Flying with a 5 month old

[McKayz]

DH has to do a course in Singapore in December and we are looking at me going out at the end of the course so we can have a couple of days there. His company pays for his flights even if he comes home a few days after the course finishes.

So I am trying to find cheap flights for me and DD who will be 5 months old then. Is it best to have her in her own seat on the plane or in my lap? I know it is a very long flight which is why I am in 2 minds about having her on my lap despite the money we'll save.

Probably ok to have her on your lap but check if you can get a bassinet for her. Maybe worth not going on too 'budget' an airline. Check out seat reviews on SEAT GURU
Have a great trip.

Agree- get one seat and order the bassinet. Make sure you agree this in advance with the airline- ie check you have been assigned a bassinet seat. Do an overnight flight if possible both ways. Also I would question if it's worth it for a few days tbh. I live in Hk and never fly home to the uk with the kids for less than 2 wks as the jet lag and flight hassle aren't worth it. Depends on yr baby though.

Bassinet is useful, but be careful as last year I flew Air NZ and the seats on that row didn't recline, very uncomfortable for you. I'd try to book a flight time that isn't popular in the hope of empty seats, flying back, we ditched the bassinet row and had 4 seats to ourselves in the row behind, which was much more comfortable, DS2 was 4mths, I strapped him into the seat while sleeping with the seatbelt.

If you are flying out by yourself then either a bassinet or a spare seat to put the baby in is essential. I did bassinet for up to about four months and booked seats from five months, but both my DCs were big, heavy babies (approaching the weight limit for bassinets on Virgin by that age - think the limits might have changed now, though) and they were sitting up by five months, so a separate seat made sense. Also, a seat is guaranteed if you pay for it, but airlines always warn that availability of a bassinet is not guaranteed, even if you reserve one.

If you don't have somewhere to put them down, then it is basically impossible to eat during the flight (can't lower the tray/table with a baby on your lap). You'll also be relying on crew or friendly passengers to watch/hold the baby when you go to the loo - not possible to juggle baby & zips etc in cramped airline toilet. But it is all doable!

not possible to juggle baby & zips etc in cramped airline toilet

It is possible- I have done it!! However, it is far from ideal and i actually hurt my shoulder pulling my jeans back up

I think if you book a separate seat you can take some car seats on board and put the baby in that so if they cant sit upright on their own, they can still sit separately. Depends on the airline though and also on the car seat- has to be approved for use on a plane.

BA bassinets are a reasonable size and they have seat style ones for older babies

Forget the idea of cheap flights and or saving money, you do not want to go "budget" for such a journey with a 5 month old. That flight duration is of around 9.5 to 10 hours and having your baby on your lap for such a long period of time will not do you any good.

At 5 months your DD may be too big to fit in a bassinet as they are more designed for newborns. Would check out airlines like Singapore Airlines and BA and see what they offer for young babies in terms of seats and seating.

Would certainly therefore try and buy an extra seat for your DD (your DD will be on your lap for take off and landing).

We're looking at Air France or KLM for flights as they are usually who DH flies with. But now looking at flying out together and then it'll be easier.

I didn't book DD a seat at 4 months but got the bassinet seat, and since it takes up the space of two seats I had an extra seat on each flight. I flew to NZ twice with DD under 1 and so on 8 flights this happened. A flight attendant told me that unless the flight is 100%full they leave that one free. Good luck!

My DS was too big for the bassinet at 5 months and he's just average size. No way could he fit. I'd say the thing is smaller than a Moses basket so probably too small for most babies after 3 months.
BA have a seat similar to a baby bouncer and we used that. So basically I would check of the airline you're flying with offer that kind of chair otherwise I'd get an extra seat and take my own car seat onboard if you're flying by yourself.

We took DS on a long haul flight when he was 5mo. It was significantly easier then the next trip (when he wa 13mo).

Highlight was when he pooed explosively and absolutely covered the entire cubicle. Moral: take far more nappies, wipes and clothing changes that you think you could ever possibly need!