Newborn on a plane flight?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its done often in adoption and other stuff. You may want to buy a seat so child can remain in car seat, especially for the neck support. If it is under two weeks you need to get a doctors note (we also adopted but ended up being in driving distance) but I did look at the rules and had a friend have an issue getting home as they did not have a doctors letter.

Yeah--but for adoption you don't have to deal with a mom recovering from birth and establishing a breastfeeding supply. How OP will be feeling physically is part of the picture too. Medically, it takes six weeks to recover from a vaginal birth, eight weeks for a csection.

[Anonymous]

I'd go if I were close to my sister--that it's a small wedding only increases the likelihood of attending. But I'd also make damn clear that I'd expect a lot of support from any family pushing me to attend, particularly if you're having a rough recovery, baby is colicky, etc. My kids were pretty average newborns (so travel at that age would have been easy), but cluster-feeding while traveling still sounds potentially nightmarish.

That answer would change if it were cold/flu season, though, in which case there's NO way I'd take a newborn that young on a flight. Even our chilled-out pediatrician doesn't recommend that, and for good reason.

[Anonymous]

I would leave the baby with my husband. I also had a c-section so hauling a baby around and their stuff doesn't sound like something I would want to do.

[Anonymous]

Totally fine! Wear baby in wrap/sling, nurse on take off and landing, use hand sanitizer throughout the airports and saline spray for your/baby's nose. It'll be fine, and fun!

[Anonymous]

I flew at 6 weeks. I wore the baby until I sat down (they wont let you wear the baby in the seat. I got an aisle seat toward the back. They don't like you to change the baby on the seat (the one thing that made things a little difficult). There is a changing station in the bathroom (check with the flight attendant to be sure). In most the planes I have been on, it is in the front restroom and not the back. Feeding a newborn on the plane is actually not difficult. It actually gets more difficult as they get more mobile.

[Anonymous]

I would go...but maybe with the back up option of DH staying behind with baby if you're not up to it for whatever reason. She didn't have to travel by plane, but my sister stood up in my wedding 3 days after my nephew was born. Obviously we're pretty close, but I wouldn't miss my sister's wedding for anything but being in active labor myself.

I traveled cross-country without DH and with an 8 week old in the dead of winter, I think you'll find it much easier in the summer when you don't have to deal with the logistics of keeping the newborn warm etc.

My tips are to use a sling, bring extra clothes for you and baby, way more diapers than you think you'll need, RTF formula even if you are nursing (baby will probably drink a lot more on the plane than normal), and extra legroom or first class ticket if you can swing it. I travel pretty frequently, and often alone, with my DD...and I can say that aside from the nervousness of traveling with a baby as a FTM, that newborn trip was probably the easiest one we've taken. She slept the whole time since a plane is basically a white noise machine.

Good luck and congrats!

[Anonymous]

Yes.

We moved from CA to this area when my youngest was 6 weeks old. I bought him his own seat. I also had my 2 year old with me. I bought my mother a plane ticket as well, and a night in a hotel near IAD---she was was supposed to help me. Unfortunately, she told me she would rather watch the tv than help me once we were on the plane so that didn't work out as expected. But I was fine with my 2 year old and 6 week old.

[Anonymous]

I'm really surprised at the number of people that suggest not buying the baby his/her own seat. Most (not all) 4-6 week post partum women as still quite overweight. That, plus the baby, will almost certainly mean you can not be fully contained in your own seat, you will be encroaching on other's space. That's really rude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm really surprised at the number of people that suggest not buying the baby his/her own seat. Most (not all) 4-6 week post partum women as still quite overweight. That, plus the baby, will almost certainly mean you can not be fully contained in your own seat, you will be encroaching on other's space. That's really rude.

My 150 pounds + 12 pound newborn is neither "quite overweight" nor "encroaching on other's space." No more than the mouth-breathing 250-pound guy next to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really surprised at the number of people that suggest not buying the baby his/her own seat. Most (not all) 4-6 week post partum women as still quite overweight. That, plus the baby, will almost certainly mean you can not be fully contained in your own seat, you will be encroaching on other's space. That's really rude.

My 150 pounds + 12 pound newborn is neither "quite overweight" nor "encroaching on other's space." No more than the mouth-breathing 250-pound guy next to me.

Baby flies for free (2 yrs and under), why would I pay for a tix for me baby???
And there a lot of us here that lose baby weight quickly especially for those of us who didn't gain more than the recommended 25 to 30lbs.
No problem with seating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really surprised at the number of people that suggest not buying the baby his/her own seat. Most (not all) 4-6 week post partum women as still quite overweight. That, plus the baby, will almost certainly mean you can not be fully contained in your own seat, you will be encroaching on other's space. That's really rude.

My 150 pounds + 12 pound newborn is neither "quite overweight" nor "encroaching on other's space." No more than the mouth-breathing 250-pound guy next to me.

Unless you are 5'10" or above, yes---150 is overweight. And if you are over 5'10"--likely you would be uncomfortable alone in an airline seat, never mind with a newborn on your lap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really surprised at the number of people that suggest not buying the baby his/her own seat. Most (not all) 4-6 week post partum women as still quite overweight. That, plus the baby, will almost certainly mean you can not be fully contained in your own seat, you will be encroaching on other's space. That's really rude.

My 150 pounds + 12 pound newborn is neither "quite overweight" nor "encroaching on other's space." No more than the mouth-breathing 250-pound guy next to me.

Baby flies for free (2 yrs and under), why would I pay for a tix for me baby???
And there a lot of us here that lose baby weight quickly especially for those of us who didn't gain more than the recommended 25 to 30lbs.
No problem with seating.

Many people with educations will buy a seat for "me baby."

[Anonymous]

You can also ask the airline at check-in if there are any free seats and if so, if they will give one to you, so you can take the carseat on board rather than gate-check. We've traveled a ton with our DS and while I've never felt it was quite worth laying out a lot of money for an extra confirmed seat, it is nice to have the option to put the baby down for a bit. Usually if there's a free seat the airline is happy to do it (prob wound up with a confirmed seat for baby about half the time).

You'll be fine - 3 hours is nothing! Our first flight was at 7 weeks and our ped was happy to vaccinate beforehand fwiw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really surprised at the number of people that suggest not buying the baby his/her own seat. Most (not all) 4-6 week post partum women as still quite overweight. That, plus the baby, will almost certainly mean you can not be fully contained in your own seat, you will be encroaching on other's space. That's really rude.

My 150 pounds + 12 pound newborn is neither "quite overweight" nor "encroaching on other's space." No more than the mouth-breathing 250-pound guy next to me.

Baby flies for free (2 yrs and under), why would I pay for a tix for me baby???
And there a lot of us here that lose baby weight quickly especially for those of us who didn't gain more than the recommended 25 to 30lbs.
No problem with seating.

Many people with educations will buy a seat for "me baby."

Phone auto correct, people!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really surprised at the number of people that suggest not buying the baby his/her own seat. Most (not all) 4-6 week post partum women as still quite overweight. That, plus the baby, will almost certainly mean you can not be fully contained in your own seat, you will be encroaching on other's space. That's really rude.

My 150 pounds + 12 pound newborn is neither "quite overweight" nor "encroaching on other's space." No more than the mouth-breathing 250-pound guy next to me.

Unless you are 5'10" or above, yes---150 is overweight. And if you are over 5'10"--likely you would be uncomfortable alone in an airline seat, never mind with a newborn on your lap.

I'm 6' tall and flew with my 7 week old son. we shared a seat--because at 7 weeks, he was smaller than some purses. seriously, because he was a still scrunchy newborn, he was the length of my forearm at that stage so we fit just fine.


Go. Don't leave the baby with your husband (even though that is a kind offer). Even if your flight is miserable, you can do most anything for 3 hours and when you arrive at your destination, it's likely you'll have the community of your family to support you. Also, people are so helpful when you have a baby that young with you. I almost got sick on my flight with my newborn and the flight attendant was so nice and held him for me.