Flying with baby.

[Isaandon]

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.

Very good advice....see post #30 for simple solution.

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

[Maroon Watcher]

General Ruls COPY Everything - better now than....

Especially passports, and insurance...

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?

[Joe Bloggs]

Firstly may I say expect to be scammed as allegedly a babe-in-arms does not need its own seat. The rules seem to vary between the airlines but I have personal experience of what happened to a Russian family some years ago.

Andrey and his family were over here on holiday in the UK. They were staying with friends. Svetlana was pregnant but it was thought that the NHS would be better than the Russian health service so they were having the baby over here. The other object of the holiday was to buy Lada cars (the only cars that can be shipped to Russia without paying Import Duty)

Tyres were very high on the agenda as a new law was being introduced in Russia. Allegedly from the end of October all cars had to be on winter tyres and at least two millimetres of tread was required. I sussed out that one and Andrey's brother-in-law bought a truck and took ten tons of tyres back to Russia. He sold the lot in three days and went back to Holland again for another load!

As to the baby there was tremendous hassle at Heathrow. First they claimed that the baby needed its own passport but as it was the weekend the Russian Embassy was closed so there was NO CHANCE of getting the baby a passport. The airport eventually agreed that the baby did not need its own passport but I think that a bribe had to be paid.

Next the airport staff said that the baby had to have its own seat and its own ticket! The child was only the size of a bag of sugar so this was ridiculous. I think it was a scam but at the weekend there are no senior managers available.

Be prepared for all these scams as I believe that a babe-in-arms under the age of six months should travel free. The carriers on the London to Leningrad route were British Airways and Aeroflot. It was an Aeroflot flight on the day that Andrey was scammed.

Take care!

[eezergood]

Firstly may I say expect to be scammed as allegedly a babe-in-arms does not need its own seat. The rules seem to vary between the airlines but I have personal experience of what happened to a Russian family some years ago.

Andrey and his family were over here on holiday in the UK. They were staying with friends. Svetlana was pregnant but it was thought that the NHS would be better than the Russian health service so they were having the baby over here. The other object of the holiday was to buy Lada cars (the only cars that can be shipped to Russia without paying Import Duty)

Tyres were very high on the agenda as a new law was being introduced in Russia. Allegedly from the end of October all cars had to be on winter tyres and at least two millimetres of tread was required. I sussed out that one and Andrey's brother-in-law bought a truck and took ten tons of tyres back to Russia. He sold the lot in three days and went back to Holland again for another load!

As to the baby there was tremendous hassle at Heathrow. First they claimed that the baby needed its own passport but as it was the weekend the Russian Embassy was closed so there was NO CHANCE of getting the baby a passport. The airport eventually agreed that the baby did not need its own passport but I think that a bribe had to be paid.

Next the airport staff said that the baby had to have its own seat and its own ticket! The child was only the size of a bag of sugar so this was ridiculous. I think it was a scam but at the weekend there are no senior managers available.

Be prepared for all these scams as I believe that a babe-in-arms under the age of six months should travel free. The carriers on the London to Leningrad route were British Airways and Aeroflot. It was an Aeroflot flight on the day that Andrey was scammed.

Take care!

True - but a tax can be charged

[JCauto]

Tip number one for traveling with babies - bring along some infant cold medicine that makes babies drowsy. This not only increases the amount and likelihood that they'll sleep, thereby sparing you and everyone around you the torture of a wailing infant for several hours of plane flight but also keeps the ears and nasal passages clear. If it's safe enough to use when they have a cold, it's safe enough to use on a flight.

[TexasRanger]

Update, all fine, never had any ear pain and apart from being a bit excitable on the A380 she was extremely good, wether we were just lucky remains to be seen. Thanks again for all the tips.