British Airways Infant Policy: Two Devices, Two Weight Limits

Lap or a seat of their own

The safest way for a baby to fly is in an approved child restraint in their own seat — in turbulence an adult's arms are not a restraint. A lap infant is legal and extremely common, but it is the affordable option rather than the safe one.

On a transatlantic flight the practical difference matters too. If neither the carrycot nor the infant seat is available, a baby on a lap for eight hours overnight is hard on everyone, and a seat is worth pricing.

Car seats and strollers

• An approved car seat can be used on board where you have bought a seat, carrying a certification label the airline recognises.
• European and US approval marks differ. If you are bringing a seat bought in the United States, check the label before you travel rather than at the gate.
• Strollers and car seats are generally carried at no additional charge, checked or gate-checked.
• Gate-check the stroller so it stays with you through the terminal.
• Use a padded bag for gate-checked items.

Documents for the baby

• A passport, including for a newborn. No exemption for infants, and processing takes weeks.
• Any travel authorisation the destination requires for the infant in their own right — the UK and several European countries have introduced requirements that apply to children too.
• A consent letter where only one parent travels, which is commonly expected.
• A birth certificate, useful where surnames differ.
• Check requirements by the baby's nationality.

Baggage for a baby

• Ask about the infant's allowance rather than assuming there is none — European carriers frequently give a lap infant a small checked allowance.
• A stroller and car seat are generally carried in addition.
• Formula, breast milk and baby food are exempt from the usual liquid limits in reasonable quantities.
• Pack for an overnight flight, which needs more than a daytime one — a baby who wakes at 3am needs the same things they would at home.

Booking a trip around a baby's day

• Transatlantic flights are frequently overnight, which works well for some babies and badly for others. If yours only sleeps in a cot, a daytime flight may be easier.
• Nonstop beats a connection almost every time.
• Several London airports serve these routes, and the quieter ones are easier with a pram.
• Consider the time difference, which with a baby takes longer to settle than it does for adults.
• Avoid the last departure of the day.

Travelling as two adults, or as one

• Two adults: a window and an aisle on a three-seat row often leaves the middle empty.
• One adult: an aisle seat is worth more than a window.
• Only one lap infant per adult.
• Whoever is not holding the baby carries everything else.
• Agree in advance who does what at security and boarding.

Getting through the airport

• Allow far more time than you would alone.
• Use the family lane at security where one exists.
• You will carry the baby through the detector while the carrier is scanned.
• Keep milk, formula and food accessible.
• Change the baby immediately before boarding.
• Find the changing facilities in advance — large hub terminals are not uniformly equipped.
• Do not rely on buying supplies airside.

The flight itself

• Feed on the way up and the way down. Sucking equalises ear pressure.
• Do not wake a sleeping baby for descent.
• Dress in layers.
• Request a baby meal in advance if the child is on solids.
• Ask which lavatory has the changing table.
• Accept help when it is offered.

What families most often get wrong

• Not knowing the infant seat exists and assuming a baby over the carrycot limit has no option.
• Requesting late, when the bulkhead positions have gone.
• Assuming the infant fare buys a seat.
• Bringing a car seat with a mark the airline does not recognise.
• Leaving the baby's passport until the flights are booked.
• Travelling without a consent letter where only one parent is going.
• Booking an overnight flight for a baby who only sleeps in a cot.

The first flight, and what actually goes wrong

Parents booking a first flight with a baby almost always worry about the wrong thing. The crying is what everyone fears; it is rarely what causes the problem.

What actually goes wrong is timing. Families arrive with the margin they would allow themselves alone, then find that a nappy change, a feed, a security queue with a pram and a child who will not go in the carrier have eaten an hour. The fix is simple and unglamorous: leave earlier than feels reasonable, and accept that you will sometimes be sitting at the gate with nothing to do. That is the good outcome.

The second thing is supplies. People pack for the flight rather than for the day. A two-hour flight that becomes a six-hour day after a delay needs more feeds, more nappies and more changes of clothes than the schedule suggests — and airside there is frequently nothing to buy, or nothing in the brand your baby will accept.

The third is the other passengers, and here the worry is mostly misplaced. Cabin crew deal with babies constantly and are generally very good with them. Most passengers are more sympathetic than parents expect, particularly if you look like you are coping rather than apologising. Walking the aisle with an unsettled baby is normal and nobody minds.

A short packing list for the cabin bag

• More feeds than the flight needs — assume a delay.
• More nappies than the flight needs, with wipes and a changing mat.
• Two changes of clothes for the baby, and one top for you. Both get used more often than people expect.
• Nappy bags, since not every aircraft lavatory has a bin that takes them.
• A muslin or blanket, which doubles as shade, a feeding cover and something familiar.
• Any medication, including infant paracetamol if your doctor approves it — a baby who becomes unwell in the air is not a situation to improvise.
• A dummy or comforter, and a spare, because the first one will go on the floor.
• The documents in one folder rather than spread between a bag and a phone.

How Fond Travels can help

• We ask for the right device by name — carrycot or infant seat — which for a baby over the carrycot limit is the difference between an option and none.
• We request it at booking and secure bulkhead seating where it exists.
• We check the car seat's approval mark is one the airline recognises.
• We flag the passport and authorisation position for the baby as soon as an international trip is mentioned.
• We pick the airport and the time of day around the baby rather than the fare.
• We answer at any hour, which with a baby in the house is more useful than it sounds.

To plan a trip with a baby, call +1 (323) 800 6001. A travel expert answers any hour.