Travel With a Newborn – We’re going to give the good news to you straight: it’s perfectly safe to travel with your newborns.
Don’t believe the people who are telling you that your travel dreams should be put on hold because of your newborn.
In truth, that doesn’t have to be the case for as long as you have a perfectly healthy infant.
How soon can you travel with a newborn, though?
If your baby is born healthy and strong, then you shouldn’t have to wait too long to take the little one along with you.
Some parents travel with children as young as three months, while others wait a bit longer.
However, all these depend on certain factors concerning the child’s health as well as the method of travel.
There are three methods of travel—by train, car, and plane—but today, we’ll be explaining how soon you can fly with your babies after they’re born.
How Soon Can You Travel With a Newborn by Plane
The safest option is to wait until your baby has developed a stronger immune system before taking them on a plane.
For full-term infants, this could be as early as one month, although many doctors would recommend that you wait until three months.
Now, it’s a completely different story for children who are premature.
These babies could experience breathing problems due to the lower pressure of the airplane cabin.
If your child happens to be premature, you’ll want to discuss the matter with his or her pediatrician before making a decision.
Airline policies on traveling with infants differ.
There’s an airline that requires an infant to be at least a week old before he or she can fly.
These airlines will only clear newborns who are less than a week old for flying with the permission of their doctor.
The youngest that some airlines are known to accept is three days old.
Some airline companies are adamant that no child under a week should be admitted on board regardless of the circumstances.
They apply the same stringent policy for newborns in incubators.
Traveling with a baby on board can be distressing because you never quite know what to decide.
In any situation, you’ll always want to talk to your child’s physician first.
Do Babies Need a Passport to Travel
What to Keep in Mind When Flying With a Newborn
Flying with your baby can be a huge challenge for both you and your baby.
Even your fellow passengers can get nervous about observing the situation.
However, you should be able to handle the situation just fine with the help of a few tips.
Some advance preparation is all everyone needs to ease the stress of flying with a newborn.
Prepare the Necessary Travel Documents
We’re talking about your child’s passport and birth certificate, the former of which is necessary when you’re traveling outside of the country.
The birth certificate also tells the airline that your newborn is young enough to travel.
Passports typically require a birth certificate—a document that isn’t given a day after your child is born.
During the processing of your child’s certificate, busy yourself with other matters like taking their photos and filling out the passport application form.
Once you receive your newborn’s birth certificate, head to the nearest office that processes passport applications.
You can even pay extra if you wish to expedite your child’s application.
Book Early
The sooner you make reservations, the better.
Plus, if you really need to travel with your child, then be willing to dish out a bit more cash.
What makes traveling with newborns tricky is their unpredictability.
As much as possible, you need to figure out their bedtimes and nap times quickly and reserve flights that take place when they are more than likely to have their rest.
Pack Wisely
Packing for newborns can sometimes be a nightmare because you’re always questioning everything.
Am I bringing everything that my baby needs? Am I bringing too much?
These are usually the two questions going through your mind.
What you want to make sure of is not to pack too much.
It’s not necessary to pack a million diapers; you just have to bring a couple situated at the topmost portion of your travel bag so that they’re easy enough to grab when you need them.
As for those essential baby equipment, it won’t be necessary to pack them either.
You can just do some research on your destination to find out where you can rent these items.
Always Bring the Must-Haves
There are three things that keep you sane when traveling with your baby: diapers, food, and wipes.
Lightweight cotton blankets are also very useful because they can serve as a nursing cover or a blanket for your baby to lay on.
Keep Your Newborns Hydrated
Newborns are always hungry.
They can also easily get dehydrated because of the plane cabin’s dry atmosphere, so make sure to give them what they need at all times.
If you’re a breastfeeding mother, it’s important to keep yourself hydrated, as well.
If you’re pumping, then you’re going to want to pump a bit more so that you’re prepared for any scenario.
You don’t have to worry about the TSA getting on your case with this one because their policy concerning liquids doesn’t apply to juice, breastmilk, and formula.
You just need to make sure that your baby bottles are filled with liquids.
Some of the other important stuff to pack for hydration are liquid teethers, baby food, and freeze packs.
Board Wisely
Strategic boarding is of absolute importance when flying with your baby.
Sure, you should take advantage of early boarding, but that doesn’t mean you should board your child right away.
If you can request for help, send someone ahead to load the diaper bags, prepare the seats, and arrange for swaps if needed.
You’ll also want to board last to steer clear of the stampede.
Feed During Takeoff
Babies usually fare better when you feed them during takeoff.
As such, it would be an excellent idea for parents to synchronize the plane’s takeoff time with their newborn’s feeding time.
If you just can’t make it happen, then have your little one suck on a pacifier during takeoff if possible.
Be Friendly With the Flight Attendants
This goes without saying that you should be friendly to anyone.
As a traveler, you typically have a better perspective of what’s going on in the world and know that acts of kindness have the potential to change someone’s life.
Being friends with flight attendants is especially important when you have a baby on board.
We know you can’t be in a good mood all the time but, this time, do it for your little one.
A flight attendant can make flying with a baby either so much easier or a lot harder for you—you choose.
Greet them with a smile and always be friendly because they are capable of helping you out in so many ways.
Ask for Help With Your Bags
Traveling with a baby means you’ll have to handle matters that are so much more important than your bags.
With the standard tip of a dollar per bag, let someone else handle your luggage.
You’re also going to be busy calling the airline ahead of time for confirmation on their different rules and policies for flying with a newborn.
Pro tip: Strollers also function as luggage carriers, so if you’re bringing one with you, use it to its fullest advantage by piling it with some items along the way.
You Can Never Have Enough Wipes
It’s official; baby wipes are your best friend.
Short of changing your newborn’s diapers, there is nothing these magical towelettes can’t do.
Baby wipes can come in handy in any travel situation involving your babies.
Case in point: they allow you to engage in some quick and efficient cleaning of your baby’s mess.
Apologize
Your babies are going to cry; there’s really no way around it.
When they do, however, make sure to say sorry to your fellow passengers for it.
Being genuinely sorry for the situation means that instead of getting hostility from your fellow passengers, you’re given sympathetic nods of understanding.
Traveling With a Newborn
Jetting off around the world brings so much love and beauty into your life that you can’t wait to bring the same experience to your child.
As such, you’re itching to find the answer to “how soon can you travel with a newborn”.
When it comes to traveling with newborns, it’s usually the flying that has most parents concerned.
Making sure that your child has a fully-developed immune system and has been cleared by his or her doctor for a particular method of travel is of paramount importance.
You’ll also want to apply some essential tips on flying with babies to get a better handle on the situation and ease the stress everyone is going through.