To think flying with a baby will be a breeze?

[NotAllIndividuals]

Seriously, what can possibly go wrong flying with a 6 month old?

Alright, I want tips and tricks but gussied it up as an AIBU to garner interest and hopefully some worst case stories so I can feel better if we have minor hiccups.

Where do you have to be that necessitates taking a baby on a flight?

Umm... anywhere, everywhere (basically a list of all of the countries in the world (except those at war)) because it's fun, interesting, we know people in some of them and because they're there, so why not show your child what's out there in forrin land?

Where do you have to be that necessitates taking a baby on a flight?

people can still enjoy holidays abroad with a small child. Plenty of families live overseas and want to visit back home regardless of their child's age. Your lifestyle doesn't have to change dramatically just because you've had a baby.

Take more nappies than you think.... I think you can imagine how I came to give this tip :)

Oh god OP. I;m flying next week from Australia to the UK with my 6 month old. Dreading it!

@ReturnofSaturn No worries! When DD was about 11 months I flew UK to Sydney with her single handed (DH was already out there with work) The flight had a huge delay at Heathrow which meant we got put in a airport hotel. Then after another delay at Bangkok we ended up in Sydney 24 hours later than scheduled. But you know what? It really wasn't that bad. A baby is pretty easy to manage on a plane.

In some ways travelling alone with an infant I was better off in that situation than most others because we were given priority treatment, a free day room and so on.

Now toddlers are a whole different story.....

We went on a 4-hour return flight with DD when she was 9 months old. She just slept on the boob on the way there, which was a bliss. On the way back, she couldn't stay still, started chatting with other passengers and wanted to crawl around on the plane, which was a nightmare. I can't imagine what she will be now at 21 months old.

We've done long-haul since the DCs were a few months old and haven't ever had a 'bad' flight. Plenty of food and drink, plenty of books/toys and whichever special blanket/dummy will help soothe them.

DS2 is one of those magical children who passes out whenever he flies as soon as the cabin pressure builds. He's 7 now and still does it; I'm hoping it lasts forever.

Are you breastfeeding? I flew long haul a lot with BF babies and yes it's very easy. Apart from you have to be more on babies time, rather than your own.

When my 12 month old threw up everywhere the change of clothes for us both was very welcome. Meanwhile the air stewards simply replaced her whole seat bless them - impressive!

“Has anyone tried ear defenders to cut out some of the noise/non-stop announcements?”

I actually think the noise will work in your favour, it sends mine to sleep. The announcements aren’t too loud over the general white noise of the plane.
Enjoy!

Did loads of long haul to and from Australia with dd when she was tiny.. Agree up to about six months was fine... After that nightmare.
Once they can sit up they can launch themselves out of the bassinet.. My dd did this when I had nipped to loo when she was asleep.. Came back to baby screaming on floor with cut lip... I literally didn't eat a meal, sleep or go to loo for nearly 24hrs...
Next trip at 18 months.. Went through all five sets of clean clothes before We had got to Singapore, her and me... Had to go and buy more in Ralph Lauren.. Ouch...
Next trip at 23 months she tripped over in hk airport and cut her head open... Then when I changed her into last clean 'we are meeting granny' clothes just before landing she had horrendous diarrhoea.. Seatbelt signs on... Had to sit in it...
One trip she didn't sleep for 30hrs...

Oh god the horrors... She is now an easy 23yr old and is useful on flights as she can press buzzer for another glass of champagne.

My advice... Just don't do it.. Unless you have too, or pay for holiday nanny to go with you.

“or pay for holiday nanny to go with you.”

Do people dispense this sort of advice genuinely expecting others to take it?

Who on earth can afford a holiday nanny?!

OP you can ask the people next to you to keep an eye on your baby if you have to nip to the loo. There will be someone nearby who will be happy to help.

DD still always reads the emergency card in full and points out our nearest exits which ends up making me irrationally nervous

OH is obsessed with Air Crash Investigation on TV, he sits and details what's gone wrong with this type of plane in the past!

A change of clothes for all children is a good idea, our daughter managed to spill a Coke over herself before we'd left UK airspace on a trip to the States! That was a fun trip.

Ghost... Mumsnet has a far reaching base of users and yes some people can afford holiday nannies. OP may be in this position. We don't know.. She has not even said if this is short or long haul flight.

My post was slightly tongue in cheek... When did mn get so serious?

It’s a Ryanair flight, so it won’t be far.

I’ve seen these holiday nanny’s a lot, I imagine they’re regular nanny’s that are going on holiday with the family.

God I’m always envious.

And your advice is just as bonkers.. Ask the person next to you while you nip to the loo... Really I had a completely pissed bloke next to me and with the queue for the loo i was gone 15 mins.
In that time baby work up. Sat up and climbed out of bassinet.. While being watched by drunk passenger and people accross the aisle and stewardesses... No one stopped her or picked her up.
When I later asked a stewardess to hold her while I ate my meal I was told that wasn't their job, and this was on an airline that claims help on board for parents is always available.

Best tip is to bring one of those snap-on straps/clips you get with buggies, so you can clip toys etc. to your seat belt. Otherwise you will spend the whole flight rummaging on the floor for whatever essential item they've dropped/thrown, which is nigh on impossible with a small person on your lap.

Also, a descending flight always seems to bring on an explosive nappy.....

theredjellybean I was disembarked a flight essentially naked under a huge Canada goose jacket thanks to DD’s exorcist style vomit performance on a transatlantic flight. I would have sold my soul for a holiday nanny that trip! (only half joking)

OP, you’ll be fine though, short haul is so easy as are non-mobile babies. Have a great holiday

“And your advice is just as bonkers.. Ask the person next to you while you nip to the loo... Really I had a completely pissed bloke next to me and with the queue for the loo i was gone 15 mins.
In that time baby work up. Sat up and climbed out of bassinet.. While being watched by drunk passenger and people accross the aisle and stewardesses... No one stopped her or picked her up.
When I later asked a stewardess to hold her while I ate my meal I was told that wasn't their job, and this was on an airline that claims help on board for parents is always available.”

Sorry, I misread the tongue-in-cheek part.

I stand by my advice though. I travelled with mine long haul (NZ) four times before the age of 3, and much more recently than you did. Maybe things have changed; there’s simply no way a steward would allow an injured unattended baby to lie on the floor of an aeroplane these days. Apart from anything else, they literally are not allowed to be on the floor anymore (I remember the days of sleeping on the floor of a plane in the 90s - they’re over!)
I purposely said “someone nearby” not necessarily the person next to you. Aeroplanes are crowded places, I guarantee that someone within a few metres will be helpful and responsible enough to help.

I’ve flown with twins. Problems to prepare for - total nappy explosion (tricky to clean up in a teeny tiny plane loo!). Also if you ff they take quite a while to bring hot water etc. Luckily I was bf, but pressure meant they fed loads and then....explosion

I would’ve helped until I heard about all these exploding babies on this thread.

Flew from the Uk to the states and (obv) back again when lo was 7 months (shes not a year yet) ..it was just me and her... not going to say it was hugely fun for me as it was tiring, but on the whole it was pretty easy ! Every single person I met from security to other passengers went way out of their way to help, the journey actually restored my faith in humans :)

“Every single person I met from security to other passengers went way out of their way to help, the journey actually restored my faith in humans”

Yes. That’s been my experience too - people actually approached me and asked me to let them know if I ever needed help. Fact is, some people really like babies and want to hold them.

TSSDNCOP fair point!

I'll never forget DD1 and her first flight at 9 months old, it was a budget flight to the Canaries so there was DH, me and DD in 2 seats and some poor sod in the 3rd. There was just no room and DD was big for her age and wiggly. It was not fun. On the way back we did manage to get her to sleep but then we couldn't move as she was laying across us.

Next flight was at 18 months and long haul, we got her a seat and all was so much better. DD2 didn't fly until she was around 2 so we never repeated that first flight and never would.

However rather like having a holiday nanny (ours stayed at home) we could afford to buy the seat for them and flying scheduled there wasn't an issue. This was a few years ago as both DD are now adults and fly independently, this means I can choose to upgrade myself if I want to.

I've been on 10 short haul flights (2 hours) with my 15 month old and it really has been a breeze!

I always only travel with a carry-on suitcase, carry DC in the baby carrier and have a small rucksack with all the required bits and bobs. I fly easyJet and they've always been super friendly and helpful (I often travel on my own with DC). I have a soft structured carrier (Beco 8) which is much easier than the Moby I used at the start, because they always want me to take it off at security (except for my most recent flight, when the security attendant said it would be fine!), which is a bloody pain with 5m of fabric and a little baby!

The timing of the flight has always worked in our favour as DC has slept the whole flight every single time! I'm anticipating my smugness to evaporate when he needs to sit in his own seat for takeoff and landing though... :/

Good luck - I'm sure you'll manage just fine!

I fly a lot on my own with kids. Hardest stage is crawling / moving toddlers but it’s still all fine. My tips for you at 6 months:

Travel light. Like really, really light. Or check in bag before. Don’t be lugging baby and big bags.

The buggy is your friend. It’s so easy you can take it right to steps of plane. My tip? Give the baby to the luggage handlers to hold while you fold pram. Take lifts.

Get on plane last, not first.

Be careful of the baby with other people putting bags in overhead lockers. People don’t look!

Save feeds for take off if you can. Save toys for plane. Save amusing your child for the plane. That way you are maximising good things for the flight. Pre flight push the buggy around and change nappies.

If the baby screams, just remember it’s fine. We, the other passengers are irrelevant. Soothers are good, feeds and holding the baby. But if there’s nothing else you can do then don’t feel bad. Keep calm. Take a spare set of clothes in a bag with you with two nappies, toys, feeds and comfort toy / blanket.