ruben's new buggy! yay it's arrived - going for test drive!

[petchy]

well as i'm off to norway with ruben at the end of the month, i started thinking about the practicality of travelling alone with a baby, hand luggage, suitcase and pushchair... and realised my "monster truck" quinny speedi would be highly impractical as it is HEAVY and BIG! so, i have ordered ruben a lightweight umbrella fold buggy for travelling. can't wait to get it now and take it for a proper test drive! it's 6 kilos, so less than half the weight of my quinny and so much smaller! saw it in a shop here in leicester for £89, got it BNIB off eBay for £55 incl postage, so quite happy with that. could have got a cheaper one, but wanted one that reclines quite far (for naps in the buggy) and this one came with the raincover included too.

i still love my quinny and it will be the main one we use, but for travelling and just chucking in my friend's car if we go somewhere this one will be great!

anyone else travelled alone with their baby? any handy hints for me??

 

[pips]

i travelled alone with zoé when she was just over a month old. it's a nightmare hun!!
the baby is not the prob its all the rest that is. basically the aiport staff were not helpful at all :!: they asked me to take baby out of buggy, and whilst holding her fold up the buggy to put it through the metal detectors, AND i had all my bags. needless to say i put them in their place when they got whiney baby plonked onto their arms by a very ungrateful mother! hahaha

and some airports are not baby friendly, they dont have lifts so the staff tell you to use the moving stairs with buggy(which as you prob know is strictly forbidden in most places)

i recommend taking as little as poss as hand luggage, and being VERY demanding with both staff and fellow passengers.

thats my experience. sorry if its not very encouraging, it was maybe much better for other people... good luck anyway
and hey! thats a cool buggy

 

[petchy]

thanx pips! i will have to take a fair amount of hand luggage as we'll be travelling for about 16 hours (my parents live remotely, so it's coach to heathrow, flight to oslo, wait in airport for a few hours, then another flight to nearest airport to my parents, then 3 hours of driving and ferries!

...so i will need a fair amount of stuff, mainly for ruben. like spare changes of clothes, muslin squares, nappies, a couple of toys to keep him amused, couple of jars of food (thank goodness in BFing and don't need bottles too!) and a small blanket for him as airports and planes always seem chilly. then there's the travel documents and passports etc, wallet, mobile and a few bits and bobs for me (drink etc) but i've got a roomy changing bag with shoulder strap for carrying so i will put both of our things in that. then i have a smallish trolley style suitcase. (i'm so glad i'm going to my parents' as i can just launder things and not have to bring too much!

i'll demand help from airport staff! lol

 

[*saulino*]

Hi

nice buggy... yickes doesnt sound like its gonna be a fun time traveling.
Katrina

 

[Sarah&Braydon]

petchy Y r u going alone?
i wish u luck hun i am dreading going away in july and ill have 4 other people to help me with luggage etc lol

 

[petchy]

i'm going alone as OH can't have the time off from work AND still have enough hols to have x-mas off, and he's rather come with us for x-mas. i'm going for 3 weeks so even if he did come he couldn't stay that long and i'd have to travel alone one way. i am dreading it!!! but i am sure it will be ok in the end!

 

[Manda]

petchy dont worry hun. i travelled from Australia to uk when Abi was 9 weeks old on my own and then back again when she was 5 1/2 months, i asked to put my hand luggage in with suitcases as i was travelling alone - make sure you keep telling them you're travelling alone with a baby anything i needed for myself went in Abi's bag. When i got to Heathrow they wouldn't help me with my bags so i sat there and cried - they couldn't do enough for me and ended up helping me - probably worried about hormonal women lol. Don't worry about loads of toys if he sleeps in a car he's sure to sleep most of the way on the plane make sure you have dummy or that you feed him for take off it'll help his ears pop. when you book in ask for a seat with a bassinet, you also get extra leg room as they are in the bulk head seats if you dont get one when you get on the plane ask a hostess if she will see if any seats are available with bassinette as it'll be hard work in a normal seat - i did this and they moved me cant think of owt else at mo

 

[petchy]

it looks and feels really really good... and is dead easy to fold/unfold, even has a carry handle to carry it with when folded. in fact i am starting to think i may have made a mistake by getting the expensive quinny kit, as i can see this being used more... never mind, the quinny was good as it had the carrycot on, and it's great for long walks, so not a complete waste.

 

[Lauz_1601]

thats great hun, Im thinking I might get a buggy for going away, instead of taking my M+P pushchair! still cant decide! mmm Ill have a browse on ebay! hope the travelling goes ok.