Hellobee Boards

@princessandthebee: book early and request the bassinet row and a bassinet seat. 2.5 months old is probably the easiest age to fly (except I would be so worried about exposure to illness). But definitely in terms of infant behavior it will be the easiest.

I flew (just a short 3 hour flight) alone with my Lo and she slept the whole way both ways. The plane noise is great white noise.

I'd pick the daytime flight because I think most babies I knew at that age, still slept a LOT in the daytime. It's easier to travel then, I actually think. You can just pop baby on the boob under a cover too - likely to just fall asleep! We took K to Europe when she was 3.5 months old. We got her passport pic and application done when she was about a month old and got it probably about a month later. I'd suggest you do it ASAP when you get the chance. Also, CVS was the best to do the photos. Good luck!

we flew with a 3 month old - 9 hour flight to cancun - and flying with a baby that young is the easiest time! they'll likely nurse or sleep the whole time, and if they're fussy just nurse some more. i don't think a day or night flight matters much at that point. we took an early AM flight - so not red eye, but not middle of the day either.

we got his passport pics taken at costco. just make sure when you get her passport pics taken to either bring a white sheet or towel with you along with the carseat. since they can't sit up yet when they're that little, they'll need to be in something that can prop them up... and they want the background to be white!

Flying at that age is super easy! If you're BF'ing, just accept that your LO will feed intermittently throughout the flight and it should be easy peasy. They're not mobile at that stage, nor do they really need much to stimulate them (a bit of face time, a mirror, a small rattle etc are more than enough to entertain a 2.5 month old), so it is really an ideal age to fly.

I just posted a similar thread, except I'm flying to England solo with a 24 month old and a 5 month old. I'd take a trip with a 2.5 month old over that any day!

It should be pretty easy at that age, especially if you plan on BF, assuming all goes well in that department. Breastfeeding on a plane is totally fine, no one can really see you, and no one ever said anything when I did it.

Passports can take up to 6 weeks, but depending on where you live the birth certificate could take quite some time. My son's birth certificate took 5 weeks to arrive in NYC. You could always pay to rush the passport if you need to. Also, if you are buying tickets now, I'm pretty sure you will still have to indicate that you are traveling with a lap baby. The baby will likely need a ticket with his/her name on it (even when flying for free), so I'm not sure how they process a ticket for an unborn baby. Maybe give the airline a call? In the past we have sometimes had to call to add our lap baby to the ticket.

Do you have a lot of flight time options? If memory serves, most US to Europe flights are overnight. I don't think I've ever taken a day flight (and I've flown many many times transatlantically).

Eta: if you plan on vaccinating your child, be sure to get the 2 month shots before you go.

We flew internationally with our 5m old and we got a bassinet and he slept for the whole flight (airplane = giant white noise machine). Also we got lucky and the seat next to us was empty so we got to take his bucket seat onboard. Nursing was on demand just like normal. He was a little thirstier due to the dry air. I also took a bottle of pumped milk so we'd have something available for him to eat when nursing wasn't an option (like immigration etc.)

In order to get the bassinet we called the airline and asked on what dates bassinets where still available. Also diaper bags are not counting toward carry on but I'd still try to not have too much stuff onboard.

@princessandthebee: I'm not really a baby wearer, so I don't have any suggestions. LO hated carriers/slings/etc until she was 4 months so all we have is a hand me down Bjorn. But I've seen a lot of people nursing in their Ergos and you don't really notice it unless you know what they are doing.

I agree with all the posters and having traveled recently can attest to the importance of calling the airline and letting them know you have a lap infant as you have to pay for taxes for the infant. If their name is not on the list, it will cause a delay when you travel since that happened to me when we were traveling back from Turks and Caicos.