International Travel - Royal Oak,MI

Hi K.,

I flew to Germany with two kids that I babysat for when I was 16 years old.....they were 3 and 11. I know flights are expensive but you are going to want another seat for your daughter. Althoguht those airplanes are usually larger they still are not large enough. Plus the flight is rather long. If your 11 month old daughter is anything like my 18 month old twin daughers were she is really going to want to stretch her legs....and you all are going to want her off of you for some time.

K.

Hi,

my husband is also from Germany and we were living over there until Sept. this year. I have flown several times back and forth to the States with my girls as they were babies. My advice if your daughter will only be 11 mo. at the time of the trip is to book a seat with a bassinet. Those are in the front row of the economy section, they are basically baskets which hook onto the front wall. The baby can not be in them during take off or landing, but the rest of the time. Just be careful, as a couple of times I have booked one, then not gotten it. So as soon as you can reserve seats do so, and be very specific about wanting a bassinet. Then call again a week or two before the flight to confirm you have one.

If you want to pay extra for a seat for the baby, definately take your car seat on board, it is much safer, especially as she will still be so little. Also you should know, car seats and strollers don't count as your luggage, and if you do buy a seat for the baby you can bring 2 bags and a carry on extra in her name.

Another tip, nurse or give the baby something to drink during take off or landing, as that helps their ears pop and comforts them.

Does your husband speak German with your child? We are trying to raise our girls bilingual but it is hard.

Have a great trip, if you have any other questions you think I could help with you can email me.

C.

K.,

Most pediatrians recommend getting children their own seat and using a car seat (which is nice to have once you get there if you will be in a car). My son would never have let us hold him that entire time. Talk to your pediatrian, they can probably make some recommendations- along with benadryl or tylenol to help her help and a pacifier or something to suck on so her ears don't pop! Good luck and have a fun trip.

Hello. My sister and 14month old niece visited us over the holidays from S. Africa. She did not purchase my niece a seat(also due to cost)but still had to pay a $200.00 fee. Her main concern on the way back home was to pack enough nutritious snacks because the food served on the plane did not agree with my niece. She said that for the most part, my niece walked the aisle and did not want to sit. She did, however, state that as a parent you need to be well rested for such a long trip. Have a safe one!

Hi my name is S. and I am from India and my husband and I have little experience in travelling abroad by flight with a little one.

If your daughter is still small enough to fit into a bassiner given on the flight u May not need to book a seat for her ... BUT if the flight is going to be more than 8hrs and she does not sleep well Please book a seat. it will allow her some room to move around sit and stand and entertain herself and u and your husband can also be a little relaxed instead of holding her in your lap the entire journey.
Book for a front row seat and get to the check in early to get the front row seat.since she is less than a year old her ticket cost should be about 10% of what you pay for an adult.
we did not book a seat once and found it very hard to hold a squirming toddler on our laps the whole trip.

she can even sleep on the seat if she wants will make life little stress free for the parents.

Take care and hope the advice helps.

I traveled to Scotland with my daughter when she was 11 months old. We chose not to buy a seat for her and it worked out fine for us. We brought her car seat with us and had it checked at the gate (you never can be 100% sure if your luggage is going to make it to your destination at the same time you will!). It took her a while to get to sleep, but once she was asleep she was fine. I think at one point we actually put the trays down and covered them with a blanket for her to lay on. None of the flight attendants said anything, if they even noticed. I'm not sure how much weight they can hold, but we did the same again when we flew with our daughter when she was 18 months, and it worked out great both times. Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip!

Dear K.

I travelled with my 13 month baby from India to Michigan. Please don't buy a seat. Car seats cannot be used in plane but you might need them when you land in Germany.You can carry in the plane and store it without any charge with the attendants before intering the plane.Try to take aseat with front space so you can put the bassette and the baby can sleep there. Take the things essential for the baby and even a spare top for yourself in the plane carry on luggage.Consult you doctor for vaccines etc.Best wishes for the travel and enjoy.
Love C.

Hi K., I am a single parent that traveled a lot when my son was under a year old and held him in my arms, but it wasn't easy due to lack of room in the plane. If it's a long trip you may want to have room for yourself to move more freely with a car seat.

Hi neighbor,
I recently flew to TX over Christmas with my son (who is also 11 months). My husband was unable to get out of work for the trip, so just the two of us went, sharing a seat...
I will never do that again. It was hard enough to keep a near-toddler occupied for 2 hours in a confined space, but to not even have room for him to wriggle around a bit was awful. Also, he had a sinus infection on the return flight and tortured the unfortunate man seated next to us. Now, my husband flew with us on a trip back in September (when the baby was less active) and that wasn't as bad since we were able to take turns holding him. Still, on a flight overseas, I can't imagine trying to keep him in our laps. I know the additional seats are very coastly, but in my opionion, if you can swing it, than it is very much worth it to give you child his own space.
also, unless he still fits in an infant carrier, then you can just check the carseat with your baggage (and your stroller at the gate). Hope this helps you in some way. Also, I know we havn't met before, but I know very few other parents in the area with children near my son's age, so if you would ever like to get together for a playdate, let me know.
Happy Traveling!
A. and Jarrett

Hi K.,

I traveled a great deal with my first child and I never bought an extra seat. I had a baby bjorn (sp?) and I carried her in that and held her on my lap on the plane. Also, we brought our own car seat and checked it in baggage claim.