We asked the Travel Medicine and Vaccination Centre for their
answer to this question - and here it is:
There really is no absolute right or wrong to say
"this is the cutoff". In reality, it is determined by the reason for
travel.
Emergency evacuations of sick newborns can be done
immediately and deliveries that have occurred in-flight have generally been OK.
Expat women returning overseas after being home to deliver
are generally counselled to wait 2-4 weeks to fly, mainly so any problems with
the child, breastfeeding, mothers health etc can be sorted out before the family
is away from general services, rather than specific issues of baby and flight.
For holiday makers we would argue similarly, but for
women wanting to travel to somewhere where all the services are, there is no
real contra-indication. Babies are largely protected against oxygen desaturation
which can occur in the slightly hypoxic environment of passenger aircraft, due
to the presence of fetal haemaglobin.
The major concern is ear comfort which means getting the
child to suckle for ascent and descent. Your website discusses this already.
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Bottles and pre-sterilised teats will need to be carried for
bottle fed babies.
A 'three bottle' rotation system works well if you also carry
one larger seal-able container for sterilising :-
 | one bottle filled with cooling boiled water from the galley
| one bottle in sterilising solution (use tablets) inside
larger sealed container
| one bottle ready for use
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Remember, if your cooling water becomes too cool, fill the
'ready for use' bottle only partially and ask for a top up of boiling water
before adding formula.
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Pack a small number of lightweight toys in an accessible place
in your hand luggage.
Gift-wrap some of them to add to their interest and bring them out slowly so
that each is a surprise, but leave one end of the wrap open so that you can show
security or customs officers what's inside if they ask.
Include:-
| Chunky crayons
| Plain paper or colouring book
| Sheets of stickers
| Plastic animals or dinosaurs
| Fuzzy felts / re-usable sticker scenes
| Small picture books like Usbourne's "Going
on a Plane" (which also comes as a sticker story great for 3
and 4 year olds).
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Optional extras:-
| Usborne's pack of 'Things for small children to do
on a journey' --- these activity cards help you to think of the next
activity when your tired!
| Lace-up cards or cotton reels
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| Dress up doll
| Finger puppets
| Small toy cars, diggers, planes
| Bendy dolls or stretchy aliens
| Wind-up walking toys.
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These will give you lots of leads for improvised activities
particularly story telling and role play. Use new and interesting environments
around you to stimulate stories too. Talk about all the activities that go on
during an airplane journey and discuss what different ground and air crew are
doing - even if you don't really know.
Finally, toddlers sometimes play in the aisle to use up excess energy and many
people recommend this. Keep watch on your child and the fasten seat-belt sign if
you choose this distraction, as turbulence is a danger along with busy
trolley-wielding cabin crew!
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Most airlines prefer to load strollers into the luggage hold
of the airplane. This means you usually must part with your stroller at check-in,
though you may be able to keep your baby in his stroller up to the
departure gate - and concessions are most often made when baby is sound asleep
at check-in!
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Yes. You need a passport for your baby for international
flights, and a birth certificate or other identification papers for domestic
flights.
Need a Passport, Travel Visa
or Birth Certificate?
Click Here
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| Encourage her to suck her thumb, fingers, or
pacifier if she already has this habit. It sometimes helps to give
her a cuddly blanket or special bed-time toy at the same time. This
will both ease her tension, and encourage the sucking that she needs
to 'pop' her ears.
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| Offer her some water to drink from a sipper cup or
bottle. The swallowing action will help to 'pop' her ears.
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| Offer a chewy fruit finger as a good
alternative to lollies.
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| Ask your doctor's advice about giving a small dose
of paracetemol elixir before you leave the departure lounge. Some
parents believe that this helps to minimise any ear discomfort
during take off.
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Basically any chewing, sucking, or swallowing
helps ears to equalise to airplane cabin pressure changes. If your baby
cries, although it can be quite distressing to you (and to fellow
passengers), the crying action also helps her ears to equalise, so
sometimes it's as well to just cuddle her through the uncomfortable
phase --- it does end once take-off / landing is over and most
babies then settle quite happily for the rest of the flight.
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