Fying with a newborn???

[becks5109]

What's the youngest age any of you have taken a baby on a long haul flight? Is there a minimum age restriction? Just wondering as not due till January but want to go and visit my parents in South Africa at the beginning of March.

Depends on the airline. Some say 4 weeks; others 6; others 8.

You should be ok with March.

gosh

nobody ever says this, but cancel the flight is will be a sodding nightmare with such a tiny baby, nobody will tell you but it's true. tiny babies are not as flexible as you would think,.

I haven't booked anything yet but am not worried about it being a nightmare - I have a 2 year old and have travlled frequently with her to SA, even on my own with her sometimes! Think I might drop BA a line some time to see if they have a recommendation. Thanks everyone for the replies though.

I haven't booked anything yet but am not worried about it being a nightmare - I have a 2 year old and have travlled frequently with her to SA, even on my own with her sometimes! Think I might drop BA a line some time to see if they have a recommendation. Thanks everyone for the replies though.

Oh, ask about buying tix before baby is born, too. I think sometimes they want name and date of birth ...

Who was it who was planning to fly with their newborn to Spain aged about 2 weeks, rushing passport etc through ? Think that was due to be about now and was wondering how she has got on .

LIZS, it was tweeni, she doesn't seem to have posted recently. Shame as I was dying to hear whether running about like a loon 4 hours after giving birth was a straightforward as she thought

One other thing, depending on where you live, is that it can take over two months to get an appointment to register the birth, and you can't apply for a baby passport until you have one. I've only just got all that sorted and ds was born in April. Most people I spoke to said flying with baby over three months old was okay though.

should have read 'you can't apply for a baby passport till you have the birth certificate.

In may we flew to Brazil and sat next to a mum with a tiny baby (about 8 weeks, can't remember exactly). No problems at all. Slept the whole night in the sky cot. My 2 year old was a LOT more hassle! Try and get a night flight and make sure you get the bulk head seat.

Can't comment on the administrative stuff though - my dd was born in Portugal but has a uk birth certificate and we had her passport very quickly (by six weeks easily, can't remember exactly (the funniest thing is her passport photo taken a 3 weeks old, awwww!)

Well, that passport with the tiny baby photo gets funnier as the tiny baby gets bigger. DS1's passport photo is him at something under 3 months. He looks like a bug or something. He could be anyone. It's ludicrous.

But it does make immigration folk laugh, every time we come through with a giant child and a picture of a bug.

ha ha just remembered his passport expires in January, we're visiting Canada in August, will we be refused entry?

not long haul, but i flew from dublin to the uk with dd2 when she was 3 days old

I think I saw something at our hospital saying you can now register the birth there instead of having to go to the town hall - mind you last time I managed to get an appointment fairly quickly but I had forgotten the fact that I'll have to get the new baby a passport so good job you all mentioned that

posted by NotQuiteCockney:
"He looks like a bug or something. He could be anyone. It's ludicrous.

But it does make immigration folk laugh, every time we come through with a giant child and a picture of a bug."

Same here!! Very funny!

These were the contenders for my ds' passport photo! He is still vaguely recognisable as the same child, but in another four years?!

Pah!
Did a 10hr flight with DD who was 2 weeks old. It was very simple, she was no more than additional hand luggage. She fed and she slept and that was that.
Plus sleep deprived mummy didn't get jet lag - if you are up every 3hrs day and night it doesn't matter does it! You can't get any more tired!

Passport was okay too, took her pics when she was 5 days old and did the express passport thingy.

took my baby abroad at 8wks was really worried mum kept reassuring that she would be fine she was right as usual, in fact suffered no ear popping cause i found out at later date that the younger they are the better because inner ear not as developed as an older baby. she slept from begining to end. good tip feed them during take off sucking motion helps them.

took my baby abroad at 8wks was really worried mum kept reassuring that she would be fine she was right as usual, in fact suffered no ear popping cause i found out at later date that the younger they are the better because inner ear not as developed as an older baby. she slept from begining to end. good tip feed them during take off sucking motion helps them.