Re:When can I fly with my baby?
Traveling with young babies is difficult because it throws off their schedule and you must have formula and diapers available to change their diaper in the airport or even on the plane.
You can travel with a baby as young as two weeks old and perhaps younger, once the risk of jaundice and other neonatal diseases (such as neonatal sepsis) has past.
Depending on the airline, you may need to have an approved car seat for the baby to sit in during landing and take off. Not all airlines have this provision and you may be able to just hold your baby on the plane. Long plane flights may mean you change your baby on the floor of the plane or on the tray in front of you. The tray in front of you is less likely to have germs on it.
You need to know that airplanes are harbingers of many viruses and bacteria. Your baby may get sick on the plane from exposure to the illnesses of all the other people on the plane. Your baby may be fussy on the plane because of the changes in air pressure that causes changes in the pressure behind the ear drum.
The baby has a poorer ability to “pop” its ears than adults do and they especially can feel ear pain on the descent of the plane. Allow your baby to suck on something during the descent which improves the ability of the ear drums to pop on the way down.
Still, expect some fussiness. Remember that US airlines do not allow liquids through security, although baby formula is an exception. To avoid the hassle, however, you can pack solid formula and buy bottles of water on the other side of security to mix the formula as you need it.
Breastfeeding on the plane is a tight fit but can be done if you’re not embarrassed to do so in public.
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