 months old. DD was only 9 weeks old when she first flew. Ridiculous passport photo too!

LIZS · 14/03/2006 12:49

Some say 2 weeks but could be different for each airline, whetehr short or long haul and if the baby is premature or you have a c-section. We flew with dd at 10 weeks but be warned they can pick up all sorts of illnesses by being in such a restricted environment.

Original poster

Micku5 · 14/03/2006 12:49

If all goes well.. the baby should be 6/7 weeks old. It will be difficult with a newborn and a 3 yr old but it will be a chance for my parents (esp Dad) to see their grandchildren.

I have a few months to work on DH

OP posts:

Original poster

Micku5 · 14/03/2006 12:51

You raise a very good point LIZS. I will be having an elective 4 weeks earlier then my EDD so it will have to be after the 6 week safe period... and after the doctors ok.

OP posts:

jammydodger · 14/03/2006 12:53

we took our 2 week old ds to Australia, and by the time he was one he'd been on about 14 flights. I did check re age limit and it was one week old for Singapore Airlines. Quantas didn't know (!!)...so best to ring and check. I remember checking with our GP aswell beforehand who reckoned it wasn't a problem to fly with a week old baby. We all survived! Don't worry, it'll be fine..

grannygoose · 14/03/2006 13:25

We took our ds on a long haul flight at 8 weeks (South Africa). We had absolutely no bother at all.

He is breastfed, and so that made it really easy - He also had his first injections a week early - no problems there.

I would personally recommend a day flight as opposed to an overnight flight - time went so quickly I didnt even get to watch a movie. Also hound the airline until they confirm a reservation for a sky cot (bassinet).

I think there are a couple of old threads about air travel somewhere on mumsnet, which had useful advice about passports, etc (in fact, getting the passport photo right was the worst part of the whole experience).

Best of luck convincing your DH - we had a wonderful time.

swedishmum · 15/03/2006 00:54

Dd went to New York at 5 weeks with the doctor's and HV's blessing. It was so easy!

threebob · 15/03/2006 00:59

Your elective cs a month early - is there a reason behind this that could make travel with your baby medically risky?

ghosty · 15/03/2006 01:00

My friend took her 5 week old from NZ to the UK ...

BudaBabe · 15/03/2006 06:47

Moved from Dublin to Bulgaria when DS was 7 weeks.
No problems.

He has been on more planes than buses!

Hayls · 15/03/2006 08:17

I looked intot this for dd. I don't know if it;s the same for all airlines but Easyjet don't allow premature babies to travel until they are 6 months old. Their definition of premature is 3 weeks early...

Original poster

Micku5 · 15/03/2006 09:40

Threebob, I had complications with dd which resulted in an emergency c-section and because she was stuck I had to have an inverted T cut section.

The consultant advised that the next baby i have will have to be delivered at 36 weeks by c-section. I have my first ante natal appt next week at the hopsital so will see if that advice will change or not.

At least it's reassurring to know that young babies have travelled abroad before and there are no problems. I'll just have to wait and see how things progress..... if need be I can always go at Xmas time.

OP posts:

zippitippitoes · 15/03/2006 09:46

I was looking at flights yesterday and did notice one said no babies under 6 weeks, but not relevant to me so I can't remember which airline it was..so worth checking individual airlines..I think that the scheduled airlines are usually less rule bound than charters and low cost but maybe wrong! I don't think you can book an unborn child's flight so you will have a better idea by then.

Good luck

tiredemma · 15/03/2006 09:49

its 2 weeks with most charter airlines.

i flew with thomas cook when ds2 was 3 weeks old.

Emma1404 · 15/03/2006 09:51

i used to work at a maternity hospital on the post natal ward, and there were foreign ladies who had given birth and then was checked over by the paed, and given the all clear to go home (abroad) so i dont think there is any age limit.

jammydodger · 15/03/2006 14:57

you can book an unborn child's ticket, they just put "infant your-surname" and then you ring and confirm the details when he/she is born. At least, that's what happened with us.

ghosty · 15/03/2006 23:37

Mickiu ... the baby who travelled from NZ to the UK at 5 weeks (see my earlier post) was born 2 weeks early by elective caesar ... so really she would have been 3 weeks old if she had been on time IYSWIM?

Flip

1 2