[jolimum]

We have six kids! and have travelled over seas twice with the kids. I recommend more stickers than you can poke a stick at! and not toys that will roll off the tray table (learnt on 1st trip) Also since having the twins, you just can't head to an airport with a newborn unless you have a native style baby sling!!!
we also found for the todler and older kids that poppers (like sippy juice drinks with the closeable mouth piece) really helpful - as they could swallow during take off, when they are too young for gum. Mind you... we snatch them back as soon as we've taken off or you end up in the plane loo later in the trip!
lol

This post has been edited by jolimum: 21/04/2009, 11:26 AM

[lcc76]

We just returned from 3.5 weeks travelling around Europe with little miss two, so while it's all fresh in my mind, I thought I'd report back on what we found..

- We ended up borrowing an Ergo and it was fantastic. We also borrowed a quicksmart stroller - which packed up small for a stroller, but wasn't much use for us at all because most of the places we went had cobblestones. It became just another annoying thing to carry.

- We also took our car seat onto the plane, which was great because dd loves sleeping in it, but annoying again to lug around for weeks. We only ended up using it about 5 times in cars on the whole trip. Other than the very first flight from Brisbane, we had constant battles with airlines (we used Qantas, Cathay, and FinnAir) to reassure them that we had gone through the proper process to get the seat registered. The airline staff kept panicking that it needed to be installed by 'an engineer' who was never available! What worked best was to reassure them we had installed the seat on planes dozens of times before, offer to do it ourselves, and let their 'engineers' check it. Strangely the engineers never appeared but everything was fine.

We also bought 2nd hand 'Video Now' from Ebay - they're apprently not sold new here anymore, but it was made for toddler hands and has a little tiny screen so the AA batteries lasted for hours and hours (I think about 5) and could easily be replaced in-flight, which made it a better option than a DVD.

Hope this helps somebody else.

[luvmybubs01]

We are travelling to Thailand with a 6 month old, staying in Phuket for 5 nights and Koh Samui for 5 nights..This will be our 3 time visiting....is it worthwhile buying a stroller over there? Also I am having trouble finding a hotel in Koh Samui that offers a hotel room that can sleep more than 3 any suggestions? One more thing...what do we do about a car seat?
Thanks

[smithy2008]

Don't overpack!! Take the essentials and be prepared but don't go crazy. Carrying too much luggage plus children is a nightmare (I talk from experience!!)

And if your baby has a dummy, buy a dummy saver that attaches to baby as you can't steralise dummy's that fall on the ground on a plane or in the airport!

And if you're breastfeeding and nervous about how close you have to sit to strangers, get a breastfeeding cover. I saw an article online a few weeks ago and bought both from www.kisskisshughug.com.au.

Pretty trendy and did the job.

[wideweb]

Here is a website that has some tips.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm

This post has been edited by wideweb: 14/06/2009, 06:07 AM

[stripedgiraffe]

We took DS to the UK at 5months - after taking him out of the bassinet the first time the seatbelt sign came on (as PP said, RIGHT as he had gone to sleep!) he screamed for 40 mins and instantly stopped when we could put him back again. So DH had a chat to staff and said we would take full responsibility for anything happening but we were NOT taking him out again. We didn't have any major turbulence and I did hold my hand between his head and the wall a few times, but don't be afraid to ask / tell them - it was much nicer for everyone on the plane to leave him in. (This was 3 years ago, may depend on who you are flying with and any bad experience individuals may have had).

[peasandcorn]

For each flight we go on, we first check www.seatguru.com and then request the best seating that would suit us, we have not been let down yet! It makes the trip a whole lot more comfortable if you are aware of where you'll be sitting and how much space will be around you.

We wrap the kid's toys up in wrapping paper so it takes them a while to get it open first. Even the crayons get wrapped up! The kids love opening them and it keeps them occupied for longer.

[unwind]

Hi Cau, thanks for that website link. Just a few questions.. how and when do I request seating?

Any other time I've flown, I've just been allocated to a seat. However now with a 2 year old, I think it would be great to be organised and know where we will be seated.

Thanks

[ingrid74]

Just had to comment about taking a car seat on the plane. We just returned from Germany with a 2 year old and 3 month old. We also took 2 year olds car seat on the plane as we knew we would need it in Germany anyway (staying with family). It was great on the plane as she slept much more soundly and comfortably. Same problem as PP poster mentioned though. Make sure you have preapproval and stand your ground if they question you. No different than putting it in a car. We were also lucky that we had the bulkhead just behind business class with the bassinet and plenty of room. If u book early enough request these seats.
Another new thing they have only recently introduced is that with the bassinet, the baby can stay in it if they are on the ground with turbulence. We found it worth while to just start with the bassinet on the ground so bubs didnt have to be disturbed at all. Take a bit of extra padding for the bottom of the bassinet though as its the the most comfortable thing for bubs.

[mapleleaf]

I do the following with my BD9 when flying long distance ie Perth - Canada.

1. Pack a spare change of clothes and undies. Also travel tissues, babywipes and hand sanitiser.

2. She wears a nighttime pull up just in case we encounter turbulance and she is busting for a wee and has an accident ( hasn't happened yet but she feels more "secure" ).

3. She takes her DS ( with headphones! ), a book, a puzzle book and a colouring book and some pencils.

4. I always pack snacks for her.

5. We normally pick a window seat so she can sleep propped against the wall but we have pre-booked aisle seats for our next flight so that we don't need to climb across fellow passengers every 30 minutes. We have also pre-booked seats that are close to the toilet.

6. I have a child safety strap that attaches from her wrist to my mine for when we are rushing through a busy crowded airport ( this is a godsend, both she and I feel much more comfortable knowing we can't become seperated and lost ).

7. We take her favourite teddy bear with a luggage tag tied around it's neck with our Australian contact details and the promise to refund the postage if whoever finds can post it back to Aus for us .

8. The trip is much easier if they have their own tv screen!