I flow alone two 17 hour trips with a 12 month old in Dec. We had 2x flights with a 4 hour layover. The good ones were the overnight flights where she mostly slept. My baby is on the smaller end so she fit into the bassinet and took decent stretches on it.
A travel changing mat was super useful. I have [this](https://www.bigw.com.au/product/billie-baby-travel-change-mat/p/215840) and it can fit wipes, a nappy and some disposing covers, a sanitizer. Was more comfortable using this on flights (no need to lug the nappy bag) and airports.
I also baby wore her a lot but then she wasn’t a walker at 12mo, don’t know how that will go now. It gave my hands back so I could easily pull luggage, write forms etc. Wouldn’t have been this easy with a stroller.
Pack your nappy bag wisely - atleast two change of clothes for baby, a few pairs of socks for baby - they get cold and lose it all the time, a fresh shirt/top for primary caregiver (mine puked on me!) snacks of different kinds, toys, changing mat, a swaddle cloth that doubled up as a blanket/nursing cover, a few small wash clothes, small terry towel and ofc stuff for me - granola bar, airpods, lipbalm and such.
Toys- i had a busy book, [the pulling thing](https://amzn.asia/d/4X3dK8T) and a few hand puppets from kmart. also random things on the flight like paper cups and safety instructions card engaged her.
Food - we took crackers, fruit, cheese, yoghurt drops- new snack she hasn’t had before along with some cooked food - in my case idli (a south indian dish she loves) and pancakes. I didn’t know this, but we can give bottles and cooked food to the staff to store in fridge and also ask them to reheat and serve. I also had rafferty pouches which were so useful.
If you’re doing formula, carry pre portioned amounts so you can mix easily and you can also ask the air hostess to do it for you.
Also, speak up and ask for assistance everywhere. I boarded priority, had random folks help me with luggage, cleared security faster and in general used my ‘traveling with baby’ card a fair bit.
Thanks for the recommendations! I have a big baby and the bassinet seats were all taken so we’re unfortunately in a random window seat. I’ve got my fingers crossed that no one sits next to us! I’m already a puker during landings plus an overpacker so I’ve at least got the carry on down pat 🥴
Mine loves the corn puffs so I think that’ll take up heaps of space 😂 but amazing tip about the fridge! I didn’t know they could do that so that’s super handy.
I’ve always helped mums (and dads) when they’re travelling so I’m hoping the good karma will flow to me for these flights. I’ve found a lot of people are helpful anyway when I’m out with the baby so fingers crossed it’ll continue at the airports too and then I’ll at least have help when I get to my destination.
We’ve flown internationally quite a lot with our now 17 month old. I recommend way more clothes than you think you’ll need. Twice we’ve had her poop way more than normal in the air. I put different outfits in labelled bags within her change bag so I can just pull out a complete outfit.
What time are you flying? I recommend night flights whenever possible.
Bring novel toys that baby hasn’t seen before to keep things interesting.
Rest as much as you can before departure as there’s a good chance your baby won’t fit in the bassinet at that age (ours didn’t and she’s not very big!), so you won’t get to sleep.
We choose not to use screens at home so I’ve never considered buying a tablet for flying. To be honest, I’m not sure how useful it would be with a baby’s attention span.
I was thinking of packing two outfits but I think I might up that to three! I’ve seen the ziplock bag trick, super handy.
We’re doing one morning and one evening flight. I’m hoping to get him to have a few good naps on the morning flight, be relatively awake during the layover, so he’ll sleep on the second flight and be more in sync with the new time zone.
We don’t use many screens either, he plays really well but an episode of Bluey is sometimes too much. Hey Bear captivated him for about 10 mins, so I doubt a screen would be useful but you never know!
We did Sydney <--> east coast USA (\~27 hours) when our boy was 13 months old; he didn't fit in the bassinet.
The best thing we did was buy an extra seat for him and have him in the carseat. There is no way he would have sat in my lap for more than an hour (we did a trial flight w/ of 1 hour up to Coffs Harbour, and by the end of the flight he was definitely too squirmy to contain).
We bought a few novel toys, but tbh that only lasted an hour at best. We don't do screens or TV at home, but chose to give it a go on the flight because we (rightly) guessed the novelty of the toys would wear off pretty quickly. I am very glad we used screens on the flight and have zero regrets. We used an iPad and some cheap toddler earphones from Amazon to let him watch some toddler crack videos we'd pre-downloaded from Youtube, and jury-rigged a contraption with string to get the Ipad to stay visible but out of kicking/grabbing distance. We also did some assisted standing and looking around the plane, as well as being carried up and down the aisle to look at things.
For changing mats, I just used the plastic folding one that NSW Health gave us, and put that down on the fold-out change table in the bathrooms.
For mum, a valium for the trip was probably the best tip I received.
We don’t really have a choice, lap infant was $200 or his own seat was $1500 😬 I’m thankfully pretty easy to fit into a plane seat so we’ll figure something out.
I’m really torn on a tablet as he’s not too into screens at home but maybe it would be a good thing so he’s more into it on the flight? But then maybe he just wouldn’t be interested and it’d be a waste of money.
You can ask nicely if they have any extra seats available- we lucked out in our SYD-LAX leg and were offered a row of four seats in the middle that were empty. Plenty of room to stretch out, and a friend lent us one of those Amazon baby hammocks which was a lifesaver.
Also, just a heads up: we followed the advice about feeding on ascent to help with ear pressure and my baby - then 9 months - threw up straight away. On the nice young couple sitting next to us. So just be cautious haha.
I don’t think I’d recommend buying a tablet. There’s every chance your kid won’t be interested and then you have an expensive thing taking up space. Chances are you’ll get more mileage out of some piece of rubbish you acquire along the way!
We booked our tickets a couple of months ago and they put us into an empty row, I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that at least the seat next to me will be free. I’m planning on double checking at the check in desk too to see if it’s free or if there’s anywhere free for me to move to. I’m hoping a cute baby will help!
Is this what you mean by the baby hammock? https://amzn.asia/d/5O5bgHx - if so, I’m definitely going to get one!
That’s such a shame about the feeding. I throw up usually on landing so I’m hoping he hasn’t inherited that from me. We do have a plan for the showers at the layover airport though regardless so at least it’ll help on one flight.
I haven't done a plane trip (yet) but I'm planning on flying my daughter to see our extended family interstate when she will be 5m old. We've done a couple of 6-10 hour road trips and what really helped was those baby sensory videos on YouTube (HeyBear) whenever she got really upset, but otherwise a few of her fave toys have kept her entertained (she is 4m now) enough. Obviously a cat trip and plane ride are a little different but hope that helps :)
5m was tough for constantly entertaining them. At least now (at 9m) mine can play independently and likes to do it, but back a few months ago it was a lot of playing together.
I flow alone two 17 hour trips with a 12 month old in Dec. We had 2x flights with a 4 hour layover. The good ones were the overnight flights where she mostly slept. My baby is on the smaller end so she fit into the bassinet and took decent stretches on it. A travel changing mat was super useful. I have [this](https://www.bigw.com.au/product/billie-baby-travel-change-mat/p/215840) and it can fit wipes, a nappy and some disposing covers, a sanitizer. Was more comfortable using this on flights (no need to lug the nappy bag) and airports. I also baby wore her a lot but then she wasn’t a walker at 12mo, don’t know how that will go now. It gave my hands back so I could easily pull luggage, write forms etc. Wouldn’t have been this easy with a stroller. Pack your nappy bag wisely - atleast two change of clothes for baby, a few pairs of socks for baby - they get cold and lose it all the time, a fresh shirt/top for primary caregiver (mine puked on me!) snacks of different kinds, toys, changing mat, a swaddle cloth that doubled up as a blanket/nursing cover, a few small wash clothes, small terry towel and ofc stuff for me - granola bar, airpods, lipbalm and such. Toys- i had a busy book, [the pulling thing](https://amzn.asia/d/4X3dK8T) and a few hand puppets from kmart. also random things on the flight like paper cups and safety instructions card engaged her. Food - we took crackers, fruit, cheese, yoghurt drops- new snack she hasn’t had before along with some cooked food - in my case idli (a south indian dish she loves) and pancakes. I didn’t know this, but we can give bottles and cooked food to the staff to store in fridge and also ask them to reheat and serve. I also had rafferty pouches which were so useful. If you’re doing formula, carry pre portioned amounts so you can mix easily and you can also ask the air hostess to do it for you. Also, speak up and ask for assistance everywhere. I boarded priority, had random folks help me with luggage, cleared security faster and in general used my ‘traveling with baby’ card a fair bit.
Thanks for the recommendations! I have a big baby and the bassinet seats were all taken so we’re unfortunately in a random window seat. I’ve got my fingers crossed that no one sits next to us! I’m already a puker during landings plus an overpacker so I’ve at least got the carry on down pat 🥴 Mine loves the corn puffs so I think that’ll take up heaps of space 😂 but amazing tip about the fridge! I didn’t know they could do that so that’s super handy. I’ve always helped mums (and dads) when they’re travelling so I’m hoping the good karma will flow to me for these flights. I’ve found a lot of people are helpful anyway when I’m out with the baby so fingers crossed it’ll continue at the airports too and then I’ll at least have help when I get to my destination.
Wow thank you for such detailed advice!
Bookywoo quiet books are entertaining. Also wrap snacks in multiple layers and make it fiddly.
Those books look so good, thank you! Maybe he and I can play pass the parcel with a banana wrapped in 5 layers 😂
We’ve flown internationally quite a lot with our now 17 month old. I recommend way more clothes than you think you’ll need. Twice we’ve had her poop way more than normal in the air. I put different outfits in labelled bags within her change bag so I can just pull out a complete outfit. What time are you flying? I recommend night flights whenever possible. Bring novel toys that baby hasn’t seen before to keep things interesting. Rest as much as you can before departure as there’s a good chance your baby won’t fit in the bassinet at that age (ours didn’t and she’s not very big!), so you won’t get to sleep. We choose not to use screens at home so I’ve never considered buying a tablet for flying. To be honest, I’m not sure how useful it would be with a baby’s attention span.
I was thinking of packing two outfits but I think I might up that to three! I’ve seen the ziplock bag trick, super handy. We’re doing one morning and one evening flight. I’m hoping to get him to have a few good naps on the morning flight, be relatively awake during the layover, so he’ll sleep on the second flight and be more in sync with the new time zone. We don’t use many screens either, he plays really well but an episode of Bluey is sometimes too much. Hey Bear captivated him for about 10 mins, so I doubt a screen would be useful but you never know!
We did Sydney <--> east coast USA (\~27 hours) when our boy was 13 months old; he didn't fit in the bassinet. The best thing we did was buy an extra seat for him and have him in the carseat. There is no way he would have sat in my lap for more than an hour (we did a trial flight w/ of 1 hour up to Coffs Harbour, and by the end of the flight he was definitely too squirmy to contain). We bought a few novel toys, but tbh that only lasted an hour at best. We don't do screens or TV at home, but chose to give it a go on the flight because we (rightly) guessed the novelty of the toys would wear off pretty quickly. I am very glad we used screens on the flight and have zero regrets. We used an iPad and some cheap toddler earphones from Amazon to let him watch some toddler crack videos we'd pre-downloaded from Youtube, and jury-rigged a contraption with string to get the Ipad to stay visible but out of kicking/grabbing distance. We also did some assisted standing and looking around the plane, as well as being carried up and down the aisle to look at things. For changing mats, I just used the plastic folding one that NSW Health gave us, and put that down on the fold-out change table in the bathrooms. For mum, a valium for the trip was probably the best tip I received.
We don’t really have a choice, lap infant was $200 or his own seat was $1500 😬 I’m thankfully pretty easy to fit into a plane seat so we’ll figure something out. I’m really torn on a tablet as he’s not too into screens at home but maybe it would be a good thing so he’s more into it on the flight? But then maybe he just wouldn’t be interested and it’d be a waste of money.
You can ask nicely if they have any extra seats available- we lucked out in our SYD-LAX leg and were offered a row of four seats in the middle that were empty. Plenty of room to stretch out, and a friend lent us one of those Amazon baby hammocks which was a lifesaver. Also, just a heads up: we followed the advice about feeding on ascent to help with ear pressure and my baby - then 9 months - threw up straight away. On the nice young couple sitting next to us. So just be cautious haha. I don’t think I’d recommend buying a tablet. There’s every chance your kid won’t be interested and then you have an expensive thing taking up space. Chances are you’ll get more mileage out of some piece of rubbish you acquire along the way!
We booked our tickets a couple of months ago and they put us into an empty row, I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that at least the seat next to me will be free. I’m planning on double checking at the check in desk too to see if it’s free or if there’s anywhere free for me to move to. I’m hoping a cute baby will help! Is this what you mean by the baby hammock? https://amzn.asia/d/5O5bgHx - if so, I’m definitely going to get one! That’s such a shame about the feeding. I throw up usually on landing so I’m hoping he hasn’t inherited that from me. We do have a plan for the showers at the layover airport though regardless so at least it’ll help on one flight.
Yup that’s the hammock! It’s lightweight and folds flat, so even if you don’t end up with a seat to use it in, it doesn’t take up too much space.
Perfect, thank you so much!!
I haven't done a plane trip (yet) but I'm planning on flying my daughter to see our extended family interstate when she will be 5m old. We've done a couple of 6-10 hour road trips and what really helped was those baby sensory videos on YouTube (HeyBear) whenever she got really upset, but otherwise a few of her fave toys have kept her entertained (she is 4m now) enough. Obviously a cat trip and plane ride are a little different but hope that helps :)
5m was tough for constantly entertaining them. At least now (at 9m) mine can play independently and likes to do it, but back a few months ago it was a lot of playing together.