At what age is it safe to travel with a newborn?

FLYING WITH AN INFANT: WHEN IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL WITH A NEWBORN BABY BY PLANE? In general, doctors recommend you wait to fly until your baby's immune system is better developed. This could be as soon as one month for full-term infants, though most doctors recommend anywhere between three months and six months.



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Road trips are usually the safest option for newborns and infants. Just make sure to have a properly installed infant car seat and take breaks every few hours, per the AAP. Of course, it's always best to check in with your pediatrician before planning any kind of vacation with baby.

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Still, infants aren't as fragile as parents sometimes fear. And by 2 months old, babies are pretty good candidates for travel, as long as the trip is low-key. They feel at home as long as they're close to you. Plus, they can't run around and get into trouble yet!

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Your baby's ears. Changing cabin pressure during a flight causes temporary changes in middle ear pressure. This can trigger ear pain. To help relieve the discomfort in your baby's ears, offer your baby a breast, bottle or pacifier to suck on during takeoff and the initial descent.

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But the pain is only temporary — it won't cause any lasting problems for kids and usually will ease within a few minutes as the Eustachian tubes open to let the air pressure equalize on both sides of the eardrums.

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While you can't always fly at the optimal time (based on your child's age, that is), it's great when you can. The best times, most agree, are between three and nine months, when kids aren't yet mobile, and any time after age two or three.

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The term newborn is often used for babies under 28 days or even up to 2 or 3 months of age, according to experts. After this period (and even during the newborn stage), your little one may be referred to as a baby or an infant up until they're around 1 year of age.

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If a baby is born on a flight, the nationality is awarded, keeping in mind the airspace of the nation in which the flight was at the time of birth or the parents' nationality. If both these factors do not provide the solution, then citizenship is awarded after checking the nation where the plane is registered.

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The infant must either travel in a safety seat approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or be able to sit upright in their seat without assistance and have their seatbelt securely fastened during taxi, takeoff, landing and whenever the 'fasten seatbelt' sign is on.

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