rjque

This is for a baby that is at most three weeks old? Flying at that age is an absolute breeze, unless your baby develops colic. If that happens, I'd talk to a doctor about ways to minimize crying. In the absence of colic, I'd go ahead and fly J - it is unlikely the other pax will even notice that there is a baby on board, since crying can almost always be quickly remedied by giving the baby one of the very limited number of things it wants at that age.

lost*in*cyberspace

I'm assuming that you don't own a pair of noise cancelling headphones? You can clearly hear a baby crying or people talking when using them. They are not noise blocking. I also find it a bit insulting that you think "kettles" or paid F can't afford these.

OP, if your child cries for extended periods of time, yes, it's going to be extremely irritating to other passengers. However, if you do everything you can to soothe him/her, what else can you do?

lost*in*cyberspace

OP said it could be an infant or a toddler.

rjque

You're right - I saw that he or she was adopting and missed the infant or toddler part, since my own adoption experience was a newborn. My post really only applies to a newborn.

PWMTrav

Not at all. We did it just fine when our daughter was a baby and we do it with her as a toddler now too.

phkc070408

Thank you all for your encouragement with this. I certainly appreciate the help, and it is always a plus getting an answee you like.

Also Mr. Moderator, thank you for moving this to the appropriate location. I've never posted outside of the UA forum and never considered it.

Folks: Please feel free to keep the discussion going. I'd love to hear more POVs, as well as responses that I like.

IAD1k

Congrats on such an important life event! I can tell you from my own experience (which is plenty with a 4 y/o who's flown 100k miles so far and a 2 y/o who's flown roughly half of that mostly in BF on long haul int'l and some F domestic), that although it is not as easy as flying by yourself (duh!), it is not such a hard venture. I've done several of those trips as well with the 2 kids by myself (and being a guy the FAs seem to be extra attentive for some reason, even "customizing" menus for my kids). Everything I’ve read in this forum is true.
some of the must haves/dos for me are 1) get plenty of books, new and favorites as well as manageable toys (don't take anything with too many pieces or too small that might fall under the flat bed), 2) take some snacks and treats (again, manageable, avoid stuff that can get messy like yogurt unless in a pouch, finger foods are great), 3) take a tablet and preload it with games, movies or cartoons that they like (or you guess they might like but don't count on wifi), old and new ones, that will keep them entertained for a while. I have to bend the rules on screen time here, but it's worth it, 4) time zone changes are a b!tch on children, so go to CVS or local pharmacy and get melatonin tablets for kids (good for >2 y/o). These are OTC dissoluble pills, it helps them fall asleep; you give it to them 30 mins prior to their normal nap or bedtime and works like a charm. finally, even though we all want to be considerate to others, you cannot be everything to everyone, and your kids are your priority, so do what's best for them and the rest will follow. I’ve had my share of frowns and bitter faces from other adults in BF, just by walking in and taking my seat with my young kids (once an older woman seating behind us on an 11-hr overnight flt called the FA to ask if children were allowed in BF, in a loud voice and bitter tone, by the next morning she was complimenting me on how well and quite the kids were on the flight). Never let that deter you from flying with your kids in whatever cabin you want (or can afford). My 4 y/o has been to more foreign countries that the average American and I know that’s more enriching than any other local experience or Disneyland trip I could offer.

Erasmus

All of us (well, in this forum, anyway) have been there. Traveling with young kids is a crap shoot. The younger they are, in general, the more likely things will go great and they'll sleep the whole way. Sometimes, you get unlucky and they scream like a banshee. Everyone will be hoping you can get the kid to quiet down--you most of all!

That said, IMHO you should book the cabin you want. UA certainly does not restrict kids from the forward cabins. For my family, J makes the most sense: comfortable for the parents, yet not paying for F luxuries you can't enjoy because you're too busy monitoring the kids. Keep in mind the cabin choice is mainly about you: the kids (especially infants) will generally do fine in any of them.

All this is presuming you're getting a seat for the child. If you're planning on doing a lap child, things change up considerably. In particular, some kids are fine in lap, some can't stand them. If you get one of the latter (as we did), you may be far more comfortable in Y where you can afford the extra seat then in J with a squirming child for 14 hours.

PWMTrav

Assuming we're talking UA here, do they do bassinets in business?

It's funny, given the retirement of "old" business class products, we're finding it increasingly hard to book them with a toddler. The shift to very private herringbone and reverse-herringbone layouts basically means our daughter isn't within arm's reach, so we're flying coach more.

I'll miss the Air France 777 J config in 2-3-2 when it's gone. That middle section is perfect for a family of 3 with a toddler. The middle seat is basically a fort to anyone under the age of 5.

Doc Savage

If you pay for the seats, sit wherever you choose.

Hope everything goes very smoothly for the whole family!

Erasmus

Agreed. The 3-across J cabin is perfect when flying with a toddler; (un)fortunately they have gone they way of the dodo on most modern carriers. These days, however, we are a family of 4, so 2+2 works for us Herringbone is definitely not as convenient with kids, but in general it allows for much nicer seats, so I won't complain.

DirtyDan

I concur that there are far worse things than the cry of an infant onboard a plane. Listening to someone whinge about the poor service after they've gleefully gloated about getting the cheapest ticket they could is one...


Advice from friends with a 2 year old: You may have better luck reigning in the wanderings of a toddler in the bulkhead of Y. In C cabin he was free to run...

phkc070408

(S)he will have their own seat.

On the type of plane we'll be traveling on, yes. They are in 8AB and 8KL on the 2 cabin pmCO 777-200s. I don't believe any of the pmUA equipment has them.

pindi

We did exactly what you are planning to do. We went to India to adopt our (then) 14 month old daughter. I returned alone with her 2 months later (she was 16 months old). I too had a business seat on pmCO 777-200 (DEL-EWR). I was on an award ticket - paid 10% of J fare for her. Thankfully, J wasn't full. I had the entire bulkhead row to myself (next to a window). I make a bed for her on the floor using the nice comforters provided - she slept for 10 hrs. I just had to hold her whenever the seat belt sign came on.

She did not feel well after waking up (threw up etc) - so that was a bummer. But being in J helped me a lot as I had space to deal with the situation and wasn't too stressed out.

Good luck!!!

Exec_Plat

Echoing the sentiments above. Be considerate of your neighbors, all you can do.

Years ago my wife and I tool our 16mo daughter on a trip to Europe. We came down to dinner at a small hotel/restaurant in Alpenzel switzerland. The fellow went to seat us and I said "could we get a table away from the other guests?" He looked at me quizzically and said "Are you antisocial?" I chuckled and said "our daughter is colicky and I dont want her to disturb the others". He looked at me and said "Babies cry, thats what they do, It will be fine"


and it was.

22 years later it left an indelible impression.