Flying with babies
Discussion
I'm like to go to the USA or Caribbean but wifey is concerned about an 8-10 hour flight with an 8 month.
She fancies Canaries at 4 hours.
Anyone got any advice on issues heading further afield with young'uns?
Is it relly that bad to spend 10 hours trapped in a plane with a baby?
Can anyone recommend a nice hotel? I quite fancy sailing and stuff for a change so was thinking all-inclusive somewhere, perhaps Dominican Republic???
She fancies Canaries at 4 hours.
Anyone got any advice on issues heading further afield with young'uns?
Is it relly that bad to spend 10 hours trapped in a plane with a baby?
Can anyone recommend a nice hotel? I quite fancy sailing and stuff for a change so was thinking all-inclusive somewhere, perhaps Dominican Republic???
Welshbeef said:
Well ours has been flying quite a bit and touch wood good as gold. That said flights have been around the three years each way
Jeez, where did you go, a distant galaxy?Your best bet is night flights but bear in mind you ahve your baby on your lap unless you pay for a seat. We stuck to Spain for the first couple of years.
Some kids are fine with it, some hate the change in air pressure. You won't know till you try. If you do go for long-haul, and the child hates it, be prepared for 10 hours non-stop screaming and all the other passengers glaring at you. You will then spend the rest of the holiday fretting about the flight back.
I would try short-haul first.
I would try short-haul first.
Go to Cape Town so there's very little time difference and also the flight times are great....they take off at 9 or 10 pm so the nipper will sleep and won't have to adjust to the jet lag.
Flights times to the US or anywhere on that side of the pond are a disaster by comparison and the time difference means you will have a few days of bugger all sleep after each flight.
We took our son when he was six months old to Cape Town it was pretty easy as he was asleep 90% of the time. Taking an eight or nine month old on a day time flight has got disaster written all over it!
Cape Town is also fantastic and pretty cheap though not as cheap as it was. We rented a house and went to the Toys R Us bought a few things to keep the nipper happy and gave them to the cleaning lady when we left.....£100 very,very well spent.
Flights times to the US or anywhere on that side of the pond are a disaster by comparison and the time difference means you will have a few days of bugger all sleep after each flight.
We took our son when he was six months old to Cape Town it was pretty easy as he was asleep 90% of the time. Taking an eight or nine month old on a day time flight has got disaster written all over it!
Cape Town is also fantastic and pretty cheap though not as cheap as it was. We rented a house and went to the Toys R Us bought a few things to keep the nipper happy and gave them to the cleaning lady when we left.....£100 very,very well spent.
Timmy35 said:
Personally I would not do a 10 hour flight, maybe 2-3 max 4. It's just not fair on them unless it's really really necessary, there are so many places to visit across Europe with such diversity for the time being I can see no reason to go any further to be honest.
This. +1.
I would add that flying business class if you can will make it do much easier. So much more space else your taking it in turns to eat. Then you need to feed the child. Plus business class toilets on flight are clean unlike cattle which are vile poo smeared piss all over the place.
We use airmiles to get business makes zero difference to hat we pay so no brainer. Plus a bit of Don P in flight makes it easier
We use airmiles to get business makes zero difference to hat we pay so no brainer. Plus a bit of Don P in flight makes it easier
Bluebarge said:
Some kids are fine with it, some hate the change in air pressure. You won't know till you try. If you do go for long-haul, and the child hates it, be prepared for 10 hours non-stop screaming and all the other passengers glaring at you. You will then spend the rest of the holiday fretting about the flight back.
Yep, toddler sat behind me on a flight from London to Orlando last year, screamed the whole way, he was covering his ears and was obviously in pain but the sympathy wears off after a while and I could've smothered him.....the fact he was my nephew probably saved him.He was absolutely fine on the way back, there's no explaining it.
yellowbentines said:
Bluebarge said:
Some kids are fine with it, some hate the change in air pressure. You won't know till you try. If you do go for long-haul, and the child hates it, be prepared for 10 hours non-stop screaming and all the other passengers glaring at you. You will then spend the rest of the holiday fretting about the flight back.
Yep, toddler sat behind me on a flight from London to Orlando last year, screamed the whole way, he was covering his ears and was obviously in pain but the sympathy wears off after a while and I could've smothered him.....the fact he was my nephew probably saved him.He was absolutely fine on the way back, there's no explaining it.
Timmy35 said:
If you must fly with a baby a good tip is to feed the little bugger a bottle of milk on take off, the sucking action equalises the pressure same as when they give adults a sweet to suck on.
Some people swear by having their kids wear earplugs (the moldable silicon ones for babies) but I'd have thought most kids would just yank them out.Our kids were always fine for European travel - we didn't go futher afield until the youngest was 5.
On a trip to Orlando a couple of years ago there was a sort of hippie woman who had a 12mth old boy and she just let him toddle about all over the plane wearing a nappy and nothing else. He was ahppay as Larry. For landing he sat on my daughter's knee.
On the other hand some friends of ours have a 2yr old who had a complete epi and wouldn't sit in her seat and the cabin staff wouldn't allow her to sit on her parents knee. Pilot returned to the terminal while she calmed down and then she was fine.
Deva Link said:
Our kids were always fine for European travel - we didn't go futher afield until the youngest was 5.
This is sensible. A five year old will watch an inflight movie, read a book, play a game etc, and you can generally reason with them, a toddler is a totally different beast. I think people need to consider a) other passengers b) the child and his/her happiness and c) there own wishes last.
I know the OP fancies sailing somewhere nice, but why 10 hours away, flippin heck there's the entire ruddy Med most of which is under 3 hours away whereever you go, and I do believe there are some sailing facilities....Mallorca/Meorca are lovely at this time of year as it's still warm and sunny but not nut roastingly hot.
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