Hi everyone,
In a few weeks so will fly back home to Germany with our two little ones, then about 10 weeks old. It's only a 2 hrs flight, but you never know ...
I read some hints and tips in a earlier subject, e.g.
feed them at takeoff and landing
take enough things to eat and diapers etc.
But there are some open topics left:
- How do I get them to eat/suck when they are sleeping? (at takeoff and landing)
- Someone mentioned something about drops for nose/ear to ease the pressurization. Do you have some details on that?
- How are the rules about taking baby food through security? Is a thermos flask with hot water/tea allowed?
Anything else that can help?
Thanks a lot
Andrea
P.S. I try to join you on one of the next Thursdays...
Flight with infants: advice and nose/ear drops?
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bavarian-girl
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:08 pm
- Location: Espoo
Andrea,
my first experience was when my son was 5-5,5 months old. I was flying alone with him, it was tireing, with lots of suitcases, when we moved here.
I changed the diapers after check in, and next time here in Helsinki, didnt needed more. There are changing facilities on the planes, in the toilet. Very small place, not comfortable.
Take off: he was in my arms (with the special baby-belt), and there was no problem, i tried to make fun of it, look how fast we are going, etc. After a while i breastfed, and he fellt asleep, and woke up after landing. I guess there was no problem with repressurizing. They are young, much more flexible, and if they feel pain in their ears, they wake up simply, so you can give smthing to drink.
Food&drink:
you can take children food, better to take it in a transparent bottle, maybe they will ask you to taste it. We could take youghurt, water, creams and a bottle of panadol with us without problem.
Here, on Vantaa airport you have to leave the pram with the suitcases, they give you a big plastic bag to protect the pram, keep it, it will be good for coming back. We always took the carseat with us, so he could sit in it. If you are lucky, there will be some free places on the plane, so you can ask for places. (we were travelling with infant ticket, without an own seat)
this is what came into my mind about flying, have a nice trip!
my first experience was when my son was 5-5,5 months old. I was flying alone with him, it was tireing, with lots of suitcases, when we moved here.
I changed the diapers after check in, and next time here in Helsinki, didnt needed more. There are changing facilities on the planes, in the toilet. Very small place, not comfortable.
Take off: he was in my arms (with the special baby-belt), and there was no problem, i tried to make fun of it, look how fast we are going, etc. After a while i breastfed, and he fellt asleep, and woke up after landing. I guess there was no problem with repressurizing. They are young, much more flexible, and if they feel pain in their ears, they wake up simply, so you can give smthing to drink.
Food&drink:
you can take children food, better to take it in a transparent bottle, maybe they will ask you to taste it. We could take youghurt, water, creams and a bottle of panadol with us without problem.
Here, on Vantaa airport you have to leave the pram with the suitcases, they give you a big plastic bag to protect the pram, keep it, it will be good for coming back. We always took the carseat with us, so he could sit in it. If you are lucky, there will be some free places on the plane, so you can ask for places. (we were travelling with infant ticket, without an own seat)
this is what came into my mind about flying, have a nice trip!
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scoobymcdoo
- Posts: 675
- Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:46 pm
Hi
Sophie first flew at 5 weeks old and again at 11 weeks. She was fed on take off and landing and we gave her a pacifier (tutti) for inbetweens. Just take extra clothing for both babies incase of exploding nappies, be prepared for them to poo on descent, also be prepared for them not to sleep on the flight. In Sophie's 45 flights, she has slept twice!
The inflight entertainmnet magazine makes good reading as does the safety manual (lots of bright colours). Change babies before getting on flight, that way you wont need to change them mid-air (very cramped, smelly conditions)!
Sophie was bottle fed (both sorts of milk) but I added a 20ml of extra water to her feeds for the day of flying as they dehydrate so quickly. I'm not saying this is what to do, but it certainly helped Sophie.
Have fun...I hope you are flying back with your husband!
Hannah
Sophie first flew at 5 weeks old and again at 11 weeks. She was fed on take off and landing and we gave her a pacifier (tutti) for inbetweens. Just take extra clothing for both babies incase of exploding nappies, be prepared for them to poo on descent, also be prepared for them not to sleep on the flight. In Sophie's 45 flights, she has slept twice!
The inflight entertainmnet magazine makes good reading as does the safety manual (lots of bright colours). Change babies before getting on flight, that way you wont need to change them mid-air (very cramped, smelly conditions)!
Sophie was bottle fed (both sorts of milk) but I added a 20ml of extra water to her feeds for the day of flying as they dehydrate so quickly. I'm not saying this is what to do, but it certainly helped Sophie.
Have fun...I hope you are flying back with your husband!
Hannah
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bavarian-girl
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:08 pm
- Location: Espoo
Some ideas
Hi,
Isabella has now had three flights and they all went well. What helped was that I really prepared for the flights: I read the threads on the forum and also information available on "flying with babies" in the Internet.
I breastfed Isabella during the take offs but she slept through one landing. During the second landing she did not feed and was clearly having some trouble with her ears. However, she then started to suck on her waterbottle herself which helped. So it might be an idea to have bottles with you as well with either milk, formula or water-mix as suggested ... or whatever you think is good. I think it might
I also received a hint from a friend that helps with the ears. Buy some baby nasolin drops (ask from the farmacist) and put one drop to each ear before the flight. These are meant for the nose but work equally well for the ears. This helped Isabella.
As for babyfood and drinks there seemed to be no problem at the airport. We had the drinks in see-through bottles and food in jars and packages and this was allowed. As for thermos bottle I would check with the airline but would guess that in worst case scenario they just look inside and allow you to take it in.
Have plenty of cloths, nappies and some toys ... take a familiar blanket ... make yourself comfortable and happy and eat well before the flight!!!! Depending on the airline that staff can be really helpful!
Marianne
PS. We could take the pram all the way up until the gate at Helsinki-Vantaa - and some prams you can fold small enough to take them into the cabin. However, during the second flight we actually chose to leave the pram and relied on the babybjorn and this worked better for us ... but then again ... we had just one baby with us.
Isabella has now had three flights and they all went well. What helped was that I really prepared for the flights: I read the threads on the forum and also information available on "flying with babies" in the Internet.
I breastfed Isabella during the take offs but she slept through one landing. During the second landing she did not feed and was clearly having some trouble with her ears. However, she then started to suck on her waterbottle herself which helped. So it might be an idea to have bottles with you as well with either milk, formula or water-mix as suggested ... or whatever you think is good. I think it might
I also received a hint from a friend that helps with the ears. Buy some baby nasolin drops (ask from the farmacist) and put one drop to each ear before the flight. These are meant for the nose but work equally well for the ears. This helped Isabella.
As for babyfood and drinks there seemed to be no problem at the airport. We had the drinks in see-through bottles and food in jars and packages and this was allowed. As for thermos bottle I would check with the airline but would guess that in worst case scenario they just look inside and allow you to take it in.
Have plenty of cloths, nappies and some toys ... take a familiar blanket ... make yourself comfortable and happy and eat well before the flight!!!! Depending on the airline that staff can be really helpful!
Marianne
PS. We could take the pram all the way up until the gate at Helsinki-Vantaa - and some prams you can fold small enough to take them into the cabin. However, during the second flight we actually chose to leave the pram and relied on the babybjorn and this worked better for us ... but then again ... we had just one baby with us.
Thermos flask
- when I travelled in January, Vantaa Airport, Arlanda Stockholm and Zurich all let me go through with the thermos flask and hot water inside. This time round (last week), Vantaa Airport didn't allow the thermos contents through and they poured out the hot water at the security check-in but allowed me to keep the empty thermos. At Arlanda, they made me take a sip of the hot water from the flask and let it through.
So, no harm bringing the hot water but be prepared for them to pour it away. You can just top it up again on the other side at the many cafes around. I just went to Robert's Coffee and filled it up again with hot water.
No bottled water allowed UNLESS the water is inside a baby drinking bottle or sippy cup.
No restrictions on baby food jars. Just pack all baby liquids and foods into a clear plastic bag which you can fish out and put it on the tray to go through the X-ray scan. Much easier than rummaging through your bag and pulling out the items one by one.
Baby Stroller
Vantaa Airport allows baby stroller to be brought right up to the entrance of the plane where you leave it for them to stow it into cargo. Make sure you request them to bring it to the entrance again when you disembark from plane as it might be a distance to the baggage claim area or if you need it during transit.
However, if you're travelling on Blue 1 flights, the airline does not permit strollers to be pushed and left at the plane entrance. You need to pack it at Special Baggage (a huge plastic bag plus sticky tape provided) before you go through security check-in.
For all those travelling through Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, please note! The airport does not allow personal strollers beyond the security check which means you have to check in your stroller together with your luggage or at the transit desk when you go get your boarding pass. You also have to go purchase the plastic bag to put the stroller in and then take it to Special Baggage. This was such a hassle for me especially when I was travelling alone and had to go in search of the dratted plastic bag and get the whole thing wrapped and go to Special Baggage. They do provide you with the Airport's stroller (a small rickety umbrella stroller) so that's some help.
Always check the tag on your stroller to ensure that it comes out where it's supposed to be. I had another transit point and my stroller had been wrongly tagged to go all the way to the final destination (Stockholm bungled up big time and took more than one hour to process my baby's passport!). Keep the special delivery tag with you and show it to the flight crew to ensure that they bring out the stroller and have it ready when you disembark.
I was lucky in that the stroller was missing but the crew was excellent and requested for Special Assistance on ground so we had a little buggy (looks like those golf buggies) waiting for us to take us to our gate for our connecting flight. (that was actually quite a fun ride!!) It was really helpful since we had to go from international to domestic plus taking the skytrain etc. It would have been rather stretching to do that length without assistance.
Always bring your Baby Bjorn as a backup in case stroller goes missing.
Hope this helps. Good luck with the flight and a big congratulations on the birth of your twins - they look simply adorable........
- when I travelled in January, Vantaa Airport, Arlanda Stockholm and Zurich all let me go through with the thermos flask and hot water inside. This time round (last week), Vantaa Airport didn't allow the thermos contents through and they poured out the hot water at the security check-in but allowed me to keep the empty thermos. At Arlanda, they made me take a sip of the hot water from the flask and let it through.
So, no harm bringing the hot water but be prepared for them to pour it away. You can just top it up again on the other side at the many cafes around. I just went to Robert's Coffee and filled it up again with hot water.
No bottled water allowed UNLESS the water is inside a baby drinking bottle or sippy cup.
No restrictions on baby food jars. Just pack all baby liquids and foods into a clear plastic bag which you can fish out and put it on the tray to go through the X-ray scan. Much easier than rummaging through your bag and pulling out the items one by one.
Baby Stroller
Vantaa Airport allows baby stroller to be brought right up to the entrance of the plane where you leave it for them to stow it into cargo. Make sure you request them to bring it to the entrance again when you disembark from plane as it might be a distance to the baggage claim area or if you need it during transit.
However, if you're travelling on Blue 1 flights, the airline does not permit strollers to be pushed and left at the plane entrance. You need to pack it at Special Baggage (a huge plastic bag plus sticky tape provided) before you go through security check-in.
For all those travelling through Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, please note! The airport does not allow personal strollers beyond the security check which means you have to check in your stroller together with your luggage or at the transit desk when you go get your boarding pass. You also have to go purchase the plastic bag to put the stroller in and then take it to Special Baggage. This was such a hassle for me especially when I was travelling alone and had to go in search of the dratted plastic bag and get the whole thing wrapped and go to Special Baggage. They do provide you with the Airport's stroller (a small rickety umbrella stroller) so that's some help.
Always check the tag on your stroller to ensure that it comes out where it's supposed to be. I had another transit point and my stroller had been wrongly tagged to go all the way to the final destination (Stockholm bungled up big time and took more than one hour to process my baby's passport!). Keep the special delivery tag with you and show it to the flight crew to ensure that they bring out the stroller and have it ready when you disembark.
I was lucky in that the stroller was missing but the crew was excellent and requested for Special Assistance on ground so we had a little buggy (looks like those golf buggies) waiting for us to take us to our gate for our connecting flight. (that was actually quite a fun ride!!) It was really helpful since we had to go from international to domestic plus taking the skytrain etc. It would have been rather stretching to do that length without assistance.
Always bring your Baby Bjorn as a backup in case stroller goes missing.
Hope this helps. Good luck with the flight and a big congratulations on the birth of your twins - they look simply adorable........
hi
i flew with matilda when she was 3 months.like others i gave food or a dummy on take off or landing.she slept pretty good in the day time but not evening time.it got pretty warm onboard and i found having just vest and soft blanket in my arms was nice.i put my buggy through and carried her in baby sling and i had a carrier from the buggy so she could sleep.if the flight isnt too booked they may give a seat between you two and this is great for extra room,you can always ask if there is extra free room.with the milk,i had it in two large baby bottle that carried over 300ml,and just poured a bottle before take off and landing and had them warm just incase.i think if you are relaxed it helps,that said our flight was terrible and turbulance was just sickening and yes she slept sound through the whole thing!if the two of you are travelling together take slings it will be much easier and you can bring a big bag on board with all the bits they need,just dont be afraid to ask the staff for help,they are only too happy
sarah
i flew with matilda when she was 3 months.like others i gave food or a dummy on take off or landing.she slept pretty good in the day time but not evening time.it got pretty warm onboard and i found having just vest and soft blanket in my arms was nice.i put my buggy through and carried her in baby sling and i had a carrier from the buggy so she could sleep.if the flight isnt too booked they may give a seat between you two and this is great for extra room,you can always ask if there is extra free room.with the milk,i had it in two large baby bottle that carried over 300ml,and just poured a bottle before take off and landing and had them warm just incase.i think if you are relaxed it helps,that said our flight was terrible and turbulance was just sickening and yes she slept sound through the whole thing!if the two of you are travelling together take slings it will be much easier and you can bring a big bag on board with all the bits they need,just dont be afraid to ask the staff for help,they are only too happy
sarah
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bavarian-girl
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:08 pm
- Location: Espoo
