Travel to Belfast with a baby

[tootiefruitie6]

In a couple of weeks I need to travel to Belfast for the day with my baby to see an unwell family member in hospital. I know I need to go and visit them and make the trip but I am absolutely dreading it and the very long day, the flying with a baby alone (I have never done this before), finding my parking at the airport (Gatwick), and then spending the day in Belfast with the pram and no real base for us to rest etc. Does anyone possibly have any words of advice to make me feel less anxious and nervous about it? Thanks so much!

Sorry about your family member.

a couple of questions:
How old is your baby?
can you stay over night?

Staying overnight if at all possible might make things easier?
do you have any family/friends you can visit as part of the trip?

if not then maybe try to plan ahead a little (for example if baby is more of toddler age maybe look up a child friendly venue with a cafe to have meals at - soft play or similar? Or look up where has mother/baby rooms such as large supermarkets, John Lewis type shops. These places will meet some of your practical needs and could be a temporary base and you won’t need to carry lots of snacks etc.

Sure! I presume you are flying easyJet then? To Belfast International or City?

For the actual flight, don't stress - cabin crew are trained to assist you and guide you in how to travel with an infant, they'll guide you on the use of a seatbelt for the baby. Try to pre-book your seats, board early if possible and just relax, it's going to be fine. Ask the crew for help, it's what we are there for!

Which hospital are you travelling to? Are you relying on public transport to get there? Taxis in Belfast are reasonable and plentiful. There are airport lounges in both airport in Belfast which you can enter for a small fee which may help with waiting around for long periods.

Meant to add sorry your family member is unwell.

Also on a practical note the hospital is likely to have a cafe, loo, baby change etc.

Thanks so much all, you've been really kind. My baby is 6 months. Unfortunately I can't stay overnight as I need to get back for my other children. Yes flying to Belfast City. The hospital I need to go to is the Ulster Hospital.
I will take a sling for my baby as I guess I will need to check the pram in when I get to the airport (it's too large for the cabin). And perhaps breastfeed for take off and landing and hope any noise doesn't annoy the other passengers.

How have you planned to get from the airport to the Ulster? Taxi?

@passionfruitpariah I had actually thought of getting the bus (possibly into Belfast and then walk/bus from there) as I will arrive early and have time to kill.

You’ll be fine - I flew to Belfast loads when my kids were tiny - the first one when my DD was 5 weeks old.

which airport are you flying to? City/George Best airport will be closest to the Ulster. If you’re flying to International/Aldergrove, your best bet is to get a bus into the city centre and then another bus or taxi. Fonacab have a good taxi app. The Glider bus might go to The Ulster Hosptial from City airport directly - check the translink website

you’ll be offered loads of help with the baby. Check in the pram at the aircraft stairs and then it will pop up the other end at baggage collection.

sorry about your family member.

The glider bus does not stop at Belfast City Airport but the hotel is close to the airport so that's good!
There is a Value Cabs taxi rank outside the airport with taxis waiting regularly there that can take you.
Possibly if I wanted to kill some time/have somewhere comfortable to sit, I would get the taxi to stop on my way/return at the Stormont hotel where they have a very big open plan reception area with comfy seats. The glider bus will go from there - just down the street from there is a lovely coffee shop, very baby friendly called General Merchants.
City airport now has a new Caffe Nero with plenty of room for sitting if you have long periods to wait - lounger chairs upstairs in the coffee shop area too (I didn't check stroller access but I'm sure it would be fine)
You can bring the stroller usually to the aircraft steps - some airlines will have it on arrival at the bottom of the steps again and some on the carousel in arrivals hall - if this happens in Belfast not a big deal, v small airport.

Can you buy a cheap buggy rather than take a pram? Will be easier to use at the airport and travelling? There's a shuttle bus from the airport to the city that's really easy to use.

There's an Ikea right beside the City Airport if you need somewhere basic/cheap/child friendly, it has a large cafe upstairs that actually overlooks the runway and you could settle there for hours without anyone even noticing. You wouldn't be able to walk from it to the airport as it's on a dual carriageway, but a taxi shouldn't cost much for the distance

There are two main taxi firms in Belfast, Fonacab and Value Cabs and they both have apps you can download and use to book them. According to my Fonacab app, a taxi from City (George Best) Airport to Ulster Hospital is £10.80-£12.80

Our bus system (Translink) isn't the best tbh and their website is even worse, so if you decide to stick to buses and you're happy to post the day/times you're travelling, we can work them out for you. One of the best things about Belfast/NI is that we're generally friendly and helpful so don't hesitate to approach someone for help in person when you're here

I'm sorry about your family member, OP

If you’re flying into city airport then a taxi to the Ulster likely to be around £10-12.

Although as you say you have time before you need to be at the hospital then an option might be to go by taxi to a cafe called JellyBean in Ballyhackamore (it’s next to an M&S food which could also be handy) and has large comfy sofas and is really child friendly. There is a bus stop just outside, you can get the G1 from there that stops outside the Ulster Hospital.

I'm pretty sure everything will be fine, and I can tell you that anxiety before a trip like that is normal, especially if it's your first time travelling with your baby. If you have an option to go there a day earlier and spend some time there, I'd recommend you do that to relax, it'll help you understand that everything is fine. Take a food tour belfast, go sightseeing or just for a walk with your baby, and stuff like that, and the next day, you'll feel way better.

Tou need some kind of stroller for baby. I don't think this is seen as hold luggage but you need to check.

Bringing a stroller will make a huge difference ☘️

I would get a taxi to the Ulster. Some good suggestions here of places to stop. I'd just do airport-hospital-airport though.

If you have time to put in before the hospital visit and want to go into Belfast, there's an Airport Express 600 service from outside the airport running every 30 minutes which drops you at the Europa bus centre in Belfast.
It's right beside the Europa hotel and from there it's a 5 minute walk into the city centre.
Close by, we have a Waterstones, (Fountain Street) with a cafe and comfy seats where you can read a book and grab something to eat and wouldn't look out of place. Also a Bob and Berts. There's also a few Costas about the place.
You May want to wander round Belfast city centre.

To get to the Ulster Hospital, there's buses that run from Wellington Place, 3g, 3f, 4d or the G1 Glider which is every 7-9 minutes. You can buy an all day ticket for the Glider from the ticket machine at the stop.
I assume you know the visiting times?

Alternatively, the easiest option may be a taxi.

I'm sorry you can't be visiting under happier circumstances.
Any other questions, just ask. We'll do our best to answer.

Just to say thanks all for all your help and advice. We are back now and it went very smoothly. Really appreciate it. x

Glad it all went well