CX business class with 2 children - bassinet or mini-cabin
 

Hi, My husband and I are flying business class on Cathay pacific from ORD to HKG with 2 children - almost 4 yr old and a 9 month old as well as my brother in law. When I called CX to reserve a bassinet, the agent told me that they would probably take it away from me because my son would probably be too big. I went ahead and reserved the bassinet and row 16 seats. Later, I posted to the CX forum asking which seats are best for groups and received advice that the mini-cabin (the 2 rows after first class) would be the best and ended up switching my seats to 11K/12K and 11G/12G and on the way back, we have 11A/D/K/G. However, those seats cannot be used with a bassinet. I'm debating on whether I am making the right decision and was hoping to get some advice from seasoned travelers with kids who have flown on CX business class - herringbone configuration. I'm not sure which will work out better, bassinet or mini-cabin?
Here's a little information about my kids... I'm not too concerned about my older son. I think he'll be happy in his little cubicle as long as he can see us and has entertainment. Right now, my baby is 4 months old and we co-sleep and breastfeed. I don't see any of that changing before this trip. He often falls asleep nursing so I assume that's how he'll fall asleep on the plane. Is it possible to co-sleep in these business class seats without fear of him rolling off the bed? I'm also thinking that the bassinet wouldn't be for sleeping b/c my older son was 29.5 inches at 9 months old and the bassinet is 30 inches long, so assuming they grow at roughly the same pace, that won't be comfortable for him. I was hoping to use the bassinet as a place for my son to sit and play (supervised, of course). Is that even allowed? If I don't use the bassinet, could he sit and play on the ottoman (which becomes the foot of the bed, i think) without any issues? I know there aren't any seat belts there, but I'm thinking just for a few minutes to give my lap a break.. Or are we allowed to let kids sit on the floor (i could bring a playmat for the ground)? Some of these may sound like ridiculous questions especially from a safety perspective, but I have read posts that lead me to believe parents do this.
Thanks so much for the advice.. I've been tormenting myself about this and someone suggested I check this forum, which I didn't know existed until now :)

I wouldn't recommend a bassinet for a child that large. In terms of co sleeping, you might consider investing in the baby b'air or bring a sling that he could snuggle in so that he does not fall off the seat.

I haven't flown this particular airline but I I've been able to cosleep in business class seats on United; you just let the baby sleep on top of you. There is no way otherwise we could have fit in the seat (not enough room for us to be side-by-side).

United has a mini-cabin configuration on some of their long haul routes and we used this for a trip from Washington DC to Perth Australia via Narita and Singapore. I definitely recommend it. We let our then 13-month old son play on the floor as long as the seatbelt sign was off.

If you use the bassinet, you will have to take the baby out if the seatbelt sign goes on. Which means that if you are both asleep, you will have to wake up, move the baby to your lap, hopefully not wake the baby, get comfy, and fall asleep again.

In short, I would have made the same decision you did!

Not sure if CX's rules are different but you can place your baby on the floor. Please stay with him and survey him (don't fall asleep). Sometimes babies crawl away and can get hurt underfoot. That happened on my flight twice. Mom fell asleep and baby went exploring. Luckily, neither was hurt (in fact, I kind of had to wrestle one of them from the back row who were passing him around, playing with him).

Don't let the baby sleep on the floor because in turbulence, they can hurt their heads.

If you use a sling or wrap, that works much better than any Baby B'Air. I've been able to sleep in economy seats with my baby in a sling.

Btw, you didn't ask for advice on this but try to build up your supply before leaving. Don't rush around last minute and stress. Get a good nights' sleep. I found flying made my supply dip but it comes right back up, as you probably have noticed, if you've flown before with your older child.

Thank you for the responses..
I hadn't even thought to use my sling for some reason.. i have a meitai, maya wrap (ring sling), moby wrap.. which would work best? but just to make sure I'm understanding.. is the suggestion that i sit up and sleep with him in a sling, or i lie down and sleep with him in a sling on top of me - face to face... is that right? I was also thinking of buying an ergo for this trip because we'll probably be walking around a lot..

when you say to try to build up supply.. what do you suggest? I've always had supply-paranoia.. so i try to stay hydrated, eat oatmeal, avocadoes, eggs.. do you have other suggestions?

thanks again for all the help!

Not the Mei Tai but the other two could work. The ring sling might be easier to get in and out of. I found the ring sling to be the best breastfeeding coverup and your Maya is better than the one I had.

Also can't advise on whether to be all the way lying down or not. Never had a fully reclined seat with a lap baby. Logically, an almost reclined position would probably work best but work it out when you're on board. It also depends on how you normally sleep. On the side or stomach wont work well with a baby in the same chair!

Basically, the only thing you need to do to build up your supply beforehand is to keep hydrated and not overdo it before you go. Try not run around shopping the day before or stay up to midnight packing (guilty of both here!) Also, try to keep drinking during the trip. So easy to forget with all the check-in, security, boarding hooplah. I bring a small bottle before which I finish before security and then either refill it or buy a new one after security.