Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Transantlantic with a 10 month old

5 replies

TangleStash · 04/09/2012 01:01

Am I crazy to consider this? I live in Canada and will be flying back to the UK for a family visit next April, going from Calgary to London. The flight will be around 6 or 7 hours. My DD will be 10 months at the time, and we will be getting her a lap ticket. Has anyone done a flight like this? Any tips?

OP posts:
TigerStripe · 04/09/2012 01:07

Will it be an overnight flight? That might be the easiest thing to do and your DD will be able to sleep most of the night (you probably won't though, if she's on your lap!). If you can afford it I would recommend getting at least premium economy seats, to give you some extra room and also book bulk head seats.

Make friends with your fellow passengers - they can often provide a baby with lots of entertainment (think peekaboo, etc). If you breast feed, then feed on demand and especially on take-off and landing - it will help with the pressure in the baby's ears. Take a couple of new toys, so she has something new and exciting to play with on the plane.

You are not in the least bit crazy to consider it. Flying with small children can be hard work, but it is only a very small part of a holiday...it is just a few hours in your life and so even if she screams the whole flight, it will pass! Grin

stealthsquiggle · 04/09/2012 01:12

Depends on the DC, and I guess it is a little early for you to be able to tell. My DS slept for 18+ of the 24 hour flight to Aus at the same age - my DD would never do that and slept hardly at all flying to the US at 9mo. I think if you set yourself up to not get ANY sleep then you should be OK - DS always fed to sleep on take-off, but a bottle (of milk or water) for takeoff and landing is good to clear their ears. Also an airline that gives parents with babies bulkhead seats, and has some sort of bulkhead baby seat (like BA) because by 10mo she will probably be too big for the bassinets.

No, you're not crazy. It won't be the easiest flight you have ever done, but it's a lot easier than almost 24mo on your lap, and a lot cheaper than when you have to start paying for a seat.

Napdamnyou · 04/09/2012 01:26

I did long haul (12 plus hours)with a 9 mo and it was ok. We got bulkhead seats and he made a nest on the floor and played with small toys, he BF loads, we unwrapped snacks (dried apricots glued his jaws together for several hours) and I took a change of clothes for me and dressed him in layers of vests and pyjamas and socks and a cotton hoody. With spare layers. I walked him about a bit and he napped on me quite a lot. It was back aching but bearable. Much easier than a toddler so I'd do it now before he gets fully mobile.

mathanxiety · 06/09/2012 06:23

All of my west to east flights were night flights, and the DCs I took with me slept after a while. Going back east to west was less easy as it is daylight all the way and lots of constant noise fro mother passengers.

The airline provided a cardboard bassinet for small lap ticket DCs to sleep in but they ended up on my lap as there was nothing but a folded up airline blanket by way of padding and it was all a bit strange for them.

Calgary to London is usually about 8.5 hours. Factor in about two hours before dinner service is over and another hour for people to settle down and stop going to the bathroom and you are really not looking at much quiet time. People have an insane tendency to get up at the crack of stupid o'clock on transatlantic flights too, and chat together, go to the loo, open up the shutters to see if there's land below, so the DC may be disturbed in the morning.

The worst part is getting to the loo yourself, though trying to eat your airline meal with a 10 month old to hold and keep out of your food may come a close second. Ask for help from the flight attendants. or other passengers who seem nice. Bring a selection of quiet toys your DC likes -- board books, etc. and a few little new ones is a good idea. Let the baby shred the inflight mag if nothing else seems to be working.

Dress the baby in PJs or clothes that are comfy to sleep in and of course something that is easy for changing nappies in. Bring more nappies than you think you need. If formula fed, bring ready made and lots of bottles. Staff normally will not warm bottles for you. Dress yourself in clothes you can pull down and up again using one hand.

A bulkhead seat can be nice but not if it's close to the loo. There will be people and conversation at the loo door all night and you will be disturbed by the sound of it banging shut.

If breastfeeding, cast aside your nervousness and Just Do It.

ReelAroundTheOrbit · 06/09/2012 07:35

I did transatlantic when ds1 was 9mths but we paid for a child ticket for him do he got his own seat. It was so easy we wished we'd flown more. I know it's more expensive but could you consider this? We took his forward facing car seat and it meant he slept for a few hours and I was free to eat/go to the loo etc. as I recall the ticket for him was around £200.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page