Flying and babies

[DiamondC]

My friend is having a baby in August and will be doing a long-haul return flight from the United Kingdom to Australia and back in December when the baby is only a few months old.* The risks while pregnant have been discussed previously, but what about risks for a baby less than 6 months old?* Can anyone share medical advice they have been given or any research they know about?

[homonculus]

Please ensure when booking at I am not on the same flight

[gingernut]

Wouldn't have thought much research could (or should) have been "done" on babies and flying.

The reason that airlines restrict flying for pregnant mum's is more to do with the cost of a divert, rather than medical issues.

I'm trying to think of why, physiologically, a 4 month old shouldn't fly, and I can't think of anything to hand other than what homon alluded to.

To be honest at 4 months they're quite hardy, it's when they're 16 and wanna buy an Easyjet souvenir Justin Beiber calendar that it get's more difficult:)

[Art E. Fischler-Reisen]

Their ears hurt with the pressure changes because their eustachian tubes don't easily clear. They scream to relieve the pain. This hurts other passengers' ears. :{

[Loose rivets]

Ears, eustachian tubes, sinuses, how can we possibly know? The pain for an adult can be horrendous - trust me on that one - so just what is baby suffering? And for UK to Australia? Oh, give me, and baby, a break!

[mad_jock]

Did see one poor mite have to get a drip fired in as soon as we landed (I was pax).

But I think that was linked to having D&V and the poor thing was dehydrated. The cabin dryness wouldn't have helped at all.

Hopefully DX Wombat will pitch up, she knows more than most about littlun's.

Then again I have had someones 5 monther dumped on my lap (never accept a seat next to the bulkhead in cattle class) and mum promptly fell asleep after putting the feeding apparatus away, the littlun had been plugged in during the climb. And he was great fun for 5 hours on and off and certainly didn't seem distressed playing with a complete stranger and various hosties who delt with a ponging nappy (poor mum is knackard give him here don't wake her). Mum seemed very refreshed when she woke up. And a bit suprised she had just had 5 hours straight with no screaming. Car keys and reading harry potter to him seemed to work. Then he was plugged in again for the decent.

Short haul on turboprops, some of which have a higher cabin cruising altitude than the long haul jets. I have had many onboard and even with all the noise and bouncing around 90% of the time they fall asleep before you start the second engine, even the ones that get on screaming, and don't wake up until you shut down.

Get a medic to give them a once over the day before, I would go with what DX recommends though she must have had 10'000's of the little mights passed through her hands and care over the years.

[Hydromet]

We did quite a bit of flying with a 5 month old many years ago. With advance warning, most airlines were able to give us a bulkhead seat or a strap-down bassinette. Someone put us onto the trick of giving the baby a bottle during take-off & landing, as this seems to equalise the pressure & avoid ear-aches. Don't know if it's an old-wives tale or not, but it seemed to work.

[mad_jock]

I would definately go with the bottle option.

I have thought in the past when seeing mums do it natures way for the landing "jesus love thats taking a risk with some of the landings I have pulled off"

It is quite amusing though the difference between parents. Some come onboard and faff for ages and others come on board and the baby is treated like a rugby ball.

The rugby ball babies always seem more alert and chirpy.

And for little ones captains bars rock, don't know if its the texture or the colours. Bit of dribble on one is a small price to pay. Don't give them unwashed ones though cause it turns thier faces blue/purple with dye.

Also a vfr chart with a chinagraph works wonders with the older ones.

And then out right lies that there is a santa cam inbetween the nosmoking and seatbelt sign works a treat as well with the older ones.

[DX Wombat]

Sorry, only just seen this. Some babies do suffer from earache just as some older children and adults do but earache does not seem to be as prevalent as people think. Before my first flight I was lead to believe that everyone got it and that it was bad. That may have been the case years ago but modern aircraft don't seem to produce this problem - unless somebody tries a near-vertical climb. Babies are resilient little creatures and a breastfeed, bottle or dummy if any distress occurs will usually help. I have done a lot of flights to West Australia all, with the exception of a couple of upgrade sectors, in Peasant Class where the majority of babies tend to be located and have never seen/heard one where crying was specifically related to climb, descent, take-off or landing. Ask yourself if you would be happy to drive your car over an 8,000' high mountain (assuming good roads) and if the answer is yes, then why not fly? QANTAS and BA (the only ones I have flown with to Oz) have bassinets for babies (QF) and BA used to use carrycots but you need to request them when booking your flight. We had to repatriate a (previously extremely premature) baby to South Africa and one was sent to us from America both were aged under six months, with no reported ill effects, and several have needed to be flown around the UK for specialised treatment. M-J will tell you that babies, including very premature ones are flown from the Islands of Scotland to the mainland without any extra problems from the flight itself. Hope this helps.
Edited to add that the RFDS flies babies all over Australia and at one time all babies in West Australia who needed treatment for a Congenital Cardiac problem had to be flown to Melbourne. I'm not sure if that still happens but I was told that they did so without any additional problems.

[homonculus]

There is a considerable amount of data as very sick neonates and children have been flown interhospital for decades. Kids have less interpatient variability so it is far easier to standardise and audit, as a result of which we know more about their physiology than we do with adults.

There are no problems. Children can get middle ear problems, as can adults, but the effects are the same. Asking a doctor to check them over in advance is a waste of time and or money.

[DiamondC]

Thanks all for your advice and suggestions. I passed them on to my friend and she said they were very helpful and had "set her mind at rest".

[silverknapper]

Having just had a wee one and looking to take her on a flight, my main concern is belting her in. I've never been convinced as to just how well an infant lap belt attachment would fare in very very bumpy stuff, the sort that's very rare but can happen.
I went for one of the various harnesses which attaches to the parents lap belt, but also goes over her shoulders. Just to be on the safe side.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Sadly no sprogs of my own, but my ex had a couple of sons and family in Oz so had taken them back and forth a few times when they were very young.

Her experienced view was that the best strategy for transporting anybody under about 3 by air was to get a helpful friend or relative to stay up with them playing constantly for about 12 hours before the flight. This leaves said child absolutely exhausted so they should sleep right through the flight.

Something to suck is also a jolly good idea, as the action of sucking tends to clear the ears - avoiding a lot of discomfort for all involved! Dummy for very-little 'uns, suitable sweets for bigger 'uns.

G

[Dan the weegie]

Bottles work but don't do like my wife does and shove it in the mouth when you get pushed back, all gone by the time you get to the runway. wait till you're rolling for take off before handing the bottle over.

Normally it's boredom and dehydration though, plenty to drink as the air is very dry indeed. I would recommend taking some formula milk even if baby is being breast fed but be prepared to drink some for security because they're worried it'll be dangerous so have an easily opened and closed container.

Finally for slightly larger ones, 6 months and over a roll of brightly coloured masking tape as a toy lasts about an hour and is easy to clean up :) works a treat.

Expect it to be a hard flight, there are very few air trips with tiny ones that aren't stressful.