The Beginner’s Guide to Flying Internationally with a Baby

Traveling with a baby is full of unknowns. You might not know how baby will act, but you can at least research what to expect for that first family trip. This beginner’s guide to flying internationally with a baby breaks down the specifics, from buying your ticket to arriving at your destination.

Buying Your Ticket

You’ll have two ticket options for your little one: You can purchase their own seat or you can purchase a lap seat.

Purchasing your child’s own seat is optional for babies and young toddlers, but obligatory once they’ve hit the two-year mark.

The most budget-friendly option is to purchase a lap seat, which literally means your child rides in your lap. And if, like me, you were hoping that means “free,” then you’d be sadly mistaken.

The general policy for international flights is a 10% surcharge of the base fare on all lap seat tickets. Keep in mind, that fee isn’t 10% of the awesome deal you scored online. It’s 10% of whatever the airline deems to be their base ticket price. Which is always (sadly) more.

Each airline and travel search engine operates differently when it comes time to purchase your tickets. Double-check their policy. If the search function allows you to select a lap ticket, then you can book your child’s ticket together with the rest of your family.

Other booking policies have you buy the adult tickets online first. Then call the airline to add your child’s lap seat ticket to your reservation. You’ll provide your child’s name and pay the surcharge over the phone.

If in doubt, call the airline to ask what their policy is.

Tickets for children flying in their own seats are purchased online at the same time you purchase your own ticket.

Bassinets

Flying internationally with a baby can be exhausting, so a bassinet is a life saver.

Unfortunately, each airline has their own rules about when and if you can reserve one. Some airlines (American Airlines, for example) will go so far as stating that there’s a fee. But if you happen to ask at the gate, they give it to you for free.

Other airlines will let you reserve one either over the phone or at the check-in counter.

So far, I’ve had zero luck reserving a bassinet over the phone. Which is a pity, because I would have felt less anxious having it planned ahead of time.

Additionally, you’ll need to keep in mind that bassinets have a weight/age limit. While I was never asked how much my baby weighed. I’ve heard a general rule of thumb is no more than about 20lbs and 6-8 months of age.

In all honestly, bassinets are pretty shallow. They do have a small belt that zips baby in. But my 6-month-old had just learned to sit up on her own, and she was far too mobile for my liking. So while I did place her in the bassinet -so I could eat, and she could get some sleep. I kept a very close eye on her and I never fell asleep.

Documentation

Obviously, as we’re talking about leaving the country, you’ll need your child’s passport to fly internationally with a baby.

Some other paperwork to keep in mind? A letter from a parent that’s not traveling (if that’s your situation) and medical information (as a precautionary measure).

A note about a parent letter from the non-traveling parent: Some airlines and/or countries do require this. However, this was not the case when flying between the US and Spain (in my experience). Given that it wasn’t a requirement -and it sounded a bit archaic for my taste- I didn’t bring one with me.

I did, however, opt to bring my daughter’s immunization and medical records. In Spain, they are all kept in a handy little book, so it was easy to pop that in her diaper bag.

I also purchased an international health insurance plan for the two weeks we would be away. All relevant insurance information was then stored to my phone and written in a notebook I always travel with.

Check-In

Say goodbye to the days of breezing right past the check-in desk and going straight to security.

Traveling with a lap child means an obligatory stop at the check-in desk before going through security. I wasn’t able to use the self-service check-in kiosks either. The employees at the check-in desks needed to personally print my daughters lap seat ticket.

Iberia had a great system in the Madrid airport where all passengers flying with children were able to wait in a separate line. Truth be told, it ended up taking just as long, but it was nice to have a “special” line to go to.

Security

This one’s tricky. If you’re traveling with a stroller you’ll need to fold it down and put it through the x-ray machine.

Depending on the size of the machine and conveyor belt you might have to take the wheels off to make it fit. (Yes, this has happened to me while traveling solo with my daughter).

Come up with a plan of who will hold baby and who will break down the stroller. If you’re traveling alone, consider bringing a carrier or wrap (free of metal) to place baby in while you do this.

My wrap has metal rings, so I didn’t wear it (or my daughter) through the metal detector -I carried her through instead. I can’t tell you (metal rings or no) whether they’ll make you take your baby out and carry him or her through either way.

Boarding the Plane

One perk of flying internationally with a baby is that you and your child get preference during boarding. You may not be the first people on. In fact, I can assure you that you won’t be. But you will get to skip part of the line. Ask at the boarding gate what their policy is before boarding starts.

You’ll also need to let them know you have a stroller that they will tag (if you brought one). You’ll roll it right to the plane doors, fold it up, and leave it there.

You’ll also want to get your baby situated in your wrap or carrier. Once boarding starts you’ll have to juggle baby, folding up your stroller, and stowing your carry-ons. Trust me when I say, having both hands free is a necessity.

Takeoff

A flight attendant should provide you with a seat belt extension. It slides onto your seat belt and then wraps around your baby. You’ll need to buckle up baby for takeoff, landing and when the fasten seat belt sign is on. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like it would do much in the case of an emergency. But if it’s there, you’re required to use it.

For those of you with wraps and carriers, you’ll have to take your child out for takeoff, landing, and any time the fasten seat belt is on. You can baby-wear to your heart’s content at any other point in the flight.

During the Flight

If you got a bassinet, one of the flight attendants will bring it out and set it up after the fasten seat belt sign has been switched off. Keep in mind, your baby must come out of the bassinet whenever the captain turns the fasten seat belt sign back on. Even if your baby is fast asleep.

Change your baby’s diaper every 2-3 hours or at whatever interval is normal for you. Ask the flight attendants which bathrooms have changing tables and if any are a bit larger.

Changing tables tend to be flat and don’t come with a strap to keep baby in. So if both parents are traveling together I wouldn’t judge if you both went in the (very tiny) bathrooms and tackled it together. One of you holding baby and the other changing the diaper.

You can also ask a flight attendant for a plastic bag for dirty diapers, if you need one.

Otherwise, try your best to enjoy the flight. If baby gets fussy, breastfeed, offer a pacifier, or take a walk up the aisle. It’s perfectly acceptable to do any of the above as much as you need to.

At Your Destination

Take your time getting off the plane. Again, this is a great time to have your baby back in your wrap or carrier as you’ll need both hands to collect your belongings.

Once you exit the plane you’ll have to wait by the plane doors for your stroller, which will take while.

And that’s about it. Don’t forget to claim your checked luggage and pat yourself on the back for making it in one, sane piece.

Want to read more about flying internationally with a baby? Check out 5 Tips for Surviving Jet Lag with a Baby and How to Survive a (Solo) International Flight with a Baby.