Flying with a baby is mostly paperwork and packing, and the drive is the part you can make easy. Before the day, get the baby a passport and check it arrives in time. On the day, carry enough milk and food for the journey (security allows more than the usual liquid limit for babies), book a rear-facing seat in the car, and plan the departure around a feed rather than the other way round. The details below are drawn from GOV.UK and Heathrow's published guidance.
- A baby needs their own passport; the photo rules are relaxed for under-ones, but allow processing time before you book flights.
- Formula, baby food and sterilised water are allowed through security in amounts for the journey when the baby is travelling with you.
- Under 15 months, a height-based seat must face backwards, so ask us for a rear-facing infant seat when you book.
Does a baby need their own passport?
Yes. A baby flying abroad travels on a British child passport in their own name, and GOV.UK even publishes separate photo rules for children under one. The passport is valid for five years and costs £66.50 online or £80 by paper form, and someone with parental responsibility must apply (see Get a passport for your child). GOV.UK is blunt on timing: do not book travel until you have a valid passport.
The photo is easier than parents fear. According to the passport photo rules, children under one do not need their eyes open, and you can support the baby's head as long as your hand is not visible. A baby under one should lie on a plain, light-coloured sheet with the photo taken from above. No dummies and no toys in shot.
If you are heading to a Schengen country, the usual passport-validity checks apply to the baby's passport too, and under the EU's Entry/Exit System children aged 11 or younger are not fingerprinted, though they may be photographed at the border (see the France entry requirements page).
How much baby milk can you take through security?
Enough for the journey, and there is no fixed legal cap. GOV.UK's page on baby food and baby milk allows formula, cow's milk, soya milk for babies, sterilised water and baby food in hand luggage as long as the baby is travelling with you. Breast milk is different: you can carry it even without the baby, in containers of up to 2,000ml each, but not frozen. Cooling gel packs and ice packs are allowed. Each container may be opened for screening, so keep bottles where you can reach them quickly.
Heathrow adds that these baby items do not need to go in a separate liquids bag and are exempt from the usual liquid limits (Heathrow family guidance). Remember the flight home: the rules for everyday liquids vary between airports, so check the liquids page for any airport you are travelling back through.
Which car seat does a baby need for the airport run?
A rear-facing one. Under the child car seat rules, height-based seats must face backwards until a child is over 15 months old, and weight-based group 0 and 0+ seats are rear-facing baby carriers for infants up to 10kg or 13kg. If a rear-facing seat is ever fitted in the front, the passenger airbag has to be switched off; we avoid that by fitting infant seats in the rear.
Private hire cars have a legal exemption that lets a child under 3 travel in a rear seat without a seat if none is provided. That is not a sensible way to carry a baby on a dual carriageway. We fit infant seats on request, so give us the baby's age and approximate weight when you book. If you prefer your own infant carrier, particularly one that clicks into your pram chassis, bring it and allow a few minutes for fitting.
Will the pram, travel cot and bags fit?
Babies travel with more kit per kilo than anyone else. A typical load is a pram or travel system, a changing bag, a travel cot, a case for the baby and a case for each adult. A saloon boot can struggle with a full pram chassis plus cases, and the BMW 5 Series has a conventional boot lid rather than a hatch, so tall folded items should be mentioned in advance.
Couples with a baby and a lot of kit usually fit better in the SEAT Alhambra run as a five-seater, or the Mercedes-Benz V-Class if grandparents are coming too. Tell us the pram model and number of cases, and we will suggest a vehicle; our guide to luggage in an airport taxi has more examples.
How do you time the journey around feeds and naps?
Plan backwards from the feed, not from the flight. A baby who is fed just before the car arrives often sleeps for the drive, and from Gerrards Cross to Heathrow that is only around 20–35 minutes by road, which suits a short nap. Longer runs, such as Gatwick at around 70–85 minutes or Stansted at around 90–105 minutes, may need a feed stop, so build that into the pickup time rather than hoping.
A useful sequence for an early flight:
- The night before: pack the changing bag, measure formula into a dispenser, and leave bottles and sterilised water by the door.
- Thirty minutes before pickup: feed and change the baby.
- At pickup: baby into the pre-fitted seat first, then bags, so the baby is not left in a cold hallway.
- At the terminal: take the pram out first and use it as a trolley for the changing bag.
Our 24-hour service handles dawn collections, and the guide to early-morning airport transfers covers timing for first-wave departures.
What does Heathrow offer parents of babies?
Heathrow says baby changing areas are in every terminal, both before and after security, and that pushchairs, car seats and baby carriers all go through the security check. A pushchair usually has to be folded for screening. If the baby cannot walk, you carry them through the scanner with you. Most airlines let you keep the pushchair to the gate, and depending on the airline you collect it at the aircraft door or at baggage reclaim.
It is worth confirming three things with your airline before the day: whether the baby travels on your lap or in a seat, whether a travel cot or car seat counts towards your allowance, and where you collect the pushchair on arrival. None of those are airport rules, so the airport cannot answer them for you.
What about getting home with a tired baby?
Arrivals are where babies run out of patience, so the less waiting the better. We monitor the flight, work to the actual landing time and can meet you in the arrivals hall. International arrivals include a free waiting period for passport control and baggage reclaim, as set out in our terms. Ask for the infant seat on the return booking as well, and if the baby has had a birthday or a growth spurt while you were away, tell us. Details of how meet-and-greet works are in a separate guide, and parents of older children may find our guide to airport taxis with children useful next.