Flying UK to NZ with 12 month old baby

[FlyingwithBaby]

My partner and I are travelling to New Zealand with our 12 month old baby in a few weeks.
Please could you share any advice with me on long haul travel and also adjusting to the time difference? (+13 hours) We will be there for one month.
In case it’s relevant my little one is breastfed and we plan to bring his sling on the flight.

Book a bassinet if you haven't booked a separate seat. Spending upwards of 30 hours holding a child on your lap is not fun at all but be prepared to take them out of it when it gets bumpy and the seat belt sign goes on. Find out what food the airline will provide for your little one and what you need to take. Take plenty of wipes, nappies and changes of clothes for baby & both of you. Take nappy sacs to use as rubbish receptacles. I tied one on to the bassinet to put all kinds of rubbish in and then I could just tie it up and give to the flight attendants. Flight attendants will save one meal for you so you can take it in turns eating and holding the baby if they're not sleeping.

Try and secure your pram as much as you can before you check it in, tie it up or get a bag for it. I have had both my prams broken on two different journeys by sloppy handling from gate to plane.

Take plenty of snacks on board.

I found it ok, I travelled with my twins on my own from Australia to Uk when they were 12 months. It was tiring but ok. I didn't do anything to mitigate the time difference, just let them get used to the new time gradually while trying to get them into routine as quickly as they could deal with. We are 10 1/2 hours different so not quite as bad.

The baby will cry and you have to try not to get too stressed, just do what you can and take walks around the plane if you can.

Good luck!

I didn't find my kids reacted to the pressure change at take off or landing either but I've heard people say they breastfeed at those times to help with that.

Try and maximise sleep on the plane by putting in pyjamas and using whatever baby normally sleeps in. I took sleeping bags on board as my daughter was used to that rather than the blanket. Then you could use the blanket to block out light on the bassinet.

You will be able to board first with a child, it's up to you if you prefer to do that and get settled before everyone else gets on board. Personally I prefer it but others like to get on last and reduce sitting down time.

A bassinet is essential. Order a child/baby meal. Also a dummy or bottle for take off and landing as the sucking helps their ears pop. Lots of snacks and small toys. Sufficient bottles and nappies to allow for delays. I also used to take a complete change of clothes for me after being vomited on at the beginning of an 8 hour flight.

Thank you all very much for your replies, that’s all really helpful.

I'm doing this trip on Friday with My 6 month old. I will come back to this thread to write a report when we get back 1st week of Feb. If I forget feel free to message me.

Ok we are Back!
We flew with Emirates via Dubai so 6hrs with a 4 hour stop over then 17 hrs journey

Seat choice ... bulkhead with basinette is essential as more floor space for baby to use. I preferred being next to the kitchen areas as much easier to get attention from flight crew and within steps of vital snacks and drinks for you and baby.

At stopover airport see if they have pushchairs available it makes everything much easier especially with a 4 hour delay!

Make sure you pack emergency food snacks in case of delays. Dubai did not cater well for baby provisions luckily my baby is breastfed but we would have struggled otherwise.

You will have some jet lag this way - NZ to UK is much easier than UK to NZ. Both my DD (then 7 months) and friend's DD (10 months) had 7-10 nights of dodgy sleep (the first 2 nights the worst) coming this way, as opposed to 1-2 in the opposite direction. Just try to stick to your usual nap routine and things will sort themselves out fairly quickly.

If your 12mo is too big for a bassinet you might want to look into getting a Flytot, which allows toddlers/small kids to lie flat. It's not accepted on some airlines though so do your research before you buy (they're a little pricey).

Get a couple of cheap new toys and small (eg puppet) books for the flight for novelty and bring along a couple of old favourites. Breastfeeding or sucking a dummy on the way up/down will help relieve the pressure in their ears.

Double the usual change of clothes/nappy/snacks in case of any delays.

A front pack is a Godsend.

I brought some new books for my 9m old and he only just fit in bassinet. We flew with Emirates and i also bought a tablet with some baby friendly apps. Usborne baby's first app is good.

Tbh they can do whatever they like as long as they're occupied.

both Dubai and Singapore have pushchairs for the stop over. I think they meet you at the door. If you are flying through Singapore have a look at whats on at the airport there is so much to see and do. Swimming is a good choice. Take enough stuck to be delayed by an extra day. It shouldn't happen but you never know. Take your own water container and fill after security and then get flight crew to fill it when empty, so you always have a drink. (security at Singapore is just before you get on the plane so you can't fill it)