2x 7 hour or 1x 12 hour flight with baby?

[Childcare47]

I would like to go on holiday to somewhere hot in the winter. Maybe Asia.

I will have an 18 month old child.

I can either fly direct (think one 12 hour flight) OR I could break it up - 2x 6-7 hour flights.

Which is more optimal with a child of this age? Is breaking the journey up a good thing or just extending the possible misery?

Business class would be too expensive but I could pay for their own seat.

Definitely the 12 hour flight. Can you get a night flight or late afternoon?

Def the 12 hour flight.....get it over n done with! I've done a 12 hour flight w an 18 month old. Take lots of toys etc to keep them entertained and calpol 40 mins before landing to help w ears

I’d go with one hit and do the 12 hour flight.

18 months needs to run around and burn off energy. Do you know which country you’ll stop over in? If you fly Qatar the airport has a swimming pool which is fantastic for kids to burn off some energy and be tired for the second leg.

We’ve done both (2 flights v 1 flight) and found at the toddler age 2 flights was definitely easier.

@TakeMe2Insanity Most likely Doha or Dubai if we go to Asia.

That’s my thinking really… I’d thought a bit of change of scene might help ie wondering about the two flights.

I could even arrange so we have a slightly longer layover, but this of course may just make them even more tired.

Difficult to plan ahead when I’m not really sure what they’ll be like by then. We have only done max 3h flight so far which was ok.

Personally I don't think I could face long haul with a toddler unless it was unavoidable but if I had to then I would go for the 12hr single hit

@Opaque11 Yes I think I would arrange a night flight if I went with the one flight option.

This is possible - I can be flexible on location based on the flights tbh.

Night flight and get it done in one hit tbh. Not something I would do with an 18mth old, good luck.

I travelled extensively with my children. Always long haul. Twelve hours is a long time to be cooped up on an aircraft and now as a grandma of 8 I’d only ever suggest you do the two shorter flights.

I took DS to Thailand at 18m. Direct flight there, stopped in Dubai on the way back. Direct night flight was much better.

12 hour definitely. Swapping flights and fading about in an airport is just as bad, no scratch that, is worse than sitting on a plane.

We did Australia with a nearly 2 year old & broke it up. However that was to see family and the jet lag was awful on us all.

He was fantastic while flying but I don’t know if I’d do that just for a holiday.

We flew to Australia with a 20 month old and not three year old. Night flight and changed a Singapore. The oldest one didn't sleep much to be honest. We arrived in Perth at 4.30am and kids were buzzing but we were knackered.
I don't think you can count on them sleeping, certainly hard for the adults to sleep. I think get it over with and write off the first day at your destination as one of you sleeps a bit while the other deals with the kids. By day two things should be better.

Do the non-stop. We did a 12 hour flight with dd when she was a toddler and she only fell asleep finally (it was a night flight!) as we were taxiing to the gate after landing....12 bloody hours after her usual bedtime!

With a baby, they will mostly likely sleep a bit easier. I wouldn't risk that being interrupted by deplaning and a layover. They don't do much other than be held and sit around at that age anyway, so should be much easier just to do it and get there.

Do not underestimate the effects of jetlag though. It took 4 nights to adjust with 2am wake-ups...and then she was up fully for the day. It was exhausting. We had to do the day in shifts so whoever got up at 2am was able to sleep for the morning. So do plan to have enough time on your holiday to adjust and then make the most of actually doing holiday things before you have to go home.