suzy1

To all those that have done it and survived - could you give me your top 10 tips on flying with a 6 month old baby? Truly dreading it.

moneypenny20

Why? 1st tip would be not to stress - the baby will pick up on it and therefore confirm your worst fears.

Personally I would think that travelling with a small baby would be the easiest (bar travelling alone of course). Lots of bottles or boobs, nappies and a dummy and Bobs your aunty.

iPom

6 months? ...night flight, feed, change nappies, entertain, put down in sky cot when they're asleep.

Easy as pie.

And yes, done it many times.

Katherined0

Book bassinette seat early. Phone airline to confirm you want it -- even if you decide not to use it, it does ensure you get the bulkhead seat and therefore more leg room! If travelling with your partner ask to get meals at different times so one can hold/deal with baby while the other eats. Another tip -- one of us went on board early to get everything "set up" while the other one waited so LOs were among the last on the plane -- just reduces slightly that time where they have to sit in their seat before take off! Also assume everything that can go wrong will go wrong so you have adequate supplies of milk/nappies/snacks/clothes etc. We found a mix of new toys and old favourites was good! I agree -- dont stress but easier said than done. I've always found the airlines are great about travelling with LOs and the air hostesses were more than helpful!

iPom

I think we used our bassinet as extra storage.

Our flight crew took the baby whilst we ate, they were so good. Depends on the baby going along with that I guess, but our first was happy as larry to go with complete stranger and meet the other passengers.

paulhill

I travelled here with a two year and a one old. Make sure you have booked a bulkhead seat therefore you can have a sky cot which our youngest slept in for eight hours!!! I would just make sure you have enough milk, food (yogurt, bread stick, fruit etc), a blanket, a change of clothes and plent of toys. We travelled with Emirates and they supplied toys, baby wipes and a bib for the youngest. All the best Sue

oz bound

Try not to worry we did it with a 7 month old and it was fine, get a bassinet requested but beware I think they get allocated to the youngest babies on board so say they have 5 bassinets and 6 babies travel the oldest baby will be without. They also have a weight limit, 17/18 lbs I think. Another thing about the bassinet is during tubulenece you have to remove the baby from it, this happened to us on the way back and was a bit frustrating as baby got woken up >

We flew with Emirates

jules29

I found it easier travelling with the baby than the 4 yr old. Had a sky cot which apart from the turbulence was fine. We flew with singapore airlines and they couldnt do enough for us. Offered us jars of food and fruit. Often gave her a cuddle.

Mine was at the throwing toy down stage. You know the one where they find it funny to do mit over and over. Well oh loved it cos everytime they bent down to pick up the toy he got a good eyeful. Made his journey more interesting

Doing it again soon and she is now 3. Dreading it this time.

oz bound

Got to agree with Jules29, rather do the flight with a baby than toddler anyday, atleast the baby can't go anywhere!!

Quokka

Tip 1 - Don't fly BA

Tips 2 to 10 - Remember Tip 1

Yebogogo

I second this - my wife had terrible experiences with BA travelling with our 5 month old and after the 36 hour ordeal they lost the luggage.

Tip 11 - completely minimise any connecting flights.

Tip 12 - take the maximum amount of hand luggage for baby through, allow for delays and mishaps.

Gems

I used to fly regular every couple of weeks with my youngest. Every 3 weeks with her in full leg casts (cast from toe to crotch) baby was only three week old on the first flight.

Not as long as Australia flight. But stressful.

But I find the others are correct, toddlers are more problematic. They get bored.

You should do ok a 6 month old is good age to fly.

My tip is feed during take off and landing(to avoid crying with ears popping). Take their favourite blanket and cuddly toy so its something they know.

Oh and plenty of nappies. I lost mine at the x ray bit and didnt realise. Got on plane to find very smelly baby! Had to get the air stewardess to hunt for nappies from the other passengers. You guessed it, had another diry nappy before landing! I could of died from embarressment!

* Bring a buggy for going through airports as you can take it to plane. I use a quinny zapp and love it for flights and getting around cities. Folds a lot smaller than umbrella buggy.

StevenChez

When flying back from South Africa with my then 10 month old, I could see peoples looks of dismay at travelling long distance with a potential screaming baby, however the little darling slept from the moment we took off until half an hour from landing. Then, after changing his bum and feeding him breakfast, I turned my back for 1 second.... and he fell out of the sky cot with a mighty clunk and cried his little heart out.

I didn't get any looks of dismay, just disgust and one woman even shook her head at me.



Cheryl

travelbug

that is so funny..... how typical eh?
our worst experience of flying with our daughter when she was a baby was her filling her nappy up just as the seat-belt signs came on for landing. Then we had to hover a bit before landing - which meant the smell was slowly wafting over to the poor woman stuck next to us! We couldnt wait for people to get off so that we could pop into the airplane toilets and change her before getting off the plane.... and then we got onto the transport and got stuck by the poor woman who'd sat with us - and i bet she was praying there wouldnt be a repeat performance!
oh, and there was the time that the nappy leaked and the OH had a huge wee stain on his jeans for the rest of the day........

Contact Lensed Optimist

LOL, we took our 11 months son to Oz (5 yrs ago) and he decided to get the 'runs' enroute. We ran out of nappies and DH also had a nasty wet patch on trousers ha ha. Tip 5 bring a change of dark clothes for you/DH. In a confined space you will get covered in a variety of sticky, smelly goo! Airline nappies tend to be on the small size too. Travelled over since with 18 months daughter and DH still managed to get caught. We will all be emigrating in June with our third child -12 months oh what fun!

Tip 6 we booked night flights which worked well previously as the darkened cabin encourages them to sleep and made the flight feel much faster.

Good luck, C.L.O. XX