Last November I took my family to Scotland so my wife could see her parents and I could meet them. We flew Northwest to Amsterdam and changed to KLM. We had my 18 month old daughter and we needed a bulkhead because she was on oul laps. (18 hours total trip from my home)We called prior to our trip and were told "no you have to wait untill the day of travel." We called from the airphone and were told, "No you have to wait and do that in checkin." Checkin came and we were told "No the flight is full." Each time we explained we have a baby and need this so we can use the crib. KLM people were very rude and short with our requests. Notrhwest was a gem, the best. Next time I fly to Europe I will fly another airline, sorry Northwest, your partner droped the ball and you loose.

Sorry to hear about all your trouble. Bulkhead seating is really hard to come by especially if flights are full and one is not an elite member. KLM service has been good, and they have been really attentive to children on board. Amenities were plentiful ranging from baby packs (diaper, bib, food, and toy) to toddler packs (coloring books, toy etc.). They also preboard them in AMS. We have travelled this route since our baby was just a few weeks old and we had no problems. We also used AA and UAL and you could very seldom get the bulkhead, especially if not an elite member. It is recommended (if at all possible) to obtain a seat for her. We do this and also bring a car seat as well especially on long haul flights. It really helped! Our impression of the available cribs offered by the airlines was that they were not good. Car seats or infant seats were better.

Thanks for the info. I will try this the next time. Also I likes the airline, just some of the ground employees were not very nice. Borderline rude. The 3 seats will be the only option from now on as she will be 2 in april. If this had been explained to us by anyone durinng our trip we would have been cool with it but nobody took the time.
Thanks again for clearing this up. We will give it another try.