What I packed for my 7 week old for 12 hour overnight flight

Long gone are the days when I used to travel with my stolen business class pack of moisturiser, fancy eye mask and homeopathic spray....  For my 7 week old I packed the following (am not breastfeeding)

• Nappy bag with 8 nappies, wipes, nappy sacks
• 6 sterilised bottles
• 2 pots containing 3 servings each of Aptamil powder
• Premade Aptamil formula in carton (on HK side they let me carry them through and UK side I had preordered them at the Boots airside)
• Grobag
• 2 spare sleepsuits
• Blanket
• Hat
• 2 muslins
• 3 material bibs

What I packed for my 2.5 year old for 12 hour overnight flight

I recently flew back to the UK and got the overnight BA flight from HK which leaves around midnight.  Although I had a backpack for my own hand luggage, this is now taken up with things for the baby so I ended up using my daughter's Trunki for most items (very useful!)

• DVD player, headphones & DVDs (didn't use this at all as she watched the TV)
• Sticker book (brilliant)
• 1 book
• Pyjamas
• 3 sleep nappies (I will write a post about travelling with potty trained child)
• Cereal bar (BA had raisins etc that I gave to her on the plane)
• Her teddy bear
• Calpol
• 1 plastic bib

I forgot to pack her water bottle so just bought her some Evian at airport when she started to get thirsty.  Other than that I think this time I finally packed quite sensibly!

I heart my Trunki!

What a brilliant invention the Trunki is.  My parents bought one for Daisy for her 2nd birthday but I feel that only now (she's 2 and 8 mths) is she really able to use it.
The only downside is if they are too young to be able to carry it themselves and therefore you end up with another piece of hand luggage.
Now on to the positives:
-  Loads more hand luggage space for you (this came in most useful with all the bottles I was carrying for the baby)
-  Fun games in the airport with her sitting on the Trunki and me pulling it
-  Somewhere for her to sit
- Introducing her to the concept of packing and having her own bag - she was very excited about selecting some books and games for the plane

Flying short haul with a 6 month old - London to Stockholm BA!

My sister and her husband took my gorgeous niece away for a weekend to Stockholm from London.  Here's her flight review full of some top tips:

We booked British Airways to fly from London for a weekend in Stockholm with our 6 month old baby.  Infants get their own luggage allowance, and at Heathrow you can take the buggy all the way to the plane.  On our return flight from Arlanda airport we had to check our buggy in and were given an airport buggy to use until we boarded.  This was a bit annoying (no bag/clips on it to hold a bag) and was a very basic buggy and may have been uncomfortable for a very small baby.  On the positive side our buggy was wrapped very securely in a big plastic bag so I was less worried about it being damaged during the flight.

In my hand luggage I had several pouches of food, cartons of milk, sterilised bottles and a sippy cup of water.  I also preordered some formula and food pouches at the airside Boots just in case this was taken away from me at security.  If you plan to do this they are very helpful (even talked me through all the different flavours of food on the phone) but make sure that you call at least a week in advance.  At Heathrow they have a special lane for families to go through security which was great on a quiet Friday morning during termtime, but probably a nightmare during school holidays.  At both Heathrow and Arlanda I was asked to taste one food pouch and to sip from the water cup, but I did not have to open the cartons of formula.  At Heathrow our little girl was asleep as we passed through security so they didn't ask us to take her out of the buggy, just took it the side and searched it thoroughly.  At Arlanda I had to carry Abbie through the x-ray machine, and when I set off the metal detector a member of staff insisted on holding Abbie while I was checked.  This wasn't strictly necessary as my husband was just behind me - I found it quite irritating but I think that she just wanted to have a cuddle with a baby!

At the gate at Heathrow while everyone was waiting to board, a member of staff ushered us straight to the desk and changed our seat numbers so that two of us could have a full row of three seats to stretch out on.  We checked in the buggy at this point and walked straight onto the plane, no stairs.  At Arlanda the staff weren't so friendly when we asked to move seats and said that we had to remain in our assigned seats as infants are specifically put in certain rows on the plane.

The flights themselves were easy, although Abbie is now too big to just lie across my lap for the whole journey.  She sucked on a bottle or dummy for takeoff and landing - if you are using a dummy it's a good idea to take a dummy clip to stop it from falling on the floor and rolling around the plane.  The staff onboard were lovely, even giving Abbie a view of the flight deck when we got off in Stockholm.  

Back in business! (sadly not talking the plane version)

Hooray, it's so nice to finally be updating this! Which means I've had my 2nd offspring and started travelling again.
My 2nd daughter was born in early October and with my brother in law's wedding on the horizon it meant her very first long haul flight at a tiny 6 weeks old...  I'll update that trip later but the next post will be from my sister who's turning my niece into something of a jetsetter...

My sister's review of her first flight (Ryanair) with a 4 month old

Being heavily pregnant, I've been sadly lacking any travel so having to live vicariously through others!  My sister and her gorgeous daughter Abbie recently took a trip from the UK to France and I asked her to review it below.....

 

At first we were reluctant to book a holiday with our newborn, especially given how much stuff we have to pack just for an overnight stay at the grandparents.  However, everyone kept telling us how easy it was to travel with a baby that isn't even crawling yet, so we bit the bullet and I'm so glad we did.  We flew Ryanair from London Stansted to Bergerac and stayed in a farmhouse we found via www.babyfriendlyboltholes.com.  Here are some things that we discovered along the way: 

- Luggage.  On Ryanair you are allowed one collapsible pushchair for free (we took our Mothercare My4 pram) and you can pay extra for 'infant items' such as a carseat or travel cot.  We took our own car seat for ease (it also fits onto the chassis of our pram) and peace of mind, and packed it in a car seat bag (available from www.kiddicare.com).  They didn't check inside the car seat bag for other items, so you could chance it and put some additional luggage in there too.  Don't forget a pound coin for the luggage trolley at Stansted, and bring your own transparent resealable clear plastic bags for liquids in your hand luggage, unless you want to part with more cash.  And no, they wouldn't let me use a nappy sack instead! 

- Airport security.  At Stansted they searched the buggy by hand, whereas at Bergerac they put it through the x-ray.  Rules on liquids seem to vary.  At Stansted I decided not to stress about taking liquids through so I packed a sterilised bottle in my hand luggage and bought a carton of formula from Boots (they stock plenty of Aptamil and you can phone in advance to reserve some).  At Bergerac I took several cartons through security and was not asked to open them.   

- Changing and Feeding.  Stansted have a number of baby changing rooms, with private areas for feeding.  At Bergerac this was much more basic, with a baby changing mat in the middle of the ladies toilet.  We took sterilising tablets with us which were very easy to use each day.   

- Flying.  We paid extra for Priority Boarding, which was worth it just for not having to rush to the gate and stand in a queue, although I imagine that they let families with small children board pretty quickly anyway.  We used a Baby Bjorn to carry her and left the buggy at the bottom of the steps.  I have heard of some people packing the buggy in a special bag.  We didn't have one, but we did pull the raincover over in order to protect the carry cot a little.  The flight itself was completely fine, our baby fed or sucked on a dummy for the whole flight and barely seemed aware of anything that was going on!  On the way out and on the way back the buggy was there at the bottom of the stairs for us.  

Aeroplane travel with a bump! (pregnancy not the turbulent kind)

I have flown during both of my pregnancies from as early as 4 weeks to as late as 33 weeks.  Although I fly often, I am absolutely petrified of flying and normally I like to take a lovely combination of sleeping pills & wine to get me through!  However, whilst pregnant I get to enjoy(!) flying naturally again and here are some tips:

• Check with your airline how late you in your pregnancy they will take you
• Check with your insurance how late in your pregnancy you can travel
• After about 20 weeks + of pregnancy and when you are really showing, I think it's definitely worth getting a doctor's note permitting you to fly.  You will most certainly need one anyway if you are flying over 27 weeks.  I have been asked numerous times at check in to produce one
• Parade your bump at check in. Sometimes it might get you a better seat or even upgraded!
• For long haul flights get proper support stockings that reduce risk of DVT
• Drink lots of water
• Bring lots of snacks
• Move around on the plane

I know some people are concerned about flying whilst pregnant but if you read any medical websites, they will all say it's perfectly fine.  They do suggest the best time to fly is between 14 to 28 weeks when the risk of miscarriage and premature labour are lower.  As with all my travel advice, I can only say if you are feeling good - go for it!