LOOOOOOOONG flight and mega jetlag.......

[5Element]

Hi ladies!
Can anybody please maybe give me some tips or share their experiences with travelling with their lo's? Next week oh and I are flying for 12 hours non stop and then face a 9 hour time difference!! How did you cope!? What did you do? Btw little man is 19 months and doesn't like watching tv Thanks ladies!!!

 

[flisstebbs]

Hi Ellie! We're flying to Canada in 3 weeks, so watching out for ideas!

One thing I am planning on using is my tablet, there are some videos on youtube that she loves that I plan to download. Jess isn't that into tv but she'll watch babybum nursery rhymes on this for hours if I let her!

Good luck!

 

[MrsT2011]

Hiya we've never done that long a journey with B but have travelled 4 hour flights and had long transfers, once when he was 11 months and again at 23 months. iPad was the best thing - lots of childrens apps, short cartoons and nursery rhymes. Snacks (sweets and chocolate treats) and a few new toys such as sticker books. I didn't worry about routine other than I knew he needed to eat roughly every 4 hours with snacks as and when. Sleep and naps was just when he was so exhausted he just fell asleep lol. At 11 months I took ready made formula but at 23 months he wasn't having milk but I brought him a banana milk shake as a treat.

I found being relaxed and not stressing about routines and what he was eating helped. The staff on flights are brilliant and always really helpful. Think about hand luggage as generally when you arrive you can't get buggy till luggage comes through and it's quite often a long walk for a toddler so expect to carry him.

Me and hubby had a hand luggage each and had spares of everything in each bag just in case.

Most importantly - enjoy! X

 

[Mummybexee]

Toria111 is the lady to ask! She's a pro - in Oz arm after visiting to her family in NZ- 24 hours flyng WITH 3 kids - super mum

 

[Inga]

Hi, I have beeen travelling a lot with my lo, he is now nearly 22 month. It is very hard!! After each flight I am like Never again!! It is good to fly during the night, as most of time he will be asleep. Little packet of raisins keeps a baby busy for... 5 minutes. My lo is very active, so mostly he is walking around and knocking other people drinks down (ups, sorry). We travelled in business class ones and that was a bit easier as there is more space, but he was running in and out to first class, which was not as fun to passengers there. One thing to think about - get lots of little packets of antiseptic wipes and clean your lo often, specially if there is a snotty child nearby, it is easy to catch something on a flight. Wearing a cardigan with hood ( only if it is not hot) on al plane is good, as hood keep light out of eyes. And some new toys. Ipad would help, for 5 min.
Hope I have not scared you! And good luck!

 

[Inga]

Oh, and if your lo is in nappies, try to change before you board the flight, much easier.

 

[sorpresa_bea]

I'm planning to take a 20 hour trip (door to door, 2 flights and a transfer) in a few months, so I'm doing some reading up. I found this blog useful: http://www.weebeedreaming.com/my-blog/travel-tips-with-children?rq=travel

Good luck! Let us know how it goes and share any tips post-trip....!

 

[5Element]

Thanks so much ladies you are the best! Off to buy an iPad today ��. The tip with the nappies is really good! Thx! Have bought some small cars, books, finger puppets, puzzle, play doh, paper and crayons and then the iPad should cover it all?!
Fliss where are you off to in Canada? I love it there and we had our honeymoon there!!! Xxxx

 

[babyslog]

Sorry to butt in girls..

But im going on holiday for the 1st time with Noah (will be 22ms) next month.
Were you allowed to bring nibbles through security? Or did u have to buy it in duty free? I dnt want to buy stuff for him and have it taken off me so just checking..
And has anyone brought a portable dvd player in the plane? I guess its allowed like a ipad? Xx

 

[MrsT2011]

Yeah I took loads if nibbles - they may ask you to taste things at customs but only a few bits - didn't with me but did with my friend. DVD player is fine as well x

 

[5Element]

I was wondering this to. I am more worried about a lack of water. We have a screw on top for bottles and are going to buy water after security. Next thing is headphones for kids........

 

[babyslog]

Ohhh didnt think of headphones! Cant exactly have Mr tumble blaring on the plane lol!
Noah hates hats on his head.. So cant imagine headphones being a winner with him either lol !

Thanks about the food girls, think ill get a few fruit pouches and see if hell have the food ones (not tried him on them ina while) as thomson have said pre packaged baby food is fine. Then some crisps/biscuits etc and see how we go! Ours is a 3-4hr flight.
Think ill just buy water in duty free and a spare bottle for the coach ride and ours is a 90min transfer argh! Xxx

 

[Mummybexee]

You can take whatever food you want through security AND water in a beaker ( they test it by putting the hole thing in a machine and shaking it ? Lol )

They don't ask you to taste because food is no threat to them. I've always taken food from home on the flight and took sandwiches, banana, rice cakes and alsorts on holiday through security only 2 weeks ago!

Tip- pack plenty for whilst your there and for on your return journey

 

[Mummybexee]

Our flight was 4 hours with a 30 min transfer

 

[5Element]

Will definitely let you all know how it goes! We have 10 flights ahead of us in the next 2 months! 2 of them are 12 hours long. We will be on the road for 2 months basically but bean is a relaxed dude so this doesn't worry me so much as the long flight! FX I am right there!!! ��

 

[Mummybexee]

Why so much travelling if you don't mind me asking?

 

[JD.Deedee]

My experience with the tasting bit was that when the milk is in the bottle they make you taste it, though depends on the person and airport as with anything.. Though the possibility is there, it may even depend on the gate you're flying through tho for all I know! Airports and airline companies usually have very conflicting answers to one another but usually you can easily bring snacks and baby drinks through without too much hassle.. It's more adults that get hassled.. Even someone's peanut butter got taken off in the handluggage so generally it seems a bit more relaxed when it comes to kids food.. The worst thing that can happen is that they take it off you and bin it.. Waste of money haha am quite sure they provide water to make up toddler/baby milk up in the plane too, depending on the airline they even give you a free drink and some free nibbles!

 

[Toria111]

I may be a bit late joining in here, but just incase anyone still interested.

So we went to NZ, the. Stopped in oz for a week before coming back home. 7 1/2 hours to Singapore, then next flight 14 hours from Singapore to heathrow. Just make sure you are well rested before you get on the plane! Emma slept about 7 hours of the flight, but we got hardly any as with turbulence we were having to constantly get her out and back in to basinette.

Yes take any snacks you want. Just make sure any fresh fruit, sandwiches etc are either eaten before you arrive, or left on board. Any packaged stuff is fine. I took water and milk on board. Heathrow and gat wick both have new machines they can put liquids through. No problems at all.

We haven't had to much of a problem with jet lag. We had about 3 days where we were all waking up about 5ish, but we were all tired from all the travelling. So quickly got back to 7pm-7am sleeping. Slightly better than before we went!

 

[Louise2013]

Appreciate you've already flown but just our tuppenceworth for anyone else interested......My LO is almost one and has done 12 flights in all, and all but one he has been an absolute star! And the one he wasn't was only for ten minutes during takeoff because his Dad and I were really flustered (late boarding!!) and he could just sense it, so my main tip is stay calm at all times!! Longest flight we did was 14 hours in one stint but that was on a 19 hour journey with a shorter connection and, in between bouts of sleeping, playing and feeding it seemed to actually pass quite quickly, but I appreciate your LO is a little older and will probably need more playtime and stimulation! Times like this I think a good dose of iplayer is warranted I must confess, download some storytime tales rather than just things to watch (as obviously you don't want to be reading aloud on a flight!). Take snacks they specifically like and toys they enjoy. But like I say, main tip is calm Mummy, calm kiddo Oh, and just make sure they have something to suck/swallow for take off and landing and if they have any sign of a stuffy nose a few saline drops before hand to try and clear the sinuses is a good idea just in case they get pressure pains

Also, nowadays they don't make you taste the milk in bottles. It is scanned and sample swabbed (if open or in an actual bottle) and just given back to you xxxx

 

[5Element]

Hi ladies! Ok you can be prepared for many many things but not for a bubba that DOESN'T want to sleep. We left at 5am in the morning and arrived at equivalent 1.30 am next day. I don't know how we did it but we did. He was really good in that he never cried but what do you do with a lo that just wanted to run up and down 12 hours long?!?! I am not looking forward to the flight home. At least it is a night flight so we will do our best to tire him out pre flight.
Ps. IPad didn't work nor new toys!!! Got a few more grey hairs ��