Turkish Airlines Infant Policy: Newborns, Bassinets and Fares

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 this network most journeys involve a long sector plus a connection, which makes the case for a seat stronger than it looks on a short flight. Price it before dismissing it.

Car seats and strollers

• An approved car seat can be used on board where you have bought a seat, carrying a label the airline recognises.
• Approval marks differ between regions. Check a US-bought seat before travelling 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. This is the practical constraint on travelling with a very young baby — the medical rules may permit it from day two, but no passport means no flight, and processing takes weeks.
• Any visa or entry authorisation the destination requires for the infant.
• A transit requirement where the routing connects, depending on the baby's nationality.
• A consent letter where only one parent travels.
• A birth certificate, which is useful where surnames differ.

If a baby has been born abroad, the passport and the local registration process are the long poles — start both immediately rather than after the flights are chosen.

Baggage for a baby

• Ask about the infant's allowance rather than assuming there is none; it is frequently more generous than the US norm.
• 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 the whole journey, not just the first flight — on this network a connection adds hours.

Booking a trip around a baby's day

• Fly when your baby normally sleeps where the schedule allows.
• Nonstop beats a connection, though on this network the hub transfer is usually unavoidable.
• Leave real margin on the transfer.
• Consider the time difference, which on these routes is frequently harder than the flight.
• 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 at the hub in advance — it is a very large airport.
• 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 medical-report route exists for a baby between two and seven days old.
• Assuming the passport will be quick for a baby born abroad — it is the real constraint.
• Requesting a bassinet late.
• Not checking the age against the return date.
• Overlooking transit requirements for the baby's nationality.
• Booking a tight hub connection with a pram and a baby.
• Assuming the infant fare buys a seat.

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 know the newborn rules in detail, including the medical-report route that most airlines do not offer.
• We flag the passport position immediately for a baby born abroad, which is the real constraint on an early trip.
• We request the bassinet at booking and secure bulkhead seating.
• We build in a workable hub connection rather than the shortest legal one.
• We check the visa and transit position by the baby's nationality.
• We answer at any hour, which with a newborn 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.