What do they give children on the plane. What conclusions did I draw? Big bonuses for little passengers

Many new parents, especially during the holidays, have questions: “Is it possible to transport newborns on an airplane?”, “How to transport?”, “When can I fly, and indeed Is it possible to fly with a newborn on an airplane?«.

Given all these question marks every mom is trying to find detailed information studying dozens of sites on the Internet. After all, you must admit that flying with a newborn for the first time can cause anxiety and stress for even the most daring travelers, and I mean not only the parents of the child, but also other passengers.

Minimum age for a newborn on an airplane

Many airlines set a minimum age for carrying newborns on the plane, as a rule, the baby must be at least a week old (7 days old). Some do not allow flights with children under 15 days old. All these questions need to be clarified in advance directly by calling the call center of a particular airline. As a rule, if the infant is under 7 days old, he will be accepted on board if the parents provide a medical certificate stating that the child is ready to travel.

What to take on a flight with a newborn

Seat for a newborn on an airplane

If the trip is not very long, then parents usually refuse an extra seat for the newborn, you can simply hold it in your arms. For a baby who sits on an adult's lap(if he can already sit), the stewards will provide an additional seat belt for mom (or dad) to fasten him during takeoff.

If the newborn is very small, you can take a car seat with you on the plane, in this case it would be advisable to book extra bed so that it can be fastened with a seat belt during takeoff and landing. When buying a car seat, make sure that it says that it can be used on an airplane. If for some reason you don’t want to take a chair with you, you can check in advance when booking whether the airline can provide it.

A car seat made in Europe must be CE marked and approved for air travel.

Can I take a stroller on a plane with me?

By own experience I can say that they didn’t take our stroller on board, although we had a small “cane stroller” with us (everywhere they write about them as about the best option for flights), I had to put it in my luggage right next to the ladder, at my own peril and risk, because before that I also read a lot of information that they return from luggage in a terrible state (broken, bent, etc.), but we lucky, ours returned only dirty, when we got off the plane she was already standing at the gangway. During the inspection at customs (before boarding), the child was lying in the stroller and even fell asleep, I thought I would have to lift the child and wake him up, but we were told that this was not necessary.

For example, Air France allows you to take on a plane a stroller that does not exceed the dimensions of 15 cm x 30 cm x 100 cm.

You need to cancel the trip if the child:

Airplane ticket for a newborn

As a rule, airlines provide a free flight for children from 0 to 2 years old, but in this case a seat is not provided to him. The child must sit on the lap of an adult. Ticket price for a newborn set as a percentage of the amount full ticket, as a rule is 10%, some set fixed amounts or charge only a mandatory tax. Or you can take an extra seat, it all depends on the desire of the parents, in this case, as a rule, a 30% - 50% discount is provided, cheap air tickets.

When booking a ticket, if you do not take a seat for an infant, in any case, you can take an additional 5 - 10 kilograms hand luggage(depending on the rules of the airline). But still, you should check in advance on their website or by calling the call center.

Child insurance for a trip abroad and not only

Newborn insurance is an integral item of expenditure for parents during flights abroad and beyond. According to statistics, the age of the youngest client of insurance companies is 4 days. As a rule, parents purchase insurance for themselves and their baby at the time of applying for a visa. At the same time, ordering for your baby, the most extended and expensive policy, in which, in addition to medical services also include the following risks:

When choosing insurance, it is necessary to pay attention to the general well-being of the child, also examining him with a pediatrician to find out whether the newborn is prone to certain diseases, whether he has pathologies or congenital diseases.

Today, insurance can be obtained online, without any risks, and are one of the most popular services for comparing travel insurance. Also, these insurances are suitable for obtaining visas.

Compare travel insurance prices you can use the widget that we placed on our website :

How to make traveling easier for a newborn

A newborn from the first days of life can fly in an airplane, a study by pediatric neonatologists suggests that the body of a healthy child can easily adapt to a decrease in atmospheric pressure without risks to his health. Pressure drops can lead to hypoxia (decrease in the level of oxygen in the blood) if the baby has congenital heart disease.

Everyone who has flown on an airplane knows perfectly well that during takeoff, they block their ears, and that this is due to a sharp change in altitude. For an adult, this moment is quite familiar, and we can yawn, take a sip or chew gum, but the baby still cannot use the mechanisms of swallowing spontaneously, so he needs to be helped in this by giving a pacifier, water from a bottle, or if he is breastfeeding to give a breast. As a rule, these measures need to be applied only during takeoff and landing.

Documents required for a newborn to travel abroad

Feeding a newborn on an airplane

Undoubtedly, if the baby is breastfed, this makes the task much easier and he can eat at any time he wants. If he is artificially fed, then of course you will have to take the infant formula with you on the plane, but unfortunately this can cause a number of problems - how to store it, how to warm it up, etc.

Some airlines allow you to carry on the plane baby food, without setting any restrictions (within reasonable limits, of course). Some are even willing provide your own baby food if you inform them in advance that there will be a baby on board, an example is Aeroflot.

If you have baby food with you, then you can ask the flight attendant to warm it up (but not the fact that she will do this, you need to find out in advance).

The upcoming flight with small children or older children causes quite a few concerns among parents.
Will the loads during takeoff and landing affect the baby's condition? How to feed? How to change clothes? And if the child is older: What to do? And how to curb the energy of little explorers and fidgets?
However, today a flight with a child is no longer a rarity. And all major airlines are trying to make the flight as comfortable and safe as possible for both children and their parents.

Consider some of the features of air travel with children using the example of some Russian airlines.

The only flight restriction baby is age up to 7 days.
Otherwise, no restrictions.
Airlines such as Transaero and Aeroflot have the opportunity to provide children under one year old (weighing no more than 11 kg) with special baby cradles (depending on the type of aircraft and the availability of special fasteners). If you wish to use a bassinet during the flight, you must indicate when booking and issuing tickets.

An adult passenger can carry one child under two years of age free of charge and without issuing a separate ticket without placing him on a separate seat.
Some airlines on international flights charge 10% of the basic fare, even if a separate seat for a child is not provided.
If the child needs a separate seat on the plane, it is necessary to issue a ticket at special rates with discounts of 25-50% from different airlines depending on flight conditions.
Also, if an adult passenger is carrying two or more children, then it is necessary to issue tickets for the second and subsequent child with a separate seat, but with 25-50% discounts.

Children 2-12 years old

When traveling by plane with children aged 2-12, you also enjoy discounted fares ranging from 25% to 50% with different airlines. The size of the discount may also be determined by the route.

Generally, families with children on an aircraft should be provided with the safest and most comfortable places.
These are seats with increased legroom in the front of the cabin.
In order to be guaranteed to book adjacent seats on the plane for yourself and your child, check in for the flight in advance. To do this, you can use the services of online registration on the airline's website.

When checking in for a flight, please note that the child's age is taken into account not at the time of ticket purchase, but at the start of the journey. So if the child turns 12 on the day of departure, he will need to purchase an adult ticket.

Children from 5 to 16 years old traveling without parents

Children from 5 to 16 years old can travel without parents. Airlines provide an escort service.
Issuing an escort service when issuing a ticket for an independent flight of a child is mandatory for children from 5 to 12 years old. At the request of parents, accompaniment can be provided to children under 16 years of age.
In this case, the presence of the seeing off and meeting parties is a prerequisite.
To apply for escort, you must fill out an application to the airline, samples of which can be found on their websites. This can be done either at their representative office or directly at the time of check-in for the flight, however, it is necessary to inform that the child is flying unaccompanied already when booking the ticket.

What to take on a plane for a child

Make sure you carry everything you need in your hand luggage. comfortable flight with baby.
For the little ones: a pacifier (pacifier) ​​and a bottle of drink.
For older children, lollipops (help with stuffing up the ears).
For a snack, nuts, dried fruits, baby food.
At Aeroflot, you can order food for infants in advance (at least 36 hours in advance), while this service is completely free.
Don't forget your medications if needed.
Take a laptop or tablet to entertain your child with interactive educational games or cartoons.

A young mother is also a person, and she wants to go on vacation, recover after childbirth, change the situation. Many parents try to take their baby with them. Today, a couple traveling with a newborn is no surprise. And if there is a flight by plane, then restless mothers begin to ring all the bells, feverishly look for answers to many questions regarding the compatibility of the child and air transport. How to prepare your baby for a long flight, how to help him on the way and minimize everything possible risks, we will tell in this article.

Is the flight harmful?

So far, no one has been able to reliably prove and substantiate the terrible harm of flying on an airplane for infants. Even those who are categorically against such trips for crumbs cannot intelligibly explain their position.

For the most part, pediatricians do not see anything terrible in such a trip, provided that the baby is healthy, he does not have heart disease, severe brain and neurological pathologies.

However, in defense of the position of opponents of flights for infants, I can recall that many airlines, including leading Russian carriers, ask parents who are going to travel on board their aircraft with an infant, a receipt that they will not have any claims against the airline, if the baby suddenly becomes ill during the flight.

They do this solely to protect themselves legally. But parents need to remember that the child will not have problems if they, adults, do everything right: they prepare the baby, help him at every stage of the air journey.

And now 9 rules for successful air travel with a baby from the experience of mothers

At what age can you fly?

Age at which a child can travel without problems air transport, is the reason for heated debates of mothers, doctors and a variety of specialists. According to Dr. Komarovsky, almost all babies tolerate flights well. The only limitation, according to the doctor, is the children of the first week of life. It is better to spend seven or eight days after birth on the ground, since at such an early age, the crumbs already experience serious difficulties in adapting to the world around them. Children under the age of 2 weeks should be taken with caution.

Thus, Yevgeny Komarovsky emphasizes, starting from the eighth day of life, the child is quite able to fly in an airplane with his parents. Mom and dad, however, need to try and create as much as possible safe conditions to keep the baby healthy. We will talk about them below.

And now let's listen to Dr. Komarovsky about air travel with children.

Babies under 6 months old are generally ideal travel companions, from the point of view of other passengers on the liner. They sleep almost all the way and do not interfere with anyone. This, alas, cannot be said about children older than a year, and especially about three-year-olds who cannot sit still, and you definitely need to run around the cabin, look into the windows and comment loudly on what you see.

Flight preparation

How the baby will endure the flight depends largely on how the parents prepare him for this adventure. The immunity of a newborn is still being formed, it is difficult for him to perceive cardinal changes, and therefore it is necessary to eliminate additional stressful factors for him. So, the last vaccination should be given to the baby 3 weeks before departure. This will reduce the immune load.

Vacation with a small child is better not to plan in winter time when it is snowy and frosty in your home region. With a sharp hit in a hot climate and a different time zone in an infant, the acclimatization process will be much harder and longer.

It will be possible to have a normal rest without running around with the baby to the doctors only if the climate change is quite smooth - the climate of the country you are flying to will be at least a little similar to the usual baby.

Children who do not have acclimatization do not exist in nature. To one degree or another, it manifests itself in everyone - fever, intestinal disorders, sleep disturbance, emotional sphere, and so on. Moreover, an infant endures this physiological “reconfiguration” of the body much harder than older children. The average duration of this process in children up to a year is about three weeks.

And now short video infant acclimatization specialist

However, you should not listen to the advice of "experienced" from the Internet, because each baby's acclimatization proceeds purely individually.

It is harmful not to fly on an airplane, and not to know the rules and safety measures that will help the child overcome the path without compromising health:

• Don't change the climate too abruptly. It is not worth flying from frosty Siberia with a baby to hot India in the midst of the New Year holidays.
• Prepare your baby for the change of time zones in advance. A month before the trip, try to put it to bed every day 15 minutes earlier or later (it all depends on which way the time shift is expected). So the child will gradually enter the daily routine, which he will observe while in the new time zone.
• Do not vaccinate immediately before departure.
• Visit the pediatrician a day before the trip, he must confirm to you that the child is healthy and ready to fly.

Documentation

For babies who are taken on a plane, you should definitely take the original birth certificate. The child himself must be entered in the passport of the mother or father. If parents have new passports (biometric), then there is no way to enter a child in them. For the baby, you need to get a separate foreign passport.

To countries with visa regime the baby will need a visa just like adults, most embassies do not charge for it from an infant.

If the baby is flying with a grandmother or other relative, the parents, in addition to a receipt for the absence of claims against the airline, in the event of a deterioration in the condition of the baby in the air, will need a notarized and certified consent to such a trip. It must contain the data of the accompanying person, the purpose of the trip and the duration of the trip. It is also desirable to describe the powers of the escort, what actions he can perform, what decisions lie within his competence.

For a child, even an infant, it is imperative to purchase travel documents. For babies from birth to 2 years old, the international tariffication of air services implies a separate Infant tariff. By purchasing such a ticket, you do not buy a separate seat for the baby in the cabin, he will fly on the lap of an adult. The cost is about 10% of the price of an adult flight ticket, in some companies it is free. This travel document allows you to transport one baby stroller free of charge.

What to take in hand luggage?

The flight rules for children do not prohibit taking a bottle with a nipple, baby food in hand luggage. The flight attendant always, at the request of the mother, will warm it up for the baby during the flight. For a child, you need to take drinking water, since dry air in the aircraft cabin can adversely affect the condition of the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs of the crumbs. It is generally illegal to carry liquids on board an aircraft, but baby food is not banned. You can safely take with you a few bottles of 300 gr.

Carefully read the list of prohibited items (on the website of the airline that will carry you, it is presented in without fail). This will help you choose the right funds for travel first aid kit. Usually, for babies, they take a pair of diapers, vasoconstrictor nasal drops Nazivin Sensitive or Nazol Baby, colic remedies Espumizan or Bobotik.

Take other medicines only if there is a doctor's recommendation. If you are transporting a drug that is prohibited for free export, take with you a prescription and a doctor's prescription, which will indicate for what reason a small patient needs this particular medicine.

Carry one set of baby clothes in your hand luggage in case your baby spits up or vomits.

What to check in the luggage compartment?

All the rest. Suitcases, clothes, etc. A travel stroller should not be a large-sized transformer, use a compact “book” or “cane”. At the airport, you can walk with a stroller, but when boarding a plane, you must definitely give it to the flight attendants. Children's transport temporarily go to luggage compartment. Do not forget to specify where to look for your stroller later - sometimes it is left on the belt with other luggage or moved to the rack with oversized cargo.

No one forces you to hold the baby in your arms for the entire flight, this can be quite difficult. Some airlines provide special cradle for the baby, which can be easily fixed behind the back of the chair in front. To declare that you need it on the way, you should at least a day before departure to the representatives of the airline (you can call).

A child car seat must be checked in as baggage if you decide to take it with you.

Main stages

In an Aeroport. When registering, it is known to all adults, sometimes quite a lot of time is spent. In order not to harass a small child with a long wait in line, try asking to register you and your baby at another counter, for example, where they check in business class customers. There are usually no queues. Very often, airline employees willingly take a step towards mothers with babies.

On the plane taking off. Once you have taken your seat, try to make your baby comfortable. Babies are not fastened with seat belts, for them there are special fasteners that are attached to the belt fastened on the mother. You can get such a device by asking the flight attendant.

The most unpleasant moments in flight are actually yourself takeoff and landing. Due to pressure drops lays the ears. Adults yawn and (swallow saliva to relieve their condition. Babies also experience discomfort, but it is impossible to tell them exactly what to do to make them feel better. Therefore, the baby must be given a pacifier or a bottle of drink.

In flight. Infants rarely have problems in flight, as they spend their time quite self-sufficiently, combining snacks with sound, healthy infant sleep. If the baby still bursts into tears, ask the stewards for permission to walk along the aisle with him, shake him. This is usually acceptable if the aircraft is not in a turbulent zone and there are no other prohibitions on the part of the crew.

By after landing. At this stage, you will again have to go through control at the airport, get your luggage. To speed up the process, ask the staff at your destination airport for help (this is where in-school and out-of-school English lessons come in handy!). Often mothers with babies are skipped the line. In addition, the employee will surely tell you where the mother and child room is located so that you can carry out the necessary hygiene procedures for the baby after the flight - change a diaper, for example.

A well-known pediatrician and TV presenter, who quite often has to tell parents how to travel with babies on an airplane, says that parents need to remember a few key nuances that will help the baby survive the air journey well.

Sucking movements relieve the state of stuffy ears during takeoff and landing, and swallowing movements significantly reduce the likelihood of blockage of the auditory tube. According to Komarovsky, the nipple or breast offered precisely at these stages of the flight reduces the risk of otitis media, especially in the presence of SARS. Although the doctor generally does not recommend flying with infections.

If a child has a stuffy nose, and in infants this happens quite often due to the narrowness of the nasal passages, this can complicate his condition. Therefore, it makes sense to take vasoconstrictor drops with you. They should be instilled half an hour before takeoff after preliminary instillation of saline into the nose. Before planting, you should also drip vasoconstrictor drops.

So that the mucous membranes of the child’s respiratory tract do not dry out in conditions of low humidity in the cabin, during a long flight, Komarovsky recommends irrigating the nasal passages of the crumbs with special sprays based on saline. They can be bought at any pharmacy.

• When planning a route, try to make it without transfers. If this is not possible, try to choose such flights so that the waiting time at transit airports does not exceed 4 hours.
• Feel free to find out at every airport where you will be the location of the mother and child room. There, the baby can be washed, put to bed, comfortably fed and changed.
• Keep calm. A child, even a very small one, survives a flight much easier than his parents, who are worried about this. Remember the strong emotional bond between mother and baby. A calm mother is the key to calm crumbs.

The birth of a baby is not only the hassle of finding a stroller, crib, toys and a high chair for feeding. This is also not at all a reason to deny your family travel, including long-distance ones. You should know some points so that the flight of children on an airplane passes without negative emotions.

1. In the process of searching and then booking a plane ticket, if you do this not online, but through representatives of the airline, be sure to warn the latter that a baby is flying with you. More will be booked for you convenient places in the cabin - in the front of the cabin.

2. If you are traveling with a baby, you should know that airlines provide a carrycot for babies weighing up to 8 kg. and up to 10 months of age.

It is better to contact the airline representative in advance and check the availability of a cradle for children on the plane. There are no such cradles in domestic aircraft, in particular in "TU-shki". But if you fly on a Boeing or Airbus, this problem will not arise.

3. The cost of a plane ticket for a child under 2 years old is 10% of the fare for international flights, and completely free for flights within the country - without providing a separate seat.

If you are flying with two babies under the age of two at once, you can buy one seat with a discount of 25 to 33% on international destinations, and for 50% of the fare for domestic flights.

Tickets for children aged 2 to 12 will be 25% cheaper for international flights, and 50% cheaper on domestic flights. According to the rules of flying with a child, if you decide to buy a plane ticket for a baby under 2 years old with a separate seat, the cost will be calculated the same way as for a child t 2 to 12 years old.

4. As happy parents, you can enjoy some perks if you have already decided. For example, do not stand in line for registration. This is an unofficial rule for flying with a child, however, you can safely proceed forward to the check-in counter. If there is a source of disturbance in the queue, contact any airport employee for help.

5. Flying with a baby is often the need to carry a stroller. So, dear parents, a stroller-cane is not considered luggage, and its weight is not taken into account. So, you can simply check in the stroller in your baggage right in front of the gangway and get it back immediately after landing.

6. To make the baby feel comfortable in the cabin, you need to try to surround him with familiar objects. Therefore, when deciding what to take your child on a plane, do not forget about his favorite toys.

7. Doctors recommend putting cotton swabs in the child's ears, because many children, especially on the first flight, are frightened by the sound of turbines. Accordingly, throughout the flight they feel uncomfortable and act up.

8 . During takeoff and landing, as you know, it is very stuffy in the ears. A child, especially an infant, is unlikely to understand your explanations of what needs to be tolerated, etc. So, just in these few unpleasant minutes, breastfeed or bottle feed him. And in order for him to have a bite with great pleasure, delay the “snack” a little and do not knock down the baby’s appetite before registering.

9. On a long flight with a baby, that is, lasting more than 3 hours, you have the right to count on a special set for the baby. Usually it includes cottage cheese, fruit drink, juice and mashed potatoes. Often, passengers with children are also provided with a diaper, oilcloth and wet wipes.

10. The most worrying thing for parents is the issue of baby food. In fact, the airport staff will let you through with the amount of food that your baby will objectively need during the flight. Therefore, thinking about what to take your child on a plane, you can safely put his breakfast, lunch or dinner in a bag.

Your baby’s “snack” may well cool down during the time it takes to go through control, check-in and fly. Feel free to just ask the flight attendants to warm up the food, they are obliged to comply with your request.

eleven . You should be careful with drugs against motion sickness on the plane. If you think that your child should be given such a remedy, check with your pediatrician first. (Read Overview of Airplane Motion Sickness Remedies)

12. Depending on the country you are flying to, you should take care of all the necessary vaccinations and vaccinations in advance. It is also better to take a list of vaccinations with a doctor's stamp with you.

13. Do not think that during the search your baby will be able to avoid this unpleasant procedure. The rules for flying with a child are such that in some countries babies have to be undressed for screening. If you are flying alone with a child, do not hesitate to ask the airport staff for help.

14. On a flight, you may need to change your baby's diaper. To do this, use the toilet room. If you are flying in a Boeing or an Airbus, consider yourself lucky, because specifically for this purpose, the voiced aircraft have a folding changing table, all in the same toilet. Ask a flight attendant to show you one if you can't find it yourself.

15. Flying with a baby is not only unfamiliar, but also somewhat uncomfortable. If your child easily tolerates a little high blood pressure, then he will quickly fall asleep on the plane. If not, then be prepared for the whims and discontent of the baby.

Do not be nervous, who knows how sensitive the child is to your mood. If you are calm, then the child will most likely calm down quickly.

16 . If you have not just a flight with a child, but also a journey with a connection, relax in the mother and child room. Not only do you have it full right, but it’s just a sin not to take advantage of this opportunity to be with the baby in a calm environment.

17. What should a child take on a plane? Depending on the age of the baby, these can be coloring books and felt-tip pens, a favorite toy, change of underwear and diapers, napkins, medicines if necessary, baby food. It is absolutely optional to take a blanket into the cabin of the aircraft - flight attendants will provide it upon request.

As for medicines, if you are prescribed a course of treatment and have prescriptions, it is better to take all these prescriptions with you. Moisturizing nose drops are best poured into a large bottle, because under pressure the liquid pours out of the “tight” bubbles.

18 . As a rule, the allowance free baggage for a child is 10 kg.

19. If you need to go to the toilet, you can ask the flight attendant to look after the child. In general, do not hesitate to ask the flight attendants for help.

20. If you are flying with a child charter flight It's better to arrive at the airport well in advance. There are usually many parents with babies on such flights, and if you find yourself at the end of the check-in line, it may happen that your family is divided into the remaining empty seats. For example, dad will sit separately from mom with a child. So, it is better to get to the very beginning of the queue.

Today we are pleased to present you a guest post on the most relevant topic for many - traveling by plane with a baby. Author - Elena Nemets.

If you can't imagine your life without traveling, then having a baby probably won't stop you from new adventures. Many parents try to delay the moment of the first flight with a baby, but in practice, flying with a three-month-old baby is easier than with a one-year-old, and with a one-year-old it is easier than with a two-year-old.

As soon as the child has received the most important vaccinations and has learned to hold his head, you can go on the road: on vacation, to relatives or to a conference. And this article will help you survive the flight as smoothly as possible.

Documentation

Do not forget to make a separate passport for the little traveler in advance or enter it in the parents' passport (depending on the legislation of your country), and also take care of visas. If the child is traveling with only one of the parents or with another relative, check what documents and powers of attorney are needed to pass the border in the country where you are flying from and where you are going.

In many countries, it is considered an alarm if the child and mother do not have the same last name - they may be asked for additional supporting documents. You may need the original and translation of a birth certificate, a marriage certificate. Don't let bureaucracy ruin your trip.

Ticket booking

It is not necessary to buy a separate seat for an infant under two years old, but you must specify it as a passenger when booking. It can be free, or it can cost up to 10% of an adult ticket. If you still take a separate seat, you will have to pay both for child ticket. Then it’s better to get as comfortable as possible and take a car seat for the flight. Just make sure your seat is suitable for use on airplanes: it should have a special pictogram on it.

Find out what you are entitled to when flying. For long-haul flights, you can sometimes get a special air cradle by ordering it in advance by phone. And in any case, it is worth calling the airline and agreeing on a comfortable seat in the front row, where there is a lot of legroom. Just call: sometimes a seat can be booked online, but the most trump seats are usually not available for online reservations or are available for additional fee. In extreme cases, you can smile at the girl at the check-in and ask for comfortable seats in the boarding passes.

I'll play captain Obvious: it's worth overpaying and taking a direct flight, not with a transfer. Have pity on yourself.

Airport

Do not be shy to ask to skip the line or to some VIP counters. Sometimes the airport staff will offer you this, sometimes you need to ask yourself, but the probability of refusal is minimal. Politeness, a smile and having a baby will do wonders.

The stroller can be used until boarding the plane, it is folded and handed over at the gangway or at the entrance to the “sleeve”. And then it will be given to you at the exit.

If the airport has a mother and child room, that's great. There you can find comfortable nursing chairs, changing tables, a microwave and an arena; you can relax after the queues and checks. For older children there are playgrounds where the child can warm up and get tired before a long seat on the plane.

Things

It is necessary to clarify the rules of a particular airline, but in general, an additional piece of baggage (10 or 20 kg) relies on a child. You can check in a child car seat: if you're planning a road trip, it's a good idea to take a seat that your child knows with you rather than relying on a car rental company.

A useful principle is to free your hands. I often take a small backpack as hand luggage, and then I walk around the city with it. Plus a large comfortable suitcase on wheels. Any bag in your hands reduces your maneuverability at times!

Flight

On takeoff and landing, the child in any case will need to be taken on the handles. Sometimes they give a special children's belt for a child, but, to be honest, it is terribly inconvenient and is only needed to comply with safety rules. It can be cold in the cabin, and blankets are not available on any flight - it is better to take something warm with you, to cover both of you.

My signature life hack is a sling scarf. The baby in it can lie or sit on the handles, secured with a sling, freeing your hands.

During takeoff and landing, the baby may be uncomfortable - even adults have ears that hurt! Give him a breast or a bottle.

Of course, you should have baby food and drink with you, a bib, spare clothes for the baby in case he gets dirty, and a spare t-shirt is a good idea if you can't prevent your lunch from being smeared on all accessible surfaces. hot water to dilute the mixture, you can ask the flight attendants.

Stock up on entertainment for the baby. A three-month-old will have enough breasts and rattles, but if the child is more than six months old, then you should grab a few favorite toys. And even if you are not a fan of showing cartoons to a baby, downloading them to a tablet for every firefighter can be a saving idea.

And most importantly - calmness, only calmness. Have a good flight!