to expect my child to be able to have an in flight meal

[Staceroo]

So we're flying to Turkey in a couple of weeks. I have paid for in flight meals for me, my husband and our 3 year old daughter. Thomas Cook will not allow me to purchase an in flight meal for our 11 month old.

It's a real case of 'computer says no!'

Save all the jokes about airplane food because Thomas cook have a range of James Martin meals which are pretty tasty and nutritious.

11 month old is baby led, and never eaten out of a jar in her life.

Solutions proposed by TC are...

1. "You are permitted to take baby food on to Thomas Cook Airlines aircraft if you are travelling with an infant or small child ,Most UK Airports have a Boots where you can purchase baby food and formula after the security screening point. These can be purchased and brought on board providing you do exceed you hand luggage restrictions. I Hope this Helps - Stef"

2. "book a separate seat for her she will be able to get an inflight meal, however then she will be booked as a child and will lose her infant luggage allowance and will need to pay the full flight price" (That's a very expensive in flight meal!!!!)

3. There are a range of snack and other meals available on the flight but they can't tell me what those will be, but they're not the James Martin meals.

OP I can't believe you are still making an issue out of nothing!? Are you like this is everyday life too? I wouldn't be bothering with a holiday if it was going to cause me so much stress.

Thinking a bit more about this, isn't one feature of BLW quite a lot of food going anywhere by in the baby's face?

If your baby were to get its own meal to fling around the plane what on earth do you imagine is the passenger next to you would think? Or indeed the flight attendants who have to sweep ground-up and half chewed bits of food out of every surface?

Surely this has got to be a situation for a jar or pouch. Surely

BLW? Bacon, Lettuce and Watercress?

Can't believe didn't think of this before...
Baby eats OP's meal.
OP eats jar/pouch (or its contents).

www.thomascookairlines.com/meals.aspx These are the menus, I don't fancy any of it much.

dd was 11 months by the time of our trip and was a pretty competent eater. She certainly didn't fling her food around in other passengers faces! yes there probably was a little mess on the floor but dh and I did what we did everything we ate up with dd at that age in a plane or not: splashmat on the floor area and afterwards we got down on our hands and knees and cleaned and wiped the floor area and seat of any debris. I certainly wouldn't expect a stewardess to do it as I wouldn't expect a waiter to do it in a restaurant.

The computer may or may not say "no" for a good reason. Either way you can't really expect the airline to change their computer systems just so that you aren't slightly inconvenienced considering that you have chosen not to buy a seat for your baby.

Not sure the classic spaghetti Bol would make you too popular with the flight attendants. Breaded chicken looks ok as long as you go easy on 'James' ketchup', but it seems that there is a 50/50 chance of Spag Bol.

Lots of mash on the adult menu, which would atleast amuse an 11 month old, as long as you brought a change of clothes.

'James's ketchup'. I didn't even know he had branched out from hospital food to airline food.

If she'd make a mess with a jar of baby food, how is she expected to deal with cottage pie, or whatever slop they serve as an "air plane meal"?

See this would be the reason why I would have thought TC might not fancy the idea.

In fairness to the OP, I can kind of see why some children would be a bit of a problem because they won't just eat baby food from a jar. DS is 7 and a half months and we are doing BLW. Not by choice. He simply won't take a spoon. Nor a pouch. And bloody hell we have tried. Plus as other people have said, infant seats are up to 2 years old and I've seen a fair number of two year olds have good appetites.

What TC SHOULD do is say what alternative food is available to purchase on the flight. That would be good customer service. Rather than simply going we can't give you another meal in a rather robotic way.

TC SHOULD be able to give a satisfactory answer to the question of why one meal per seat - even if its do to with catering contracts and space available on the plane. Or simply to say its not their policy because of the margins involved with the sales of air tickets and they are unable to make exceptions as a result of this.

TC SHOULD be able to say that an inflight meal is not appropriate for a child of this age due to its salt / sugar content.

TC SHOULD make it clear when booking that infants do not get inflight meals.

On the other hand the OP is being completely ridiculous in making such a meal out of this. sorry had to do that The OP will have to cope in other situations where she isn't at home and has to bring/purchase food for her child. It is not always practical or possible to buy a hot meal, so I fail to see why its any different.

I do think Thomas Cook are giving poor customer service, however I do think they are not obliged to provide a meal for babies if they don't want to. Its just one of those things like finding out about luggage allowance with a particular carrier that you have to swallow when you make a booking with a particular airline.

And on that note, there are many airlines which have 4 hour flights and don't provide ANY meal at all, and thousands of infants manage to fly with them on a yearly basis without starving.

YABU OP.

so at about 75:25 I guess IABU so I'll concede defeat! But I will still write in the suggestions box that they could consider catering for infants in their flights! It would make life easier for those travelling with small children.
And just to add my baby will be 1 the day after our holiday and is quite a competent eater. Just not with a spoon and a jar!

And some of you may be pleased to know I am really looking forward to my holiday! I've complained now but I won't complain in my flight because there is nothing the stewards/stewardesses can do once we're on the flight if there is no meal there!

And with that... I bow out! Can't take anymore

give her your meal then

Depending on the menu served none of you may fancy any of it anyway. Have a nice holiday.

75:25 is actually being quite generous to your side of the argument OP.

But at least you are conceding YABU, which is more than most.

Good luck OP. I imagine the infant food options would be pouches and jars though.

Just annoyed at TC's lack of willingness to help or offer a solution, or explanation
They have offered you the three possible solutions you listed in your OP though. It's just that you find none of them suitable. Even if they did offer an explanation it still wouldn't mean you got a meal for the baby would it?
I imagine they only have a set time for serving and clearing away and there is only room for one tray at each seat. If they let everyone buy as many meals as they wanted it would be mayhem.

You can take food through security, buy it before you board or share your food with her.
I'm not sure why you are so hell bent on feeding her what is nothing more than a ready meal James a Martin or not when a jar of food seems so ridiculous to you or why you think eating shepherds pie, sausage and mash etc is any less messy either. I fact I think you'd be quite inconsiderate to other passengers and the airline staff to let her self feed that type of food in such a confined space.

I am giggling at the OP's indignation to the suggestion that her baby eat five hour old sandwiches.

They do cater for infants.
You can buy snacks
You can take your own food on board
You can breastfeed your infant

Enjoy your holiday
You are being awkward and unreasonable though. Sorry

Is there a reason why a BLW baby can't have one pouch of food? What happens? Do they explode? Combust? Turn permanently purple? Grow up to be Liberal Democrat voters?

And if they can't eat food of that texture when does this ban extend to? Because I'm assuming they cannot eat pasta sauce, mince, soup, hummus, guacamole, mashed potato or anything else which has less than 80% solidity all these terrible things will happen?

Can someone please explain to me what the problem would be if a child ate a small amount of pureed food once when they're BLW?

PMSL at 75:25!

I haven't seen a single post that agreed you should be able to get a meal- only suggestions for alternatives.

Enjoy your holidays and stop sweating the small stuff!

My kids always, but always slept right through flights when they were under three. There is a very real possibility that op's baby will too.
Such a gigantic fuss about fuck all, really.

Give your meal to DH.
DH shares your meal with oldest child as well as the ones they get.
You eat baby.
Solved.

OP I think you're going to be in for a miserable holiday - you've not even boarded the plane yet!

You want something, they are unable to provide it with valid reason. In the words of every four year old Frozen fan, let it go. If you get on the plane with a bee in your bonnet about this, it's wasted energy. Accept TV dinner defeat.

just you clearly have a knack for problem solving. Ought you to think about a late running for PM?

Can someone please explain to me what the problem would be if a child ate a small amount of pureed food once when they're BLW?

Well I would LOVE DS to eat pureed food.

However he completely refuses... hence WHY we are BLW!