Taking baby abroad and getting passports and pushchairs!!

[Laur_250]

I really cant wait for a holiday, its been a year and we have had to cancel our honeymoon as the baby will be so young so cant wait to be able to go asap, hopefully early next year when babies 6 months.

Q1-worried about flight, how do young babies cope?? We would only go as far as spain, etc to avoid a loooong journey.

Q2-passport photos, can you use the ones that the hospital professional photographer comes and takes after birth??

Plus any other ideas/suggestions/advice??

xx

Question on pushchairs page two xx

 

[purple13]

we've just come back from our hols to spain and didn't have any probs at all.

we had connor's passport pics taken at snappy snaps (didn't have any done at the hospital).

and on the flight we just kept his dummy in so that his sucking and swallowing would equalise his ears. i actually bf-ed him on our landing in to spain 8) 8)

 

[Sherlock]

Babies cope fine is my experience usually As has been said, sucking a dummy or feeding helps their ears on take off and landing.

More often than not its the people around you who don't cope if your LO happens to have a bit of a bad day and decides to cry or scream lots. And the parents because of it. I dread when I see a baby and parent sitting near me on any flight longer than a couple of hours for this reason. I've known one baby wail all the way to the US one time Yet on another flight back from Australia the baby was so quiet and only cried for very short burts when hungry or tired Depends on the baby.

And if in doubt about what the photo requirements are for a passport get the application form and have a read and see what it says. It will be very clear as to what is acceptable and what isn't.

 

[Laur_250]

I was wondering about the take off/landing pressure and didnt think of the dummy idea so thanks!xx

 

[daftscotslass]

We just got Becky a passport last week (flying to Holland in 2 weeks to see in laws so we had it fast tracked).

The photo requirements are a bit more relaxed with young babies but you still have to have basic requirements fulfilled. For babies under 6 months they don't need to have their eyes open. They can't be smiling, mouth must be closed and both ears must be in the picture. You'd have to ask the Bounty photographer very nicely because it takes a WHOLE lot of patience to get this right and it's not cheap to get pics taken in the hospital.

Photo booths weren't an option for us because Becky was so young so we opted to take it ourselves (see photos section for the rejected versions and the version we used) and have it printed via this site here - http://www.picturelizard.co.uk/HowToFra ... ath=95_151 It also gives you instructions on how to take the picture yourself, they'll crop and print the pics and it only costs £3.99 - far cheaper than getting a professional to do it! We had no problems getting the photo accepted by the passport office.

 

[Laur_250]

Great site daftscotslass thanks, think we'll do it ourselves then seems easier!xx

 

[daftscotslass]

Definitely and you'll have much hilarity trying to get a good pic, see http://www.pregnancyforum.co.uk/forum/v ... hp?t=80511

 

[Laur_250]

Ahhh those pics are soooo cute!xx

 

[rachie29]

we went the whole hog and did 2 weeks in Thailand with a stop over in Dubai!

We had no problems whatsoever. We flew at night and Holly slept pretty much the whole time. She was awake for a few hours on each journey but she was kept amused quite easily. I tried to feed her on take off and landing but she was so tired she was already asleep and then we put her in the bassinet (i'm not sure if they are available on short haul flights). On landing she had either a dummy or was fed. On the whole she wasnt bothered in the slightest.
I was b/f which made it a bit easier, although its tricky in small seats...so we took all the usual for her change bag and few extra toys and sleeping bag.
Passport wise I had the photos done at Max Speilman, very funny trying to get her to stay still so we could get both ears in shot.

 

[BabyMagic]

We flew when LO was four weeks old. I was a little nervous before hand but for no reason as LO didn't mind flying at all. I had to wake her for a feed during landing!!!

We joked that we wished that there was a machine which would make airplane sounds as that seems to calm LO down!!!!

Our flight was only three hours long though...

 

[Laur_250]

Thats great to hear everyone It's actually making me consider going end of this year instead!!

Does anyone know how long the passport takes??xx

 

[daftscotslass]

It depends on the time of year. We fast tracked it - it's normally 3 weeks but that isn't guaranteed. We were told it could take anything up to 6 weeks at peak times (i.e. now, just before the hols) which wasn't an option as we were travelling in 4. You can also do the post office check and send which is a bit more pricey but again not guaranteed though usually 2 weeks. Fast track (twice the price) is guaranteed in a week for a child's first passport.

 

[Laur_250]

Cool, well Im looking at november hols at the mo, baby would be 3 months then so should get passport no probs??xx

 

[daftscotslass]

Shouldn't be a problem

 

[badgergirl]

We got Sprog's done at 3 weeks old. We had an argument with every local place that did passport photos about whether or not he could have his eyes shut. Passport regs say they can as babies, nowhere would believe us. So we had to wake him up. And then stop him crying. Then they insisted he lay on a white sheet on the floor. So he screamed. He then stopped crying...because he fell asleep.

In the end, OH laid over a chair with the sheet over him, holding Sprog through it.

Sprog looks like a fat Buddha of a baby, half asleep. He'll not be happy in a few years. But we have his passport (which only took 13 days to arrive!)

Wish I'd known we could do photos at home...

 

[Laur_250]

Looked at holidays and very keen! Just wondering.................

Our pushchair/pram is a travel system and is very big, i think it'd be a pain to take abroad, what did everyone else use?? Where was it put-on plane checked in or as hand luggage??

Thanks xx

 

[daftscotslass]

Will let you know how we get on in a couple of weeks. We have a travel system so we're taking the buggy part and the car seat. Usually you can keep it till you get on the plane but I think we just might check it all through and then pop her in the baby carrier.

 

[Laur_250]

Will let you know how we get on in a couple of weeks. We have a travel system so we're taking the buggy part and the car seat. Usually you can keep it till you get on the plane but I think we just might check it all through and then pop her in the baby carrier.

Ours is one of the lay-flat car seats so its alot bigger than normal sized ones which may be a problem. Will still help to hear how you get on though thanks, will you take car seat on plane with you then??xx

 

[daftscotslass]

Yeah our pram is pretty bulky. Will just check the car seat through with the pram

 

[Princess_Puddles]

We got Harrisons passport done a little while ago now and although hes older they aren't very strick about children under the age of five, as long as the picture is reasonable then it will be fine, doesnt matter if they are smiling or have their mouth open as Harrison was doing that in his and they were fine for him