Should I take a 2 month old who hasn't had shots on airplane?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went on a long flight with a 10 week old.
I was breast feeding.
The baby gets antibodies from breastmilk.
So whatever you are exposed to, you are protecting your baby

Look, BF is not some magic cure-all for human disease. That's why lots of babies used to DIE one or two hundred years ago. Didn't have formula back then - but had plenty of germs and no vaccinations.

It's just not worth the risk. You have an obligation to put the baby's well-being first at this time in his/her life. Travel can wait.

I BF and my baby has already had more colds than my friend's baby, who is FF. So BF is definitely not the sure-fire way to prevent illness. Common sense and losts of hand washing works better.

[Anonymous]

Why hasn't the baby had any shots??

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't. It's not worth the risks--your baby will get much sicker than a toddler would from the same virus/flu or worse RSV.

[Anonymous]

I flew with my 3.5 mo old back in Dec. I took my nursing cover and had it over her for the entire flight. I don't know if it actually helped or not but it at least made me feel as if I was doing something to protect her from the person hacking up a lung sitting next to me

[Anonymous]

yes.

[Anonymous]

Really, the antibodies form instantaneously and go through the breast milk during the flight to the baby? Doesn't really make much scientific sense to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really, the antibodies form instantaneously and go through the breast milk during the flight to the baby? Doesn't really make much scientific sense to me.

You get exposed to it
You get antibodies for it
The baby gets it

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't. At 2 months the immune system is not fully developed, breast milk antibodies are a plus but no guarantee of health. I took my 5 1/2 month DD on a 2 hour flight, I was EBF, washed hands constantly, took every precaution available and she still ended up with a massive conjunctivitis--huge swollen, pussy eye requiring antibiotic eye drops. She had never had conjunctivitis before. Not to mention that your own resistance may be altered by the breastfeeding and you could end up getting sick!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went on a long flight with a 10 week old.
I was breast feeding.
The baby gets antibodies from breastmilk.
So whatever you are exposed to, you are protecting your baby

Yes, babies get certain antibodies from breastmilk, however that doesn't mean that as long as they are nursing they are protected from everything you are immune to. Wow-- imagine if that were true!

Anyway, we took our then-3-month-old daughter on a plane last February. She was up-to-date on her shots, but like PP have said, it wasn't those sort of diseases I was concerned about and they don't protect you from the majority of things that a child is likely to get. Our pediatrician said it was fine-- he's pretty conservative, but wasn't concerned at all. His advice was to keep her from touching any public surfaces, which isn't hard when they are so young. Frankly, I'd be more concerned with an older baby who doesn't get out much (like daycare, play groups, etc.) since they haven't been exposed to many germs and older babies want to explore (touch, taste, etc.) everything. That said, since babies under 3 months with a fever raise the red flag, whether it's a cold or meningitis, I'd wait a little longer, if possible.