Anyone flown long-haul with a newborn?!

[mexmum]

I'm after some advice from anyone with experience of travelling long-haul with a 4-6 week old baby!

I am currently living in mexico city (although I'm English but here with DH's job) and our first baby is due towards the end of July. We need to fly home to the UK for my sister's wedding 4-6 weeks after the birth (it's a 10 hr direct flight- I know I think we may be insane) and I was wondering if anyone has any travelling tips as to what to take with me/ what I should bring on the plane etc. I plan to breast-feed so that makes things a little easier I guess?

I want to check in the Bugaboo which I think should be ok (we are flying BA economy), but should I bring the car seat with me on the plane?

I feel a bit lost as to what to expect since this is my first baby so any advice from experienced travelling Mums would be SO appreciated!

Thanks x

You won't have anywhere to put the car seat unless you buy an extra seat. If you can prebook a bulkhead seat with a skycot/seat fro baby that might be best. You'll have to eb quick with registering the birth and gettign a passport. both you also have to consider that you simply may not feel up to it or want to expose your newborn to the recirculated air and germs.

Haven't flown long haul, but have done a 5 hour flight with a 3 mo. IMO the younger the better. Breat feeding is a definate plus as no bottles etc to worry about.
Some airlines vary as to whether you can take the pram on board, but put the car seat in with the baggage.

The only problem you will have is if you get stressed if the baby cries (other passengers can be EXTREMELY intolerant and will throw you dirty looks if the baby so much as squeaks).

Hopefully your baby will still be at that sleepy stage and not cause you too many problems.
Good Luck

P.S ask for a seat with a bassinet - you may have to book

I've flown a lot with newborns. Pretty easy if breastfed. Yes, ask for a seat at the bulkhead so you can have a cot.

I flew pretty early with my LO, defo get a bulk head seat. They will give you a sky cot. Not sure about your bugaboo isnt there a rule about only taking buggies that fold down completely and in one piece thought you had to take the bugaboo seat off? Dont bother with your car seat borrow one when you arrive or ask your car hire company to provide one.

In terms of what to take, your boobs! Also a spare t-shirt for yourself and DH not nice when the babe voms 20 mins into a 10hr flight. We took masses of muslins with us great for mopping up, using to protect your modesty if nervous about feeding. Also for laying over the sky cot to make the sleeping atmosphere for the baby tranquil also a muslin for putting on bottom of sky cot. I would also thourghley recommend a sling as it makes it easier to calm the baby down if you have to walk around a bit.

The main thing if your baby is fractious and a little shouty just ignore everyone else on the plane you will never have to see them again so so what if your baby cries.

Good luck.

Good luck.

oops a double good luck there.

Hi ! I used to live in Mexico City, and my boys were born there. We used to live in Polanco.

I didn´t travel with them when they were that small, only when they were a bit bigger (3 months).

Only take the car seat if you have booked a seat for your baby (you probably won´t have done that), otherwise you´ll need to check it in anyway, and it´s just extra luggage.

Make sure you reserve (double check this with them) a baby cot with them. You will get the seat in the first row, which has fold out tables. On these tables they put a sort of car seat-ish cot (not sure how to explain it, when we flew from DF to LOndon with BA we had a bouncy-seat on top of table construction).

You cannot bring your own travel cot or car seat, you are only allowed to use the BA one (for safety reasons)

At that age, your DC will probably just sleep through it all. Try to feed during the landing to avoid earache.

BA stewards are lovely with parents traveling with babies, had very nice experience with them.

Good luck!

I travelled with 2 of my babies when they were 2 weeks old and its the easiest time! I would suggest using a sling/baby bjorn and check in the carseat and buggy though I have taken both the car seat and buggy into the hold and they stored them for me but with much eyebrow raising. Make sure you book a skycot and if possible ask for bulkhead seats, some skycots can be attached to the overhead comparments. Breastfeeding makes it so easy, tiny ones are much easier than 1 year olds, they normally just sleep a lot.

I agree on the spare t-shirt, leaky boobs can make it a bit embarassing sometimes

Have fun.

The worst thing's the passport. You need a shot of baby with eyes open looking straight at the camera. The consular staff have no discretion to accept a photo that doesn't meet the criteria - it just depends on whether their scanner accepts it or not. V.difficult at 1 month old.

I did 17 hours with ds at 7 weeks. It was fine, he bf all the way.

Actually bigshopper, if your baby is under 1 he/she does not have to have eyes open. Ds doesn't in his picture.

ib is right, both my elder two had passport photos taken at a day old, eyes closed, both accepted no problem.

It's a new rule introduced in 2006, so if yours are older than that it didn't apply. It was only a problem for my ds3 - I didn't get an acceptable picture until he was 3 months. It's because all passports are now biometric.

We were getting ds' passport in 07. This is from the biometric photo standards document:

Children
Photographs for children aged six and over must meet the full standards set out in this guide.
Photographs of children five years and under must show a clear image that is a true likeness of the child. As young children can be difficult to photograph, children aged five and under do not need to have a neutral expression or to look directly at the camera, but they must face forward.
In addition to the exceptions above, babies under one year old do not need to have their eyes open (however it is preferable for eyes to remain open). All other standards must be met. If the baby?s head needs to be supported, it is important that your supporting hand cannot be seen.
If you have real difficulty in meeting these conditions, you should visit a photographic studio rather than a photo booth.

Interestingly, ds2 who got his passport in July 07 has his eyes open (by chance as he was 2 months at the time!) and his is not a biometric passport, at least it doesn't have the camera image thingy on it that dh's has...

Hi mexmum

Our little DD has flown loads from 10 weeks old! The littler they are the easier esp if you are bf.

My advice is to speak to customer services and ask them to allocate bulkhead seat prior to when the on-line booking opens. Dob't do it too soon though as the plane that will be used might change and may have different seat numbers. Check in on-line, but make absolutely sure it is a bulkhead. They have sky cots for all bulkhead seats and the cot is essential for a comfortable flight. Just be ware though that if the seatbelt lights come on during the flight you will have to take baby out of cot onto your lap with a baby seat belt - a real pain. Virgin use cots where you don't have to do this. Also be aware that BA has the worst reputation for losing luggage (usually a combo of Heathrow and BA - so you will probably be ok). We have spent 17 days in a foreign country without luggage having flown Club Class with BA and again a week without luggage a few months ago. So put essentials in your hand luggage if you can. Also this is why I suggest trying to get bulkhead seat allocated prior to arriving at airport. If they won't do it, you will have to check in as early as possible as they get allocated on a first come first serve basis and then there is a greater risk of your luggage not travelling with you.

Happy travelling.

Thanks all of you! Lots of v helpful advice- especially re muslins and clean t shirts!!

I have tried to reserve a bulkhead seat with BA but have been told they are allocated at check in on first come first served basis- how unhelpful! Did anyone manage to get past this rule as it seems that without the bulkhead we will be in trouble!!

Thanks again- feeling more calm about the journey now... just need to get through the labour!!!

Yes, managed it twice, once with BA (but we flew club class) and we did it too soon and the plane used changed with different seat nos - we were only able to change seats once onboard, which was not a problem. The other time, it was with Virgin in Cape Town. I had to phone client service just prior to the on-line booking opening. All other times, we had the same story as you. Fortunately only once we did not get it but the plane was not full and we were given the four middle seats, so DD had a comfortable sleep stretched across two seats.

Also, just wanted to say - never have we had dirty looks, only sympathetic ones when DD was crying. I have found other passengers to be very helpful and often more so that crew, particularly when getting on and off plane. Definitely have a sling to carry baby, because you will more than likely have a long walk after disembarking and more than likely your buggy will be on the carousel.

And if your newborn does cry a lot (like DD1 did flying to SF) and some grumpy old couple start complaining the lovely cabin crew might ask you if you would prefer to be seated somewhere more comfortable... ie 1ST CLASS!!!

Take loads of breast pads too - something about the pressure must make you leak more than normal!