Anyone thinking of air travel with young bub?

[julie439]

hi guys,
considering flying to sydney to see my folks. Anyone flown flew...ehem with a three mnth old? How do they travel? on lap or in capsule? is it half fare or full?
What do you girls think about swine flue and air travel? Lucy would not tolerate a mask... Is anyone else planning on flying?

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[Frocky]

hi julie, i'm taking my daughter to NZ and the UK in Oct when she'll be 3 months old. We have a bassinette seat reserved and they onlt charge a few hundred bucks on those flights. I hadn't thought about swine flu but I suppose you could as easily catch it in a supermarket as in a plane.

[julie439]

So a bassinette seat...Could you cover it over with light cotton material (like muslin wrap)? I usually cover dds stroller when i go to the supermarket..Am i just paranoid!!??
:confused:

[Frocky]

I'm not sure whether you could do that, if you're really concerned try calling the airline to ask what would be ok in line with their safety requirements

[niks28]

We are off to Bali in September and Blair will be 3 months, just will have her on our laps as it is only a short flight. Hadn't really thought of swine flu until now though.

[lozie2]

if you have them on you lap its free im pretty sure, we are off to perth in march cassie will be 9 months, she is flying for free as she isnt taking up a seat!

[Ushas]

We're not flying till bub is almost a year old. We're headed to the UK so he can meet hubby's family and have his first birthday there. But I was stunned that they are charging for him! They never used to charge for bubs under 2. And it really varies in price too! But being 24 hours worth of travel we'll have to have a bassinette I guess.

[halloweenmum]

Hi girls,
I just wanted to share my flying experience with you:
I flew Melbourne to Perth with DD at 5 months, 6 months and 8 months. There is no extra charge as they are required to share your seat (lay on your lap). This is fine for a short flight, but you all know how limited the space is in those seats, so if you have people next to you, its a bit uncomfortable. And there is no room to pull down the tray to hold food/drink, plus nurse bub. Get an aisle seat, so you have the extra room.

What I did is at check in, i asked at the desk if I could have a seat with nobody next to me as i was travelling with baby. I always got my request and twice I had an entire row to myself. This was fabulous as I could lay DD down across the seats for a sleep, leaving me free to read, etc.

With Swine flu, I flew when it was (and still is) a major threat. I took antibacterial wipes and dettol antibacterial hand wash (the one that u dont need water with) and I wiped EVERYTHING - the seat, seatbelt, tray, buttons, basically every possible surface that me or DD could touch. Even the inhouse magazine & menu, etc. Even when I had a hostess warm up a bottle, I would wipe it down when she handed it back to me before feeding bub. Extreme i know but we all know how serious Swine Flu is. I took masks, but I never wore them in the end.

Anyway, the best trick to do is when the plane is on the runway taking off, have a bottle/breast feed ready. Let baby have the feed so that their ears pop. Do the same with landing. One one occasion I made the mistake of feeding bub a bit early - about 20 mins before takeoff. Once we took off, I was the lady with the screaming baby for the entire flight. :no:
I also tried to book my flights around sleep time so they werent awake on the plane.:)

[Lilahh]

Hi Julie,

Im flying to Melb from Canberra in Nov, DS will be 5 months old. Im not planning to pay for a ticket because its a short flight, and he can sit on my lap. As for swine flu, I;ll be doing the same that I do whenever Im out in public with DS, use antibacterial hand wash on everything and before and after feeds. I think you probably have the same chance of catching swine flu anywhere you are in public, such as supermarket, elevator, or airplane.

Im going to ask my GP at my next checkup what to do about DS'S ears during take off and landing... I like HM's suggestion of timing a feed during take off and landing to help him pop his ears.

Im pretty sure that the capsule/bassinette option is only for flights where an adult would sleep, so on overnight flights or for long hauls. And you have to pay, I think 10% of the fare for an adult.

Ushas, how much did you pay for Kian to fly to the UK?

[Frocky]

Lilahh - we paid $200 for the UK flight

[MamaLlama]

Sorry to butt in as I'm not (yet) pg - and any charting experts in here please come over to the ttc threads and help me out there...

But we took DS from the US to Australia at 8 weeks, and back again at 3 months. That's about 24 hours flying each way. 3 months was w ay harder than at 6 weeks btw.

I would be wary of the bassinet seats. They're right behind the bulkhead and bubs don't necessarily want to stay there but they are bulky and really cramp you. Also that row is the 1 row in which arm rests don't go up, so you can't kind of cadge any space or lean on DH or anything when trying to feed bubs.

FWIW I would never use a bassinet seat again (having done so on that trip both ways). It only made it harder.

It sounds like a relatively short flight, I'd just hold onto the baby. If they'll let you wear a sling (some did some didn't when we were traveling) and then lapbelt yourself that's probably safest other than taking the carseat and buying an extra seat for bub. I would not buy the extra seat for such a short flight.

GL! Don't forget to feed them like crazy on takeoff and landing if they are awake (my DS slept through once but otherwise feeding him worked great for his ears).

[HeidiLee]

We have two trips booked. 1 to Noosa (we live in Sydney) in November and one to Phuket next year.

We will just use a baby carrier and pay nothing for him.

[Radio]

Hi!

My DS and I have just returned from a trip to Brisbane (from Broome, via Perth on the way and Sydney on the way home). He was five weeks old on the way and seven weeks on the way back. No worries with him at all. He sat on my lap and all the Qantas staff were amazing - blocked out seats next to me, helped with bags, moved us into better seats etc. We also had a full flight back from Sydney and the lovely man sitting next to me was of great help - even put my lunch on his tray and opened things for me! Baby slept beautifully both trips - the noise of the plane seemed to keep him happy. We're so brave we're heading back again in two weeks!

[GoldLeader]

we flew domestic with dd 4 years ago when she was 8 weeks, 6 months, 8 months and 9 months. I agree with everyone else...make sure you get their ears to pop with sucking action otherwise they get very unhappy. I am also wary this time because of the swine flu, ordinary flu and whooping cough outbreak. I haven't even taken ds to a supermarket or anywhere indoors and don't intend to anytime soon. We would like to fly from brisbane to melbourne return at 3 months old in september but are still thinking about whether this is a good idea or not....really want to take him to see family. I agree that you are just as likely to get it from a supermarket (or anywhere there is a centralised air conditioning system and communal areas)...but that is exactly why we haven't taken ds anywhere yet.

[Eeyore]

We are flying with DS (4months) at the end of this month from Melb to Cairns. Its a short flight and so he flies free without his own seat.

The flight itself is reeeeeally early and I am hoping bub stays a bit sleepy and will wait to have his breaky feed at take off. BUT as an insurance policy I have got a pacifier on standby. He hasnt had one before and I hope he takes it. My plan really is to stay calm and go with the flow, cos bub is more likely to do the same. If I get stressed he will be too. My only real concern is that he doesnt like to be cuddled to sleep. He likes the 'hands-off' approach, so I am hoping he will sleep on my lap :fingerscrossed:

As for swine flu, I will take the antibacterial hand cleaner and wipes as DS hasnt been exposed to closed quarters and the recycled air before. Its not that I am paranoid about the plane; I am doing the same as I would at the shops or other public venues.

Anyway, good luck and enjoy your trip.

[julie439]

Thanks guys. Youve all been really helpfull. My mum says generally the advice is to wash yr hands and stay 1mtr away from people to avoid mucous splatter...! easier in supermarkets.. Im still not sold on air travel..