Flight to NZ with a 12 month old - skycot worries

[Emmac68]

Hi
We're travelling to NZ with Quantas in August with our 3 yr old DD and 1 yr old DS. DD has a seat booked, but DS only has a skycot. I'm now worrying that he'll be too big for it. I've just checked and the skycot is 71cm long, and measuring him (as best I can!), he is about 73/74 cm long...

Does anyone have experience of using a skycot/bassinette with a large baby? I'm wondering whether we should find the money and actually book him a seat (assuming there is one free on the flight!). Any thoughts??

Thanks!

Hmm I flew with an Emerites sky cot. My son was 5 months and not much room besides him. I did see someone take it off the wall and put it on the floor with a pillow in it kind of like an armchair. I suspect this isn't allowed but the stewards ignored it. As you have a 3 yr old as long as you all sit together and can move the arm rests you should get some extra room that way. Good luck, you'll be exhausted, but with the tv and loads of drinks and snacks and new crayons, toys, mags, and stickers, your kids will probably surprise you.

Yes - I think I'm resigning myself to a long journey with him on our knees for a lot of the time. At least he's good at sleeping being held. Our 3 year old was hopeless as a baby at sleeping anywhere else other than in her bed - he on the other hand will fall asleep pretty much in any position! Yes - I'm stocking up on magazines and sticker books, and reminding myself that we're in NZ for three weeks, so 24 hours is quite a small proportion of that!

I put my 15m dd in a sky cot for a flight to florida - technically she was too long and I didn't have one booked, but she fell asleep on me on take off so they offered one - she liked to sleep scrunched up anyway so we managed to get her comfy and she slept for hours!

do they only offer a skycot?

if it is a BA codeshare, then you might have the option of a car seat type thingy - and this may well be an option on a Qantas flight too.

when we flew BA to USA, dd2 was 14 months old. I didn't want a skycot for her, as form experience with dd1, there was not much room in them (even though dd2 was tiny at that point - probably about the size of a 7 month old!).

what we got was a car seat/bouncy chair cross. it reclined quite well enough for her to rest/sleep, and fixed onto the bulkhead wall. she was ok in that for most of the flight - 14 hours - obvioulsy coming out quite a lot too!

I would phone up and ask what the alternatives are, tbh. I found Qantas customer services a blessed relief after wrangling with BA all the time (although I seemt o be the only one who has these sorts of problems with BA!), and they were very helpful.

hth.

DH and i went to NZ in feb with DD who was 17 months - v.big toddler, we flew with koren air and their cots are tiny and only good up to 12kg - we just put DD in anyway and she was fine. She sort of scrunched up and seemed very comfortable - am sure Qantas will be fine. Also ended up with a seat for her in 3 of the 4 flights -HTH! Ps would really recommend Korean to NZ if it is a route you do frequently -they are cheap and v. Family friendly