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If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Need advice...
Have any of you (or someone you know) ever traveled overseas with an infant?
We are going to England in March and are still contemplating whether or not to take Rachel. She will be 11 months old at the time of the trip.
What are some things we should take into consideration as far as flying? Would it be better to do the infant seat or is lap ok (it's a 14 hour flight including a layover on the east coast)? What are the pros and cons of traveling that far with a baby?
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Re: Need advice...
We traveled with the kiddo to Guam when he was 16 months old on a 15 hour flight, layover included.
We did not pay for a seat for him.
However, on the 2nd leg of the trip, we had an empty seat in our row -- it helped tremendously! Because he was older, it was harder to just keep him still on our laps for that long of a flight.
You could just ask to be seated on the bulk head seat row (the first row of seats). There's more leg room and most airlines will provide a crib (of sorts) that you can clip to the wall for baby to sleep in - -when MH & went on our last overseas trip before we had our kids, I saw a couple do this.
The thing with the bulk head seat row is that they will not realease those seats for you to reserved it online. You either have to get to the airport super early or try calling the airline the night before and beg 'em!
The night before our flight to Guam, I called and asked to have our seats reassigned to the bulk head seat row. We got the seats...but when we got to the airport, we found out they had changed the plane for a bigger one...plus there was a wheel chair assisted passenger that got there before us....bye-bye leg room for us.
I think the biggest challenge in traveling that far is keeping baby entertained. But we made sure to bring toys & snacks to keep him entertained. He did fine for the most part.
HTH
Hey Irma!
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Yep, we've taken Campbell twice to NZ (12 hours, 3 mos and 14 mos old) and once to London (5 mos old) - among other cross-country trips.?
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We didn't pay for a seat for him on any of the trips. ?When babies are younger - you have more of an opportunity to get the bassinet seating (just don't try United's bassinets, they aren't anything but a bag on the floor). ?Air NZ had some great bassinets - they hooked onto the bulkhead. ?But younger babies have precidence - so if there are younger infants on your flight, your chances won't be all that great of getting one.
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I'd try for the bulkhead seating - but - understand that these are normally very popular and you may end up with a full row. ?Instead, try a few rows behind the bulkhead - and ask to place you on the aisle and DH at the window - leaving the middle seat open. ?There is then a better chance that the middle seat won't be taken. ?Check out what the configuration of the plane is ... 3-3-3, 3-4-3, 2-5-2, etc. ?If it's a 3-3-3 - go for the row in the middle. ?The LAST seat they place people is the middle seat of the middle row.
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Depending on how much you have Rachel eating solids by then, it's always good to ask if you can get a toddler meal, even if you're not paying for a seat. ?Air NZ gave us one. ?Remember - you are paying 10% of the adult fare, so you should get something!
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I'm not going to lie - it's much tougher to fly to Europe than to the South Pacific. ?Flights to the South Pacific are overnight flights - Campbell slept almost the whole way, both ways. ?Not so much for the London flight - especially the flight back which is all daylight. ?If you can get on red eyes - do so!
And ... fly Air NZ to England. ?Their service for kids is outstanding comparatively.?
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Give me a call (I think you might still have my cell) if you want more advice!
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Cheers!
Jen
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Hey Irma!
DH and I just flew to Ireland and back with Sarah in April, she was 13 months old. We had a layover at O'Hare, both ways.
We rented a car while in Ireland so we needed her carseat in addition to her stroller (we brought her Peg Perego instead of the umbrella stroller we normally travel with because it's more comfortable for her) AND we had to bring her PNP because NONE of the B&B's we stayed in had cribs!
We have flown A LOT with Sarah but short trips to the Bay Area or Reno and we always hold her but it has/had gotten more difficult the older and more mobile she got (she was walking at 11 months). So, because we needed the car seat in Ireland and there would be NO WAY I could hold her for the entire time, we got her a seat of her own. We saw people there in the bulkhead rows with infants and they gave them kind of a cardboard box that strapped to the wall that the infant slept in. There is no way Sarah would have fit in one of those nor would she have slept in one...I had visions of her jumping out of it!
We checked her stroller (doesn't count toward the baggage limit) and her PNP (which counted as her 1 "bag") and cruised her through the airports in her carseat on a GoGoKidz. It was great! We never had to take it apart for security, they just "wanded" it each time.
We brought a bunch of new little toys to keep her occupied yet she was more interested in the contents of the seat pocket and walking around. We brought a TON of food and actually ran out on our way home. She didn't care for much of the food over there so we gave her the snacks we brought in addition to the 12 jars of babyfood we brought with us. Luckily she was on whole milk by then so we didn't have to worry about formula for her and she liked the milk over there.
The biggest issue we had was she never really adjusted to the time change (we were only there for 1 week).
That's all I can think of for now...if I think of more I'll let you know!
Dimetapp. Honestly C did awesome on the 1 hr flight but I don't know if he would have lasted longer than that. I hope you get the bulk seats. We were so cramped (southwest) it was ridiculous. I brought toys, even sat him on the pull out tray to keep him happy.
GL!