Plane Trip to Perth with 4 month old

[Mrs Little]

My husband and i are going on a family trip in feb. My son will be 4 months old. I have told QANTAS. I asked them if i could have one of the seats that are specifically designed for babies/infants. She told me that i can ask when i book in on the day, but i may not get it. HOW RIDICULOUS IS THAT?....i plan on calling again closer to feb.

What have other people organised when flying with babies/infants?

Are there any hints or pieces of advice on how to help a baby with the ascending and descening? or even just taking them on a 5 hour plane ride?

Thanks.

Mrs Little & Son.

[draught]

My experience is that you can never guarantee a bassinettes when you fly - and certainly not on a domestic flight. I have flown a lot with babies and only ever had bassinettes on international flights after other people swapped seats with me.

My main tip for flying is to feed on take off and landing - I am a breastfeeder so am quite adept at lifting the shirt and popping them on as the plane is revving to take off - the trick is not to do it too early otherwise they are finished before the plane has acutally left the tarmac:eek:

I normally travel using a pouch or sling so that I have hands free when I need it. Always carry a complete change of clothes for bubba and a clean top for yourself.

Apart from that a 4 month old doesn't need too much else (you won't need the sack full of toys that a toddler requires:eek: ) and my girls have always gone to sleep wtih the vibration of the plane.

There have been some other threads on here which might have more tips if you do a search. Hope it all goes well.

[pegasus]

Hi - I first flew with DS when he was about 3months - I went to Perth from Darwin for my grandfather's funeral (4 1/2 hour flight one way and 5hour flight the other way). Iwas by myself and was dead scared - especially about what to do if he started crying and I couldn't soothe him. I didn't even know about special seats - just accepted that because I didn't want to pay a fare for him I would be nursing him all the way. DS was fully breast fed and I'd also known about getting bub to suck (to equalise pressure in their ears) but wasn't sure if I could breast feed with him on my lap if I had someone next to me - I expressed a bottle, but ended up putting him on the breast and he was happy as larry.

As luck would have it I had an empty seat next to me and he ended up sleeping all of the way - it was fantastic to lie back and enjoy a movie, dinner and a glass of wine in peace. :) You get put at the back of the plane anyway - where all kids go. Thoroughly recommend flying at night rather than day and with younger kids. I've since flown with DS last Christmas at 8months on a much cheaper flight via Broome which was a nightmare as I didn't have a spare seat next to me - he was into everything and just didn't want to sleep. Mind you, he was better when we moved (14months) as the flight attendants just passed him around (he lapped up the attention).

Enjoy your flight - at 4 months it shouldn't be too much drama and especially if you're on the same flight as DH.

[Refresh]

Yup, definately breastfeed going up and going down! Breast feed the whole way if you can:D I find that the air pressure makes my kids tired....ENJOY!:D

[Chickadee]

Have you arranged for someone to meet you at the airport at the other end, or are you taking your own carseat/capsule? Otherwise you will need to pre-book a taxi with a carseat. The taxis waiting will not generally have one and we were advised of a 40 minute to 1.5 hour wait for one when we arrived back.

[jonesso]

My main tip for flying is to feed on take off and landing - I am a breastfeeder so am quite adept at lifting the shirt and popping them on as the plane is revving to take off -I normally travel using a pouch or sling so that I have hands free when I need it. Always carry a complete change of clothes for bubba and a clean top for yourself.

I agree. I took my bubba to Cairns from Brisvegas and to Canberra @ 3 and 3.5 months respectively and he was fine. I had a bottle with me just incase but ended up poppin him on the boob and then slipping in a dummy after he had finished eating and he slept all the way - all four plane trips, so not a fluke!!

I am also a travel agent and there is NO WAY you can assure yourself a bassinet seat. It is true though that most staff at check in will try and block the seat next to you so that you have some more room, but obviously if the plane is full then you will end up with somebody next to you regardless unless you pay for two seats (and who wants to do that!!)

The travel pack/ baby bjorn idea is good too as it keeps your hands free, but I found that I was better off just carrying my bubba - at 4 months they are not overly heavy, and the pack caused a few hassles once onto the plane as I had to try and take bub out of it, then strap him in - was a bit of a balancing act. Take as little with you for carryon as possible - absolute essentials only - so that you are not lugging too much or trying to shove heavy carry bags up into overhead lockers.

The other tip I have is to hire everything once you get to your destination - cot, car seat etc - no point taking it with you. I took my stroller but hired everything else and got the people I was visiting to stop at a supermarket on my way to their place from the airport to buy nappies etc - no point taking a packet with you!

Hope this helps!

Merry Christmas!

[Mrs Little]

Thanks guys for your advice.

I am feeling a little more relaxed about it now. I have arranged for a car seat to be hired. We have family picking us up. They are arranging a mattress for our son to sleep on when we get to their house.

Would it help getting to the airport earlier to get the bassinet seat? We are going to perth in the middle of the school term...so the plane shouldn't be packed.

Ta.

Mrs Little & Son.

[Manxie]

Hi Mrs Little

I just dont get it with airlines not confirming basinettes. I am travelling to the UK in April next year, all up over 24hrs travelling but again no confirmed basinette. They have put my request in but its not guaranteed. Why cant they just allocate them on first come first served basis? If it wasnt available on my preferred dates I'd go on a different date. Perhaps Sonia can shed some light on this.

Anyway my little vent over!

I have been told to check in early as they are more likely to let me take my stroller to the gate if we are one of the first to check in so it may be worth it.

Another hint that I've been given is to make sure that you take something that you can drape over the top of the basinette (if you get one LOL) to block out light and to stop people peering in and disturbing bubs (they are often situated near the toilets...nice!)

I think you'll be fine at that age. My dd is five months and I actually think now would be a great time to travel with her.



Thoroughly recommend flying at night rather than day and with younger kids. I've since flown with DS last Christmas at 8months on a much cheaper flight via Broome which was a nightmare as I didn't have a spare seat next to me - he was into everything and just didn't want to sleep. - Pegasus you've scared me my DD will be 8months when we go:eek:

Good luck Mrs Little and let us know how your trip goes, I need all the help I can get.

[cobysmummy]

im flying in 2 days with my 9 month old son and im scared... i cant hold him for 5 minutes without him wanting to get on the floor and crawl...
we are flying virgin blue and i rang and asked about what to do when ascending and descending and they told me they dissagree with breastfeeding :eek: my son at that time was breatfed and has no dummy... but now he is on bottles so it is ok but it shocked me that they said they would prefer it if i didnt breastfeed for the other passengers.. :rolleyes:
good luck on ur flight.. im sure at 4 months of age u shouldnt have too many dramas...

[Chickadee]

If it reassures you at all, we flew to Perth - Toronto and return when DD was 10 months, around 30 hours all up each way including transit time. She slept most of the time in the air except on the longest Sydney-LA leg when she was awake part of it. But otherwise she tended to be awake in the airports and then would sleep after being fed on take off.

I don't think airlines can ask you not to breastfeed on the plane. However they could possibly ask you to move to an empty seat towards the rear of the plane or to somewhere there is more space for you & bub (especially bigger bubs).

Bassinettes may be not guaranteed, but for international flights there are usually 4-8 on board so if you show up to the airport early you should be able to get one with your seat assignment.

Manxie, if you have to transfer planes and want your stroller for your transfer then make sure you let the woman know at check in. They will tag it separately so that you can take it to the gate and it goes into a baggage compartment from there. Most airlines will then have it ready for you at the gate when you get back off the plane. Qantas (domestic) seems funny about this though and has never done it for me, I have had to lug bub and all my carry on gear down to the luggage carousel to get it, all the while fighting the crowds while juggling bub.

[Refresh]

they dissagree with breastfeeding my son at that time was breatfed and has no dummy... but now he is on bottles so it is ok but it shocked me that they said they would prefer it if i didnt breastfeed for the other passengers..

:eek::mad: :eek: :mad: OMGosh?!?! I dont even know where to begin......maybe its best if I dont get started...............

[Mrs Little]

You would think for such an inclosed space and for a long periods of time, that airlines would try to make travelling for parents with babies/infants a little more stress free than this.

I can't believe they don't encourage b/f while taking off and landing. I'm glad i'm bottle feeding now.

I was also told that babies/infants don't have any luggage allowance?! How silly is that. I've decided to take the nappy bag on as my carry on luggage. Where are u supposed to put ALL the things that bubs need? I was told we could take one item- such as a pram or port-a-cot etc. We will be taking our pram, as we will be doing lots of sight seeing over there.

I'm just hoping we can get there early enough for a bassinette seat. If there aren't any other parents with babies on the flight....will they give it to us?...or will they give it to anyone who asks for the wider isle?

Mrs Little & Son.

[cobysmummy]

how ridiculous is it for bubs not to have lugagge allowance?? they need more stuff than we do!! we are going for 10 days and that is alot of nappies, formula.... clothes etc... the airlines dont think for parents thats for sure!!

we are allowed to take an extra hand luggage bag for nappies and baby food/bottles wilst on the plane...

with virgin blue we can take pram, cot, car seat etc and they will take 5kgs of my lugagge no matter how much it weighs....

[pegasus]

First of all sorry to Manxie and cobysmummy - I didn't mean to scare you - I was trying to let Mrs Little know that 4months should be good.

In reply to the bf issue - I agree with Ffrenchstar and Martha - where there's a will, there's a way - I was always self conscious of bfing DS in public, (at the end I still usually went to a parenting room in shopping centres if necessary) partly for him as he used to get very distracted and kept popping his head off to look around:) On the plane - I just took a wrap and basically placed it over my shoulder and DS to cut out distractions and give us some privacy - I bet most of the people on the plane didn't even know we were feeding. Funny - I didn't even ask the airline - I've been on planes where other people's kids were screaming on take off and landing (obviously in pain from their faces), and I know which kid the plane staff would've rathered on their plane.

As for the wanting to crawl etc - it's a fact of life at this stage - my thing was I couldn't eat the meal or read a magazine as DS was trying to pick everything up and couldn't be trusted to stay on my lap - it was Christmas time, the plane was full so people everywhere and DS wanted to explore everything else (including other passengers). I reckon it would be a lot easier if you have your partner on the flight, but otherwise I guess you look at as - it's 4hours or whatever out of your day/life - and you cope. As I said - it was a bit easier a couple of months later when I had staff who all wanted a cuddle - take advantage of this - it's a good distraction. I ended up otherwise taking DS down the back of the plane and letting him play on the floor behind the rear seats (I just had to keep dragging him back from getting into the isles.)

[Manxie]

Hi

No worries Pegasus! Its good to hear about peoples experiences it helps me prepare and I agree 4 months would be a great time to travel with bubs.

MarthaM - thanks for the tip re the stroller - I do want it for transiting in KL. I really hope that they do have it available at the gate as we can then just go straight to a hotel rather than having to stand at baggage reclaim. I have been told though that it is only the umbrella stroller which they will put into the plane and other type goes into the hold? I am in the process of buying a stroller for the trip and cant find a cheapy umbrella one that reclines so am thinking of buying a Maclaren which folds flat and has a carry handle of the side. The only disadvantage of this one is that it dosent have the bar thingy at the front for bubs to hang onto - what do people think - is this a good thing to have in a stroller?? Does anyone know of a cheapy that reclines?


I think Virgin Blue's statement re breastfeeding would make an interesting newspaper headline if you KWIM:rolleyes: I like the idea of a wrap mainly as you say to keep bub focused on the task in hand, to be honest I dont give a crap about what anyone else thinks and am well practiced at just lobbing them out here there and everywhere!!

Malaysian airlines give 10k baggage allowance for bubs and have allocated the basinette but wont confirm it!

Keep those tips comming - sorry Mrs Little for hijacking your thread!

[Chickadee]

I have been told though that it is only the umbrella stroller which they will put into the plane and other type goes into the hold? .... Does anyone know of a cheapy that reclines?

I think you're right that there is a size limit on what stroller they'll accept at the gate. Also, you don't want one thats too huge as you will have to take bub out of it and collapse it every time you go through a security checkpoint (xray). We bought a Maclaren (quest? I think?) for our trip to Canada and it was excellent. I can collapse it one handed while holding DD, it self locks closed when folded so I'm not fussing with straps or hooks, and the seat reclines enough for her to sleep. I still use it now for shopping and DD is just turned 2. She has never ever held onto the front bar in her other pram so didn't miss having one in the MacLaren. I'm not sure many umbrella strollers have a front bar?

You should be able to get the stroller off at KL, just really really push the point when you check in and with the gate staff. Maybe it is just domestic flights that are such a pain. We got a run-around on our Perth-Melbourne leg being told on boarding that the stroller would be waiting for us at the gate when we disembarked, on arrival we were told it would be down in the baggage hall (though all other bags were checked through), when we finally found someone to speak to in the baggage hall we discovered the stroller had been checked through to LA! Anyways, if all else fails you might be able to find a courtesy stroller at KL.

[Mrs Little]

Kevin,

we have our trip booked with QANTAS. Do they do the bassinettes for the youngest on board?

Mrs Little & Son.

[Refresh]

Does anyone know of a cheapy that reclines?

LOL, for an interesting discussion regarding strollers, check out the Evolution vs creation thread....:D ......or ask Happy Rady!!:p :p :D

[Mrs Little]

Thanks Kevin budgie.

I will make sure i ask for the window with bassinette.

Mrs Little & Son.

[ozzysmum]

we just flew sydney-cairns and back with qantas and ozzy was absolutely fine :) i breastfed him for both take-offs and when he fell asleep cutting off the use of one of my arms the hostie even offered to chop my meal up for me! On the the way up i didn't have the bassinet seat although the plane was empty and i could have, i was just comfy with him on my lap. on the way back we had the bassinet but he was far too interested in his surroundings to sleep in it so he ended up sleeping on my lap again!
in regards to breastfeeding on planes, it's illegal in Australia to ask a woman not to feed her baby, anytime, any where - and that includes in the air. stand up for your rights, girls!
i found the pram issue a drama with qantas, the best they could do was let me check it in late but still 1/2 an hour before boarding. at Cairns i had a 1 kilometre walk to the luggage carousel with an extremely hot wriggly baby but at least once there an airport assistance person helped me drag pram and bag off it and held bubs while i set up the pram:)
we had agreat time on holiday, too :D