Right, well as the title suggests we are about to do a long haul flight to the UK.
I am going alone with MJ and i thought that i was fine with it, but last night i had a nightmare about it.
I know that people hate it when babies are on the plane, we in our younger days use to pray we were not seated next to a baby... but thats going to be me now.
The flight leaves Melb at midnight, so i will try and keep her up as mush as possible without creating a cranky baby, 8 hours later we arrive at Malaysia... there we have a 2.5hr stop over (where i plan to let her run and run and run) then its back on the plane for 14hours.
MJ is usually a good girl and doesnt really cry... BUT she HATES sitting still.
I am worried about her being on my lap the whole time (she will be too big for the bassinet)
I am worried that people will be annoyed at me continually letting her walk up and down the plan (i figure this is better than making her sit still and her crying)
and i am worried that she wont sleep.
basically i am just worried about it full stop!!! i think if DH was going i wouldnt worry so much as there would be 2 of us, but hes not, so i just have to get over it.
Not worried about the landing and take offs as i am still BF - so that should help
Anyone done a long haul with a toddle of similar age?
Any tips
oh hun you will be suprised at how well shewill behave.
we ook my DD when she was 11 to fiji, granted only 4 hours, but she was good.
she ran up and down and loved looking out the windows, u will have some older ladies and men who will treat he like their grand child, and you will be suprised at how many other kids will be on the flight
as for an isle seat though so its easier to get up and down
if she likes watching tv she will loove it as constant cartoons and funny stuff
take her fav toys and books and some food to much on
the aircrew are great aswell
who are you flying with?
they have colouring packs and all sorts of stuff.
but remember if your not stressed she wont play up
enjoy your trip
I flew to London with Yasin when he was about that age.
Ask at check in to be seated next to empty seats and as soon as you can walk get your DH to get up and see if he can find an empty row. If you can get enough space so that your DD can lie down fully stretched out she'll sleep much beter.
Lots of small snacks are great because they will keep her busy. You can take fruit on the plane but you may have to dump it at your destination depending on its quarantine rules so only enough to eat in the sky.
Take a favourite blankie, toys, dummy (whatever comfort item she has) and a spare in case one gets dropped in the middle of the night because things move for miles under seats because the plane is always on a bit of an angle and crawling around under your fellow passenger's legs looking for a small object is really no fun.
Take a change of clothes for you as well as her because if she throws up on you or has a pooslosion you don't want to wear it all the way to Heathrow.
Throw away your ideas of travelling light - my cabin baggage bag is the biggest I can get away with these days. I put bags with-in the bag so that it's easy to find stuff (zip-lock is your friend) and put my stuff in the front pocket.
If she likes being read to take some books (a couple of old favourites and a new one too). One or two small toys are good. I buy a new toy in the shop at the airport because the search for the toy keeps my boys busy in the time between clearing immigration and boarding.
In the spirit of optimism I always take a book for myself just in case both the boys sleep and I can read it. On my last flight I actually managed it. We had 2 empty rows behind us so I grabbed them and lay a baby down on each and they went to sleep - best flight ever!
IMO a long haul journey is a good time to chuck some rules out the window in the interests of a peaceful flight for all.
You'll be fine.
Thanks guys for the tips,
Brontide, No DH on the flight, going alone, so thats where a lot of my concern stems from.
I have bought a massive bag that i am going to use for her stuff.
Great tip for the change of clothes... We have always been in cloth, but for the plane we will use sposies, so i dont know how well the will go, as far as poo-tainment!!!
She doesnt like TV - she is very interested in people though, so hopefully we have some grandparent types nearby as she will befriend anyone!
As the flights are so cheap atm, i am just concerned that the planes will be full
It is harder on your own. I flew from the UK to Australia alone and it was much harder than flying the other way with someone else.
Make sure you tell the hosty that you're alone. On the Dubai - Sydney flight I was really confused because the hosties kept giving me wierd looks when I asked them to do stuff and I couldn't understand why they weren't being really helpful like the hosties on the first leg - it was only towards the end of the flight that they realised that I wasn't travelling with the guy I was seated next to and they suddenly got more helpful and offered to look after him while I used the bathroom and so on.
If I'd been smart enough to tell them that I was alone at the beginning I would have had an easier flight.
THanks,
I will make sure that they are aware that we are travelling solo... you know the other thing i keep thinking about... it was having to take her to the bathroom with me and how disgusting they get, with all the men that think their penisis are far longer than they actually are and pee all over the floor.. its so gross!!! i was thiniking about how i was going to try and keep her out of it, but idf the hosty's will hold her that will be soooo much better!
Long Haul with an almost 14mth old
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