10 Things You Need To Know For Baby’s First Flight

Heartiest congratulations for finally travelling with your bundle of joy! It’s such a big milestone for you and your baby to celebrate. We travelled to Singapore with our seven months old baby and it turned out to be one of the best trips we’ve ever taken! Travelling with a baby is not a walk in the park but if planned well, it could be easy peasy lemon squeezy! I remember how nervous I was before the trip but with right information, you can brave the skies! So, look no further, I’ve got you covered.

1. Call your airline and hotel to inquire about how baby friendly they are

You’d need to ask your airline if they’ve a bassinet for the baby. Generally, all the international airlines have the bassinets and it’s for first come first served basis. We had a connecting flight, a domestic flight followed by international. Since the domestic flight was for 30 minutes so bassinet wasn’t an issue. In Singapore airlines we were given special precedence and of course a bassinet for the baby.

2. You can check in the stroller for free in addition to the diaper bag and your regular check-in bag

You have to check in the stroller and can take it till you board the plane and thereafter it could be handed over to the airline staff on the aero bridge right outside the plane, in addition cabin crew needs to be informed. Once you reach your destination and deplane, you’ll get it from one of the airport rooms. You can ask the airline information desk. Please note that it won’t come with the baggage on the belt.

3. Nurse the baby during take-off and landing

Yes, it’s said that you’ve to nurse the baby during take off and landing but dear mamas please don’t stress if your baby refuses to, just relax and enjoy the journey with your baby. They can get fussy and cranky so you can’t really do much about it, might as well smile, laugh and make memories because your baby can sense your tension with in turn can make him cry, causing you more stress. You may give them pacifier to suck on.

4. Make sure you’ve extra diapers and set of clothes

This goes without saying that a spare set of clothes both for baby and the mother is required. You can’t predict how your baby will respond to this new change of environment and there might be spit-ups and the baby might poop more than usual because of the change in routine so it’s better to be prepared.

5. Keep your baby’s meals handy

Since my baby is fond of bananas so I packed a few bananas, an airtight transparent bowl and a spoon. I mashed it and gave it to her in the flight when she was hungry. I also scooped a spoon of cerelac in another bowl and just had to add water when it was her meal time. I also had put the formula milk in the bottles itself. It was all fuss free and I didn’t have to fish out for stuff, open the packets etc. Just added the water and it worked great.

6. Don’t forget to pack the first-aid kit for the baby

You can consult your paediatrician for the basic medicines. I carried paracetamol, nasal drops and a syrup for stomach infection. Also, carry diaper rash cream in surplus because baby might get rash due to long travel. Make sure to change the diaper more often and keep the area dry. I always use Sebamed rash cream and it works like magic.

7. Carrying baby formula and solid food.

You can carry it in the checked-in baggage and diaper bag, divide it equally. If you’re travelling in India then there’s no issue but do cater for it if you’re travelling internationally else you’d spend unnecessary dollars for the same and you might not get the same brand that you’re baby is used to eating. Fresh fruits can be bought from the supermarkets there.

8. Documents to carry

Baby’s birth certificate, Aadhaar card, passport, (passport sized photo) for just in case and photocopies of the mentioned documents. Also, keep digital copies of the same on your phone. Please keep hard copies as some airlines might create ruckus if you don’t have them although it’s unlikely but you wouldn’t want to take a chance. I heard how someone had to face such an issue so better to be safe than sorry.

9. Make sure there’s a Bassinet on the flight

This’s something I can’t emphasise enough about, your baby needs to sleep and lie down so bassinet comes handy. You’ve to ask the airline about it while booking the tickets. We travelled in Singapore airlines and it did have the bassinet which proved to be quite useful.

10. Most importantly, stay calm

Last but not the least, stay calm and make memories with your beautiful baby. Things might go a little crazy but take a deep breath and remember your little one is banking on you, catching your energy and absorbing it in. Forget the world and enjoy, if you get stuck anywhere just ask for assistance and people will be glad to help.

Pro Tips:

1. If feasible, try to book the tickets as per your baby’s schedule. If there’s a connecting flight, try giving a gap of a day as it’d be tiresome for you and your baby or make sure the gap is of long hours so that you’re well rested. In our case, we had to fly from Dibrugarh to Kolkata, and from there to Singapore. We reached Kolkata before noon and international flight was around midnight so we were quite comfortable.

2. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when you’re with a baby. Mostly, the ground staff and the air crew themselves come forward giving you the precedence but it doesn’t hurt to be vocal about it.

3. You can carry water with you for the baby’s meal. I carried warm and normal temperature water in the flasks of 500 ml each. We were asked to empty the bottles but were allowed when we told it’s for the baby. You’ve to be clear that it’s an essential.

4. Pack baby’s clothes in a transparent packet day wise, make outfits for each day or multiple times in a day as they’ll soil them. You can put the dirty clothes in the same packet later and keep it aside. This way, you won’t be hassled by what to make your baby wear and how to plan your day.

To all the new parents, book that ticket, hop on a plane, or go on a road trip, whatever floats your boat and make memories for a lifetime with your cutie patootie. Life is too short to be giving excuses to yourself, trust me it’s way easier than what we keep imagining in our heads.

Let me know if you’ve any questions related to it, I’d be happy to help.

Love,

Navneet

Glam Adventuress