Flying with Babies

Travel Taiwan Travel
1

This summer my wife and I plan to fly to the US with our then 6 month old daughter. This will be her (the daughter’s) first flight. I started looking into airfare online, but didn’t see any info on flying with babies.

Does anyone know what they charge on China Airlines? On United? Full fare? Half fare? Free? Of course we will want a separate seat for her and will not have her on our laps for the whole flight.

A baby that small can’t fit in the seat/seatbelt like an adult. But they don’t have special seats, like car seats, that they loan for the flight, do they? Do they just disregard the fact that the baby’s not strapped in safely (I’m not complaining, just curious)?

I’m sure most babies cry on the ascent/descent when their ears pop, because they don’t know how to relieve the pressure, but I expect that giving the child a pacifier/bottle is how one deals with that.

Any other tips?

2

we have been travelling with our two kids regularily since my oldest was six weeks old (she is now three and a half.

the airlines can provide a cot that attaches to the bulk head but you have to request it and sometimes you do not get it. it is good for sleeping (once one of mine- then four months slept in it all the way on a 13 hour flight, walking only once for a feed.)

they supply you with a seat bealt that threads through yours and the babie sits on your lap. it is pretty secure if you make it tight enough, and if your wife is still feeding, you can feed your baby on take off and arrivel to prevent sore ears while they are wearing the belt

best things to take on a plane for babies??? - I think bubbles, stickers, little books and a favourite toy are great- and as someonewho has had vomit on her for seven hours from one of my babies- take a fresh shirt for both of you as well as several changes of clothes for the baby. also, snacks she likes if she is up to that yet

hope that helps

3

Basically, you’re going at a great time - I think a six month old shouldn’t be too much of a problem, as she’ll sleep a fair bit. IMO flying with a child between one and three would be living hell, but I’ve never attempted that :slight_smile:

I think it’s great that you’re buying an extra seat (we never did) but be warned - it will be expensive. I think industry standard is something like 50-80% of full fare for own seat. Something lke 10% for ‘on the lap’. If you’re going to pay for a seat, you might as well bring a car seat. Many of them can be used on airplanes.

Try as if your life depended on it to book the bassinet seats. Book early, and nag them. Coming to Taipei, I made several calls and reminded them every single chance I got that we needed the bassinet seats. These are the best, particularly if you fly economy, because they attach to the bulkhead, so in addition to the cot, you’ll have heaps of extra leg room and space for the sherpa-load of stuff you’ll be taking :slight_smile:

Take off and landing - as rubykate says, you’ll get an ‘extension’ seatbelt, unless you use the carseat, of course. (The bassinets cannot be installed until the plane is in level flight.) Funnily enough, these are actually those little strips of seatbelt they use for the safety demonstrations. Breastfeed or bottlefeed during takeoff and landing and all should be well. The extension seatbelt is definitely less safe than a separate car seat, but the odds are greatly in your favour anyway. During turbulence you may be asked to remove your baby from the bassinet, even though it does have safety straps.

If it’s a day flight you’ll need more than a night flight, but basically bring everything you’d take for an overnight trip. Spare clothes and bibs are vitally important. Bring water in a bottle for you and baby - the planes are incredibly dehydrating even on adults. You may receive a baby bag with nappies, disposable bibs, baby food etc, but it’s always best to bring everything you need, just in case. If you bring a bottle you can ask the stewardess to warm it for you - CHECK THE TEMPERATURE if you do, obviously (I’ve never done this but I know this can be requested). Good luck!

Oh, and change facilities are available in the toilets - if you think airplane bathrooms are squishy, think of the fun you’ll have changing her in one :slight_smile:

4

Fecking babies, the only seats I can fit in are the ones by the exit, or with the wall in front, and they’re taken by ones with ‘babies’. Why are puking babies more important than me ? What’s the point in taking them on holiday anyway ? What are they going to do ? Give you a tour ? Take photos for you ? Do you think they would even remember when they are older ? Leave it at home and rent another one when you get there if you really must have one, they all look the same anyway :fume:

5

A flight I was on a while back featured the distinctive smell of baby shit wafting through the cabin, when some MORON of a mother changed her baby in the cabin! :noway: :fume: I was two rows back, and the stench made me gag. I told her that she should do that in the bathroom for the sake of the other passengers, but she just replied that I would think differently when I had babies myself. This was on Cathay Pacific… :raspberry:

6

Maoman, BFM,

I know what you’re saying and I agree completely. . .

BUT, my baby is different. My baby is beautiful and cheerful, with a good disposition and no smell whatsoever, except for a slight aroma of baby shampoo and breastmilk. If you sat beside her you would be cooing, goo-gooing and making funny faces to her for the duration of the 14-hour flight and when we arrived at our destination and you removed your bags from the overhead compartment, you would feel a pang of remorse that it was time to go our separate ways. You would tweek her cheeks one last time, offer a final goo-goo to her, and would leave feeling that you had experienced something profound but inexplicable in that short flight and, while you couldn’t quite figure it out, in the coming days, weeks and months, you would notice that you have a new spring in your step, a new sparkle in your eyes, a new zest for life, and one day, years from now, you would suddenly realize that your life had been transformed, had taken a turn for the better, and that flight was the point of transformation.

So, I know what you’re saying. But you never know. . . :wink:

7

BFM, forget the happy pill this morning did we !!! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

MT, at an age of six months, forget about getting a seat, it is both unnecessary and damn expensive. The ‘skycots’ or basinnets that people are speaking of are quite sufficient. If at the time of booking the airline is made aware of the babies age, food requirements, need for a basinnet then it is not a problem. The airline will provide milk formula, but there are no guarantees as to the brand provided, so it might be better to take your own brand along, if using at all that is.

One other tip as so tot speak, enroll her in the frequent flyer program if planning on doing the trip regularly. Some airlines will allow, some might not due to age and not paying full fare. My youngster is only 2 and has sufficicent miles for her OWN trip back to europe if she wanted :laughing: :laughing:

8

Well of course, MT, if it’s YOUR baby, then everything’s alright. In fact I’d probably pay a little extra just for the chance to be seated next to such an adorable tot. I was talking about everyone else’s baby. :stuck_out_tongue:

9

MT, is your baby an angel ?

Then she wouldn’t need a plane, she can make her own way

10

There’s a well-known expat cartoonist in Hong Kong, Larry Feign, who created the Lily Wong series, covering the adventures of a gweilo who marries a local. One of the cartoons involves them taking a plane back to Vancouver or some such with their adorable baby girl. The check-in lady asks ‘Business? Or pleasure?’. They both look at the child, and their bulging carry-ons, and sigh, ‘Neither.’

Grumble all you like, but the parents are already being sufficiently punished :laughing:

11

I have had girls in baby-cots on at least 2 occasions. Quite nice, but remember to strap the kid into the cot, if she has started to crawl. There’s everything in the plane, milk, extra blankets, diapers etc.

in the toilets, you will find a place to change the girl - and if you are at the bulkhead, then they might allow you to use the business class toilet for changing the little one.

I find it a great deal easier to fly with a baby than with a toddler. The worst plane ride I have had (apart form one, where we nearly crashed, that is), was one where my 23 month old daughter cried all the way from Copenhagen to Bangkok (12 hrs.)

so, fly now, book early so you get a cot, and then just feed her on takeoff and landing. She’ll be allright, and the placement of the cot is perfect, good height to look at their whereabouts.

12

This is definitely not the kind of thing you should be telling people in public! :wink:

13

I don’t have a child, but I know that when I came here a lady had her baby in the cot for 14 hours and he/she never made a sound. It was quite nice.
Also no sense in getting a seat for your child, because where the cot goes there are normally 5 seats and they never fill them all up especially when they know that there is a baby there. They don’t want to disturb the child nor the people flying.

Have a safe trip!
Hope all goes well

14

Can you take your pram or not? We’re taking our daughter back home next month and told the travel agent of our needs. We’ve got seat where there’s plenty of room but I’d idealy like to let her sleep in the pram in front of us too.

15

Yes and No. Generally, you can take your stroller all the way up to the actual entrance of the plane, and they’ll take it from you and have it out for you immediately after you get off (they stow it on board). Also, I believe the stroller falls outside the baggage allowance. I’d actually be really surprised if there’s any way you could fit it in front of you any way but sideways, even if you were sitting at the bulkhead - and even then you’d have no room for your legs! :laughing: If you have the exit row seats, I’m extremely surprised, since I thought they were reserved strictly for adult, ablebodied passengers (safety reasons).

16

Thanks daasgrrl, l’ll check it out for sure tomorrow.

17

Amos, the stroller is not allowed inside the aircraft, as daasgrrl says you will be allowed to use it up to the cabin door, where it will be removed and stored in the cargo hold, close to the door for quick access. It will be returned to you upon arrival as you get off the aircraft.

They are not allowed inside for safety reasons as they cannot be tied down, would block any emergency exit routes etc.

The sky cots are fine, really, have used them many times over the years.

18

Thanks too Traveller. Went into the travel agent today and she assured me we had a ‘sky cot’, so I’m happy with that. I’ll still take the pram though and let them store it. Cheers Amos.

19

Generally, you can take your stroller all the way up to the actual entrance of the plane, and they’ll take it from you and have it out for you immediately after you get off (they stow it on board)
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If you do take your pram/stroller on your trip with you and it goes in the hold, don’t be too surprised to not find it come out in the same condition it went in. On our last trip, our double stroller came out mangled, bent and fabric ripped, and I’ve noticed many other passengers getting their strollers back in a sorry state at the end of the trip (on different airlines). Next time, if we absolutely have to take it with us, we’ll wrap it up in a big thick plastic or canvas bag before it goes into the hold. Ideally, we’ll find someone willing to lend to us at the other end for the duration of our journey abroad, and in the airports we’ll make do with baby carriers for carting the kids around (although when they’re toddlers, they can sit on the luggage trollies).

The best bassinets we’ve used were on British Airways: they have a seat (shaped like a bouncy seat, or infant car seat), that hooks up to the bulkhead in place of the cot/bassinet, and can either be used in an upright or reclining position. Great right up till 18 months, provided baby’s still under the weight limit. You can read about it on the BA website (britishairways.com/travel/as … t=bassinet).

Finally, FYI, some airlines don’t allow using a carseat in the aircraft, which is daft, since it really is the safest and most comfortable means for baby to travel in the plane, although it means paying kids’ fare (about 75-80% of full fare) for the baby’s seat.