[MERGED] Flying transatlantic with a toddler (Was The Big Trip ...)

Most important of all is that you and DH relax, children know when parents are stressed and they too get stressed.  Best of luck.

Well, of course they do.  DH will be on the patch and I'll be on valium and that's about as relaxed as I think we're going to be able to get, IYKWIM.

Are you allowed to take snacks on international flights?

yes.

I've found that either giving the girls either chewing gum or a drink while we are descending helps their ears.  

ETA:WHW, I understand how difficult it is to deal with parents no longer being able to make the trip over.  I'm in the same situation with my Mom.  I really, really hope I am able to go this summer. 

I love this thread!  It's been very helpful, as I've just booked our first long-haul flight for myself, my husband, and our 11 month old.

If I could just clarify (if anyone knows the answer)- we're flying BA, and it's saying we can reserve our seats now (the flights are in April/May.)  I read in the previous posts that the cots for babies are allocated when you arrive for check-in, if you're lucky.  I can see on the seating chart that the entire exit/bulkhead row is gray, meaning it can't be booked in advance, I think (it can't possible mean people have already booked the seats, right?  I mean, there's literally two other seats taken on these flights- they're far in the future at this point.)

So I guess I'm wondering, should I pick seats now?  In case we aren't able to move to bulkhead seats?  Or if I choose seats, will we be stuck with them, with no chance of being moved to bulkhead ones? 

Also, I suppose I shouldn't even ask at this point, but does Virgin allow you to book the baby cots in advance?  I read that earlier in the thread.  The post is from 2007 though, so perhaps it isn't true anymore... I might have booked with them if it is still the case. 

If I could just clarify (if anyone knows the answer)- we're flying BA, and it's saying we can reserve our seats now (the flights are in April/May.)  I read in the previous posts that the cots for babies are allocated when you arrive for check-in, if you're lucky.  I can see on the seating chart that the entire exit/bulkhead row is gray, meaning it can't be booked in advance, I think (it can't possible mean people have already booked the seats, right?  I mean, there's literally two other seats taken on these flights- they're far in the future at this point.)

So I guess I'm wondering, should I pick seats now?  In case we aren't able to move to bulkhead seats?  Or if I choose seats, will we be stuck with them, with no chance of being moved to bulkhead ones?  

Also, I suppose I shouldn't even ask at this point, but does Virgin allow you to book the baby cots in advance?  I read that earlier in the thread.  The post is from 2007 though, so perhaps it isn't true anymore... I might have booked with them if it is still the case.  

The BA website is wrong!  Call and book your sky cot and seats ASAP.  We have our flights booked with BA in April and I saw the same thing on the website and figured I couldn't book them ahead of time.  But I called just to be sure and was told you had to book them ahead of time by calling them up!  Luckily there were seats and cots left.  Basically, pay no attention to anything on their website.  Grrr..

ETA - I shouldn't post so quickly but I am rubbish at doing 2 things at once.  I read on the BA website a few weeks ago (maybe they have changed it just recently) that you could NOT book sky cots ahead of time so I thought we were unable to do so.  I called to make sure as I didn't want to risk there not being any and they said we did actually need to call up and book them.  Very frustrating.  But we were in fact able to book those seats as we were booking a sky cot.  If we we were not booking the cot, I don't believe we would have been able to book the bulk heard seats.  I hope I'm making sense!

oh WOW thanks QTSMom!!  I will ring them on Monday to see what's up, and report back.  I can't believe they'd put such misinformation on the site, that's ridiculous.

(sorry I just now saw this, we've been in Germany visiting the in-laws...)

Updated!  I have just called BA and they were able to book the cot for us for both of our flights to and from the US.

THANK YOU so much QTS for your post!  I had read all the information on the BA site and I'm positive it said we couldn't book those cots ahead of time.  I'd have been upset to find out otherwise on the day.

Now I can go on to just being stressed over flying with a 14 month old. 

I'm glad I could help:-)

And I'm right there with you in the worrying.... My LO will be 9 months when we fly and he's not one to sleep anywhere but his cot.  Should be a fun 8 hours!!

Good luck on your flight.  Hope it goes smoothly!

Great thread! Lots of things to think about...

Believe it or not, this is the aspect of our move that is giving me the most grief. DS has "survived" two flights so far in his short life---but he was 6 months and 14 months when those took place. When we schlep across the Atlantic this summer, he'll be 2 and a half.

On the positive side, he is easily entertained by Barney and Elmo videos. Of course the negatives are...he is extremely strong-willed and incredibly active. Since there are no longer any direct European flights from Cleve, OH (grrr!!!!), we're in for a layover somewhere on the East Coast.  It should make for an interesting journey. Hopefully he'll sleep most of the way over. 

The worst thing about the sky cot is that as soon as they put the fasten seatbelt sign on, the staff make you wake your sleeping baby up and take them out of the sky cot and hold them. Apparently safe, but not nice to have to wake a sleeping baby. I never had a problem holding my son for the trip, he was so lovely when he was small!! I miss my tiny boy!

This thread is super helpful.  We are having a baby the first week of July, and are considering returning to the US for Christmas, so the kid will be about five months old. BA is the only airline that offers direct flights to our location, making the total flight time from Heathrow about 9 hours. I am thinking this will actually won't be so difficult, as the child will be so young it will just be in my lap nursing and sleeping and hopefully not screaming.

One thing I am wondering about is the best way to bring the car seat and stroller. Our car seat (Maxi Cosi) locks into the stroller (iCandy Apple Jogger), so I would need to bring the stroller frame and the car seat (I would need the car seat anyway, for car transport when we arrive). It sounds like there is some difference as to whether airlines want you to bring the car seat on-board or not, so obviously I will need to check on that. But in general, would you just bring these two items to the gate and have them gate-checked? Thanks...sorry if this is info seems really basic, but I just have no idea.

You would onl be able to take the carseat on the plane if you buy the baby a seat, otherwise you check it with your other luggage. The pushchair you can take to the gate.
Ive flown twice a year every year for 5 1/2 years with my two- 5 and 1. I just go expecting the very worse and when they do well I feel like they were brilliant!

You would onl be able to take the carseat on the plane if you buy the baby a seat, otherwise you check it with your other luggage. The pushchair you can take to the gate.
Ive flown twice a year every year for 5 1/2 years with my two- 5 and 1. I just go expecting the very worse and when they do well I feel like they were brilliant!

But how does this work if your car seat is PART of your pushchair. Like I cannot put the baby in the pushchair without the car seat. It would just be the frame of a pushchair, which I wouldn't want to take to the gate alone, as it'd then be useless. I suppose just checking it all would be the way to go?

If it were me I would sling the baby and wear rucksacks and put the entire pushchair through check in.
Travelling with kids is always a stress, eh?
I wonder if you can ask if you can take the carseat and check it all in at the gate? Give the airline a call and see what they say. I dont see why they would say no if you can check the actual chassis part in at the gate. They let me have two tags for my Bugaboo because the seat comes apart from the chassis, so they may do it for the seat too.

I flew from Birmingham to Newark then Newark to Puerto Rico....WIth my 2 boys on my own...Lil one was 2 and my other was 5...was so worried...Had plenty of snacks and drinks and toys and coloring books...All went well They were so well behaved and did sleep quite a bit...Flight home was a lil harder but couldnt really complain...