17 Month old on lap to Sharm el Sheikh - advice/tips please

[Eve4Walle]

We are off on holiday to Egypt on Saturday. I appreciate this isn't really longhaul (the flight is 5.5 hours) but we are travelling with our DD of 5 who has a seat of course and our DS of 17 months who is the most wriggly, squirmy baby ever! I am filled with dread at the thought of it and I don't particularly like flying at all anyway - I am a bit scared.

Has anyone got any tips which might make it more bearable? I really am feeling sick at the thought of it all!

Yes, as your dc is an infant get a basinette seat anyway so you have much more leg room. I've flown 13 hours with two under threes and it's not too bad, I always take night flights and keep them awake at the airport so they're very tired. This year I'm flying long haul (like every year) alone with my four dcs, 7,6,2 and 8 months..... so it can't be that bad!

Use a sling baby carrier, probably best to get your DC used to being in one before you use it on the flight.

ummm, baby sling for a 17 month old?

We had a 3 hour flight recently with our then 19 month old DS and it was pretty much OK. Ask at the check in desk if you can get sat next to any empty seats, we had an spare seat next to us on the way over which was great. Take lots of snacks, nice ones that are unusual (my DS spent AGES eating a packet of crisps and drinking water from a sports cap bottle LOL), comics, toys etc. DS also spent ages peering at all the passengers and playing with my mobile phone etc.

Good luck!