Tips for Travelling on a Plane with your Baby

Here at Global Baby we're fans of holidays, and we don't think that having a baby should stop you from seeing the country or the world! With a bit of planning and thought travelling with a baby or toddler is loads of fun. These are our tips for travelling on a plane with your baby, infant, or toddler, for tips on what to packhead over to our website.

The first step is to book a bassinet when you book your flight, the plane has a limited number and provided your child is small enough to fit in one, you need one of them to be yours. Surprisingly, the seats near the bassinets aren't reserved for families, and those seats, with their extra leg room and close proximity to the bathrooms, are desired by lots of people- get in quick! It may pay to ring the airline a couple of weeks before your trip to confirm your seats, and then confirm again at check in. For a toddler who is too big for the bassinet try to secure seats next to an empty seat, it's much more comfortable for all of you, and will allow the toddler to lie down for their nap. We were lucky enough to find ourselves with a spare seat on a recent trip home from Sydney, winning!

We think you can not spoil a baby on a plane, and our advice is not to shy away from feeding to sleep, letting them sleep in your arms, rocking, or using any of the other tricks in your repertoire, this isn't the time to stick to any of the sleep training techniques you've been using at home.

The usual airline rules for food and liquids don't apply to babies, and although your airline will provide food, we recommend taking along some familiar food and snacks for your little one. Don't forget to throw away the leftovers before you head through customs.

Relax, they say that babies can feel your anxiety and in our experience it's true. Maybe have a glass of red one if it is offered.

Let people help, especially if you are travelling without another adult. We've found that people like to help, whether it be holding baby while you go to the bathroom or eat your meal, or just entertaining baby while you have a bit of chill out time.

Let your kiddo run around in a quiet corner of the airport and expend as much energy as possible prior to boarding, or encourage them walk to the gate! For babies we like to find a carpeted spot near the gate and spread out a blanket with some toys and allow baby to have a kick and roll around.

Try to get plenty of sleep the night before, there is no guarantee that you'll be getting any shut-eye on the plane and you need to bring your A game.

Have fun and enjoy your holiday!