Travelling to Australia with a 1 YO

[tracywillbelivid]

Looking for any advice, next year I'm travelling to OZ & back with my 5 YO & 1 YO. Flying from London to Dubai, break for a couple hours then onwards. Same on the return 2 weeks later.

Flying with Emirates. 1 YO will be almost 2 but have been told he can have my lap as a seat which helps out cost wise but I read 2 YO's have to be under 10KG for this which is 1.5 stone & I'm pretty sure he's nearing that now so not sure how that works as I imagine most under 2's are in the same boat.

Anyway he's a little terror & doesn't sit still generally. 5 YO is good as good. Any ideas/tips/advice for anyone having done a long haul before much appreciated as I am dreading it. TIA!

Best of British

You're flying alone? I.e no other adult

@coxesorangepippin Yes indeed!

Following as I’m flying to Aus (with family) next year with a 3 year old! Dreading it already but it’s a rare opportunity for us and I’m trying to see the flight as a means to an end…

I would keep him and you in a belt where possible…..in case of turbulence…..which comes on u expectedly flying to oz

I’ve recently done a similar flight. Deep breaths!

Get a yoyo stroller for the toddler and wear the baby. Accept no substitutes! Other prams may be gate checked and may not show up when you need them. And you need a place to stick cranky toddlers during the layover.

Have some very novel, high value toys tucked away and pull them out at appropriate moments. Think magazine full of tat.

Pack as lightly as you can.

Snacks and unlimited screen time.

Ensure you’ve locked in car seats at the other end if someone’s picking you up. It’s not the time to get into an argument about how your boomer parents used to do things (sorry not sorry).

Leash if you have a runner.

Check if you need visas now. Even if you haven’t in the past, rules change.

Remember the time will pass and the plane will land. You don’t need to have a good time, you just need to survive (and you will!).

We flew to Aus with a 3 year old and 2 year old twins. Due to age they did have their own seats but if you can raise the armrests then I think for short periods you and the 2 children may be able to sit across the 2 seats at times to give your lap a break.
Mine were still drinking milk before sleeps so I picked up lots of premade formula cartons at the airport (click and collect) and kind of made that a bit of a cue for winding down. They had the TVs on constantly and watched Frozen on repeat (this was many years ago!). I also had their tablets preloaded with games, and took sticker books and picture books for entertainment. I also took some new cheap toys and some snacks and would magic them out whenever needed to distract! Maybe a little magnadoodle type thing and those magic painting books that require a damp brush but are mess-free.
Honestly I think they all slept a lot and I don't have any overriding memories of it being horrific so I'm hoping that gives you some reassurance!
Use the time in Dubai for them to burn off some energy... We stopped in Abu Dhabi but found a play area there.
Sleep if you can get comfy with a little one on you but hopefully when the cabin lights dim the kids will nod off and you can at least zone out to some music or something.
The hardest part was the kids being awake at stupid times in Aus but they will give you Phenergen over the counter there specifically for jet lag...use it! Then get some more for when you return home.

We also made the seatbelt non-negotiable like in the car... I think it helped in terms of having a rule. They could only get up and about to go to the loo otherwise staying safe is paramount.

I wouldn't do it with 2yo without a seat. That will be fucking horrendous.

Ye Gods. Buy a seat. Do not travel for 26 hrs with a 1.5 stone toddler on your lap.

Do you have to go? I'm just back from a long haul trip, that was yet again made much worse by kids screaming for the entire 12 hour flight. I spent the time wondering if it would be possible to ban babies and toddlers from long flights except in essential circumstances. It's honestly cruel to the kids and other passengers.

You really need to get him his own seat. A large child on your lap for that length of time will be an absolute nightmare and trying to keep him contained within your own seat impossible. If it’s a total no no then have a look at the seat map - some planes have rows of two right at the back so at least you wouldn’t have to worry about anyone beside you.

@angelcake20 so originally I wasn't going to take him but I'm away for 2 weeks & I can't be without him for that long. He was extremely poorly as a baby & although I & him are not attached at the hip on home soil I can't go 2 weeks without him on the other side of the world. I'll just panic. So as pathetic as that may seem to some, either I don't go at all or he comes with me.

And of course the thought has entered my mind many times as to what it may be like. 5 YO is not a concern.

It's my Sister's wedding so it's quite a key event. Believe me I have spent many a night wondering about this & what is best to do. I don't think any parent wants to be the one with a screaming kid but I'm sure they were doing the best they could to manage the situation.

@LimeFizz You're right. He will be having his own!

Wow. How entitled. Let's also ban all snorers, seat recliners and every other annoying person. Book first class or take a private jet next time rather than discriminating against people based on age. if you can't afford that (which you obviously can't) buy some decent headphones. SMH

I have taken a 22 month old as a lap passenger. And am again soon. Honestly it was fine. Try and time none of your flights for sleep. Walk around a bit, tonnes of snacks, unlimited screen time. Book a bulk head seat, so you don't have to worry about someone reclining into their space. everyone who doesn't want to be near kids avoids those seats anyway.

Pretty sure the weight limit is for using the bassinets. They can still sit on your knee. Can't imagine many children over 1 are under 10 kgs and they can be a lap passenger until 2

Buy a seat for each family member. If you can afford Australia you can afford this.

I would reconsider taking the little one. We have done this trip with small children and it was very very hard, and there were two of us dealing with them.

I did it when my son was 16 months old, though we went for 6 weeks, not two.
Buy him a seat! There is no way I could have coped with a 16 month old on my lap for that distance, let alone an almost 2 yr old

Take lots of small treats and give them out slowly during the flight. Pre load a tablet or iPad with his favourite shows.
Let him walk around if it's safe to do so. Make sure you have everything you need to hand for changing. Take sone spare clothes.

Be ready for jet lag in your children. I hope the wedding is a few days later to give you all time to adjust. It took me around a week to get over jet lag.

Best of luck with it all.

The posts at the start of this thread have lots of practical advice. I've done this flight several times as a lone parent with DD when she was exactly 3 months, 2, 3.5 and 7. Honestly all the flights were fine. No, I didn't have a lot of sleep and movie marathons, but it was totally fine.

I would add to pack a spare outfit for you in your carry on. Someone may vomit / spill a drink on you so you might need a change of top at least, too.

@MumChp it's not the fact I won't buy him a seat, it's the fact I was told I wouldn't have to by the airline. And as for affording the trip, it's currently sat on a credit card, despite me working 2 jobs, not that that's really relevant to this conversation, but thought it may put you at ease to know I'm not mega rich jetting off around the world! Have a nice day :-)

You don't have to but if you pay for Australia don't sit with a todler on your lap for hours and hours having responsibilityfor an older kid too. For your own sake. Stay home if it's too expensive. You too have a nice day.

I did it with a 2 year old. Took the risk of not buying him a seat, and mercifully the air crew moved the lady who was in the other seat to a better seat before we took off.
So we all got our own seat.

Obviously not a guarantee though, would depend if the flight is full.

I've done this journey with the same age children, alone. Actually the worst part was in Heathrow when we got back haha, didn't have pram and trying to collect the luggage. I think I was with Qatar Airlines. I assumed i wouldnt be able to eat so ate in the airports and just had what i could - cereal bars etc. The staff were very helpful with my 5 yo, took her for walks to choose snacks etc. I should have taken a change of clothes for myself not just the baby as I spilled a drink on the two of us when she moved suddenly. But that's honestly the worst of it. People are generally much more helpful when you are one adult alone with young children than when you are two.

What a ridiculous comment 😅

For such a long flight with a DC who is almost 2 years old I would buy him a seat. I've done transatlantic many times with a wriggly under-2 on my lap and that was bad enough (flight time 7.5 hours), but I cannot imagine doing a 20+ hour flight with a DC on my lap and no other adult to share the burden. I know the cost issue and understand, but I'd buy that extra seat, no question. When you have a baby on a long flight you can put them in the bassinet for at least some of the time, so they're not constantly on you, with an older DC that isn't an option.