Tips for flying alone with 9m old - lounge?

[aeb941]

I've just booked a flight for me and my baby to go visit family abroad, have been umming and ahhing about it for months but have felt so nervous about doing it by myself I kept delaying booking it.

I'm now panicking about travelling alone with her and hoping for some tips. Is it worth booking the airport lounge so she can crawl about before the flight? I've never used a lounge before so not sure if it's appropriate to let a baby roam about.

We're flying out of Birmingham and will be in the airport for her last nap and dinner time then her bedtime will be when we're in the air.

She's crawling already and very active, constantly on the move so not sure how she's going to do confined in a seat for 5hrs plus the time in the pram at the airport!

Any tips or advice would be very much appreciated

For a start if I am in a lounge I do not want to be picking my way around it , because there is a crawling baby. Entitled much.??

Secondly I am/was (he is now 22 and a strapping young lad) fairly lax with regard to germs, but I would not have let my DS crawl on a floor that has had all sorts on it. Well I wouldn't have inflicted that on other guests but a consideration nonetheless.

Thirdly and this has just occurred to me, it is a lounge for transiting passengers, not a bloody creche. 🙄

Jesus what a nasty reply.

I think it's fine, OP, and a good idea. I've been to a couple and there's been a children's area.

You will be absolutely fine - have a wonderful time.

Check if they have a children's area many do. You probably can't let them crawl about the general area, it will be too busy and they might get hurt.

It might be worth booking anyway just to give you a quieter space but the ones you can just buy access to vary a lot.

Maybe read a few reviews first.

Good luck I'm sure it will be okay.

@dammiejodger

Not really, just the thoughts of someone who pays for business class and equivalent and really doesn’t think the lounge is a crèche.

FACT

Wow. Ummmm.

I was going to say don’t bother spending money on a lounge but now I’m tempted to say you should just to piss off TheApplianceOfScience.

But, yeah, I recently travelled with a baby a little younger than 9 months. I had to check in at the airport, not online, which was a surprise but probably shouldn’t have been. Going through security was much easier than I expected. I used a stroller up to the gate. I planned to take DC out of the stroller for a play at the gate (I had packed a blanket I could put on the floor for her) but we didn’t actually have that much time before boarding. So she just had cuddles and lap time instead.

Definitely preboard - the flight attendants are more available to help before everyone else starts boarding.

I would suggest going straight to the gate instead of a lounge so that you can get a seat close by and grab some space for a play mat.

I generally find by the time we are through security etc there not much time before heading to boarding gate.

However, of course babies can go in lounges. Last time we went on one, Ds was around 1 year and they had baby food pouches, high chairs, and baby feeding and changing room. So they definitely cater and expect babies to be there.

Same as first class on a plane, it’s sold to anyone, and any age allowed. There’s not a rule that says the more you spend entitles you to a child free zone.

Ok, kind of ignore me, what I said I stand by, but I am feeling particularly crabby today and misplaced my filter and shouldn’t have posted.

So kind of a sorry, not sorry…

Told you I was crabby…😂

The entitled statement points right back to you. What a throughly unpleasant reply.

OP I am pf the firm opinion that flying is public transport. Be mindful of others, but do not sweat things that cannot be helped. A lounge may help you relax, so use it if you like. A relaxed mum helps the baby.

I have flown all over the world, with my three, in every cabin too, and used first and business lounges with no issue whatsoever. You may meet middle manager types in business lounges, like the person I quoted above, but most of humanity is kinder. I flew from Sydney to London with a 10 month old and all was well. I was nervous too but,by the next day, it was all but a mere memory.

My top tip is from 18 months buy your child their own seat as they get too bloody big to stay on your lap for any length of time.

You both will he absolutely fine. The lounge will probaby have a high chair etc for you and decent change facilities.

I would book a lounge so that you have quieter changing facilities, but plan to not really use it and instead go to the gate so your child can play around there.

My top tip is that any formula etc you are taking will need to be scanned separately, so pack it separately. I had a canvas tote with all of mine in, and just handed it over at security then repacked it back into my main cabin bag.

When I flew alone, DD was younger so I wore her in a sling through the scanner whilst the pram went through the machine, then I held out DD and they scanned her with a wand and did “tickles” (a pat down). Popped her in her pram, my sling went through the scanner and I had a separate body scan and pat down. Shoes off and scanned for me, so pick some that you can get off and on easily. I was dreading it, but the staff were so nice and really patient/understanding.

It is still public transport. Everyone's money is equal. Err... FACT

A creche is where you drop of kids to be looked after, unlike a lounge which a glorified cafe ... Err FACT

If you are worried about how much a business class flight costs and so inflate what you percieve is it's exclisivity, then I would suggest you can't really afford it.

I flew a lot with babies that age (we were expats) and I'm not going to lie, it's a tricky age. They're old enough to be alert and mobile but too young to be reasoned with!

My tips:

• ignore any advice, and the airline's invitation, to board first. You want to be the absolute last person on the plane if you can manage it - you don't want to restrain your wriggly baby on your lap for a minute longer than you have to!
• pack a million toys, snacks and anything else that will distract.
• go easy on yourself. She will probably carry on a bit before she falls asleep. It's not the end of the world, and you never have to see those people again! The calmer you can be, the calmer she will be.

I'd be careful about the crawling likely to get hurt or someone else get hurt by tripping, people are going to be busy and not expecting a baby crawling on the ground! Take lots of toys to keep them amused.

Well I think that's a semi-decent quasi-apology

I travelled with DD from three months old until last week (12 years old). About 100 flights, I think.

No lounge but budget for an airport hotel room for the day if there is a delay. Saved my life once. Bring a good carrier, and pack light. I let DD sleep on the plane floor (on a blanket) until the attendant told me not to. Bassinet if DC will fit.

And just accept it will be utterly shit. Like actually crying, sobbing awful. But then you are where you want to be.

Thank you for the replies everyone, some useful stuff here!

I wasn't planning on letting my small infant roam free in an airport, just wanted a small space I could lay a blanket down and she could sit and play rather than being in the pram and on my lap for the 2/3 hrs in airport plus 5hr flight- thank you to the PP who mentioned just getting to the gate asap and letting her do that there, think that's a great idea!

I'm bf so thankfully don't have to worry about bringing milk through but is it the same with baby food? We normally do quite a lot of BLW but planning on bringing some pouches so I don't inflict her mess on all the 'transiting passengers'

There's a children's area so you might be better off going there than booking a lounge.

While I do agree with the pp about waiting until the last minute before boarding, make sure your bag fits under the seat in front as there might not be any room in the overhead lockers near you by the time you get on and you don't want a bag shoved in 20 rows behind you.

Breastfeed on take off and landing to equipoise your baby's ears

Honestly most of the time you are on the move (or queuing) rather than sitting still at the airport!

Re boarding first vs last... boarding first is longer on an enclosed space. But last might mean your bag not being close by... vital with baby!

Equalise ear pressure. No idea what equipoise is!

Hi OP, we’ve flown out of Birmingham few times with baby, I don’t think you need to book the lounge.

We generally get through security then wonder rounds the shops for a bit with baby in pushchair pointing out fun things. That kills some time.

We’ll sit and have some food if it’s food time and then its generally time to head to the gate anyway.

Even if your gate isn’t showing yet the gate area with seating is really close to the main central shopping/eating bit and is often really quiet as very big so they’d be lots of space to put a blanket down and let baby have a move around somewhere quiet.

I think you’re fine to take baby food, we’ve also taken baby bottles of cows milk in the past in a cool bag with ice pack as we needed some for the other side too. Never had any issues, they quite often swab it to check there’s nothing odd going odd.

I’d recommend taking calpol in your hand luggage, you never know when you’ll need it!

You are really unlikely to have enough time to take advantage of a lounge unless it's right by your gate. Lounges really come into their own for long layovers.

Download an app like App in the Air and you'll know your gate well before it comes up on the boards and will be able to get a good spot before the masses arrive.

Baby food and milk is an exception to the 100ml rule.

To be fair to @TheApplianceofScience I would not be happy about a baby crawling round the lounge if I had paid to use it either
However they would have as much right to be there as me if children were allowed so it would be tough

Don’t worry @TheApplianceofScience , I think@aeb941 is talking about a paid lounge, not a real business class lounge

I think they still scan the pouches separately? So probably easiest to have them to hand just in case.

@Clymene I assumed it was some sort of niche aeroplane vocabulary!

We took our toddler into the business class lounge. It’s absolutely no problem. Children are entitled to use the lounges as much as adults. We were flying out of Heathrow and the terminal was too much for him because it was so busy. I am glad he could sit in the lounge calmly and watch the planes. The staff were great.

The paid lounges at Manchester airport are all a bit busy and lairy tbh, not worth paying extra for, but no reason not to take a baby inside.

expect somewhere to sit, perhaps a drink or two but not much else.

you can’t compare a paid for lounge with say the virgin Atlantic clubhouse.

anyway safe travels, you will be fine as will be your dc.

Maybe it is! I thought perhaps something to do with dressage