Need tips for flying transatlantic with a 2 year old
 

Hi everyone,

If anyone has some experience with this issue, I would love to get some ideas and tips... I usually travel alone, on business trips.

I am traveling with my wife and 2 year old son on a 12 hour transatlantic flight from TLV-EWR and then 5 hour domestic flight from EWR-SFO, all in cattle class. The kid is not 2 years old yet, so we bought him a lap child ticket. The transatlantic segment is pretty full in economy, and is a day flight... I have managed to reserve 16J and 16L for my wife and myself on the 777-200, hoping that no one will take the middle seat, and as a tall person, I will still get to enjoy the leg space on the aisle seat towards BF.

Any feedbacks will be greatly appreciated.
Dan

My first tip would be to purchase that middle seat on a reduced infant fare for your child. 12 hours holding 30 pounds of wriggling kid gets tiring and I look at it as a safety issue. Kid is strapped in their own car seat that is strapped into the plane seat and everyone is happy in case of unexpected turbulence. Your seats are great for legroom, but there is no under-floor storage, so you'll have to pack everything up above for take-off and landing. Other tips:
1) Bring spare drinks, diapers, pacifier, food etc. in case of delays or flight cancellations
2) Bring plenty of distractions - toys, DVD player, bribery snacks
3) Bring $20 worth of drink coupons for the poor guy sitting in that middle seat as he will definitely deserve it.
4) Check this "travel with kids" forum for further advice:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forum...ysprune=&f=221

Dude-

You gotta buy (or use miles) for that middle seat. I have my first on the way this December, but the thought of 12 hours then another 6 hours of a kid on my lap sounds like torture!! The flight in Y is bad enough by yourself....

You all sound very reassuring... ;-) Seriously, I appreciate your responds.

I was trying to avoid paying the full price ticket, by buying the lap child ticket in the first place. I see people flying with infants all the time on that route and I might still get a seat for him... I have certainly pulled every string that I got for trying to keep the last vacant seat on the flight next me, so I really hope it will work.

Regardless, I remember infants sleeping on the floor in front of the bulkhead using pillows, blankets, etc... Is that not possible anymore?

Not to be negative but...
 

The first time I flew with my son at 2.5 months I tried the same middle seat trick except I picked the absolute last row in coach, just in front of the lav which is much more likely to remain vacant. It was a EWR-FLL flight and one of the 3 empty seats on the plane was between my wife an I. A perfect plan and execution and my son was able to sleep in the seat between us.

On the return we were in the last row again but this time the flight was packed. At the last second they filled our middle seat with a large biker dude. He took the aisle but holding a child for the 3 hour flight was difficult. I couldn't move at all, not even to eat or grab something from the carryon. I always bought a seat for my son since that day.

Trying to hold a 30lb child would be *extremely* tough on everyone and I think you will probably loose that gamble with the middle seat. From my experience once kids are at that cruising/walking stage they want to explore everything and they will not want to sit still unless you have conditioned him to be held for such a long time. Kids are different but at 2 y.o. in his own airline seat without the car seat my son could open the belt or wiggle his way under it to get to where he wanted to go. It is only recently (now 2.5yrs +) that I am starting to travel without the seat.

Good luck whatever you choose to do and please post your experiences after your flight.

Keba

Thanks! As for the experience, I can post it right now:

Scenario A - I had a vacant seat between us, and it was fine. We all felt very comfortable, and my son slept through most of the flight. So did we. I am telling you, I am so glad that we didn't pay the extra money for the full price ticket.

Scenario B - I can't feel my legs, and my head aches. It is DEFINITELY the last time I pull this stunt, and next time I am buying a seat for him. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to waste a day of my once-a-year leisure trip and sleep it over.

1. Buy the middle seat for your child. You're talking about a grueling trip; you're going to need the room.

2. Buy a portable DVD player with kiddie videos. You might also get an extra battery for it since you'll need as much power as possible. The video player's a great distraction.

3. Take along some liquid Benadryl and liquid Tylenol. The Benadryl is a sedative, will help the kid sleep; Tylenol for earaches.

4. Don't give your child a drink for 30 minutes or so before takeoff and then give them their sippie cup AS THE AIRPLANE IS TAKING OFF (and be sure to wait to give them their drink until the pilot revs the engines on the runway at the actual moment of takeoff--don't give it to them a moment before because you have no idea how long it will take between pushing back from the gate until actual takeoff). Swallowing the drink will help them adjust their ear pressure and avoid ear pain as the plane gains altitude.

5. Take plenty of extra clothes for your child and an extra set for yourself, too--diapers leak, kids vomit (on themselves and you), etc.

Quick notes:
1) Buy the middle seat
2) Test out Benadryl before the flight - it sends one of my kids off to sleep within 30 minutes but makes the other hyper and agitated, not a prime condition for your journey.

dimetapp

Ok, I am back, and here is my experience:

The outbound flight from TLV to EWR was awesome. We got row 16 JKL for ourselves, so my kid had his own seat. He was awake throughout the flight except for two hours that he slept (noon nap). Our luck was that we had another couple with a baby next to us (16 DEF) that was about the same age as my son, so they ended up playing together all the time...

On the connecting flight to SFO, again, we had the extra seat in our row, so my son slept between us all the flight. Five hours without any problems.

Flying from LAS to FLL through Houston, I got an upgrade and so did my wife and son (wife as a companion), so the FC seats and space were more than enough.

Flying back to TLV started in PBI, where again, we all got upgraded on the leg from PBI to EWR and it was great.

On the flight from EWR to TLV, the flight was packed and we had someone seating next to us in 16 ABC, but with some luck we managed to move to 17 DEF where we had the whole row, so again - my son could sleep between us.

To sum it all up, I got away with it... If I had to re-think the whole itinerary - I would have definitely bought him a seat, and that is what I will do next time he flies with me.