Flying with 2 year old to Australia

[pinkflower223]

Hi there so we’ve booked to take me and my partner and bag who will be about 21 months almost two to pets, I just wondered what peoples experiences were like flying long haul with baby/toddler. We have a short layover in Dubai for about an hour so I don’t think our travel time was as long as I expected, around the 19 hour mark, I just wondered if anyone had any tips.

Personally I’d be changing my flights and having a longer layover and stay at an airport hotel to let my baby sleep. An hour isn’t long to allow baby to run/ crawl around and sleep/ nap

It's been a while, but we went long haul with kids a lot back in the day with one set of Grandparents living in the UK and the others living in Australia. Sticker books, snacks, small toys that are new as they have novelty interest, plus peppa pig and bluey on a tablet. Also a big fan of a stop over, but maybe too late to do that now you've booked your flights.

I don’t like stopovers but an hour is a very short time in Dubai because the airport is absolutely enormous. Sometimes you have to get a bus.

I’ve done this flight a few times with my dc and no other adult and it’s not fun but once you are doing it, you are doing it.

Tips
Don’t take too much stuff.
Do take, small headphones, snacks, baby wipes, change of clothes.

An hour transfer is not long enough anyway particularly if your inbound flight is delayed. It should not have been sold to you.

Given the current situation in that part of the world I would be wondering if your flight to Dubai will go ahead at all.

The vast majority of flights via Dubai are operating right now.

however it’s not somewhere I would want a very short transfer time, especially with a baby! Sorry not very helpful

I wonder if you’re just getting off the aircraft so they can refuel and restock it for the onward flight.

Flights are operating to Dubai with a reduced schedule.

Take a baby carrier. It will be useful during the stopover, plus also handy on board to walk the baby up and down as and when they are awake. Depending on your airline, some have toddler seats in place of bassinets, so thats worth looking into. Obviously plenty of milk, snacks and toys.

Don’t worry about any sort of routine, just let them sleep if they want to sleep.

I expect it’s a refuelling stop rather than flight change if it’s just an hour? By the time you get off, you’ll barely have time for the loo before you’re getting on again.

Going on a plane somewhere even a short trip away with a 21 month old sounds hellish to me, not alone long distance (unless it was overnight maybe and they could sleep most of it) at that age they just want to MOVE! They aren't old enough to stay occupied by toys, films etc for long, too big to want to stay sitting on laps much.....I can see it being really stressful and hard work for you and unfair for him.

Yes you’re quite right, OP should get a steam ship instead.