Visiting friends in Melbourne

I had to go to Melbourne for work so I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to bring our daughter along to visit some friends in Melbourne. It was only her 2nd flight & this time it was an overnight flight. However, at 1 month-old, they are still sleeping pretty much, only waking to feed every 4 hrs. We bundled her up nicely for the cabin and she slept in her bassinet on the plane. It was quite ok throughout the flight. Again as we started the descent, we were prepared for her to feed if the air pressure annoys her & she starts crying. We used the Baby Bjorn front baby carrier for this trip and it proved to be very useful. We could do our thing with her snuggled & sleeping in front of us. The return flight was also uneventful. I think this could be the best time to travel with babies if they are healthy. All they do is eat and sleep and their patterns are pretty predictable.

Flying with a month-old baby

Our daughter was born in Penang but after a month, my leave has ended and it's now time to go back to Singapore where I work. So the task is to get ready my daughters' passport and travel arrangements to Singapore. Getting the passport was relatively easy because the Immigration Dept in Penang gives priority to parents with children. We just needed to have pictures of our daughter with her eyes open(a pain when its her naptime!). So I suggest you bring your baby to take the pictures when they are awake. For air travel, do check with your paediatrician on your baby's health. They can advise on specific precautions for air travel. We were booked on Singapore Airlines and were assigned seats with a bassinet. However, the flight is only 1hr but the stewerdesses were kind enough to fix up the bassinet soon after take-off for our daughter to sleep in. Our daughter slept most through most of the flight and didn't seem to be affected by the air pressure during the descent. The difference in air pressure was a concern. (Technically in the aircraft cabin, the air pressure is about the same as standing on a 5000-7000ft mountain) The effect on the ear air pressure is more pronounced during the descent than the climb. If your baby is crying, it could be that the air pressure is affecting their ears. Try breastfeeding them or feeding them from the bottle. The sucking motion will alleviate the air pressure in the ears. The cabin can a bit chilly sometimes so make sure your baby is properly bundled for warmth.
Our first flight completed without a hitch and looking forward to more.....