Feeding on a long-haul flight...

[2point4pets]

I am due to fly to NZ in May with my 3 month-old on my own from London. Has anyone got any good ideas/tips regarding feeding my baby - she can take formula, but would prefer not to rely soley on this as she is breastfeeding. Has anyone ever had any trouble breastfeeding on a flight? I have a nightmare about someone complaining - 26 hours is a loooong time to sit next to someone who doesnt approve! The airline I am flying with will provide hot water for formula, but can't sterilise bottles. Any suggestions gratefully appreciated.

I've taken quite a few long haul flights and breastfed many times - I can't honestly say I've ever worried about whether the person sitting next to me approved or not! Having said that I've never had any strange looks or 'tuts' but that's either cos I wasn't paying attention or because I was discreet and no one noticed.
I would say that if your baby is breastfed, then just plan to do that. It will be much much easier than worrying about bottles if you don't need to especially when you take off and land.

TBH (and this is as someone who has sat on more longhaul flights than she wishes to think about) anyone who has drawn the short straw of sitting next to someone with a baby all that way will be very glad that you are able to feed her in such a way that they won't have screaming baby next to them while you wait for a bottle to be warmed.

If you are lucky, you'll get a free seat next to you, as anyone travelling on their own offered a bulkhead seat will always enquire as to baby occupancy and ask to be seated somewhere else (no offence)

I've never flown long haul with a baby, but I have breastfed out and about in all sorts of places, have never had anything but positive reactions.

I'd say just go for it and bf - would the other passengers prefer a screaming baby or one suckling contentedly?

Can you take empty sterilized bottles with you? That way if you need or want one you have it to use? Take a few cartons of ready made formula to put in the bottle if you need them aswell.

Feed when taking off or landing will help with the ears for baby - as the feeding releaves the pressure.

I flew from Dublin to the US with my 4 month old -- and sat next to a priest! (He didn't make a single comment about it).

I've flown and breastfed all 3 of my DC's and never had a complaint. I just don't draw attention to it (so I don't ask the person next to me if they mind, don't put a blanket over the baby or anything).

I think people often think you are just holding the baby and don't realize what you're doing.

I'm guessing your baby is only tiny now if she'll be 3 months in May. You'll be much better at breastfeeding then, so if you're feeling now like you don't know how to be discrete, you'll be much more used to it then.

Just to add that I've never had any problems breastfeeding on many a flight. Apart from the one time DD1 (then 10 months) thought she was in heaven and decide to feed for what felt like the entire 8 hour flight!

Just bf as usual. If you want a bit of extra privacy of course there will be a blanket you can use. You can always ask for a window seat too so at least you are shielded from one side.
I have bf on many flights and also bf out and about loads in public and never had any negative comments, although I was a very discreet feeder.
I second what Ivykaty said about feeding on take off and landing too.
Good luck

I breastfed ds (then 10 months)on 12 hour flights. One man seated across the aisle asked to move but that was before I fed ds-he saw me with baby and toddler (dh was behind us) and another lady with a baby and got scared!

Didn't notice any looks but I tend to just assume everyone is fine with bf so I probably wouldn't have noticed even if people were giving me evils

I've flown longhaul with babies lots - never had a problem feeding. Breastfeeding is so much less work, I'd stick to it.

The only real nightmare, travelling with a non-crawling child, will be going to the loo, but if you have a bassinet or whatever, you should be fine.

I have breastfed on a longhaul flight, would never faff about with bottles if I didn't need to. I wouldn't worry too much as most of the people who sit next to you are the ones with babies anyway because they will also need skycots.

Also I think even people who disapprove of breastfeeding in public would probably understand that you have nowhere else to do it on a longhaul flight. If you're worried then bring a muslin.

I recently flew to Australia and found bfing made the flight survivable:

1. It helped dd go to sleep on my lap (unless you have a heavy sleeper there's no point putting them in the cots provided because you have to take them out again every time the seatbelt sign goes on)
2. The sucking helps with takeoff and landing
3. Kept her quiet as long as possible without worrying about overfeeding

I wasn't concerned about other people noticing, but to keep it dark for the baby I draped a blanket over my shoulder, which meant noone could see anything. There was a Japanese lady sitting next to me feeding her baby under a blanket as well, totally discreet.

Are you considering a stopover on the way?
We stopped over for 15 hours and just stayed in the transit hotel with dd sleeping. Definitely worth it.

I've taken bf ds2 on a 13 hour flight to Singapore twice - once when he was 9 weeks and once when he was 14 months. Had no issues either time from other passengers or crew. We went with Singapore Airlines and the cabin crew always offered to get me a drink and snack when they saw me feeding. When you're packed into economy the seats are so close together that your immediate neighbour won't be able to see a thing anyway.

The only slight problem was when he was feeding on the boob nearest the aisle and the trolleys were going up and down - I nearly lost my elbow a couple of times!

Having also taken ff 6mo Dd on the same flight I promise you that BFing is by far the easiest way to feed a baby on a plane . The regulations on carrying formula through security are a nightmare, the crew always overheat the milk so you have to wait ages for it to cool, there's often a delay in getting someone to heat it up especially if it's a drink/mealtime and you have to keep the dirty bottles somewhere.

Who are you flying with, where are you stopping and have you booked a bassinet?

I flew to barbados this xmas with bf 14week old.

Firstly, infant seats are always either window (giving you privacy and bfing elbow room on one side) or on the end of a middle row. This is to ensure you and your baby don't impede anyone from escaping in an emergency.

I manages to keep baby starlight quiet best through bfing. One squeak and I shut her up instantly, to the relief of the people around us.

Occassionally I would go and sit in the airline rear-facing seats to give my legs a stretch and I found the toilets actually a good place to feed, for space.

(btw, I often sit in the loos on long flights if they are clean, and take a book. MUCH more legroom, better lighting and peaceful).

I never had a bassinet though.

Hi there. I'm flying to NZ in 3 weeks and planning to bf. I'm sure it will be fine (better be as DD2 doesn't do formula or bottles). I was also planning to take a sling as it should make transit / changes a bit easier.

I have flown several long haul flights while bfing - transatlantic last week. I find it easier to have a window seat so I can turn towards the window if I feel the need. Noone has ever even come close to commenting negatively. People are more than happy that a baby is quick to settle.

did short haul (Dublin) when dd was tiny and long haul (San Francisco) when she was 14 months, bf both times. TBH it was a godsend as there wasn't a peep out of her on the short flights and it calmed us both on the long flights. The only even mildly iffy vibe was from one of the stewards (young, male, most likely same sex pref).

Definitely have a sling, ideally one you can do up/undo in your seat. If you are flying via LA check what the transit arrangements are - at one point you had to clear US immigration so spent virtually the whole stopover in a queue, though this may have changed.

Not really a feeding thing, but if you have to stop/change, it's worth taking a sling with you, as buggies have a habit of being put in the hold and being irretrievable until you get to your final destination, and more than likely not until you get to baggage reclaim, even if you've been able to take them to the gate on departure. When you're juggling bags and baby on arrival, it's a lot easier if you can keep your hands free!

Have bf on many transatlantic flights, and nobody's ever batted an eyelid.

If someone complained about breastfeeding my 3 mo old on a plane, I would demand expect that they be moved. Me and my baby were going no where.

I did a 8 hr flight with my then 11 wk old and breastfeeding made it a doddle. No bottles etc to lug onto the plane in addition to what else I already had to look after, for starters.

We were allocated bulk head seats so I had lots of legroom. In fact parents with a 8 mo old was next to us.

oh yes, a sling. We even forgot the push chair and 12 weeks later, I still don't have one.

I fed my ds2 and dd1 on long haul and never have any problems at all.... in fact it kept the flight very quiet!

If you are bfing I wouldn't bother with bottles as well. It's a pain to have extra stuff to carry. I bf on long haul flights and short haul with all kinds of airlines - no probs and I wasn't a confident feeder outside the home. But it was a necessity on the flight and there is nowhere else to go! Never got any comments or looks ... you will probably find they will put a spare seat next to you if poss, and if not will seat a woman next to you. If it matters to you, then you could say that is what you would prefer. (No all people, including men avoid the bulk head seats. My dh always asks for one even if he's travelling on his own and has ended up next to a Mum with screaming baby and was getting black looks from the rest of the passengers because he was doing nothing to calm "his baby"!! He did end up holding the kid every now and again to help the Mum out! DH does it for the leg room...)

Have done multiple UK/AUS trips and defo say stick with bf. I flew Bus Class and even with the extra help to wash bottles, hold baby while you go to the loo etc, ff is just a PITA that is best avoided if possible. Security restrictions are also v annoying.
If you do bottle feed, try to remember that steralising is a con and totally unnecessary, so don't let that worry you (I know it can be hard with new baby hormones rampaging!) For bottle feeding I always just bought the pre-made cartons from boots once I had cleared customs and took some pre-measured powder as a back-up in case they took the cartons away in Singapore (they did once).
For bf, take a sling and/or one of those over-sized muslins for a bit of privacy as the blankets can be a bit suffocating and smelly. Then stick a couple of clothes pegs in your carry-on and you can peg the muslin over the top of the basinet - helps to take the glare off when they turn the lights right up just as your baby drifts of to sleep - I don't know how they know, but they always time it to perfection!

There are some great tips here for a newbie - thanks everyone. I will def bring a sling, and FYI I phoned Boots in Term 1 Heathrow (after security) and they said they if I called a few days before my flight they would ensure that they had the right carton formula there for me to pick up. I feel much more confident about it all now - hopefully I will be an old hand at BF by the time my flight comes around in May!