Air travel with a 6.5 month old

Bassinettes, as far as I know, can only be booked when you book your tickets. It works on a 1st come, 1st served basis.And I think they have only 9 per aircraft.

is there no way to reserve the bassinet seats beforehand?
I am travelling with my 3 month old baby to france, then to south africa, then back to france and then back to Miami!!!
my husband will only be with my for the miami to france trip, the other 3 i will be alone

If someone has already said what I am saying, I apologise, but I flew about six times with my LG before she turned one from Johannesburg to Dubai (Abu Dhabi)

Here is my tips:

Quietude is a natural calming medicine, no side effects and wont make baby sleep, but works like a charm

Baby should suck something during landing and take off

No restrictions on any baby products you take along (baby products does not include aerosol,lol)

Bassinet seat is the best for you, there is much more leg space and you have somewhere to put baby while you eat. First come first serve for bassinet, so check in early!

If you are taking a stroller, keep it with you till you board (you will be doing a lot of walking in the airports)

Rather take two bags than just one, the lighter the better, I preferred bags on my back

Don't hesitate to ask the flight attendants to help you, they hold baby while you go to bathroom and get your bag for you

Take a nice thick blankie or changing mat to change baby, the bathroom thingie is really awe full (I ended up doing it on the floor)

Relax, the more relaxed you are the more relaxed baby will be

Hi there,

We travelled to Germany with our daughter when she was 6 months old. I dreaded it but it really turned out ok. Regarding your questions:

1. breast or bottle feed her during take off and landing, give her a dummy if she takes one or let her suck on your finger (maybe put some teething powder on before to improve the taste ). My LG found everything way too exciting though and was not interested in sucking on anything. She didn't seem to be bothered at all about the pressure on her ears.

2. You can take boiled water with you on the flight but there's really no need to as the flight attendants will be able to provide it.

3. The white noise on the plane helps a lot and has a calming effect on them. If you really want to medicate you can give an appropriate dose of Bennett's colic mix to relax her a bit (recommendation from my paed) or get a mild antihistamine. Just keep in mind that some babies react the opposite way to those meds and get hyped up. If you are breastfeeding, just put her on the boob often, did the trick for my LG.

4. There were 13 (!) infants in the plane on our return flight, but the airline staff went out of their way to get us a bassinet as our daughter was amongst the youngest babies. They were really accommodating and helpful.

Tip: Dress her in layers so you can easily take clothes off and put back on as you go. Don't forget warm socks to make her feel cumfy.

Take some of her favourite toys (if she has any) for comfort/ security and some new stuff to keep her busy and make things exciting.

Maybe take some rescue drops for yourself if you feel really stressed about the flight. Relaxed Mommy = relaxed baby

Good luck!

Hey there.

A few points that helped me.

1. Get her to suck a dummy or bottle during take off, landing and during turbulance. And Cotton wool, if you can keep it in.

2. The flight attendants are very helpful and I am sure wont have a problem getting you water. They have to make tea and coffee any way.

3. Talk to your doc about a mild sedative for her.

4. I found that they were very accommodating with getting me an empty seat. I think for the baby and the fact no one really wants to sit next to a baby.

An extra tip, pack a bag with lots of little things to keep her busy. Little cheap toys, books, things that make noise <but not too much> like rice in a little tub, keys, etc. Things that are mostly new to her.

I will be taking my 6.5 month old daughter on an international trip very soon. It's the first time she'll be on a plane, we're going to the US (going with Emirates via Dubai). Not too worried about the outbound flights as my mom will be with us so that's a big help. But I'll be coming back alone with my daughter and am getting a bit anxious about travelling alone with her on 2 very long international flights on the way back to SA. My concerns are as follows:

1. How can I prevent earache - adults normally chew or swallow to alleviate the pressure in their ears during take-off and landings so do I just give my daughter a bottle during those times? Is there preventative medicine that I can use?

2. I need pre-boiled water to make her formula bottle while on the plane, but now there are air regulations that limit the amount of liquids, aerosols & gels u can put in your hand luggage. Is my best bet to just ask the air staff to boil water as soon as we get on the plane and just keep it one side for us?

3. Is there something I can give my daughter that will let her sleep during most of the flight/s?

4. On one of the legs, I was unable to secure a bassinet seat - how easy is it to travel with a baby on your lap for an entire flight? Are airlines generally sympathetic to single travellers with infants and try to get an extra empty seat in the event that all bassinets are taken?

Would appreciate all practical advice on the issues I've raised above. Also, if you have any other helpful tips then that would be great too.