HAVE BABY WILL TRAVEL: FLYING

To say I was nervous about our first attempt at flying as a threesome would be an understatement. A lot was riding on it. We love flying and travelling and we really want Baby P to love travel and adventure as well.

Turns out he did like flying on his first attempt! Especially if he can sleep and every single person he smiles at smiles back at him!

I can’t profess to be any type of expert at flying with a baby with just 5 hours to our name, but with weeks spent planning and worrying about what might go wrong I thought I would share what didn’t as it has to help another worrier like me!

Packing

My normal packing style is to throw it all into a cabin bag pretty quickly before we need to leave for the airport.

This time I spent weeks writing our packing list and checking things with friends to see what they recommended. I trawled family blogs for tips, wondering what I had forgotten to think about?

It’s fair to say we forgot nothing! I packed enough nappies, clothes, toys and bedding for baby to have holidayed for a fortnight… We were away for just three days. Plan for the worst…

For us we took the bare essentials! All told we filled up a medium size hold suitcase, two rucksacks and a carry on case!

Pram

This stressed me out the most. We have a Bugaboo and it was an investment. So it being broken by the airport was a concern.

We got it a heavy duty bag to go in. That’s essential. It keeps it all together and stops scratching and general wear and tear in transit. Looking at the state of the bag after two flights it was a good purchase.

We took a different approach on the two flights.

Outbound we were both stressed and so decided to pack the pram into the bag at home (with much ‘discussion’) and check it in when we arrived at the airport. Fair to say we packed it pretty badly and didn’t use much common sense. We did wrap it in a blanket, so it was protected. It turned up in Vienna. As advised we built it there and then to make sure it was in no way damaged. If you leave the airport and then discover it’s broken, making a claim will be hard.

On the return flight, we knew our plane was delayed and that Baby P needed a nap… So we kept the pram and nap he did (until I had to wake him for a security scanner at the gate when he screamed). This time we got a tag that allowed us to drop it off at the plane door and when we landed in London it was returned to the plane door. I would 100% recommend this approach. Besides being great storage in the airport, it is only man handled about 50 metres and so chance of damage is slim.

The best way to collapse the pram turns out to be with the bassinet fixed on for use. Collapsing a Bugaboo this way keeps it intact and stronger and hence less likely to get broken. Also with all parts connected there’s less chance of anything going missing in transit.

Be sure to get the bag and the different parts of the pram baggage labels. If parts do get disconnected in transit you want it all back… Not just the base, or one wheel… At Heathrow this was done without problem. At Vienna we had a jobsworth and so we had something of a debate about extra tags! In the end we got one system tag for the bag (like any piece of luggage) and then manual tags for the pram parts (so the computer didn’t think it was three separate items).

At the airport

Not the relaxing time we used to have, drinking one glass of fizz after another in the lounge… Before we even got to the lounge and security baby needed his drink so we did that at check in! Baby P did like the lounge when we got there, more specifically the lights! That kept him happy whilst we waited for our flight to be called! I had baby in the carrier for most of our airport time which was great as he snoozes in there on the move!

We also had a travel play mat ready to deploy in the lounge, but in the end we didn’t need it. Actually, we inadvertently didn’t give ourselves much time at the airport (too long packing the pram at home!). Normally 90 minutes from arrival to flight is plenty… I think we will double that now and make our life just a little bit easier. Then perhaps I will still get that glass of fizz in the lounge…

The changing facilities at Heathrow for babies are excellent.

Milk

Turns out formula milk is easy. The hardest thing for me was breastfeeding on the plane as there isn’t much space to get comfortable… Thankfully baby is combination fed so apart from a little feed on me to make him snooze we stuck to the bottle!

Baby milk you can take through security seemingly in any quantity. There’s a special tray it goes in, in addition to your other fluids.

I wasn’t sure if there would be Cow & Gate in Austria and so I pre-ordered to Boots-airside all the milk we would need. Less to pack and just one extra carrier bag to put safely above our heads. This will be really useful for purées and other baby foods for future trips.

Boarding

You can get on first whatever class of travel and I recommend it. Time to settle yes. But more importantly the ability to have your bags just above your head. With everyone taking too much hand luggage it does give you priority to make sure things are accessible for the flight.

Because we were right at the front of the bus Baby P greeted all the passengers. There were of course a few that scowled when they saw a baby sat in business class… But it was heart warming to see just how many people smile back and say hello when a baby gives its best toothless grin!

Flight

Invest time with the cabin crew. Chances are one of them will love babies and be able to offer flight advice.

Mr P came back from the first nappy change with a child log book for Baby P. I think these are a well kept secret on BA flights and it was only because the captain and cabin crew he spoke to had kids that they dug one out. Each time we fly the captain will log miles and sign it off. Then at passport control there is space for a country stamp. Such a cute idea and an excellent record of his adventures!

I filled Mr P’s rucksack with toys for the flight, so much more interesting than lugging his laptop around! We had far more than one would need for a couple of hours but it is always good to be prepared!!

Thankfully we didn’t have any of the much-discussed ‘at altitude’ super poos that I have heard so much about!

Take off and landing

The advice I was given was to feed on take off and landing to help keep their ears balanced. I managed to do this only on take off outbound and he fed happily with no issues. We also tried a dummy I had bought especially but he wasn’t interested as there were no milk properties… When we landed in Vienna he was drowsy so whilst I had a bottle ready in case he had screamed in pain, he was fine without. My ears popped. His didn’t seem to, or he didn’t notice?

On the way back we had a big delay and so take off was actually about an hour after his bedtime. I stressed about this for a while then decided to feed him while we were waiting to leave the stand. He had his bedtime milk and slept all the way to Heathrow, not even stirring in the captain’s announcements (which are far too loud and too often when you have a sleeping babe on your lap).

Whilst I couldn’t move all flight, having him sleep on me took me back to the newborn days! It was absolute bliss to hold him as he slept.

The little seat belt that attaches to the main one in no way hindered feeding, I found it easy to manoeuvre him and left it done up for the flight. BA gave me a little pillow and blanket that I put under his head and once he’d settled to sleep I managed to slide the whole lot onto my legs and avoid a numb arm.

I breastfed at one point, I think on our outbound ascent as he’d finished his bottle and wanted more. He dozed off happily but it was very cack-handed. With the arm rests down there wasn’t enough space without me at an awkward angle, especially as he would put his legs on the arm rest for leverage!! I would have persevered on the way home had I needed to, I am sure it is easier with practice!

Car seat

I couldn’t see the point of lugging this and the pram with us. Once at our friends we would be purely on foot or tram. For this reason I booked an airport chauffeur transfer to and from Vienna airport with Blacklane. They were pretty reasonably priced, punctual and friendly. Nice cars too. And what was most important was that by specifying what seat size I needed for my baby they arrived with one ready fitted for him at no extra cost.

That definitely took some hassle out of the trip. It also meant there could be no issue on the homeward flight… A missing seat would have marooned us at Heathrow!

Whilst we were there

We stayed with friends in Vienna. We had our own room and bathroom and borrowed a cot. Even so we still over spilled into the lounge and kitchen and hallway. It made me realise that had we been in a hotel we would need a rather large space to avoid feeling like sardines! I am fairly certain that self catering holidays will be de rigeur for us (with an occasional suite treat!)… Kitchen, microwave, lounge, two bedrooms, two bathrooms etc…

What not to forget

I have a detailed list for packing but it’s the less obvious things that I have jotted down:

• 70ml pre mixed milk bottles with single use teats – perfect for emergencies. He woke up on one of the airport transfers and needed milk. Immediately. I had one of these bottles buried in the change bag and it was quick and easy to use.

• Nightlight – unfamiliar surroundings need lighting and we took our USB charged light with us to keep our bedroom dimly lit.

• Baby monitor – the sort of thing that is permanently in one place at home and could easily be forgotten. But is essential!

• Bottle brush – last time we were away I remembered to take Milton tablets and a sterilising box (and some of those microwave bags) but forgot the brush! This time I remembered the brush too!

• Packing cubes – to easily find certain of his clothes in a big suitcase in the dark.

• Drugs – take the first aid kit you would normally have at home, but in travel form. So much easier than navigating a chemist in a foreign language! We had little sachets of Calpol, a nose spray, some Snuffle Babe as well as his nail clippers and file!

• Travel play mat – so that you can put baby down to have their usual play time and tummy time.

• E111 card – no idea if it would help if we ended up in hospital as I would probably call my insurance company. But we all have them and so I packed them.

• Pram rain cover – we are British, so it may always rain even if it isn’t in the forecast! I didn’t take the snooze shade but I would another time to darken the pram for him in the airport.

• Water bottle – there’s never enough water given out on a flight so fill up a bottle before boarding.
• And a wise friend just suggested taking the Gro blackout blind in future. Not just for windows but to shield the cot from light when you are cooped up in a hotel room with very bright lights and don’t want to personally be in complete darkness!

Such a thrill to be able to adventure with baby! And with that smooth flying experience we have added baby to our first class flights to Dubai in February… What could possibly go wrong?! Please send all advice for a 7 hour flight and 4 hour time difference…