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Original poster

Hints and Tips on longhaul flights

33 replies

teacakes · 23/05/2006 12:52

Anyone have any exerience / hints and tips on taking a 14mth baby on a long haul flight?

First trip for DD to see extended family!

OP posts:

ghosty · 10/10/2006 09:07

I love the fact everyone has different experiences and advice ....

My top tips:

You can spend days, months worrying about what to take and what to do to entertain your toddler ... but the fact is, once you are on the plane there is sod all you can do about it. You know how you have a list of stuff to take to the labour ward in your bag and you don't use half of it, well, that is what it is like when you take 'loads of stuff' on the plane ... you DON'T need that much ... believe me ...
If you are going to NZ and Aus you will need to bin all your food before they let you in the country anyway.
Keeping the toddler happy - .... Best tip? Let it do what it wants within reason and within rules of safety ... if it wants to walk around the plane let it (ROFL at SunnyDelight ) ... IME if you spend your time trying to get your child to sit still and shush then you will make him or her 10 times worse ....
I have never ever agreed with the 'small wrapped presents to give to the child every 1/2/3/4 hours' thing - what a faff .... If the child is under 2 then things like, some paper stapled together with a little pack of crayons, and some wikkistix is all that I took for DD from NZ to the UK when she was 16 months. If the aeroplane has seatback tvs (which many do these days) then there is always loads of kids tv to watch (DD watched cartoons without the headset on).
DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT .... take anything made with chocolate

I also have never sedated my children when we travel ... I personally don't agree with it but some people swear by it ....

Re. stopovers ... I have done NZ to UK and back a few times now and I much prefer going straight through with the 2 hours stop between the two longhaul flights ... It is hell, as moondog says, but IME it is worse stopping, going through baggage control, getting a taxi to your hotel, being stuck in a room for x amount of hours then going back to the airport ... it prolongs the agony and you have to take much more stuff with you for the stopover (nappies, changes of clothes etc) ... if you are going to do it then it is only worth it if you are stopping for more than 36 hours IME.

Micku5 · 10/10/2006 09:14

Morning,

You can take some medicines through security but only a small amount and be prepared to taste it.

If you don't then the airport pharmacist will have to verify it etc. There is more information here .

I am flying next Thursday to Seychelles with a 3 month old and a 3 year old so will definitely need some piriton for dd1 otherwise the journey will be hell.

spookegypt · 10/10/2006 10:38

thanks
so you can take under 50ml of child's medicine if you taste it.
it is a 'just in case', as never flown with her over 4 months old and that was just to paris. what will be will be but would like to be prepared just in case. dont want people to think i am quite happy to be drugging my children at the drop of a hat.

but i will

Micku5 · 10/10/2006 11:34

how old is your dd?

Micku5 · 10/10/2006 11:47

The reason I am asking is that if you are travelling with babies/toddlers then a tip to deal with the noise during take off and landing (and ears popping) is to hold them against you so that one ear is next to you, then get a warm flannel (that they give you to freshen up with)from the air steward and put it in a plastic cup and hold it against the other ear during take off.

My sister was travelling with her 8 weeks old baby and a paediatrician who was travelling on the same flight as her gave her this advice.

spookegypt · 10/10/2006 16:03

not sure who you are asking miku5 but my dd is 2.4 now. thats a good tip

Daemara · 11/10/2006 12:41

one tip for combating the ear popping is to give them a drink (a bottle or a breast for babies)at take off or a lolly to suck on for older toddlers or snack (rasins or something) at take off and landing. Its similar to you having some gum to chew on or repeated yawning to combat the airpressure change. Its worked so far with our son ( 3 in a few weeks) who has been flying to the US to vist his grandparents since he was 4 months old.

angmarie · 17/10/2006 14:37

I flew to Jamiaca earlier this year we booked premier class so we had more room , my very active son was 23 months We got the front row seats and it was brilliant because we were able to put his toys on the floor and he could sit down there quite happily and play once we could take our seatbelts off and then when he got tired we made it in to a sleep area for him . Tob e honest I was dreading the flight but it was no where near as bad as I though it was going to be. The only thing was I couldnt get food for him on the plane I asked when I booked the hol and food wasnt catered for under 2 so check that , luckily going there was a meal left over and the hostess gave him one but coming home he just had a bit of each of our meals and I took snacks as well for him . I can recommend the colour wonder felt tips that only work on the special paper you get with them so it doesnt go on skin or clothes.

Good ,luck and have a fab time

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