Usually, yes. Stay home or have a sitter or nanny. If it's a family emergency or tragedy, benedryl for the child before the flight. Do NOT change the child outside of the plane's lavatory. Premium economy, not business class, as premium has some perks for bringing your baby, is more affordable than business class. Daytime flights if possible. Red-eye's people want to sleep. Be prepared, binkies, blankets, diapers, quiet toys, etc. Try to fly when you will have the most energy, hard to parent if you yourself are sleeping from exhaustion. (not always a choice, we know.) Insure your flight. If the baby is sick, colic, or especially if it has inner ear problems, don't go or again, arrange care for the child. No need to make the baby suffer, and in turn making you and everyone else miserable, too. Many people will not be kind if the child wasn't feeling well and kept them up 14 hours, which will be hard on you in addition to your own exhaustion.