Any advice for flying alone with a 6 mo?

[joorla]

HI

going to the Canaries at the end of Jan to visit my parents, I'm taking my 6 mo DD with me but my DH cant come due to being up to his eyes in it at work.

has anyone got any advice about flying alone with a baby, I havent booked her a separate seat so she's going to have to sit on my lap.

I have done a couple of flights alone with my DS when he was 3 months and a flight to Cyprus with my DS and DH at 4 months and they have been fine. Going to Tenerife with DS and my mum next week.

I would suggest that you get chatting to the people sitting next to you as soon as possible so that you have them 'on your side' just in case tears and tantrums ensue...
Ask for a couple of pillows when you get on board as it helps to support your arms (which will get very tired!)
I like to try to get an aisle seat so that I can get up and walk up and down if needed without disturbing others around me.
I also feed during take off and landing as it seems to be a good distraction and the sucking motion is supposed to help balance the ears.
I would also suggest that you eat before you get on the plane as eating with a little one with you can be tricky and go to the loo too!! Take some snacks and a bottle of water on with you to keep you going...

Hope it goes OK and have a great holiday in the sunshine!

Piece of p*ss. A pouch style sling is good though. I've flown to Spain alone with both DSs (5 & 7) and BabyDragon (at 3 months and 6 months). The tricky bits are eating and going to the toilet but neither are insurmountable A pouch sling like a Coorie or Kimmer is a great help.

Feed during take off and landing.
Take a blanket to keep dd warm, which also helps settle them to sleep.
Make sure you have a nappy, wipes and change of clothes very handy.
Take an inflatable neck cushion for you to rest your head on when baby sleeps!

Enjoy your holiday

Definitely a pouch style sling and minimal hand luggage.

You can ask nicely at check in to see if they have any spare seats - the extra space is always useful.

Befriend the air stewards (can't think what they're called these days)and anyone sitting near you. Most people will be happy to pull faces or chatter to a little one to keep them amused!

Feed the baby during take off & landing to avoid ears hurting.

No need for toys - water bottle, sick bag (not used, obviously), cups etc provide plenty of entertainment.

Good Luck

ok, thanks for that.

anyone know about taking the buggy, can I keep it with me until we board the aircraft (i think i can) and when we get off, is the buggy waiting at the bottom of the aircraft steps is does it come through on the carousel?

We've always kept buggy until we board when they take it off you and put it in the hold. The buggy is offloaded first so you can collect it when you get off the plane - you shouldn't have to wait for it to appear on the carousel!

fab thanks. wasnt looking forward to holding my large 6mo dd waiting ages for the buggy and luggage to come through.

No problem with the buggy, you can take it to the gate and check it in there - if it folds really small, they may even store it on board for you. If it's a busy flight or a big buggy they'll put it in the hold and you may have to wait for a bit at the other end for it to come back.

Just to say I think I have checked a buggy on boarding and then had to collect it at the carosel when flying when ds2 was very small, so you might want to check with the airline (luckily a business man/dad took pity on me lugging a 6 month old, a 2 year old and hand luggage and helped out!)

I flew Vancouver - london on my own when ds3 was 6 months, ds1 was 5 and ds2 was 3 - he was the easiest of the lot - just slept and fed but he did have a seat and his car seat - which I couldn't use on take off/landing but at least I had somewhere to put him when I went to the loo or ate (the air staff weren't prepared to help at all). and at the the other end they lost our luggage. Best bit was the women sitting next to ds3 got on clutching 'what to expect when you're expecting' and spent the whole time gazing at him - but then he was in his (brief!) perfect child stage.

When we have done domestic flights we have been able to get the buggy back as soon as we got off the plane but when we went to Cyprus at New Year we had to wait and get the buggy off the carousel both in Paphos and in London. I did ask if we could get it straight out of the hold but they said we would have to wait....
Using a sling is a good tip - think I'll try that next time!