Best age for baby to fly

B

butterfly

Registered User
Im thinking of bringing my baby to UK, but Im not sure when is the best time for him to fly. Should I go now when he is six month old or should I wait till he is one and a half year old?

Im concerned he might become cranky on the plane and with the different time zones, it might make the whole holiday become very stressful.

Please share your experiences
 
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i had my baby in malaysia and brought him over to HK when he was 10 weeks old. i asked several doctors about this and got the same reply, as long as baby has no complication ( eg premature, heart condition etc), there is no restriction to when the baby can fly. of course, my flight was only 4 hours compared to flights to UK. but my son slept throughout the journey. i know many mothers who brought their baby back to UK when they were about 3 month old. so i guess it all depends on how comfortable you are. sometimes the air pressure may make the baby's ear uncomfortable, try letting her suck on a dummy during taking off and landing to minimize the pressure.
 
even same here with me.........when i came to hkg ...my baby was justt 2.5 months old......and she was sleeping all the way. But when my sisterr in law came with her 6 months old baby .........baby cried very badly all the way and also it was embarassing too ....so i guess, best time is when they around 2 or 2.5 or may be 3 months old.

i hope that helps.

pragya
 
six month old or one and a half year old

Now my baby is already six month old, should I wait till he is one year old or one and half year old to fly.
I was thinking of bringing him to UK when he is much bigger, like two or three years old but it will be too long for my mother inlaw to see her grandson, she have not seen since he was born.

So, is one and half year old better for toddler to fly? is it better to handle them and can they cope better with the different time zone at that age?
 
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I have flown with babies of all ages, the youngest being 18 days. I don?t think there is an ideal age for flying. With my last baby I had a job which made it necessary to travel regularly around Asia and yearly to England, USA and New Zealand.

I recommend getting a night flight rather than a day flight for travelling such a long distance as your baby will sleep more on a night flight.

At six moths my baby was able to sit up and play a little with toys but really not able to do much to entertain herself. I spent some of the flight walking her up and down pointing out things in the plane.

At 18 months babies are a little more forceful in what they want and don?t want. I remember getting on an aeroplane with my first child at 18 months and after five minutes she said ?out? but even so she settled down and slept most of the way.

Jet lag is a bit of a pain but then you have it too so the fact the baby is waking up in the middle of the night isn?t so bad because you are as well. I found having a TV to watch helped when little ones have jet lag. It is easier to let the box entertain them rather than me.

Please don?t let the worry of a flight put you off visiting relatives. Babies grow up so fast. If you can afford it I?d consider going both years.

Best wishes,
Barb
 
I have flown to and from Australia with my daughter at 5 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, 9 months, 14 months, 18 months, 20 months and 2 years. I found 2 years to be the easiest, 5 weeks to be the hardest, in between bearable (just).

Personally I think it is really important for babies and children to grow up knowing their relatives, even if they live in a different country. I wouldn't do that much travelling just for fun, it's no fun with a small child.

I recommend going to your doctor and getting a prescription for an antihistamine with a sedative effect. We use Attarax and it has been a lifesaver. Some babies are really easily stimulated whilst on a flight and just get more and more tired. I found the Attarax gives her a good sleep when she needs it. She is soooo much happier. You may not need to use it, but best to be prepared.

I have heard of people using it to manage time zone changes as well, although we haven't had to worry about that when going to Australia.

Edited to add - try out the medicine before you go to make sure it works and doesn't have the opposite effect on your bub.
 
I've flown with my son at 9 mths, 1.5 yrs, 2.5 years and 3 years. The easiest was 9 months..he slept throughout the flight (8 hours). The toughest were 1.5 and 2.5 years. The latest flight at 3 yrs was much much better. Guess every child is different.
 
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