toddler travel tips image
star_unkno
I'm planning to travel from Dhaka, bangladesh to London, UK with my 5 months old daughter in economy class of Emirates. Has anyone travelled with infant in economy class? Do you think its better to go in business class? I'm travelling alone and I breast feed my baby. Thanks
Answer
I'm an ex-Flight Attendant and although I've never flown Emirates, I've flown a lot with my own babies at that age. That airline has a good reputation and 5 months is actually a good age to fly. It gets tricky with toddlers who don't like to stay in one place. You wont have that to worry about for a while...
At five months, your baby wont need food, wont crawl and will probably sleep most of the time. Here is Emirates' page on infants;
http://www.emirates.com/us/english/flying/young_flyers/special_care/travelling_with_infants.aspx
As a Flight Attendant, I have to be honest and tell you that having your little one in a car seat in his own seat is the only way to travel safely. As a parent, especially if you're alone, I can say that having that car seat makes travel much, much easier. Under two, you're allowed to hold them on your lap but if anything goes wrong, your baby is not protected. It's so nice to put the baby down somewhere too.
Emirates allows European, American and Australian approved seats so check yours'. They have the silly rule about only forward facing seats. Babies shouldn't ride in cars facing forward till 12 months old so I don't see why they have this rule. I hope you can work around it.
They also say that you have to have a ticket but often you can secure an extra seat at check-in if there's room. See if you can manage this at check-in.
Emirates does have bassinets, which are convenient with an 11 kilos limit. They'll give you one after take-off if you're in a "bulkhead" seat so be sure to try to book that one on both legs of your journey.
Since you breastfeed, not only will your baby be protected from a lot of the various viruses and bacteria on the plane but it makes flying a lot easier (experience with both here so I can compare!) Just make sure you get enough to drink since airplane air is very dry and traveling can tire you out. I can assure you that in 13 years in the air and countless breastfeeding transatlantics with my own three breastfed children, it's not a problem on board.
Please do not heed any "helpful" tips to sit by a window for privacy. That would be really inconvenient and not necessary. Try for the bulkhead, if not, an aisle. If you want to cover up, practice at home first. This was my mistake. They hated having something over their heads and would yank it off. Bring your own cover as airline blankets can be heavy.
My secret to easy travel was to have a good baby carrier. I know they use these a lot in Bangladesh and you probably already have one. Convenient for breastfeeding and getting on and off the aircraft, which you will be doing at least 4 times.
I have to say that I think you're probably flying one of the easiest routes to London. I used to live in London and knew a lot of Bangladeshis there who had horror stories of their jouneys. One friend's parents were stuck on the tarmack in Karachi for hours. Another friend flew some Eastern European carrier while still under communism...
I don't want to load this answer down with other hints but I have a totally non-commercial article on the subject you're welcome to read. I fly alot alone with three closely spaced children, especially between Europe and California (yesterday, as a matter of fact...) since each was 4 months old. Many parents over the years have contributed their own tips so feel free to visit;
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
There's more on strollers, packing, etc. I know there is a lot on the net on the subject but most are parents who never worked in the industry. I had the pleasure of 13 years of going through emergency and security training, as well as observing and helping other parents flying with their own...
Have a good flight!
I'm an ex-Flight Attendant and although I've never flown Emirates, I've flown a lot with my own babies at that age. That airline has a good reputation and 5 months is actually a good age to fly. It gets tricky with toddlers who don't like to stay in one place. You wont have that to worry about for a while...
At five months, your baby wont need food, wont crawl and will probably sleep most of the time. Here is Emirates' page on infants;
http://www.emirates.com/us/english/flying/young_flyers/special_care/travelling_with_infants.aspx
As a Flight Attendant, I have to be honest and tell you that having your little one in a car seat in his own seat is the only way to travel safely. As a parent, especially if you're alone, I can say that having that car seat makes travel much, much easier. Under two, you're allowed to hold them on your lap but if anything goes wrong, your baby is not protected. It's so nice to put the baby down somewhere too.
Emirates allows European, American and Australian approved seats so check yours'. They have the silly rule about only forward facing seats. Babies shouldn't ride in cars facing forward till 12 months old so I don't see why they have this rule. I hope you can work around it.
They also say that you have to have a ticket but often you can secure an extra seat at check-in if there's room. See if you can manage this at check-in.
Emirates does have bassinets, which are convenient with an 11 kilos limit. They'll give you one after take-off if you're in a "bulkhead" seat so be sure to try to book that one on both legs of your journey.
Since you breastfeed, not only will your baby be protected from a lot of the various viruses and bacteria on the plane but it makes flying a lot easier (experience with both here so I can compare!) Just make sure you get enough to drink since airplane air is very dry and traveling can tire you out. I can assure you that in 13 years in the air and countless breastfeeding transatlantics with my own three breastfed children, it's not a problem on board.
Please do not heed any "helpful" tips to sit by a window for privacy. That would be really inconvenient and not necessary. Try for the bulkhead, if not, an aisle. If you want to cover up, practice at home first. This was my mistake. They hated having something over their heads and would yank it off. Bring your own cover as airline blankets can be heavy.
My secret to easy travel was to have a good baby carrier. I know they use these a lot in Bangladesh and you probably already have one. Convenient for breastfeeding and getting on and off the aircraft, which you will be doing at least 4 times.
I have to say that I think you're probably flying one of the easiest routes to London. I used to live in London and knew a lot of Bangladeshis there who had horror stories of their jouneys. One friend's parents were stuck on the tarmack in Karachi for hours. Another friend flew some Eastern European carrier while still under communism...
I don't want to load this answer down with other hints but I have a totally non-commercial article on the subject you're welcome to read. I fly alot alone with three closely spaced children, especially between Europe and California (yesterday, as a matter of fact...) since each was 4 months old. Many parents over the years have contributed their own tips so feel free to visit;
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
There's more on strollers, packing, etc. I know there is a lot on the net on the subject but most are parents who never worked in the industry. I had the pleasure of 13 years of going through emergency and security training, as well as observing and helping other parents flying with their own...
Have a good flight!
Any tips on travelling with a toddler on long flights?
Socrates
I have a long journey planned on my next vacation with my 1.5 year old. A fourteen hour flight followed by layover and then a 6-7 hour. We did not opt for an exclusive seat for him either. Any tips?
Answer
Here are a couple of tips from our own experience:
1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers (like "Glad" or such) which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!
good luck! :)
Here are a couple of tips from our own experience:
1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers (like "Glad" or such) which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!
good luck! :)
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment