Managing sleep for 18-month old on 11-hour flight

[Portugal1987]

We are going to travel on an 11-hour flight with our energetic 18-month old toddler, it will be me, DH & DC. Overnight flight so hoping sleep will be ok.

Going for a family event so this isn’t like a regular holiday (wouldn’t torture myself like this otherwise). We’re flying with BA.

Option 1: I’d love to hear from people who have used the toddler seat at bulkhead with BA. (No extra seat, infant on lap)

Option 2: Buy extra seat, sit in a normal row (not bulkhead) with kid in between us. Only 18 months old, do I get one of those little footstools to make the seat longer for sleep? I can’t imagine bringing a heavy car seat (ours is fixed in the car so we would rent one - what type that can recline?) and also that he would sleep in that for ours on end?

Experiences? Recommendations? Mental strength?

Buy the seat!! Do you mean the bouncy chair thing from BA? That won't fit an 18 month old. Just buy the seat.

Oh I did take an actual car seat onboard, it was a hassle to lug but they slept brilliantly in it and we had a car seat on destination. I had a Britax one that had a lap belt slot.

I’m 100% willing to do this, but just wondering how people managed to get their small toddler to sit/sleep comfortably in their seat?

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How old were they & how long was the flight?

We used the seat provided by BA for our baby last time we flew 11 hours with them, but for an older kid I'd buy the seat if you can. Using a car booster seat helps cos they can look out the window!

Also, we took a tablet and used vids like this for our 3-year-old to help distract him:

I flew with DC1 at 9 months on a 4 hour flight on my lap and it was a nightmare. We then had a 10 hour flight when she was 19 months and buying her a seat and having her between us in a 3 was so easy. She could managed to curl up and sleep with the recline.
When DC2 came along she also always had her own seat but being awkward would only sleep lying across her seat and mine or DH lap.
I can't imaging carrying a car seat as well as the bags onto a plane.

The best tip I was ever given for flying with littles: do not use the priority boarding offered for parents with small children.

Wait until last call. Keep little one toddling around and thoroughly entertained for as long as possible at the gate to knacker them out, then be one of the last groups to get on the plane.
If you use priority boarding, then that’s an extra 30 mins your little one is stuck in a seat, on a stationary plane on the tarmac.

I would also pay for the extra seat, and get one of the foot-stool type seat extenders so they can lay flat. We always used one that looked a bit like one of those sun shades you put in your car windscreen 🤷🏻‍♀️😂 Attaches round the back of little one’s seat and the tray table at the front and makes a good, sturdy base for their lower body to rest on.

I think I used the car seat onboard from the ages of about 13 months to maybe 3.5 years for each child and it was London to Auckland return, 1-2 times per year. Even if the child was big in it, it still reclined and had side supports for head.

Amazing! So you didn’t get any gimmicky props and seats & inflatable things?

Thank you super helpful 😊

Did it not annoy the person in front of you? Or was it fine? I like this idea because our little one is def going to try get on the floor if he sees a gap 🤣

My son was too big to fit in the bulkhead seat by 11 months so I would definitely not do that. If you can afford premium economy it'll be much easier. Definitely have a seat for the kids, otherwise you're holding them all night and you won't get any rest at all. Other than that, it's getting them tired as possible before the flight, don't board until last, bring lots of food as you don't want to risk them being hungry because they won't eat the plane food, and lots of activities to keep them as busy as possible.

We did the 11 hour flight to SA many times with small children.

How big is your child? Mine have always been taller and heavier, so when we took 15 month DD, although she was too small for the little crib thing on the bulk head but the little car seat thing they offered wasn't super comfortable so she spent a lot of time on our laps. It was not great. if your child is smaller though, those bulk head seats are not so bad.

If you can afford the extra seat though - I would do that. You will still have to have her on your lap for take off and landing and any turbulence I think. YOu'd be amazed the hilariously weird positions they'll get into to sleep - head on your hip, feet on your dh etc. You on the other hand... not so much! . It does tend to take them a some time to fall asleep though - we found that letting them sort of drape little muslins over their heads was surprisingly effective. Once asleep though - they tended to just pass out! Even terrible-sleeper-DS.

Not at all - the tray table has to be up when the mat is attached, so not like it’s rattling around like it would if the table was down.
My youngest is 5 now and I still use it for her.

Thank you, this is encouraging, it is indeed the SA flight 😊 ours is very distracted by ANYTHING so will def bring a little “drape” of some sorts.

We don’t love to buy an extra seat but if it saves us hell we will, we once went on a 4 hr flight (at 4 months though) and that was BAD. Bad time, bad seat choice, bad everything. I’m determined to try a bit harder this time haha.

Great! I’ll look for one of these 😊

I flew overnight with my 2 year old and we had an inflatable cube that filled the seat well and he slept well. He was almost two excited to sleep so I had to rock him for a while to get drowsy and then he slept. We used blankets to kind of hide the cube as we were not really sure if they are allowed:

Get the extra seat on a non bulkhead row in economy so you can move the armrests up. Put their head on your lap and their feet stretch into the extra seat. It won’t be overly comfortable for you but mine always got a full night in that position and with a neck pillow I could cope. Alternative is share a lie flat business class seat- there sometimes isn’t a huge price difference.

BA does actually do a decent bassinet seat for young toddlers- it looks like a bigger version of the baby bjorn bouncer chair. At 18MO is yours is average sized ish they’ll still fit in it but whilst it’s good for day flights and napping it’s not great for overnight sleep. Could be an option for the return leg if that’s in the day though.

Yea he is quite small for his age, but he’s never been good in a car seat (belly sleeper) so I think these recommendations confirmed it for me to buy the seat 😊