To fly with a baby?

[Spuddybean]

We have to move abroad for DP's work early next year. His company will pay for us to go over in Dec to do house hunting. But we have a young baby and i'm not sure about the 7 hour flight.

Is it unreasonable on the baby and other passengers? Baby will be 3 months. Would flying business class make any difference?

Cheers :)

you've all given me some possibly false confidence. i think i'm going to do it!

i was expecting loads of 'i hate screaming babies on planes' and lectures on selfishness.

Thanks, i think. Now what do you all want from duty free..?

Do you get bassinets in business? I loved ours when we got it, I was much more comfortable having a snooze while she was strapped in there.

i was wondering whether we needed to take a travel cot, but from what people have said i'm not sure. What do they sleep/sit in in the airport if you have to check in the buggy? oh god, 3 hours in an airport too :(

You don't have to check in the buggy until the gate. They label it up and let you keep it until the last minute. You won't need the travel cot

Took DS to New Zealand at 5 months. 27 hours all in. He was fine :-). You get loads of legroom in the bulkhead bassinet seats, which is a real bonus. The staff made a big fuss of him (and 3 yo DD) and couldn't do enough to help us.

We've flown long haul lots with DD and found it much easier at 3 months old than when she was more mobile.

Think you'll be absolutely fine but research your airline.

The earlier the easier for us and our DDs.

You can bring your buggy into the airport, but has to be the "umbrella" folding ones, unless rules have changed since we went in May this year.

Good luck with relocating!

any advice on good airlines? are BA good?

They (BA) have some good, pratical info here

If you have a small folding pushchair, you'll be able to take this right to the aircraft door at most airports. (from the BA website)

i don't think it is small. it's an uppa baby vista.

Thanks catgirl - i'll have a browse. :)

Can you buy a cheap second hand buggy just for this purpose?

do 3 month olds go in a buggy? i thought they needed a pram.

We have a Quinny Zapp which is small and ok from birth and has been fine with airlines as it is small and folds up. It was about £200 new so you might be able to get a cheap 2nd hand one (or similar) on ebay?

There is one on there for £24 with 21 mins to go

Thanks so much for the advice. I'll have a look. :)

The fold up really small, lie flat and can front or rear face. Perfect for newborns and airlines

(I don' work for Quinny :) )

Hi Spuddy,

Flew solo, 14 hours, with DS at 4.5 months. To paraphrase another it really was a piece of piss He slept, ate and general beamed at all around him - including the very well dressed woman who's face fell when she saw she was next to me (clearly thought she was lucking out with the bulkhead seat!)

I took my Vista too. At that age I collapsed the carrycot and had it in half of my (checked in) holdall. I had the car seat (which I needed at the other end) and adapters on the frame. I then kept DS in the car seat whilst I collapsed the frame at the gate then put him in the sling.

It really was far easier than the summer when we flew 2 hours to Spain with DH and my Mum. He was 10 months and wanting to move. DH stood chatting up the hosties all the way there and I stood hobnobbing with the pilot (who the fuck was flying?!) on the way back. Not great but we did it.

well you bloody well should - i'm sold! I'm going to send them an email and recommend you as employee of the month :)

Thanks Vallinapod - perhaps they had roped in a non drunk passenger to fly the plane - see Catgirl it could happen, and when it does i'm prepared, unlike you lot on the sauce.

If there's no bassinets ask when checking in whether the flight is full. Our last flight with dd wasn't full and we ended up getting 3 seats and dd slept on a seat between me and DH. DD is formula fed and we brought cartons of milk onto plane, they only made me open one and taste it then pour it into a bottle at security. If you need to heat milk we brought a tommee tippee flask and got a cafe to fill it with hot water once through security just so that we could warm milk for takeoff - dd had reflux so it's thickened milk and needs warmed to thicken properly. For other feeds stewards were great with filling flasks for us etc.

I had a brilliant fold down cot thing that X-MIL bough us. It was really plat and small and poppered up to hold a baby. Was OK until DS was at the rolling age when we spent nights at others but used it on our laps on the plane until he was 7 months. (although rules may have changed now?)

You are selfish as fuck if you fly business. Just because several other selfish people are validating the choice it doesn't make it a reasonable one.

"Everyone is paying the same so who cares if you disturb them" - right on! That's why it's totally okay to take screaming babies to fancy restaurants, and the opera. You are paying exactly the same, so you can do what you want! Who cares about respecting other people, YOUR little precious is more important than others comfort, even moreso on a metal tube from which you can't escape for several hours.

Give me fucking strength.

"i was expecting loads of 'i hate screaming babies on planes"

It's not the earth mothers on here who are going to hate your screaming baby, it's the other 99% of the plane.