flying to australia while pregnant and with toddler...

[Kotek]

Hi there
does anyone have experience flying on their own long haul with a toddler while pregnant? I'll be on my own one way. I know what to expect in that I have flown to Australia many times including on my own when my ds was 7 months old and found that journey relatively easy as he was happy to sit in my lap for most of the journey. But now, with the pregnancy I'm not sure if I am taking on too much (although my GP thinks it should be fine)
I don't plan to have an extra seat for him but plan to use the Britax infant cot the airline provides for up to 2 year olds so hopefully he fits in it (he weighs 12 kg)
Would be interested to hear if anyone has done this flight whilst pregnant plus a toddler and if they had any particular problems. Many thanks.

Congrats Kotek. I can't speak from direct experience unfortunately, but as a child in the 70's, my mum flew from UK to Perth/Sydney numerous times with myself and my two brothers in various states of pregnancy/toddlerhood by herself and she said it was fine. Advice from my Oz mum: Just go for walks together on the plane to keep him active and to help you with dvt. If you can, plan a stopover/lengthy transfer at a decent airport like changi, mid journey all the better. Then make use of the facilities at the airport - showers/beds/gardens/pools etc... Check out facilities online before you go and book if necc. Have you rung up the airline to get the dimensions of the cot. May be worth having a run at home in something of the same dimensions. I hope someone with direct experience is able to respond. Good luck and happy trails.

Don't know exactly Kotek, but a friend of a friend just did trip to California and back, 5 months pregnant and with a 3 year old. She seemed fine. Best of luck!

I did this flight to Sydney and back with a lively 10 month old and when pregnant, with my DP though. It seemed a very very long journey, especially on the return journey when I had morning sickness.

It's doable, I just probably won't rank as a particularly pleasant experience. At the end of the flight the air stewardesses presented DP with a complimentary bottle of wine for heroic behaviour in-flight. Just for looking after a lively toddler.

We hadn't booked a seat for dd1, but on 3 of the 4 legs we were given an extra seat as well as the infant cot/car seat.

I know of a couple of women who have done this flight during pregnancy with small children. It is extrememly tiring.

One of them advises paying for the extra seat on the plane and taking your car seat on the plane so the child can sit in the car seat that they are used to, making them more comfortable.

From a health point of view, it's best to speak to your doctor. You will need to take precautions against embolism - keep mobile during the flight, wear anti- embolism stockings, drink plenty of water. Your doctor may even advise heparine injections every 12 hours.

One of the (few) pluses of looking after a toddler on a flight when pregnant is that you won't have a choice about keeping mobile, you'll be up and down and round and about the aisles like a yoyo on speed.

Don't have any experience of pregnant+toddler travel but do you know the dimensions of the cot? I flew with ds when he was 6 months old - the cot had a 12kg weight limit but he only just fitted in it. There was a couple across the aisle from us who had a 18mo (ish) sitting up in the cot watching dvds on a portable player, which looked a good idea, but the stewardess wasn't very happy about it and made it clear the parents were doing it at their own risk. My mum flew (long haul) many times on her own with 2 children, starting at 2 and 4 years old - she said it was utterly exhausting - I think you are bound to be tired! Hope it goes well, good luck.

thank you for all your feedback. DH has since offered to take ds on his own on on that leg when he comes back to the UK a few days earlier to give me a breather, so may take him up on that. Just means cutting the holiday short a few days for ds which is always a shame as there are many grandparents to see. Will think about it over the next few days as to the best course of action. Thank you again for all the comments, really appreciate it.

If he does not have his own seat, he 'll be bouncing off your belly + the exhaustion + the constant entertaining + the stopovers.

Please accept DH's offer. It's the best way to do it.