Long haul with twins - advice needed

[anjlix]

Hi all,

I was hoping some one could help me decide on whats the best thing to do in my situation. Me and dh are flying British Airways Business Class to US with our 11 month old walking twins (9kgs). The option is to book them as infants in which case BA gives us Britax bassinets which can be used for a child up to 2 years or book them their own seats on a child fare in which case they will need car seats. At the moment we do not have any car seats for them.

Dh's company is relocating us to US so either option is fine by them. However I have no idea which car seat would fit in an aircraft and I was avoiding buying next stage (forward facing) car seats (esp if they are very expensive) as the standards can be quite different in US.

Would it be really that bad to have the kids in the bassinets or should I book them their own seats since it won't cost us anything extra except new car seats and of course having to lug them.

Any suggestions for car seats is also appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi Anjlix, if the bassinet is the same one my dd used (BA flight to South Africa when she was 8 weeks old), then I don't think there's any way an 11 month old (especially walking) will fit/stay in it. They really are small and there's nothing to stop them climbing out. Ok for a tiny baby who can't move but I wouldn't dream of putting my dd in one now (she's 13 months).
I think car seats are your best bet but I don't know about the US standards, sorry.
Hope that helps and good luck with the trip!
(ps. Those Business Class tickets will be your saviour!!)

Thanks TootalaFruit. I think the new bassinets can fit a child up to 2 years. But it is first come first serve. They look more like bouncy seats and are not recommended for < 6 mos old baby. I cant imagine that they would run out of bassinets. But then who know . Thanks for your opinion, I am thinking of just getting them their own seats.

Hi
We flew to Mauritius with our 9 month old and she slept fine in the bassinet, economy tho - business class ones are probably better! They did originally bring out the baby bed and she couldn't fit into it, but was perfectly comfy in the bouncy chair type one and slept on both legs of the journey.

Hello stranger. We miss on d'y ever. Just a little hint really

haha you got me Mars I have been lurking since the twins came. Was more active before they came. I should probably come out and re-introduce myself

We've flown to the US 4 times since my DTs (now 2yo) were born. We have only had seperate seats for them once and TBH they were fine in the bouncy seats before that. Granted, they won't spend much time sitting in them nicely but they are good enough for a short while every so often. Having said that, mine didn't really want to sit in their seats either. Advantage of having bouncy seat things is that you can get bulkhead seats which mean more room for them to play etc on the floor.

hi,
fwiw, my brother and sis in law travelled to SA by BA when my niece was just turned 1. They said the bassinet was absolutely fab.

If the cost is not an issue get them their own seats with car seats definitely! We flew to New Zealand with our twins when they were 11 months and it was hellish. The bassinets are pretty small, they can stand up in them (particulary when you think they are asleep and you are just nodding off) and you have to take them out of them every time there is a hint of turbulence.

When we flew back we got seats for them and put car seats in and it was about a million times easier. They were familiar with the seats so they settled better. We could "trap" them in them whilst they read stories/ate etc and it meant we had hands free - could go to loo with out holding baby etc.

Plus it was much more comfy for them to sleep in the car seats - they didn't have to be taken out during turbulence.

And the bassinet seats are on the bulkhead which means you get loads of people queuing for the loo/big tv screens above the bassinets for the people in that row - which means they have light on their faces for hours and hours.

Good luck! We used forward facing seats but the airline can advise you. If you google there's some website which tells you which seats what airlines allow.

Thanks all for your comments. The firm has booked United Airlines instead if BA (I guess cheaper) and seats for DTs. We need to get car seats now. United does not have bassinets for over 6 mos babies so that settled it. Just going to go for something cheap perhaps Britax Prince for the flight and then see what we need in US for whichever car we end up buying.

When are you travelling? Can you order the car seats (totally recommend Britax Marathon) and have them delivered to you in the UK? Not sure on the legalities of that. But as long as the seats are airline approved it would make more sense to get the US ones then you can use them when you get there.

Gosh I am looking in to US car seats into US. Shipping + customs duties will cost me a DT . so not worth it. Mars >

is there not issues with having a child in a car seat for extended periods of time?