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Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Hi all, have been recommended to this site and gleaned a lot already through reading others posts (in particular that the IT job market is not great... oh goody...). So I've just joined myself :)
Anyway. My Aussie wife, me, and 6-month-old son Lucas will be off to Oz one-way in September. Our son will be 9 months old when we travel. We are lucky enough to be able to travel in Premium Economy class. Have done both cattle class and PE to Oz before, and those little extras with PE make so much difference. We are seasoned travelers but we have never done this trip with a baby before! Whilst we have booked with Qantas, I understand that the flights are actually BA (presumably a 747). I am interested in any tips, tricks, and useful advice. Of course we will speak to the airline directly, but what's your experiences of taking bottles, formula, baby food (jar or sachet), etc. etc.? All advice, suggestions & tips gratefully received! Cheers :) |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
See if you can wangle an upgrade to Business, then leave the wife to sort the baby out back in Economy. Easy trip.
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Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by Lucas_Dad
(Post 10131969)
Hi all, have been recommended to this site and gleaned a lot already through reading others posts (in particular that the IT job market is not great... oh goody...). So I've just joined myself :)
Anyway. My Aussie wife, me, and 6-month-old son Lucas will be off to Oz one-way in September. Our son will be 9 months old when we travel. We are lucky enough to be able to travel in Premium Economy class. Have done both cattle class and PE to Oz before, and those little extras with PE make so much difference. We are seasoned travelers but we have never done this trip with a baby before! Whilst we have booked with Qantas, I understand that the flights are actually BA (presumably a 747). I am interested in any tips, tricks, and useful advice. Of course we will speak to the airline directly, but what's your experiences of taking bottles, formula, baby food (jar or sachet), etc. etc.? All advice, suggestions & tips gratefully received! Cheers :) For formula, I am pretty sure that you can pre-order ready mixed cartons of formula from the Boots after security. I was bf our daughter so that wasn't a problem for us, but I have heard others do that. With regards to food, we took those ready made baby foods. We had to open one and test it for security, but we had taken a couple of extras so that we could do this. We also got her used to eating room temperature food rather than warm, because we thought that that would be easier (rather than waiting for a flight attendant to nuke it and then have to wait for it to cool). It may be worth doing the same with the milk. At 9 months you shouldn't have to sterilise bottles I don't think, so you can just take enough clean ones with you. We did buy a small fold up change mat which had pockets for nappies and wipes etc in it. That meant that we didn't have to take a big change bag in to the tiny plane loo for nappy changes. We took a sling to carry her and so that we could easily walk her up and down the plane if necessary. At six months she was too long to go in the bassinet, and we found that we didn't use it, but we did find the extra leg room handy (we also had our 2 year old with us). We travelled long haul with her when she was six months old and one day after her first birthday, and to be honest she was no trouble at all either time. Our toddler was far more challenging! She was on our knee the whole time, and I didn't get any sleep, but she was as good as gold. I think that it was slightly more difficult to get her used to the time difference once we got here because it was difficult to keep her awake at nap time (we just kept our eldest awake during the day so that she was super tired at night), but it wasn't a major drama. |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
We bought a Britax approved car seat that the airline would accept for about 40 quid and used that. I think BA may supply their own if you book? Worth asking. Our 7/8 month old sat in that for the trip and boy did it make sleeping easier! He's a big boy so wouldn't fit in a bassinet so the car seat was a god send. Can't use it here as not Aus Standard but well worth the chucking money at it factor! Even better if BA have them........We just got him used to sitting in a front facer for a couple of weeks before we left. How big is your boy?
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Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
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Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by Lucas_Dad
(Post 10131969)
Hi all, have been recommended to this site and gleaned a lot already through reading others posts (in particular that the IT job market is not great... oh goody...). So I've just joined myself :)
Anyway. My Aussie wife, me, and 6-month-old son Lucas will be off to Oz one-way in September. Our son will be 9 months old when we travel. We are lucky enough to be able to travel in Premium Economy class. Have done both cattle class and PE to Oz before, and those little extras with PE make so much difference. We are seasoned travelers but we have never done this trip with a baby before! Whilst we have booked with Qantas, I understand that the flights are actually BA (presumably a 747). I am interested in any tips, tricks, and useful advice. Of course we will speak to the airline directly, but what's your experiences of taking bottles, formula, baby food (jar or sachet), etc. etc.? All advice, suggestions & tips gratefully received! Cheers :) (I particularly like the idea of wangling an upgrade to business, alas as great as the journey might be I fear I would not have a wife at the end of it!!) |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by itigo
(Post 10132137)
We bought a Britax approved car seat that the airline would accept for about 40 quid and used that. I think BA may supply their own if you book? Worth asking. Our 7/8 month old sat in that for the trip and boy did it make sleeping easier! He's a big boy so wouldn't fit in a bassinet so the car seat was a god send. Can't use it here as not Aus Standard but well worth the chucking money at it factor! Even better if BA have them........We just got him used to sitting in a front facer for a couple of weeks before we left. How big is your boy?
Cheers :) |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by LittleKittyCat
(Post 10132109)
We have done it a couple of times with small children, it wasn't that bad really, it just feels like hard work at the time!
For formula, I am pretty sure that you can pre-order ready mixed cartons of formula from the Boots after security. I was bf our daughter so that wasn't a problem for us, but I have heard others do that. With regards to food, we took those ready made baby foods. We had to open one and test it for security, but we had taken a couple of extras so that we could do this. We also got her used to eating room temperature food rather than warm, because we thought that that would be easier (rather than waiting for a flight attendant to nuke it and then have to wait for it to cool). It may be worth doing the same with the milk. At 9 months you shouldn't have to sterilise bottles I don't think, so you can just take enough clean ones with you. We did buy a small fold up change mat which had pockets for nappies and wipe s etc in it. That meant that we didn't have to take a big change bag in to the tiny plane loo for nappy changes. We took a sling to carry her and so that we could easily walk her up and down the plane if necessary. At six months she was too long to go in the bassinet, and we found that we didn't use it, but we did find the extra leg room handy (we also had our 2 year old with us). We travelled long haul with her when she was six months old and one day after her first birthday, and to be honest she was no trouble at all either time. Our toddler was far more challenging! She was on our knee the whole time, and I didn't get any sleep, but she was as good as gold. I think that it was slightly more difficult to get her used to the time difference once we got here because it was difficult to keep her awake at nap time (we just kept our eldest awake during the day so that she was super tired at night), but it wasn't a major drama. Heating of bottle/food is something we had wondered about, so good idea getting him used to room temperature. Am sure we have more questions, just don't know what they are yet! Cheers :) |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by itigo
(Post 10132141)
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...e/public/en_gb
http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airl...lobal/en#jump7 |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
At 9 months I doubt he'd comfortably fit in the bassinet (they usually say up to 6 months) and I REALLY wouldn't advise having a 9 month old on your lap. We paid for a seat (less than an adult fare) to keep our sanity.........just a thought!
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Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by Lucas_Dad
(Post 10131969)
Hi all, have been recommended to this site and gleaned a lot already through reading others posts (in particular that the IT job market is not great... oh goody...). So I've just joined myself :)
Anyway. My Aussie wife, me, and 6-month-old son Lucas will be off to Oz one-way in September. Our son will be 9 months old when we travel. We are lucky enough to be able to travel in Premium Economy class. Have done both cattle class and PE to Oz before, and those little extras with PE make so much difference. We are seasoned travelers but we have never done this trip with a baby before! Whilst we have booked with Qantas, I understand that the flights are actually BA (presumably a 747). I am interested in any tips, tricks, and useful advice. Of course we will speak to the airline directly, but what's your experiences of taking bottles, formula, baby food (jar or sachet), etc. etc.? All advice, suggestions & tips gratefully received! Cheers :) |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
There's some good tips on this site:
http://travelwithtots.com.au/tips-an...t-board-flight Unfortunately in the next few months the activity and movement requirements of your child are about to dramatically increase! At that age one of their favourite things to do with toys is shake them, so apart from the quiet toys like books take a few for him to rattle to help him burn off energy. Attach tethers to as many as possible as you can guarantee every single one will be dropped and roll under the seat and you will crick your neck trying to find them. Same with bottles. In the aircraft toilets you have to change your baby when they are lying sideways to you, a bit of an art that is...... |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by Lisa and Martin
(Post 10137924)
There's some good tips on this site:
http://travelwithtots.com.au/tips-an...t-board-flight Unfortunately in the next few months the activity and movement requirements of your child are about to dramatically increase! At that age one of their favourite things to do with toys is shake them, so apart from the quiet toys like books take a few for him to rattle to help him burn off energy. Attach tethers to as many as possible as you can guarantee every single one will be dropped and roll under the seat and you will crick your neck trying to find them. Same with bottles. In the aircraft toilets you have to change your baby when they are lying sideways to you, a bit of an art that is...... Odd thing with changing him - just because of the layout of our room, our changing station has always had him lying sideways to us. I get very confused when he is straight on! But I am easily confused.... :huh: |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
We flew the UK - Australia route when our son was only 6 months old and he was fine, was much easier than we thought it would be. Singapore Airlines really looked after us. He slept all the way from Singapore to Sydney!
We flew with him again as a 3 year old and that was HEEEEELLLLLLLL :eek::eek: It is much easier with a child under 1 than a toddler. He watched some of the TV but was still a bit young to operate it and got frustrated with it. He just wanted to explore all the time, and we let him as much as possible. But still had typical screaming meltdowns if we tried to move him at times. Usually that doesn't feel so bad, but is a confined space it seems many times worse. He launched one of his toys down the plane over the front of his seat and it bounced off the heads of around 5 passengers before coming to a rest on the floor!!!! I just sank in to my seat and sent the wife to get it!!!! He is nearly 5 now and the next time we fly he will be much better I think. It is that period from age 1 - 3 that is the hard bit! |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
I found 18 months the hardest. Before and after that it was a breeze.
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Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
This thread is making me feel better. I'm flying by myself with my 2 kids who will be 7 months and 4 years old from Rome to Sydney next month to visit the family. Last time we flew, eldest was 2 and youngest didn't exist yet and it was pretty hellish. I think (hope!) it'll be a lot better at 4. And we're flying Singapore Airlines so I'm glad to read that the bassinets accomodate larger babies. I just hope my7 month old sleeps a bit. Thank God she's not crawling yet. :thumbsup:
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Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by gelato
(Post 10141433)
This thread is making me feel better. I'm flying by myself with my 2 kids who will be 7 months and 4 years old from Rome to Sydney next month to visit the family. Last time we flew, eldest was 2 and youngest didn't exist yet and it was pretty hellish. I think (hope!) it'll be a lot better at 4. And we're flying Singapore Airlines so I'm glad to read that the bassinets accomodate larger babies. I just hope my7 month old sleeps a bit. Thank God she's not crawling yet. :thumbsup:
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Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by kronk
(Post 10135395)
We took our 15 mth old and our 3 year old on a validation trip from UK to Oz, we flew with Singapore Airlines and the bassinets easily accommodated our 15mth old. We then flew again to Oz via the US when they were nearly 2 and 4. No probs at all, just keep them entertained. We're flying again this year back to UK but now with a nearly 6, nearly 4 and a 14mth old baby :p Not worried about the flight, kids are good, try and keep your bub in its routine as much as possible. I get the kids in their PJs, put the baby in its normal bedtime clothes/blanket. Also I found that using disposable bottles from Boots were really helpful, didn't have to worry about washing bottles out. If you are doing that, make sure your baby is ok with disposable bottles so try a few out before your flight. Night flights are also helpful.
Next trip, we paid for his seat and brought his car seat. Much, much better. :thumbsup: Agree on night flights. Even if it means a longer lay over somewhere. Our last flight back to Canada from Perth meant a 14 hour lay over in Auckland, but also meant two night flights. The kids slept 6/7 hours on the first leg (it left at about 9pm) and about 9/13 hours on the second (also left about 8pm). Worth it. For the OP: bring your own jarred babyfood for the flight. That way you can be sure it'll be a brand and variety your little one likes. We'd booked a "baby meal" with SA but they gave us a jar of strained carrots (huh) while our guy preferred those cereal/fruit blends and casseroles. He wouldn't have touched those carrots...who would :rofl: We were doing a combo of BF and formula and the cabin crew were very good about washing out bottles for us and giving us warm water to mix the powder with. We just brought two glass bottles and formula powder with us (in a storage bag with scoop). No one gave us any hassle about it. Also, extra diapers, wet wipes, all that stuff. Change of clothes for the baby and you as well. I forgot to pack a set for myself once and that was the flight my son (then 16 months old) knocked a full glass of ginger ale into my lap. |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by Lucas_Dad
(Post 10133832)
Lots of great tips. Thanks :)
Heating of bottle/food is something we had wondered about, so good idea getting him used to room temperature. Am sure we have more questions, just don't know what they are yet! Cheers :) |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Take-off and landing are stressful for kids due to change in cabin pressure (may cause discomfort or pain in ears). Try to stay calm if your child wails - the worst should be over in 5 minutes after takeoff.
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Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Ear plugs and the ability to look in disdain down your nose whilst pretending its NOT your child helps airplane travel in the early years....
We only did short plane trips when ours were that kind of age... Luckily they can be amused with relatively small number of toys..... Unforrunately plenty of human interaction is the answer... That and their own seat..as previously suggested.... A bottle (if it has one) to suck on for the ears on take off is a good idea... I have friends whose child slept very well if ever given calpol.... They abused it to the max when they came out... Shocking... Best advice... Forget about your own body clock and time differences ... Just concentrate on their needs for the flight and worry about that once youve arrived.... |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
We are moving to Perth in Nov, went out in 2010 with our then 3 year old, he was great, watched movies and slept with his head on my lap and feet on my husband for hours!! He was brilliant with jet lag too.
In Nov we are flying with our now 6 year old, a 2 year old and 7 month old. I am dreading it!! I am planning to pack loads of snacks, and changes of clothes for all of us, am sure someones drink will get spilt or someone will puke or wee on me! At least you don't have a toilet training toddler to factor in too, although he is doing well now so hopefully will have it cracked by Nov! Good luck hope you have an easy journey! |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
Originally Posted by naomilondon
(Post 10153136)
We are moving to Perth in Nov, went out in 2010 with our then 3 year old, he was great, watched movies and slept with his head on my lap and feet on my husband for hours!! He was brilliant with jet lag too.
In Nov we are flying with our now 6 year old, a 2 year old and 7 month old. I am dreading it!! I am planning to pack loads of snacks, and changes of clothes for all of us, am sure someones drink will get spilt or someone will puke or wee on me! At least you don't have a toilet training toddler to factor in too, although he is doing well now so hopefully will have it cracked by Nov! Good luck hope you have an easy journey! - we are lucky enough to be flying premium economy thanks to having airmiles gifted to us. A PE seat even for an infant sounds expensive! - we won't have a car seat to be able to take on the plane (what are using currently is not legal in Oz and borrowed from a friend anyway!) We are a little concerned about the size of the bassinet but we're not really sure what other options we have other than to just get on the plane and see what happens. Alternatively I may see if I can swing an upgrade to first class, and have use of a couple of their flat beds.. or better still blag my way up into the crew rest area?!! |
Re: Emigrating with a 9-month-old
We just flew from Melbourne to Uk with our 4 month old on Qatar. He was brilliant. I fed him on take off and landing and had no problems (BF so cant help with bottles etc..) Husband and I took each leg in turns. Only problem on my leg we had lots of turbulence and he wasn't allowed in bassinet during that time so had to hold him in seat belt!!! I agree about night flights as best as possible. Or try to take the longer leg at night.
We used the baby bjorn around the airport which was brilliant... Its amazing how accommodating other passengers and airline staff are. You will be fine. Enjoy as much as you can. |
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