MrCro

We will be leaving around Aug with a c12 week old baby and have a couple of questions:-

What are airlines like regarding prams (especially the ones with various attachments, i.e. carry cot, pushchair and car seat)

Do they take them off you at the plane door and put in hold or are they checked in and do you pay anything or is weight taken off luggage allowance??? There is alot that comes with these packages! No good sending some parts in container as baby will have out grown by time it arrives!!!


Also if you take a UK baby car seat does it meet australian laws and requirments? Or should we just buy one there?

We are looking to go as early as possible after baby is born as we had planned to already be there but postponed as didn't want to risk X-rays required for OH's visa. How young have people taken babies?
(I know baby bonus can be claimed within 13 weeks of arriving so that would be a 'bonus' as pays for flights!! )

Some friends did a reccie trip with their 11 week old and put her through the flight there and back within 10 days and said it was great (much easier than now she is a few years old!!)

Kingseat

Your pram should be taken off you at the gate and placed in the hold. Sometimes you will get it back if you have a couple of hours stopover but others you don't. I've had both. Some airports have their own stollers that you can use however.

If you are going right through make sure you get the cabin crewe to ensure that it is waiting for you when you get off as sometimes (as happened to us in London) we didn't get ours bag until baggage reclaim which was quite a walk.

Your car seat will not be legal in Australia. This is a hotly debated subject on here though. Some people take theirs and others don't. For me its not legal so I bought new when I got here.

Have you actually bought that system? If not and you are travelling over when baby is 3 months then I'd try to make so with a cheap version in the UK - a lie flat buggy for instance and buy new when you get here. Saves a lot of hassle worrying about getting your kit here plus you never know what state it will be in when the baggage handlers have finished.

It is way easier travelling with an infant!

MrCro

yes gone for that system but without car seat hence asked seperate question on that. Looked at cost to buy in Oz and £200+ more!!?? So worth a bit of hassle getting it there

Kingseat

Well, it is up to you if you bring the car seat. As I have said, it won't be legal here and some other posters on the site have checked and their insurance would be invalid if they were in an accident.

Have a search on child seats. As I say it is hotly debated!!

Your best bet would be to email your airline with pictures of your travel system and have their comments in writing as to what they will accept free of charge or if they will want some sort of fee. It is quite a lot you are carrying so I can't say if it would be free or not. We've only ever travelled with our Maclaren buggy which was free.

Pollyana

Do a search on baby car seats and you will find a lot of info. Basically a UK seat isn't legal here, whether it is safer or not is often debated hotly, but using an illegal one can affect insurance.

Pollyana

Snap

Kingseat

MrCro

we don't have car seat so happy to buy that in australia and have all the relevant AS standards - not worth risking anything like that in my opinion.

MrCro

Checked SIA info and they don't have anything on prams but say wheelchairs etc can go in hold for free.

I've emailed so will see what they have to say!

Zenshin

We flew with our 6 week old daughter from Australia to the UK with Singapore Airlines. (I flew to Australia to have her but we weren't ready to move back there yet). I took the UK car seat that you can carry with me but did not use it in Australia as I hired an Australian regulation car seat from Kidsafe which wasn't very expensive at all. When we returned to the UK, we carried her in the carry car seat up to boarding on the plane and then they took it off us and put it in the hold. It was ready for us to use again as soon as we had to get off the plane (no waiting for it with the rest of the luggage).

We have travelled to other places with a pram also and they have always let us keep the pram until boarding and then they take it off you and have it ready as soon as you leave the plane on the walkway. Not sure about taking all the various attachments though? Can you possibly air freight it so you don't have to wait too long? They are not too dear approx £100 for 20kg. Other alternative is excess baggage. Perhaps contact your airline and see if you can come to an agreement.

BTW Our 6 week old was an absolute angel on the flights and slept most of the way in the cradle in the bulk head section. Make sure you book this - it is usually reserved for babies but if there are too many babies on the flight then it is on a first come basis. You get extra legroom too which made my 6ft 3" husband very happy.

Harvester

Interesting, even if born outside of Australia!!?
Got a link to any info on that one?

MrCro

yes even if born outside oz, I learnt that from member homewardbound

check out the thread called "Theoretically speaking . . . (to do with baby bonus) "

Harvester

Thanks, will do!

MrCro

I'm still keen to hear how young people travelled with new born babies (SIA say 7 day minimum and don't allow at all born within 48 hours (which seems strange as surely you could not get a passport that quick??)

This was SIA response to taking prams on board etc:-


Dear Mr. Crowther,

Kindly note, if your pram is fully collapsible, then you will be able to take it with you all the way to the aircraft door, where it will be handed over to the gate check-in staff to be placed in the hold of the aircraft. Furthermore, you may also have the pram made available for use during your transit in Singapore. Please inform the check-in staff at the time of your check-in if you plan to do this, and they will tag the pram accordingly. Otherwise, it will be made available directly at your final destination.

Also, when travelling with an infant (below 2 years) not occupying a seat, you are permitted to check-in one infant item, like a pram or car seat, free of charge over and above the normal baggage allowance. There will not be any restriction on the size or weight of the pram, if you are checking it in as the one free infant that you are permitted.

Thank you for choosing Singapore Airlines.

Yours Sincerely,

*************
SIA UK

Zenshin

You would be surprised how quickly you can get a passport. Our daughter got her Australian passport at 5 days old as we had to rush it through in order to send it off to the British Embassy in Canberra and get her Entry Clearance for the UK put in it so she could travel at 6 weeks old.

I personally wouldn't recommend travelling with a newborn until they have had all their initial immunisation shots anyway.

At 12 weeks old your baby should be fine. Not sure if this is too personal but if your wife is breast feeding she may find it a little difficult after being on the plane for a while. Planes make you dehydrated and can affect the production of milk.She can express some but it would not last long as they don't have a way of keeping bottles cool. I would suggest taking the little premeasured formula packs with some clean sterilised bottles. The hostesses on Singapore Airlines are fantastic and will fill the bottles up if you need it. If your baby has not had formula milk before and you are planning on using formula for back up then it my be a wise idea to let the baby test it before flying. Nothing worse than an extremely hungry baby who doesn't like formula and then your wife being frustrated that she can't produce milk.