Flying long haul with a toddler?!

[34and3]

Please give me all the tips!

10 hour flight with a 13m old and I'm terrified! We're flying premier economy and have a sky cot. Dh and I will just take turns but any tips please share!

A 13 month old is unlikely to fit in the skycot comfortably. So personally my tip would be to go economy and pay for a separate seat for your kid.

Snacks. iPad. Little toys given at intervals throughout the flight. If they can walk, let them run around the airport before you fly to wear them out.

Take a spare set of clothes for all of you

take pjs and bottles and have the same night time routine so they know it’s time to sleep if a night flight

take a few favourite snacks and a few new toys to get out through the flight

You'll be fine. We've done long haul a few times with very young children (Australia). Couple of new toys, snacks, and either iPad or stick in the young kids tv in the seat back. We found toddler coped with long haul better than we did!

Let them toddle and explore as much as possible at the airport. Some airports have little soft play areas.
Take a spare sippy cup if your toddler uses one, as the flight attendant can fill it during drink rounds.
Think carefully about whether you want early boarding or not. On the one hand you won't have to make your way through a huge crowd of people, nor will you have to worry about getting your toddler buckled in a hurry while also organizing snacks and toys. On the other hand they might get antsy if they're seated too long. Boarding can take about 40 mins and you can spend this time letting your toddler toddle around the gate rather than trying to climb everyone’s seats.
Take more nappies, snacks, wipes etc… than you think you’ll need, just in case of delays or lost luggage.
Some of the planes have pull down changing tables in the toilets. However most don't. Always check with a flight attendant to ask if another toilet has a changing table if you can’t find one near to your I often even ask as I’m boarding or during the drink service so I don’t head for the wrong toilet in a time of need. If not, there is usually a good amount of floor-space by the doors at the back. Just don’t forget the scented nappy bags! And don’t chuck the nappy away in the toilet bins - they’ll stink it out. Ask the flight attendant to dispose of it for you. Have a small “to go” nappy kit so you don’t need to bring your huge bag into the toilet.

Forgot to mention - take the small Calpol sachets and badger night balm

All good ideas thanks!

Absolutely this!!
Even if your baby is tiny and does by some miracle fit, then they still won’t want to sit in it unless actually asleep and you’ll have them squirming on your lap most of the flight, and in PE bulkheads there’s a good chance you won’t have moveable arm rests to get more space between you either.

Other than that ipad with headphones (toddler ones, Amazon has a decent selection) and practice with the headphones at home to get get used to it. Download some cocomelon or similar baby stuff for them to watch. And all the snacks!!

They'll be too big / heavy for the sky cot and on most airlines if someone rocks up with a small baby that will fit in the sky cot will be given precedence.

@AriettyHomily we've already booked it and selected our seats

Agree with all the advice so far - we trawled all the pound shops etc for small cheap toys that she had never seen before.
I found this great because each time she started to get restless I could whip out a new toy and because it was something she d never seen she be absorbed with it for a while again.
i think I ended up with about ten different things.
i know what it’s like though, you count every minute of the flight - good luck!

Also what airline is it and do you know what the bassinet is e.g. length and weight limits? If it’s BA they have this oversized baby bouncer seat for larger babies that a 13MO should fit in. Other airlines only have the standard carrycot one and you’re unlikely to have much luck there. If your airline is one of these then I’d try to stretch the budget for an extra PE seat. If that’s a no go then I’d change your seats. The bassinet seats are the worst and there’s no point sitting there if you won’t be able to use the bassinet itself. Go further back and you’ll hopefully get moveable arm rests so you can make space for LO to stretch between you and you won’t have galley noise and people stood next to you waiting for the loo all flight.

@34and3 it still doesn't guarantee you get it unfortunately.

@FlounderingFruitcake yep Premium economy in BA and the customer services team assured me a 13m old will be fine in it

You'll be fine, we did Australia with 3 ranging from 14m to 6 in economy. Take snacks, books, toys & a change of clothes. Enjoy your holiday.

Awesome! Yep make sure you ask for the baby seat, not the carrycot, to avoid any confusion as you’re boarding :)

We're going on an 8 hour flight with a 16 month old in March. I was speaking to my friend whose an air hostess the other day and she gave me a couple of great tips-

Families can board first BUT it means an extra 40 mins on the plane so she said, leave the kid with a parent outside to do some running and the other parent go onto the plane and get everything set up

She said a new toy/entertainment every 20 mins. She said go to Poundland and get stuff and wrap it up because this will be another activity to do

Definitely going to take ALL the snack and raid Poundland for new little toys! Baby headphones are a great shout for good old Peppa and Postman Pat! Also noted to ask for the baby seat on boarding!

Blueberries or milk to pop their ears on take off or landing. Let them walk or crawl up and down the aisles. Take a sling if you use one. Good luck!

The BA cot is tiny, our daughter couldn’t lay flat in it at 10 months old (well actually 9 corrected), if they can’t lay flat it can’t be used. The plane seat is much better. She isn’t a big baby. Booking bulkdhead seats doesn’t guarantee you get them, it does depend if someone else has a greater need on the day.

Lots of toys, but make sure they aren’t noisy, I took a blanket so when she was on the floor she was on something clean.

The changing boards don’t have a lip/harness in the toilet, so you’re better sitting on the loo (lid down) to do nappy changes.

Takea change of clothes for both of you, sitting for hours covered in baby sick is not fun.

Oh and ignore any advice not to board first!
Yes 30 more minutes of tearing the around the airport getting some energy out would be nice but you need to be at the front of the queue to get that request in for the flipping baby seat. They don’t have unlimited numbers of them.

Please don't let them crawl in the aisles!

Multiple experience from 7 - 19m including lots of long haul here.
Absolutely let them wear themselves out in the airport before boarding. And we always boarded as late as possible as once you’re on the flight, it’s pretty cramped.
I always carried little one onto the plane in the sling. Much safer and have you any extra pair of hands. Our little one also slept in the sling too.
Dress them in something simple like a baby grow for easy nappy changes. Take more nappies than you think you need and and at least two changes of clothes for them (and one for you) in your hand luggage.
At 7m our tall but skinny baby only just fit in the bassinet, so don’t rely on it.
Always feed on take off, and definitely during the descent to protect their ears from the pressure changes.
Great advice from PP about some new toys. We had an iPad and headphones, but our little one wasn’t that interested. All the snacks!
Big shout out to the member of cabin crew that kept a meal aside for me whilst I bounced our little one to sleep in the sling on a night flight out of Australia. Cabin crew often love a cuddle too, so take advantage of that.
But the best advice is to accept that your little one will be restless and will cry
at times.