AIBU to be this angry at being unable to book an Air France bassinet in advance?

[Brnobaby]

I am absolutely livid and now I'm very nervous about my first flight with 6 month DS.

I booked a long haul flight months ago with Air France to Japan from London and thought I'd be able to book a bassinet in advance as per stated on their website. Call Air France and they can't book because its actually a KLM flight. Call KLM and they can't book because its booked through Air France. After over 20 phone calls I'm now told that the best thing to do is to turn up at least 3 hours in advance at the airport in Paris for best chance of getting a bassinet but we have a connecting flight from London tand we can't get there any earlier than the flight allows. So basically, I think I'm being told that we have very little chance of getting a bassinet.

I am really angry about the cyclical phone calls Ive already had to make and I'm now told I need to somehow get to Paris earlier as a solution to the problem. How ridiculous.

Air Frances website states "Our top priority is to maximize comfort and well-being for you and your family".

AIBU to think I should be able to book one in advance? I'm so nervous about such a long flight without having a bassinet for DS to sleep in.

Brnobaby, I'm glad it looks like working out. I have flown with KLM a lot, both when the kids were small and since and I found them to be very helpful on the whole. (We also flew our puppy from Newcastle to Munich via Düsseldorf and KLM were brilliant - someone sought us out at Düsseldorf to tell us with great glee that the hound was in great shape at the transfer point and had just peed on the second pilot's uniform.) They once upgraded me and DD2 to business class because they weren't able to give me a legroom seat in economy, though I wouldn't count on that! Also, a couple of years back when I needed assistance on health grounds, KLM were terrific at giving me the help I needed and the cabin crew were very kind indeed during the flight. All the best for your trip.

This child is 6 months. The reason you linked to Amazon.com is because those medicines have been withdrawn in the uk - see article by chrissie. For whose benefit are you giving it? - because it seems like it is for the parents benefit. All medicines have risks but it is a risk versus likely benefit to the child decision.

You suggested drugging her 6 month old child on a flight with medicine bought off Amazon that is for allergy in the over 2s and has never been tested for the medical indication of "getting children to sleep on planes". What you said in no way equates to "taking drugs under the care of a doctor" so don't try to now change and justify what you said... Utterly despicable!

Drugging children on planes is what parents do when they can't be arsed to, you know, parent.

And I'm a regular long haul traveller who has worked in the pharma industry for years so knows all about drugs and has 3 children who've all flown 12 hour flights more than once undrugged. It involved a lot of stories, food, rocking to sleep and attention. Parenting, not drugging. FFS!!! Your poor kids.

Sorry to derail OP but posters like that make my blood boil.

The baby is6 months old. Not a toddler! RTFT! Jesus! And she was asking about bassinets, not for advice on how to get her child to be comatose for 12 hours anyway so how was your touting of drugs in any way responding to her post? Can I suggest you're not so fucking irresponsible ever again?

If you are really frustrated about contacting a company with a legitimate complaint/questions, post on Trustpilot. I have used it twice and it worked a treat. Posts seem to go straight through to a Head Office PR department. First time the Area Manager of Parcel Force phoned to say that yes, my parcel had been delivered, but to the person before me on the route. He sent someone out specifically to pick it up and deliver it to me. Second time, amazingly, PCWorld phoned me, then sent an email to the store so they were expecting me and sorted out a complicated problem on the spot.

YANBU to be concerned about a long haul flight with a baby. But a quick Trustpilot post might sort it, plus constructively provide feedback to the company about customer perceptions/issues.

On drugging babies. We knew an anesthetist who used to knock out his young children before long haul flights home. But as an amateur I would not do it! My understanding is that babies are easier to travel with than toddlers.

Jesus Christ! One thing you do not ever do is advise someone, in however much of a cryptic fashion, to drug their child! Especially not prior to a long haul flight.
For one that drug has been withdrawn from sale in the UK and for another reason could you imagine of the baby had a reaction to it in mid-air?

FFS the OP was asking about bassinets, that's all!

"Drugging children on planes is what parents do when they can't be arsed to, you know, parent."

Really. Is that your opinion. I'll be sure to not give a fuck about your opinion of my parenting skills and listen to Drs. You know, people who know what they're talking about.

"What you said in no way equates to "taking drugs under the care of a doctor" so don't try to now change and justify what you said... Utterly despicable!"

Not under the care of a Dr but according to prescribed dosages.

Did you read the information in the link I posted or were you too busy getting irate on an internet forum?

Working in the "pharma industry" is very different to knowing what you were talking about. I'm sure if you had more relevant credentials you'd have mentioned them. I've just done a lot of IT work for the MoD. Doesn't make me a soldier.

I fly long haul a lot with my 3 year old and one year old. The 1 year old is just too big now really for the bassinet as he likes to sleep in his front and he can't turn over properly. I found it more reassuring to have him sleep on me. Long haul fkights are ok, once they've taken off, done drinks, meals etc the flying time is not too bad. Is your child weaned? If so plenty of snacks etc and toys! You'll be fine.

Actually I worked on allergy drug development for over 10 years, including clinical trials on the safety of such medicines in children. So I have a pretty good background to be judging your ridiculous, dangerous post. (Yes, dangerous - you advised giving a drug to a child of a age this drug is not approved for in any indication, for an indication that it is not approved for because it's not a medical problem requiring medication. It's just lazy arsed parents using a side effect of a medication to make their lives easy rather than actually parent)

There are no prescribed dosages for the use of this medicine to get a child to sleep on a flight because it has never been tested in this because it's not a medical problem. And you've just admitted what you have done (continue to do?) isn't under the care of any doctor.

You're experimenting on your children. A tad unethical to say the least...

It's just lazy arsed parents using a side effect of a medication to make their lives easy rather than actually parent

Still really struggling to care what you say.

Funny how you went from working in the pharmaceuticals industry to clinical trials on the exact medication mentioned.

here are no prescribed dosages for the use of this medicine to get a child to sleep on a flight

No one suggested, 'give it to them until they pass out'.

And you've just admitted what you have done (continue to do?) isn't under the care of any doctor

"Not under the care of a Dr but according to prescribed dosages" - prescribed as in 'according to their prescription'. Off licence medication has its benefits such as a child sleeping through a long flight without screaming due to sore ears, or general distress. We continued to use the same medication and dosed according to the Dr's formula for another 18 months (maybe 4 x 16 hour flights). Not even slightly unethical.

The (originally) off-licence uses of ASA now far surpass those of its original pain-killing qualities and isn;t paracetamol now the most commonly used painkiller in the UK?

Did you follow the link I posted where people with medical training gave their professional opinion facts?

I'm a very laid back person and have learnt whose opinions to value so a random keyboard warrior insulting my parenting skills really doesn't worry me (try as you may).

@OP, I wasn't for a second suggesting giving your child any medication that isn't suitable for them and of course, according to the dosage instructions. Make up your own mind after research but my children have flown all over the world and I can only offer my experience.

I never said I worked on that medicine. Don't put words into my mouth. I worked for 10 years in R&D for a large pharmaceutical company in the allergy and asthma field, on several drugs in development.

You don't need to believe me. But it is a fact.

In your posts I see a) an Amazon link for a product where any comments are completely unverifiable and b) another mumsnet thread where the only information given to the poster states that sedating antihistamines should not be given to under 2s except under specific medical guidance.

Neither you nor I has claimed to be a doctor. A doctor wouldn't chuck Amazon links at an unknown parent without seriously compromising their professional integrity.

Only one of us (me) has claimed any professional background in this area (not verifiable, true) and that person is categorically not recommending you use this drug on planes to sedate children, especially when they're not even considered old enough to have this drug for any reason, even the legitimate one.

The less-professionally-informed person here (you) is recommending a drug to the parent of a 6 month old, bizarrely posting as justification a thread containing the BNF statement that this should explicitly NOT be used in under 2s for any reason except under direct medical supervision, is not being clear whether their use of the drug with their child was under direct medical supervision or just something written by an unidentifiable stranger on the Internet, was not answering any question asked by the OP about getting her child to sleep on a plane anyway, and then backtracks by claiming he/she wasn't suggesting giving a child medicine that was unsuitable when that is exactly what you did!

OP - if your still here, I'm sorry if I have contributed to your thread being derailed and I hope you get your bassinet and have a good flight with your baby. I just couldn't let herecome's posts stand unchallenged.

*you're

Like I said, I'll choose to listen to Drs' advice over a random internet forum user.

Thank you for challenging me. I'll go off and fail to parent now.

What doctor's advice? You have just said that your child was not under the care of a doctor. I agree with all the others - you are being utterly, dangerously irresponsible.

What doctor's advice? You have just said that your child was not under the care of a doctor. I agree with all the others - you are being utterly, dangerously irresponsible.

The prescription they gave us and advice. When we asked for it, he told us the ml (or mg.) per kg of child to administer and how frequently in the different age brackets.

I shouldn't have mentioned it my being helpful got nasty comments our parenting skills and others telling me that my suggestion (and it was nothing more) was irresponsible. A suggestion from a stranger on the internet should of course be investigated and read about and then you can make an informed choice as to if you wish to follow it - sticking to the dosage and medical advice (ie. dosage) clearly printed on the label. The bottles we used all had dosages for children 0-6 months, 6-12 etc.

Well as a pharmacist (hope that's professional enough a qualification), I do not recommend giving a sedating antihistamine such as diphenhydramine to any child until 6 years as per UK guidance.
It is exactly the same as Nytol and I'm sure (hope) no-one would give that!
It may have been used in the past but as the risks far outweigh the benefits, recent advice is to avoid.

Sticking to medical advice I'm sure no dr or pharmacist would prescribe that to a parent who wants their child to sleep.

Op I'm sure your flight will be fine, I've traveled with my oldest on my knee 4 times and we had snacks and toys available.
Also if you have a sling your little one uses you can take that so you have your hands free.
I'm sure the staff will try and be helpful.

@Chrissie - of course it is. No need for sarcasm. How recent is this advice, out of interest as a British (private Dr, if it makes a difference) prescribed it for us a little under 2 years ago.

On the matter of weight - according to the WHO charts a 24lb six-month-old girl would be on the 99.6th centile and a boy just above the 98th - so big, but not unheard of.