Flying With Babies
Booking a Bassinet
Check with your airline if you can book a bassinet. This may not be possible though, as not all airlines or planes have them. Also, there are a limited number of them available, so book early if a bassinet is really important to you.
Each bassinet is quite different from each other and have different features. The one pictured here has straps to hold the infant in place, others have a stretchy netting which is pulled over the babies torso.
Also, check the weight limits of bassinets with your airline. They vary. When planning future travel, the Child and Maternal Health graphs are handy at estimating your child’s likely weight at a certain age
Lap restraints
Under 2 years, your baby is considered a “lap child”. In Australia this means the child is to be seated on your lap and a lap restraint is given to you for use by the airline. To use you must adjust your own seat belt and loop the babies belt through, then fasten and loop around your baby. Some airlines will let you purchase a seat for a child under 2 years at a reduced rate.
The lap belt provided by our airlines is not used in many overseas countries, where car seats and more recently the use of CARES is more common. Local authorities don’t see that a carseat provides adequate protection for a child on a plane, as the car seat cannot be bolted onto the seat as in cars.
How to Help Babies Unblock their Ears?
Babies cannot intentionally pop their ears, but popping may occur if they are sucking on a bottle or pacifier. Feed your baby during the flight, and do not allow him or her to sleep during descent. Children are especially vulnerable to blockages because their Eustachian tubes are narrower than in adults.
Reference; The American Academy of Otolaryngology
http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/earsAltitude.cfm
A word on Baby B’Air
Some consider, in an emergency situation that this restraint is no more ‘safe’ than the restraint already provided by our airlines. Don’t be confused by o/s blogs that talk about this product, as US airlines do not provide the lap restraint we have in Australia. Also, the Baby B’Air is NOT able to be used during take-off and landing.
CASA article
‘Flight Safety Australia, September-October 2013’ Page 16.
https://www.casa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net351/f/_assets/main/lib100217/fsa_sept_oct_2013_single_page.pdf