Lap child on BA J: gets a full meal? Milk?
 

Flying LHR-JFK in BA J with a 16-month old lap child. Will BA load enough food for us to get a full meal for the child? He has a good appetite and could probably eat most of an adult meal. He eats the same food we eat (minus whole nuts and other choking hazards).

We would of course serve it to him carefully without the china plates and knives and forks (if as far as I remember that is how they serve the food) to avoid any damage to the plates or danger to him from the cutlery.

Also: can we assume that BA will be able to provide milk for him to drink? He can drink 6 or 7oz at a sitting probably three times over the course of an 8 hour flight. Of course they load milk for tea and coffee but people won't use that much just for tea.

We would bring milk ourselves but for the fact that the flight is long and not sure how/whether it can easily or legitimately get through LHR security. We can and would bring food for him but since we've paid for his ticket might as well enjoy everything they'll provide for him if they do.

BA do children's meals for those able to eat solids. They can be preordered for flights departing London, not sure about milk, maybe tweet BA to ask

Details here on BA website.

I don't think BA's china is that special! I'd imagine a bit of supervision would be all that's needed, and in that respect, if you discuss this with the crew they will serve meals a bit out of sequence, to allow one of you to eat and the other to supervise. If he essentially eats what you eat, and you're ok with the menu (which will be in Manage My Booking) and can be pre-selected in advance, then that indeed may be an answer.

You can bring milk for, well, babies through security, see the Heathrow Airport rules here:
http://www.heathrow.com/more/help-wi...ty-and-baggage
You can also get milk quite readily in both Boots and WH Smith in T5, usually semi-skimmed unfortunately, though Boots (a) allow milk to be reserved in advance and (b) sometimes do sell ultra-pasteurized full milk.

I am flying BA J LH with a lap child in September and it is my understanding from my research that the 'infant' does not get allocated a meal however there will be a limited selection of baby meals loaded although BA specifically state that you shouldn't rely on these and should take your own.
My plan is to 'pre-order' a childs meal (which is technically 'my' allocated meal) for my son and then I will ask the cabin crew if they would be able to let me have any spare meal available if any.
Another option would be to eat your meal as normal, maybe share a little and then let your child subside on the club kitchen sandwhiches and snacks, some of which are quite healthy.
Hope this helps.
CB

I would take food and milk on board for your child. "Spare" CW meals are not spare - they are the meals allocated for crew.

Do not rely on the club kitchen - it may be crisps and Kit Kats, and again, it is not intended for providing nourishment for an infant / lap child. Research in advance what can be purchased airside at your departure point. At LHR it is possible to buy mill, and food packed ready to take on board, complete with insulated bag and cold pack.

My understanding is also that meals are not included for infant fares. However a) this was from many years ago when I was a travel agent and may have changed now and b) perhaps if there any spare meals the crew wouldn't mind?, notwithstanding the baby foods loaded as mentioned by cbyrne92

Your child will not receive a meal, nor do flights carry enough milk to supply children on board. I would defnitely supply your own food and drink for your child.

Boots airside will have a full range of baby milk. To guarantee they have what you want though you may wish to order online and pick up in store. Do this at least 5 days before travel.
Additionally, they should stock Cravendale whole milk and Yeo Valley Semi Skimmed, depending on availability, in pint sized bottles

This, together with the likes of the Babinets, lounge access and other family related posts might make a BA Family Guide forum thread with a link from the dashboard useful should any well travelled parent wish to help their fellow traveller out.

I believe that's still correct.

Worth remembering that in order to avoid waste, BA now undercater on many flights (notably overnight) and the likelihood of 'spare meals' is increasingly low. I think it would be foolish to count on it and much better to bring the toddler's meal. I believe it is also possible to book a seat for him (at the child fare) in which case the meal would be included.

OK so BA.com says they carry some tinned meals on board but they do recommend that you take your own. Wouldn't rely it though.

I also wouldn't rely on the child meal being suitable for an under 2. Last weeks child meal for my 2 kids had very well breaded and crunchy chicken strips, certainly not something I would have given either of mine at that age for fear of choking. And the mashed potato was actually mac and cheese.

Take your own would be my advice, the last thing you want is a hungry toddler screaming the place down.

Thanks all for your advice!

Taken from BA.com special meals

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb.../special-meals

A few years ago now, but flying J with a baby in a bassinet, we understood that our 14 month child would not receive a meal. As we didn't want to rely on chance, we planned accordingly and brought some tried and tested familiar snacks and food stuffs. There is so much going on in the plane that you probably won't be able to have a 'normal' meal. We managed to stagger our meal a little and Skyline junior enjoyed some veggies and potatoes from our meals. Cheerios are always an excellent standby as well as a 'sippy cup' or something that won't spill. The drink really helps when descending to help alleviate ear pain. Lastly - little OT from food, but small wrapped 'presents' always is a great distractor - matchbox cars, small books, coloring activity sets etc

Thank you everyone for all the helpful advice and for writing back so quickly. The flight isn't for several weeks but I wanted to start planning early.