How soon should you fly your baby abroad? My first daughter Storme flew to Nice at 10 days and Los Angeles at two months. Now eight years old, she and the new four-month-old twins are flying to Ohio.

Most so-called experts tell you to wait until a child is four or five so that they can truly appreciate a foreign culture (as if any pre-teen cares about anything but the ice-cream). But with flying, the younger and more portable the child, the better time we all have.

Babies are designed to be part of the baggage. We'll check in the double buggy and carry the twins in slings, so our hands are free. The longer the flight, the easier it is, as it's the getting on and off that's the hassle.

Once settled in their carrycots (which British Airways, among others, provide), it's an airborne home from home with its own rocking motion.

At 30,000ft, breast is definitely best - then there's no need to pack anything except a firm bra. Feeding has the same effect as sucking a boiled sweet, so the baby's ears won't hurt.

Everything in my hand luggage is disposable - bottles, bibs, baby wipes, and small cartons of ready-made formula milk. On a Hong Kong flight, I'd taken a spare set of clothes for a six-month-old Storme but not, I regret to say, for me. She arrived all fresh, pink and perky; I greeted my far-flung family covered in posit. Now I pack a spare set for the adults as well.

The twins are supposed to be too tiny to know, but I attribute Storme's ease with travel to gadding about the globe when she was so very young. We spend more memorable time together on the move than we ever do at home, where tedious tasks interrupt and there's always another pencil to be picked up from the floor. I hope the twins will become travellers, too.

• If you have any experiences of travelling with kids that you would like to share, e-mail: mailto:Deabirkett@cs.com