Flying with baby.

[TexasRanger]

I think we've got everything covered with our upcoming flight to the UK, but is there any crazy burocratic nonsense we might have forgotten to trip us up? Got the Thai passport for exit, got the uk one for entry.

Any tips greatly appreciated.

Cheers. TR

[Mario2008]

When travelling take a copy of the birth certificate with you.

As a family you can use the Thai national lines and in the UK the lines for UK-nationals, you don't have to go through seperate channels.

[TexasRanger]

When travelling take a copy of the birth certificate with you.

As a family you can use the Thai national lines and in the UK the lines for UK-nationals, you don't have to go through seperate channels.

Thanks for that advice. What's the birth certificate copy for? I hafe electronic copies, do I need a hard copy for something?

[Mario2008]

The BC is just for checking if you really are the parents. Just a copy will do. It will probably not asked for.

[transam]

Have a pint of real ale for me chum when you get there...........

[TexasRanger]

Have a pint of real ale for me chum when you get there...........

Consider it done.

[TexasRanger]

The BC is just for checking if you really are the parents. Just a copy will do. It will probably not asked for.

ok, great, thanks.

[TexasRanger]

I understand it is ok to take water for her milk as long as it is in the milk bottles, I guess Suvharnabhumi security are cool with this? Any recent first hand experience?

[Mario2008]

Water is provided by the airline. You can take mother milk with you and perhaps baby food. But the last could be arranged with the airline too.

[BestBitterPhuket]

Have a pint of real ale for me chum when you get there...........

Consider it done.

...traditional British ales, not the new American versions. Promise?

[eezergood]

I understand it is ok to take water for her milk as long as it is in the milk bottles, I guess Suvharnabhumi security are cool with this? Any recent first hand experience?

We took warm water in a flask, last week, no worries - didnt even check to be honest

[TexasRanger]

Have a pint of real ale for me chum when you get there...........

Consider it done.

...traditional British ales, not the new American versions. Promise?

Shocked you would ask to be honest; -) Edited June 18, 2014 by TexasRanger

[sanuk711]

"Tips for Flying with a Baby"-------TexasRanger

1/ Please locate as far away from me as is possible..........

Done all that - & really do not miss it--- but good luck with the trip.

[gazzasore]

Take your Babies Car safety seat and put it in the planes seat then Baby will be happy and sleep so your trip will be all smiles

You will have to put the seat belt through the baby seat as flight attendants are not allowd to

[lumply]

I really do hope that your nearby fellow pax have a relaxing flight, your baby as well of course.

[lumply]

I really do hope that your nearby fellow pax have a relaxing flight, your baby as well of course.

[stewsan]

During descent, and only slightly during ascent, we need to clear our ears and most do it without thinking by just swallowing or the valsalva method. (Pinching your nose while trying to blow out your nose and clearing your ears. Since babies can't do this, it creates incredible pain and can damage the ear drums. Not to mention bothering all the Pax within 30 rows. Sooooo, have a bottle to give just at top of descent, so the baby can swallow all the way down. I've been driving airplanes around the world for the past 30 years and can hear the little brats, I mean babies through the reinforced cockpit door. Use some common sense and hold off that final feeding until then. When will you know it's top of descent? As a rule of thumb, your top of drop is 30 minutes give or take a few minutes, before your actual ETA. So, 0930 arrival? stick that nipple in at 0900. Good luck and most places won't hassle your milk supply but I've been hassled for a nail clipper, go figure.

[Dublin]

2 weeks ago bringing the baby out of Thailand for the first time, BKK - MNL we were asked for the Birth certificate which we did not have, stupid us thinking the passport would be good enough. Anyway we were asked for more proof than the passport so i asked like what ?? he said pictures. no worries the misses's pulled out the pad showed him a load of pics no worries all good.

The mind Boggles anyway don't forget the passport, birth certificate and most importantly some pictures...

[Jim walker]

I noticed on some of the KLM flights that people with babies were sitting at the very front seats and people had hammock type beds fixed on the front bulkhead for the babies to sleep in looked like a good idea as they were all very quiet kids, have a great trip and enjoy the journey.

[smileplur]

I just flew back to the states with our son who had just turned one at the time. It's a bit longer for us, about 24 hours each way from Bangkok to Washington, DC and back. We had 2 layovers going, Tokyo and Chicago. We had 1 on the way back in Tokyo. He was booked as an infant without a seat which meant he was on our laps for the duration of the trip. It's not a very fun experience. Our son is very mild mannered, and he really didn't cry at all.

Make sure you call the airline and let them know your situation. Hopefully, you did this already. That should get you into bulkhead seats. On our segment from Bangkok to Tokyo, the entire bulkhead row was empty. So, we put the armrests up in the middle and positioned ourselves at either end. This enabled us to make a little bed for him. He slept the entire way. That was great. With the bulkhead seat, you may or may not get a bassinet. You need to request this as far ahead of time as you can. They are limited in numbers, and they are on a first-come, first-served basis. Check in early as well!

As for food, we brought plenty of powdered formula and empty bottles. You can obtain hot water from the airline crew. Not all airlines provide food for infants. If they do provide food, it may not be appropriate. Make sure you take your own.

Check with the airline about what kind of baggage allowance your child will get. We actually got a generous allowance that allowed us to bring back a quality car seat, a play pen, and more toys than he knows what to do with! Grandma in America made sure they were the noisiest, most annoying toys she could find. She calls it payback!

All in, it will be fine. I was pretty sore when I arrived in DC from carrying him around. We opted not to bring a stroller because we knew we would be bringing back the car seat. You have the option. Furthermore, he had a stroller in the states that my family bought for him at some sort of high-end second hand baby shop. These second-hand shops are becoming very popular, so you might check and see if there is one at your destination. We got a stroller and a high chair for our son for less that $40 which was a really good deal considering these items were name brand and barely used. It's a shame I couldn't bring them back with me. They will still be there if we go back anytime soon though.

Good luck with the flight!

[Thakkar]

Tip for traveling with a baby: wait till it's four years old.

T

[F4UCorsair]

Put him/her on the nipple at top of descent. Sucking helps with clearing the ears. If you don't the screaming will also do it, but is less comfortable for other pax.

[QualityTouristNumberOne]

get a good,sturdy car seat.

bolt it to the wing outside your window,

place baby in seat,

enjoy flight.

[TexasRanger]

Thanks for the advice. We already have bassinet seats and just came through passport control with just her thai passport.

Regarding that the check in girl said we should hide the uk passport or she will lose her thai one. Is this true? When we come back from uk will thai immigration not wonder why she has no stamp or visa in her Thai passport?

[Jaggg88]

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I noticed on some of the KLM flights that people with babies were sitting at the very front seats and people had hammock type beds fixed on the front bulkhead for the babies to sleep in looked like a good idea as they were all very quiet kids, have a great trip and enjoy the journey.

These are called Bassinet seats and have to be prebooked with the airline plus there is a weight limit for use which varies from airline to airline. Also when the seat belt sign comes on you have to take the baby out

[smileplur]

I certainly didn't hide my son's American passport when we left. I didn't flash it around either. I swapped them out on the plane. I did the same returning. No questions were asked. It was easy and smooth.

[metisdead]

A nonsensical troll post has been removed.

[Mario2008]

Thanks for the advice. We already have bassinet seats and just came through passport control with just her thai passport.

Regarding that the check in girl said we should hide the uk passport or she will lose her thai one. Is this true? When we come back from uk will thai immigration not wonder why she has no stamp or visa in her Thai passport?

No, that is not true. Your child has dual nationality by way of birth and in that case there is no problem with holding dual nationality.

[TexasRanger]

Thanks for all the sensible replies.

[Isaandon]

One very important thing is to protect your child's ears from pressure changes that cause pain and possible permanent ear damage. Not to mention a nice quiet flight for all. For your child's sake please see this site.

http://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/earplanes-reg-flight-ear-protection-plugs-for-children/1012588950

My daughter has been flying since see was six months old and never a problem...tried and true! You may be able to find them on another site, but for $3.99 to protect you child's ears is worth much more. I am not affiliated and have no interest in this company only your son or daughters ears. Have a nice flight!

Cheers,

D

Edited June 19, 2014 by Isaandon