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Original poster

Travelling long haul with a 1yr old any tips pls?

17 replies

cocoo43 · 23/04/2022 18:18

Hey everyone going on a family trip to the Caribbean which I am very excited for but I'm a first time mum and a bit of a worrier plus I do suffer from anxiety

It's a a 9hr 30min flight with with a stop off in Bahamas for 1hr 30min but we get to stay on the plane which is good then the rest of the journey to Jamaica is 1hr so altogether 12hrs 30min which I'm dreading haven't been in a plane in 3yrs

My partner was suppose to come with us but unfortunately his dad is very unwell with cancer and is about to pass away so he wants to be here in London to spend as much time as possible with him which is more than understandable... but now I'm so worried bec the extra hands on support from him won't be there he's a very good dad and never complains and just gives me a breeze now I'm worried I won't be able to cope 😣

All I want is my son to be happy on the plane!

However I'll be going with my mum and my brother and sister plus my Aunty so I know I have support with them but it's just different when your other half won't be around plus we are going away for a month so quite some time

Is there any tips for the plane or any tips you have in general i appropriate it xx

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vdbfamily · 23/04/2022 18:30

We flew to NZ with a one and two year old. 1 year old was just starting to try walking so we did a lot of walking up and down the aisles! I took a sheepskin and we had seats at the back where there was a bit of space to the side of my seat and he slept on the floor for a fair bit of time. It may be worth checking what plane model you are on and seeing what a good position might be. Mine were delighted with a screen in front of them too. I think with extended family you will be fine. Take turns walking and it will stop you all from getting dvts too! It is a bit of an endurance but you can recover with a month in the Caribbean.... lucky you.

Original poster
cocoo43 · 23/04/2022 18:37

@vdbfamily thank you so much for your advise we are travelling on virgin Atlantic

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vdbfamily · 23/04/2022 19:16

I think there is a way of actually finding the model of the plane you are on and then you can Google the seat lay out and sometimes there are seats with extra space around.

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Gingeranimals · 23/04/2022 19:26

Pack a spare change of clothes for yourself just in case your baby gets travel sick - we did an eight hour flight recently and she threw up all over me on take off so I ended up wearing a random collection of clothes donated by family. The cabin crew were fantastic and very understanding though! Also agree with others, look at the seat plan to pick a good spot. BA have bassinet seats, not sure if Virgin do too?

marcopront · 23/04/2022 19:59

Is your son walking?

Isitcake · 23/04/2022 20:02

My cousin did NZ to UK recently and swore by this harness she got that makes the plane seat have a 5 point harness so little ones feel more secure.

Beerme · 23/04/2022 20:06

I took a one year old to New Zealand. I packed a load of new toys in our carry on, only small things like a car, a book, an animal and got a new one out every so often. Worked pretty well for us. Also lots of snacks!

Lem0nDrizzle · 23/04/2022 20:09

Snacks, small toys, books, ipad.
Walk up and down the aisle.
Pass to other family members for a change etc.

What time is your flight?
I found the noise of the plane actually made my LO a lot so bonus!

Lem0nDrizzle · 23/04/2022 20:09

Sleep

CeeceeBloomingdale · 23/04/2022 20:11

Isitcake · 23/04/2022 20:02

My cousin did NZ to UK recently and swore by this harness she got that makes the plane seat have a 5 point harness so little ones feel more secure.

That only works if you've bought a seat. Most under twos travel as lap infants.

See if there are any bassinet or toddler seats, they are often in the bulkhead (front row) as they attach to a big fold down table. I'm not sure if Virgin do anything for toddlers though.

Take more nappies than you think you will need. I used to take them in a big toiletry bag which doubles as a pillow if you lie them down to change. Personally I'd recommend pull ups even if you dont normally use them as it's easier to change them. You can sit on the loo seat with baby on your knee and pull up pants or stand them on the loo seat facing away from you. Lying down changes in small plane loos which are noisy and bumpy rarely work well.

Agree with PP, take spare clothes for you as well as baby.

Take lots of snacks. Ditch any left overs on the plane to save getting in trouble for bringing in fruit etc in the country.

Be prepared to read the same book 7000 times!

Its never as bad as you imagine though, enjoy!

Moomeh · 23/04/2022 21:48

If you have a tablet, you can buy a big spongey stand-case thing for it which makes it toddler-indestructible. Download a few episodes of, say, shaun the sheep (good on a noisy plane as you don't need sound). Hours and hours of calm haha

Also I agree with pp, lots and lots and lots of snacks

babybythesea · 23/04/2022 21:59

Second the spare clothes for you, not just the baby!

Two bags of hand luggage. One quite big with the stuff (like spare clothes) that you don’t need access to a lot. The other small one, tucked in the top, with things you might want to access regularly (tissues, book etc). Big one in overhead locker so it’s not in your way. Small one under the seat so you don’t have to keep jumping up and down.

Dont get a trunky. Great fun for wheeling through the airport but because they open in half they are impractical as hand luggage - a rucksack with a selection of new toys in is far better.

If the baby is on your lap, organise with someone to order a vegetarian meal. They always come out first. So you eat your veggie meal while someone else holds the baby. Then you take the baby back again when the main meals come out because you have now finished. If you are all eating at the same time putting the baby, finding space for the baby is hard!

You might be able to get bulkhead seats. In which case you might be able to get one of those cribs that hang on the wall. My 1yo slept a big chunk of the way in one of those.

Have fun! It’s not as bad as you think it’s going to be!!

RandomQuest · 23/04/2022 22:05

iPad with a mix of stuff downloaded and headphones. Practice with the headphones ahead of time. Book them a seat, unless you’re going biz class. I’m yet to find any toy that holds attention long enough to be worth the space in the carry on so never bother.

Cuphalffullor · 23/04/2022 22:08

Make sure you have calpol in hand luggage.
Lots of small novel items.

gogohm · 23/04/2022 22:21

I travelled alone with mine long haul, the trick is to have books, things for them to fiddle with, draw on etc - no smartphones back in my day but I did use the childrens channel on the in flight system a bit (dd1 liked watching the map page actually!)

I used to suss out quickly which ladies (always ladies) were trying to make eye contact with the kids and me, smiling at them etc and if they offer to walk them up and down or read a book I took them up on it. I lived overseas so travelled twice a year from newborn to 5 usually on my own, kids are 2 years apart so at 1&3 it was challenging!

Original poster
cocoo43 · 23/04/2022 23:07

Our flight time is early in the morning and thank you so much for the tips really appreciate them

Also we are lucky enough to be travelling first class so we will have a bed to sleep on and enough space to move around so happy about that

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