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Help! Totally confused! Air Travel with 14 week old

Hi everyone,
We're going to a wedding abroad in 3 weeks time. I am TOTALLY confused about the air travel regulations for baby. Can anyone help me?
We have a buggy that takes the car seat on it with adapters. Can we bring the buggy plus carseat to the gate, or does the carseat need to be checked in?
Can I bring bottles through security? I.e. filled with water/formula?
If we bring the buggy to the gate (with car seat? without car seat?), is it then put in the hold or held on board?

I've phoned the airline and Heathrow - have received conflicting advice as airline said car seat has to be checked in, but Heathrow says it could be brought to the gate?
Heathrow just said NO liquids through security, but friends of ours have said they've brought formula in bottles through without a problem - they just had to taste it.
Aargh - totally confused now and would like to avoid total chaos at the airport so any advice would be fab!
Thanks,
webminx

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Replies

  • im going to watch this as we are also going away in 3 weeks and i have very similar questions...particularly about bottles, i know people have said its a good idea to reserve ready made milk to collect the other side of security but i wondered whether we can take water in bottles and powder rather than have to mess around with reserving and risk something going wrong!

    ps. we are taking a travel cot does anyone know if we have to pay extra baggage for this?
  • Hi I work for an airline at heathrow and have also travelled through with young children. which airline are you travelling with as most have their own indiviual guidlines when it comes to buggies and gates etc.

    i work for BA and you cann take both the buggy and car seat through to the gate wih us however we dont guarantee we'll be able to accommodate on board usually with the type your describing it is usually a no however if you wish just to take the car seat on you can ask if they can accommadate that, but remember that at the other end buggies are usually returned at the baggage reclaim belt not the aircraft side so work out if its easier to carry baby by itself or in car seat.

    with regard to liquid and bottles etc you can take them through howver that bag will be hand seaerched and you will have to taste a percentage of the liquids ie 6 bottles you'll haver ti taste 2 probably. if you take cartons they will have to be opened. remember though there is a boots airside so you can buy cartons once thru if you need.

    hope that helps and i havent rambled
  • That's a great help - thanks, Olliesmummy22! Oh no, Shockedmummyimage! I hadn't even thought about the cot - that's another thing! image Also, do you know if the baby gets a hand-luggage allowance? Am I allowed to bring his change bag plus my own handbag, or is it just one piece of handluggage for us both? Silly question really, but am getting bit panicky about the whole thing as he has SO MUCH STUFF!
  • again it really depends on airline, we allow one peice hand baggage for an infant.officially according to thhe rules a travel cot counts as a peice of baggage so expect to be charged if your over but happily suprised if your not.

    as extra to your checked baggage your allowed car seat and buggy which you wont be charged extra for. however do check with your airline as low cost airlines do not allow any handbaggage allownace fir an infant

  • Who are you flying with? I fly reguarly with BA, ryanair and easyjet and they all have different allowances. BA are by far the best!
    If you check the airline website they usually tell you what you are intitled to take.

    I always take my own milk and have just been asked to taste some. I have never had a problem with the amount.
    Personally I take my pushchair and car seat. I check my car seat in and then give my puschair in at the gate. If it is ryanair then they give you the puschair back at the aircraft door when landing as do easyjet. Like the lady above said BA put them on the luggage thing.
    Ryanair are just one pushcahir and no baggage. I think it is 15 punds for each additional ie carseat, cot.
    Easyjet are puschair and car seat incl and hand luggage
    BA are the best as babies get pushchair, carseat hand luggage, changing bag and checked allowance.

    Bet you are not flying any of those airlines!!! !)

    Good luck, it isnt really as stressful as it sounds, just have to be organised and have 10 hands!!

    HTH

    Joanna x

  • We travelled with Ben when he was about 8 weeks and had many of the same questions.

    We flew with BA from Heathrow and were able to take the pram and carseat to the gate but they were then put on the hold (so in retrospect we should just have checked the carseat in initially.) We were told previously that if it wasn't busy we could take the carseat on the plane (we were worried about it getting knocked around) but unfortunately the plane was too full. The pram had to go in the hold.

    We were told we could collect the pram airside but the sicker they put on it fell off so it came on the baggage reclaim belt. Lucky we had a sling to carry baby around the airport.

    I was breastfeeding but the lady in front had cartons and security didn't make her open them (guess it depends on who you get).

    I was allowed my handbag + baby change bag on the plane with us.

    Best advice I got was to feed Ben on take off and landing so his ears didn't hurt. This meant he was 'sucking' on takeoff and landing. No tears + happy baby image

    I was so worried but honestly it was fine.

    Enjoy your holidayimage x
  • hi there

    this whole thing is a minefield isn't it!? We went away with our LO when she was 12 weeks old last month and were told by the airline (Monarch) that we could only take a pushchair that folds all in one piece to the gate. So we couldn't take our Quinny with carry-cot attached but instead took my friends Phil and Teds.

    Re car seat. Unless you are using it as a pushchair in the airport I would say check it in and wrap it/box it up before doing so. They really get thrown around by the baggage handlers and there is a real risk that if the csing has been damaged it wouldn't actually be as safe as advertised in the event of an accident.

    Also have you been to the overseas airport before? We flew to Palma and a friend had told us it was a mammoth walk from the gates to baggage reclaim so to take our baby Bjorn (I'm so glad we did! It was bloody miles and DD wighs a ton).

    Re baggage DD had a 10kilo luggage allowance but that was checked in luggage rather than hand baggage. Hubby and I basically spread all her stuff between our 2 bags of hand luggage (I didn't take a separate handbag).

    Re formula I took one bottle through security with formula in it and had to taste it. I also took 3 other empty sterilised bottles (I took so many in case of delay) and pre-ordered cartons of formula with Boots on the other side if security. You can do this at most airports.

    Good luck!

    xxx
  • "Re car seat. Unless you are using it as a pushchair in the airport I would say check it in and wrap it/box it up before doing so. They really get thrown around by the baggage handlers and there is a real risk that if the csing has been damaged it wouldn't actually be as safe as advertised in the event of an accident."

    VERY good tip. I wish we had done this and would definitely do so next time we are flying anywhere.
  • OMG - worst travelling nightmare!
  • I work for Easyjet & u can bring everything to gate with u, however with going through security it would be so much less hassle to check some of it in. I travelled with lo at 8 week & checked everything in & carried lo in sling, so much easier. The pram etc would have to go in hold.

    The food thing, we just had water & were asked to taste it but could bring enough through to last us the flight.

    Every airline is different but our policy is one piece of hand luggage per paying passenger so as ur lo won't be paying they don't get hand baggage.

    Hope this helps, hope u have a great time!! Good tip, feed lo on take off & landing as it will help their ears pop & not have screaming matches image

    jayne xx
  • Thanks so much everyone! We're flying AerLingus to Ireland, so will give them another call (!) to check on the handluggage question. Will definitely feed him when we take off and land - great tip, thanks!
  • Hello

    When we went away last year we could take bottles through but had to taste a few of them they just randomly chose which ones. We where allowed to take the buggy right up to the gate but at the other end it came out with the bags.

    Im travelling to Cyprus in September with a 2 year old and a 12-14 week old (depending if he is late) eeeeeeeeeeeek im so nervous about it !! xx
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