Yesssss!! It looks like travel is coming back.

So what travel updates do we have for you at this time. We’ve travelled with an infant.

Nikita’s travel diaries:

1. Dubai – 5hrs – 4 months old

2. Bangkok – 11hrs- 5 months old

3. Morocco – 3hrs – 7 months old

4. Cape Verde – 5hrs – 9 months old

Let’s talk about what we’ve learnt – information we would have wished was all in one location for us.

So here it goes.

Family queues

It’s so nice sometimes to get that little bit of convenience at the airport – there’s a separate queue for families which is nice because it’s not always as long as the normal queues and you often also get to go onto the airplane first so those little things matter.

⁃ Bassinet seat

Some aircrafts have a facility called a bassinet seat, like a little crib you can put your baby in while she sleeps so you can have a little me time.

– Economy or Premium economy – the business options don’t have this. firstly depending on how old your child is, you need to decide if you will be booking a seat for her or not (ours is a girl so I’ll use her throughout but also applies to him of course). Ours was 4 months old on her first flight so she wasn’t quite sitting up herself yet so we didn’t book a seat for her. Instead we requested a bassinet seat . It’s secured to the carriage wall and protrudes out so consequently the seat option you get with that bassinet seat will have extra leg room. The alternative is either buying an additional seat or keeping your baby on your lap for the entire flight (think about meal service). Please make sure you call the airline ahead and early to reserve this bassinet seat even if it means paying a little more to secure that seat (looking at you Qatar airways).

⁃ If your baby is older than ours and can sit by herself then we r definitely recommend paying for their own seat even if they’ll sit on your lap for some of the journey, the extra space is really valuable. Additional tip is see if you can ask at checkin for you to sit in a row with no one next to you for your baby’s comfort. They’re often nice enough to give you a row to yourself.

⁃ Speaking of own seat there are baby seat boosters you can purchase to bring in the flight, so a quick search will give you plenty of options.

⁃ Business class – With a seat that can turn into a lie-flat bed at the push of a button, extra storage compartments for bottles and baby wipes, and a TV that won’t hit your baby on the forehead, just having the extra space may be worth the extra cost. There is plenty of room for you to create a little “nook” for your baby to curl up in, while still leaving you space to sit, watch TV, and enjoy a nice meal.

⁃ Travelling with a buggy

⁃ Most airlines allow you to travel all the way to the cabin door with the stroller and then they collect it from you and put it in hold with checked luggage and you can collect it back with your luggage: some even wrap it up into clear bags to keep it safe. Only down side is the buggy is often last to come out of hold 🤷🏽‍♀️

⁃ If your infant is old enough to be in a cabin size foldable pram and you’re willing to pay a little extra for that convenience, there are a number of options available on a quick internet search. Those offer the best convenience especially if you have a connecting flight. Otherwise there are sometimes strollers offered between flights. The ones I saw however were for babies who could already sit up.

⁃ Baby carriers was my preferred choice. Strapped to my chest I felt my baby was comforted and transported conveniently.

Baby behaviour tips

⁃ In flight you’ll be offered an additional seat belt to strap your baby to you. Baby might be fidgety so you may need to loosen it to be able to console your baby and lie her horizontally.

⁃ Take off is hardest on baby’s ears so they need to have something on their mouths so it’s moving and distracting /easing the discomfort – dummy, water bottle, breast – whatever works best.

⁃ Once baby’s settled she fell asleep and I could place her straight in the bassinet for a few hours. If there was turbulence, I had to pick her up and of course she wakes up but overall she slept through most of the flight allowing me also get sleep

⁃ Prior to one flight she was a little unsettled warm tired so with a bit of calpol she fell right back to sleep.

Baby bits

⁃ Some flights especially long haul flights, will give you baby food like Ella’s kitchen purées, baby formula etc; some gave extra nappies and wipes which I thought was nice. We even got airline specific baby soft toys.

Friendliness

⁃ we were worried about people frowning at us or showing displeasure with baby on board but we found people were really supportive and kind especially airline staff who couldn’t fuss enough over our baby

Hotels

⁃ most hotels will have cote ready but you must request if you want it and usually there’s no extra room charge ( I would book for 2 adults then call them to inform them there’s a baby coming along too).

– kids clubs are a thing. Look out for hotels with kid friendly facilities like the kids club and water slides and baby pools.

So overall we’ve learnt that the older your baby gets thjugh the easier it is because you already know how to keep them calm, their favourite snacks, their water bottle etc.

Do we recommend travelling with an infant, yes yes yes, having a baby shouldn’t stop your adventures, it just gives you an additional adorable companion whom everyone will dote upon.

That said, Nikita can sit now, she can crawl and is well on her way to walking so we welcome the challenge of travelling with a toddler and will let you know how that goes, until then, happy travelling 😘