{"id":5867,"date":"2018-07-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-14T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/?p=5867"},"modified":"2020-04-02T05:35:40","modified_gmt":"2020-04-01T19:35:40","slug":"tips-for-flying-babies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/family\/tips\/tips-for-flying-babies\/","title":{"rendered":"How to fly and thrive with a five-month-old baby"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nobody likes babies on planes; it\u2019s just a fact. Every passenger immediately goes rigid when they see a baby heading for the seat next to them \u2013 alright, maybe not every passenger. But babies don\u2019t fly alone. They usually bring some sort of entourage that consists of parents, way too much hand luggage, and toys that make every kind of sound known to man.<\/p>\n

It’s no treat for parents, either. According to Wotif research, most Aussie parents (80%) have changed their travel plans due to the cost of travelling with children and 22% have decided to drive with their kids, rather than fly, in order to save money. But flying with kids \u2013 including babies \u2013 doesn\u2019t have to be stressful or expensive.<\/p>\n

Our little one is now up to eight flights, all by the ripe old age of five months, and there are a few tips I\u2019ve learnt that you\u2019ll want to know. Especially if you want to save a few dollars and avoid those \u201cDon\u2019t-you-dare-sit-next-to-me\u201d glares from your fellow passengers.<\/p>\n

Got enough legroom?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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1. Choose wisely:<\/strong> Not all airfares are created equal and there are often differences in baggage allowances. Generally, an infant fare will allow travel with the basic baby necessities (think car seats, prams, and portacots). Consider what you want and what you need when choosing an airline to avoid being stung with extra charges down the line.<\/p>\n

2. Cheap seats:<\/strong> OK, technically not a seat, but instead a lap; infants up to the age of two years old can usually fly for free or a minimal charge. After that age, your flying costs will jump dramatically, as you\u2019ll have to pay for a dedicated seat. This could be a deciding factor in planning your travel dates. In fact, Wotif research has found that 16% of parents have chosen to travel while their kids were younger to in order to save money.<\/p>\n

3. Timing:<\/strong> Completely optional, but if you have a choice of flight times, pick the one that best suits your little one\u2019s moods. Knowing our daughter is more restless in the evenings, we usually opt for a morning\u00a0flight.<\/p>\n

Propellers are like white noise on steroids<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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4. Pram:<\/strong> When checking in, always ask if you can take your pram through security, directly to the gate (instead of checking it in). Some airlines won\u2019t allow you to, but for many it\u2019s not an issue. Having the luxury of a pram to use in the terminal sure makes life a lot easier. PS: Your arms can thank me later.<\/p>\n

5. Bottle up:<\/strong> If you\u2019re feeding au naturel (insert Milkybar Kid pun here) \u2013 then awesome you can save yourself some hand luggage. If not, it never hurts to over-prepare in the bottle department. Australian Customs at international airports will allow a \u2018reasonable\u2019 amount of baby-related liquids, such as milk, formula, and food. Always check the latest advice for all the airports in your itinerary.<\/p>\n

Stop interrupting the movie, Dad!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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6. The power of distraction:<\/strong> Bringing a toy for in-flight distraction \u2013 nothing groundbreaking. But \u2018earning\u2019 a new toy on every flight gives your little one something exciting and new to interest and occupy them. Maybe back yourself with a trusty fave toy too, just in case!<\/p>\n

Stocked up on playthings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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7. Befriend your neighbour:<\/strong> It will help bucketloads if you get off on the right foot with your neighbour, so make sure to keep up the general niceties. Think warm smile and polite chitchat. Oh, and definitely leverage your baby\u2019s cute-factor \u2013 that stuff is priceless. That way if it does come to a screaming frenzy, you\u2019ll buy yourself a few extra minutes of patience.<\/p>\n

8. Entourage:<\/strong> Go it alone if you dare \u2013 but if you are sane, then rope in the partner\/grandparents\/entire entourage. It will help ease the pressure and there are some key times when you\u2019ll thank them for it (like bathroom trips and dealing with overhead lockers).<\/p>\n<\/i> CHECK OUT TOP FLIGHT DEALS <\/a>\n

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Behind the stats<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wotif’s Research was conducted by Lonergan Research in accordance with the ISO 20252 standard. Lonergan Research surveyed 1,042 Australians aged 18+. Surveys were distributed throughout Australia including both capital city and regional areas. The survey was conducted online by members of a permission- based panel between 4 May and 7 May 2018. After interviewing, data was weighted to the latest population estimates sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nobody likes babies on planes; it\u2019s just a fact. Every passenger immediately goes rigid when they see a baby heading for the seat next to them \u2013 alright, maybe not every passenger. But babies don\u2019t fly alone. They usually bring some sort of entourage that consists of parents, way too much hand luggage, and toys …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":5869,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,80],"tags":[177,72,178],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5867"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5867"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5895,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5867\/revisions\/5895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}