Is it selfish to fly with a baby?

“Traveling with a baby means you cannot be selfish, Mathew says. You have to consider the little human and her schedule. You learn to go with the flow and enjoy the time as a family. Julia showed us we can slow down and enjoy the little things.”



The debate over flying with a baby is a common travel dilemma, but the general consensus among travel experts and experienced parents is that it is not selfish. Airplanes are public transportation, and families have as much right to use them as business travelers or solo tourists. While the sound of a crying infant can be stressful for nearby passengers, most people understand that babies are simply communicating their discomfort with air pressure or a disrupted routine. To make the flight more bearable for everyone, parents often prepare with "pressure-relieving" feeding during takeoff and landing, new toys for distraction, and a polite attitude toward flight crews and neighbors. Many travelers now carry noise-canceling headphones as a standard precaution, shifting the responsibility of "silence" away from the infant. Ultimately, exposing children to travel from a young age fosters adaptability and global awareness, and as long as parents are making a reasonable effort to soothe their child, flying with a baby is an accepted part of modern travel.

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Typically, air travel is appropriate for most healthy, full-term infants. However, before you fly with your baby, consider: Your baby's age and health. Your baby's health care provider likely will discourage unnecessary air travel shortly after birth.

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SIDS is often associated with infants who are put to sleep on their stomach instead of the recommended position on their back. Another possible cause could be the lower oxygen levels on airplanes, researchers said. Airlines pressurize the cabins using warm, compressed air.

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Experienced traveling families already know this, but in most cases the hardest time to travel with a child is from when they become squirmy and mobile by about 9 months old until they hit the age of reason bargaining/cartooning/snacking at about 18 months.

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Lap infant fares on international flights Most international flights allow children under 2 to fly as lap children, but with one big difference — it's usually not 100% free. Typically, if you're flying on a revenue ticket, you must pay the taxes and fees for your lap infant plus, in some cases, 10% of the fare.

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You may transport this item in carry-on or checked bags. For items you wish to carry on, you should check with the airline to ensure that the item will fit in the overhead bin or underneath the seat of the airplane.

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Each airline will have its rules about who can sit where, but a bulkhead seat is generally considered an excellent option for families traveling with young children. The bulkhead is at the front of the cabin and sitting in those seats usually guarantees you some extra leg room.

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Diaper bags, soft-sided cooler bags with breast milk, child safety seats, strollers and medical or mobility devices don't count toward your personal item or carry-on.

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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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Young babies have not developed the ability to regularize their ear pressure by yawning or swallowing, so they don't know how to relieve the abrupt changes in pressure when the plane is taking off or landing. To prevent ear pain and discomfort, babies should wear ear protection whenever they're travelling on a plane.

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In short, no it is not safe at all. I realize there is a photo right here of my son asleep in a dockatot on the floor. I do not condone doing this and acknowledge the risk we took. I have since learned much more about child safety in airplanes and would not put a baby down there.

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On most airlines, babies under the age of two can sit in your lap on a flight, sometimes with a special lap belt that you attach to your seatbelt. You may have to pay a fee—primarily on international airlines—which may come with a special boarding pass. It helps to call the airline before booking to confirm.

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Children's strollers and child safety seats are not counted as part of the standard baggage and therefore can be easily checked for free. For your convenience, these items may be checked at the curbside, the ticket counter or at the gate. Child safety seats may be brought on board the plane in certain circumstances.

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You may bring your child's car seat and stroller free of charge as checked baggage. You can check these items with your other baggage, or wait until you reach the gate area. Strollers can be checked at the gate or with your regular checked baggage at the ticket counter.

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