Travelling with an Infant

[balenoed]

Our little prince has turned just 5 months now and he is all set to travel to my work place in US. Due to official commitment I could not go back to India and pick them, so my wife has to carry my child all the way to US for around 27 hours minimum. That will be her first travel to US with our baby and I am very much concerned about how my wife can carry our baby for 27 hours. I know that most airlines has bassinets / dedicated infant seats, but I could not find any option to book bassinets while making a booking. A call to customers service reveals that I will have to book it in the airport on first come first basis. There is no pre-booking option. So I am very much worried about what will happen if my wife can’t grab a seat with bassinets in the airport.

1) Do any airline provide options to prebook bassinets / baby seats while making a booking?
2) Can anyone share their experience on travelling with an infant and what things we should consider for a smooth flight.

Thanks in Advance !

Mod: Could not a find a suitable thread to push it. If it exists please merge it there.

 

[Prabhagar]

I believe Etihad Airways allows bassinets to be pre-booked, I found in their website here. Please call them up and confirm.
I am sure you have already started checking with your friends/colleagues to identify travel companions. Other than that, you could register in travel forums (like below) to look for a companion with the same itinerary.
Find Travel Companion for international travel - From India to USA - Or Anywhere
https://www.path2usa.com/travel-companions

My daughter traveled when she was 3 months old along with my wife and mom but it was the other way around (US to India). She did fine with the first leg (the 13 hour one) and slept well but the second short leg from middle east to India wasn't peaceful. Another baby in the nearby bassinet was crying a lot and that made my daughter cry as well. Having said that, most infants do not cry or fuss during flights, other than the loud noises that peep into cabin, especially during take off and landing. They will anyways have to be held in hand (buckled with an add-on belt) during these times.

Things you may have to take along:
- Nursing Cover
- Nursing Pillow
- Diaper changing sheet
- Ready to feed milk or supplements
- Medicines for baby (cold, fever, cough, nasal drops, nasal aspirator etc.)

It's been more than a year now, I will check in with my wifey and update if I have missed any other points.

 

[Nanofreak]

Prabhakar has covered most of the points very aptly, a few which I can add:

1. Reach the airport at least 3 hours before, so you can get front seats with the table in front,(in eco class)
2. Carry come cotton to softly plug the ears, as children cry due to hunger, or low air pressure.
3. Even if you cannot manage the front seats, you could always request sitting in the front to change seats.

All the best

 

[balenoed]

Thanks Prabhagar & Nanofreak for the expert advice. Its indeed a great help for me. Checked Etihad and yes its there.Informed the same to my HR and hopefully things will happen as my wish. I just hope my kid does no make much fuss which he generally does when he does not sleep. Great Help Guys !

 

[vikyjoshi]

Thank you guys for suggestions. My champ is 3.5 months and doing his first air journey from pune to hyd. with regards to the bassinet seats and other facilities airline has asked me to look atthe airport itself. So nothing much icould do. I will anyways give a detailed experience with Indigo and how it was.