Help. Need travel tips/advice on a 11 hrs flight to Brazil with 4 months baby

[preeties]

Hi there,
I am travelling alonne with my 4 months old son to Brazil on a BA flight. This is our first longhaul trip. I am quite scared at the moment.

Any tips/advice? ear pressure problems?

Do I still need to ask for the carrycot at the airport if I have already pre booked the cot seat (bulkhead)? I know there are other babies in this flight and I assume BA has enough of carrycots to supply us all?
I think the infant seats they provide don't recline flat..does anyone know?

One thing I don't understand: Why the designated cot seats are middle and window seats and not aisle? Parents are constantly up on their feet with their babies (at least I am)and having to jump over another passenger is certainly a problem.

Cheers.

Preeties - I flew with DS longhual (12 hours) by myself when he was 4 months old. Did it again when he was 7 months old and doing it again in 4 weeks when he is 18 months old. I can hand on heart tell you that 4 months was the easiest! If you are BF-ing, just feed on takeoff and landing to reduce the ear pressure. I was bottle feeding and tried to time it that way but never quite worked and actually, DS was one of those babies that didn't seem bothered by it.

On check-in, I would ask the check-in person to make sure you have a seat with the bassinet, it should be fine though if you already let them know you are travelling with a 4-month-old when booking. They don't provide infant seats as such as your baby won't get a seat, only you will and your baby will get the bassinet (which is like a carrycot and the baby will lie flat in it).

I have no idea why you get the window and middle seats. You are right in that it is a right pain for the other passengers. I was very lucky on the first flight. The seat in the middle was empty and the lady sitting by the aisle had just been to visit her daughter with a similar aged baby as DS so she turned out very helpful.

What I found a real pain was that if there are any turbulence, you are expected to take your baby in and out of the bassinet even if he/she is sleeping so be prepared for that! It depends on how strict the steward/ess is as well. On one flight, I was made to take DS out of the bassinet every single freaking time the seatbelt sign came on. On the return flight, the steward/ess pretty much left me to do whatever.

Do you have a sling? When we travelled with DS at 7 months old, we had an Ergo and we found that very useful as he would never sit still on our lap (you had to attach another lap belt to your own to go round your DS) but in a sling, he slept quite comfortably and the steward/ess left us alone as I guess he couldn't be strapped in any tighter than that!

How sensitive is your DS to light and sound? My DS was quite sensitive to light and sound and that was a slight problem in that the plane lights were never completely dimmed and people used the loo and slammed the overhead storage a lot! Take something breathable with you (like a muslin cloth or cellular blanket) that you can cover the bassinet with to help your DS sleep.

Last but not least, tell yourself it's only 11 hours and start counting down the moment you get on! You will survive just fine. Enjoy!

Thanks angel1976... you are really an angel...Thanks for your time and your tips are very helpful.

I think I just have to go for it and go with the flow...

I certainly will buy a baby carrier.My baby does not like to sleep in his moses basket so i think the carrycot will be a struggle at first but he might just sleep if he is very tired.

And you are right..my baby is fussy about noises when sleeping..i guess he will sleep after the dinner when things are a bit more quiet...hopefully...

Oh well..let's see how it goes.

Thanks again.

Cheers.

You are not going to see anyone on the flight again so don't worry too much about your baby making noise etc. I find that people are usually more understanding than you imagine, they know how hard it is to travel with a young baby (mostly). Take care and enjoy the trip!

have done Japan/Aus/NZ, and Las Vegas with a 4/5mth old and they're easy peasy. I agree with everything ange1976 said and found that in case of turbulance we put our arms over the cot if they were asleep but didn't remove them (BA staff in particular were pragmatic about it) we did also drape a blanket over the cot to block out light which really helped. Neither of my babies seemed to be bothered by their airs at take off or landing but i breastfed anyway in case it helped.

BA's skycots are the best - high soft sides and decent mattress. Older babies have the option of a bouncy chair that straps to the bulkhead instead.

Ergos are terrific - I flew to NY with a 4 month old on my own and it was a godsend. Take a change of clothes for you - a clean t-shirt at least. And don't expect to get much done in the way of reading, film watching - ds refused point blank to sleep anywhere except on me, which was uncomfortable! Get on last - no point being on the plane longer than you have to be.

And the cots - I'd never flown with a baby before, so when the cabin crew turned up with the bouncy chair, I didn't think to question it, I just assumed that was the cot. I don't know why they gave me that rather than a cot - a cot would have been better (I had one on the way back) and that's probably why he wouldn't sleep on the way out. So if they try and give you the seat, ask for the cot instead!