Flying with baby | Is it safe for babies to travel by air?
If you’re thinking of bringing along your baby while you’re having a trip by airplane, there’s good news for you: flying with baby is generally safe. There are, however, several things you should prepare to assure your baby’s safety all the time before leaving on a trip. Know that babies are definitely different to adults since they cannot easily adapt well to their surroundings, say, like in a cabin.
These are several things you should particularly consider before you decide to fly with your baby:
1. Baby’s Age
Most pediatricians restrict flying with baby as much as possible before they are 6 months old. Babies under 6 months old are vulnerable against bacteria which lurk massively in cabins. And as we all know, babies have weak immunity, therefore they are prone to illnesses caused by bacteria.
2. Baby’s Breathing Capability
Airplane cabins contain low oxygen compared to other surroundings, which causes suffocation to babies, as proven by several researches. However, this is no big deal for healthy babies. If your baby has breathing troubles, you don’t have to worry since this problem is quickly solvable. Your pediatrician may offer the use of preserved oxygen (supplemental oxygen) to handle lack-of-oxygen problems in airplane cabins when you flying with baby.
3. Baby’s Ears
Do you remember your first experience flying with an airplane? You would most likely felt slight itch within your ears. Now imagine how riding an airplane could hurt your baby’s ears. Pain in the ears occur when air pressure in middle ears temporarily changes because of different air pressure level in the cabin during flight. Having your baby sucking on pacifier while the airplane is either taking off or landing may help them feel better. It helps because such actions may help in balancing air pressure within your baby’s ears.
Before flying with baby, pay a visit to your pediatrician beforehand to check whether infections occur in your baby’s ears or perspiration systems. If such conditions do occur, your baby may be uncomfortable during the flight; therefore, it would be much better if you consider postponing until your baby is well. However, if your baby feels only slight pain in the ears, usually pediatricians will provide medicine to ease the pain.
4. Safety Seat for Baby
Some flight airways allow passengers to seat their babies on their lap. However, it is much safer to place babies on safety seats. If you have already prepared car seats for your baby, rest assured, because most car seats are allowed within airplanes. Suggested, you choose the bulkhead seats in airplanes because it provides more space for babies to move around comfortably. You can dispatch your baby from the safety seat anytime for nursing, as long the flight attendants allow you.
Flying with baby is safe as long as you follow these tips