Flying 17 hours with 3-month-old baby on lap as no bassinet seat available

[Suziwoo88]

Hi everyone! Please comment with any tips and tricks, friendly advice, or words of reassurance as myself, husband and 3-month-old son will be flying on a 17-hour stretch with no bassinet this Sunday (NZ to Dubai) and I'm worried that my baby won't settle sitting on my lap when he is not feeding. Has anyone done this before? Did it turn out to be okay? My main worry is sleeping myself whilst holding on to him. Will we need to sleep in shifts to get through it? Thank you in advance! :)

Take a sling!

I did this exact same flight with my 5 month old and we couldn't get a bassinet either. I borrowed a moby wrap from a friend so it was comfortable to have DD strapped to me while I was sitting down meaning I could sleep without holding her directly.

The flight attendants were amazing too. I was reluctant to pass her around to them for cuddles at first, but after a fair few hours with her strapped to me I changed my mind! They were only too happy to have a cuddle to give me a break. Good luck. In my experience it will be nowhere near as bad as you think!

Honestly, they likely wouldn’t stay happy in the bassinet for long periods anyway.

Agree absolutely with a sling. Also suggest taking a soft pillow or two, or even one of those V shaped nursing pillows (but a soft one not a firm one) so you can wedge it around you to get comfy and support the baby. And do take it in shifts.

Have your carry on bag divided into lots of internal bags - we just use canvas bags - one for feeding related, one for nappies/wipes, one for spare clothes, one for toys etc so you can find everything easily.

Thanks so much everyone! Really helpful advice. I will definitely pack the sling and wear baby as much as possible. He isn't super fond of the sling at the moment but it's because we don't use it that often so I will make it much more part of our routine this week and hope that he is amenable on the plane :)

Yes, you may have to sleep in shifts but that's ok. Agree with a sling/carrier being great if your baby is happy in one - definitely practise this week! Also, the baby might well have a good sleep, in which case you can, too.

Worst case, it's a rough 17 hours. But then it will be over! Lots of walking up and down the aisle etc.

I've flown a lot with babies and toddlers, usually on my own and sometimes very long haul. You'll be fine!

Feeding on take-off and landing is generally advised (breast or bottle). If you bottle feed, sort hot water in a thermos either after security or as soon as you get on the plane so you can have a bottle ready for take-off.

You will likely be invited to board first but I always wait and board last, just my preference but the longer I can be free to walk around, jiggle, put the baby down etc, the better!

You can do it!