Originally Posted by HongKonger

I've flown with an infant in arms on a 77L and found 7A and 7D to be good. The extra flat surface for putting things on will help when you are juggling all the baby accessories with which you will be traveling. The fact that it is also the most "private" because of the wall behind you (14A and D also) means that you can contain the spread of any screaming if you lie the seat flat and put the baby near the headrest portion. It's also near the galley and emergency exit which are spaces you can walk into if you need to do some bouncing/rocking/singing where there won't be other passengers to bother (just be respectful of and defer to crew especially during meal prep and service).

The other good thing about row 7 is that the lavatory next to 7D is the only BE lav with a pull-down changing table. The 2 forward lavs don't have changing tables nor is there room anywhere in those lavs to change the baby. As a fellow parent I implore you, DO NOT change the baby (even if it's just pee) at your seat or anywhere except in the lav!

If the pressure change causes discomfort/screaming, sucking on something, preferably that delivers liquid (like a breast) should help a lot.

Some may suggest giving Benadryl to put them to sleep. I personally would not drug my child to sleep but I understand the thought process. If you choose to try this, test it out in advance of the flight as it can have the opposite effect in infants!

At five months old it may be less important to keep them entertained but when they reach the age that they need to be entertained bring plenty of toys and books so they don't get bored. Bring a few new toys and books they've never had as surprises for them and give a new one every few hours, this keeps them occupied. Worked like a charm for me.

If they are eating any solid food or formula be sure to bring a full supply for the flight time plus some extra in case of delays or whatnot. Same for diapers and supplies. If you are pumping be aware that although there are power plugs they don't always work well with motorized devices such as pumps especially those that weren't made in the USA. Have some pre-pumped, you can take an unlimited amount of breast milk through security. Don't rely on the airline to have anything for the baby!

There are no bassinet attachments in BE. The bassinets are pretty small anyway. An infant will sleep fine in a BE seat that is laid flat though you may need to use some extra blankets/pillows to prevent them slipping in turbulence.

Don't listen to the people trying to get you to buy an extra seat. There is no need to do so for a child under 2 unless you want them to have their own seat. If you are willing to hold the infant for that long it works just fine. Be aware however that the infant in arms ticket costs 10% of the J fare which can be expensive, it was give or take $1000 when I did it.

I used to do the HKG-DTW flight twice a year in BE with an infant in arms (man I miss that flight) and they did just fine. Yours will too, just be calm and patient. Be considerate of other passengers. I mentioned above not to change the baby except in a lav. Also try your best to calm the crying ASAP (I know how hard it is!) or during crying move to an area like the galley where you are bothering as few passengers as possible. There are always people on flights who don't like children and don't think they should be brought into BE. But DL allows them there and you have every right to be there with the baby so don't take any guff from other passengers and complain to the FA if they get in your face (never happened to me but saw it happen to others), BUT always try your best not to bother or inconvenience other passengers. If the flight attendants see that you are trying your best on this they are going to appreciate it and help you out more and will also be more likely to deflect the complaints of other passengers if any.

Please post more questions or PM me if you like.