Bassinet pros/cons
 

My husband and I are flying ewr-syd next week on AA & QF with two children, 8 months and 2 years. We have purchased three seats, but it looks as though (after checking expertflyer) we may end up getting to choose between the bulkhead with a bassinet or 4 seats together not at the bulkhead. I am wondering if it would be better to have the four seats with armrests that raise up, or the space and convenience of the bassinet at the bulkhead? We plan to bring one car seat.

Any advice or opinions? I am also open to any other tips for making this adventure a success. I have read through the posts in this forum and gotten several good ideas -- I know when we have flown before domestically the amount of time I spent planning and packing was the biggest factor determining smooth travels.

Thanks,
Sara

I think it depends on how active your 8 month old is. If they are very active they will not want to stay in the bassinet. OTOH, if they are to the type to sleep on planes and long car rides then you may be better off with the bassinet.

You mention that you only bought three seats and then say that you might get four together. How are you going to do this? Are you talking about buying another seat, or are you hoping to snag an empty one? On international flights I have never known an airline to give a free empty seat to an infant as they might on a domestic flight. You will have to pay 10% of the applicable fare for an lap child and usu. around 75% for a INS in a seat (sometimes as high as 90%).

For the two year old bring a variety of activities that they like to do, and low sugar/carb snacks.

Have a safe trip!

Check height/weight limits
 

Just a couple of random thoughts:
- If you haven't done so already, it would probably be wise to confirm that your 8mo fits within the height/weight restrictions for the bassinet. I don't remember what the limits were (and I'm sure it varies anyway), but I do remember being asked my daughter's height/weight at check-in when we used the bassinet. I also seem to recall hearing that only babies who cannot pull themselves to a sitting position should use the wall-mount bassinet. I guess that restriction wouldn't apply for the floor type.

- While the seat belt sign is on, I think the baby has to be taken out of the bassinet and held in your arms, so -- just something to think about.

- Personally, I like the bulkhead anyway (regardless of the bassinet) because of the floor space, no seats in front to not kick, etc. On recent flights when my daughter (12 months) starts to get wiggly, I've put a blanket down on the floor and sat with her to play.

- I don't know what kind of car seat you have for your older child, but if it's a Britax, check out the "Gogo Kidz" (sold at www.travelingwithkids.com, among other places) wheels that attaches to the back of the car seat and makes it into a kind of rollaboard stroller. I LOVE this product -- I can check our regular stroller at the check-in counter and have less junk to fumble with during our journey. Then again, I only have one child, so I don't know how this would work with two. I'm interested myself in hearing how others travel with two kids (what equipment you take/check/carry on/etc.)


Have a wonderful trip!!!

We did pay the 10% for the baby and have a paper ticket for him. As far as what I am thinking about getting an extra seat is that the plane has a LOT of empty seats at this point (looks like about 80 at this point in coach) and I do not think too many people at the last minute decide to fly to SYD -- although I could be wrong and the situation on board may be very different when we actulally get on the plane next Thursday. In that case there will be no question -- we will take the Bassinet.

Thanks for the snack tip -- I was not thinking in terms of low carb snacks, but it makes sense.

The flight may still be full on QF as they often stop allocating seats at a certain cut-off - I suggest you ask for the bassinet. An 8 month old should fit - though I would ask on the QF forum for info.

Not every 8 month old sits still!
 

No matter the size of the bassinet, we could not have used one with my son at 8 months - he was already pulling himself up to a stand by then (walking at 9 months) and there is no way we could have actually kept him in the bassinet when he was awake. He started flying at 4 month, and was an experienced traveler by a year - we always used his 5 point restraint carseat, which kept him fairly happy and safe, and took a lot of stress off of us.

He also hated small, confined spaces and would have howled over that aspect of the bassinet, too. He didn't mind being in the carseat because he had a good vew from it. To this day he always dibs the window seat for the view.

Our nine-month old slept well in the bassinet with no problem ... then played in the area around our feet for most of the flight. So I love the bulkhead for that reason.

But not sitting together would be a deal breaker for my wife, I think...

Go for the bassinet. A bassinet for an infant is de facto a J-class lie flat bed -IMHO it is more comfortable for an infant than a seat. We have always travelled using bassinets for our under 2's. We flew from LON to SYD two years ago with our then 4 yr old and our DD2 who turned 2 on the day we arrived back in London - the dates of travel being determined by her birthday. We were travelling J class on MH but DD2 had the flatter bed. On one VS flight LON-MIA we were upgraded from Y to Upper Class (travelling on Con tickets) because the bulkhead seats were overbooked. We are travelling to Oz again next Feb in Y-class on BA, with 4 seats booked for our now 6 and 4 yr old DDs with our (then) 18mth old son in a bassinet. Because of the demand for bassinet seats the 4 seats are split by an aisle or in two rows, two in front of two. Not much use to you on this trip but just to let you know that BA also has a special child seat which may be more comfortable for older infants which can be used in place of the bassinet on the bulkhead (i.e. no seat required).

As you are flying QF here is what their website says about bassinet's:-
If you require a bassinet onboard, you must notify Qantas at the time of reservation. Bassinets may be requested for infants up to 18 months of age, but the recommended age limit for bassinet use on international flights is eight months. The weight limit is 11kg (25lbs). The bassinet size is 71cm x 31cm (28in x 12in). The depth is approximately 26cm (10.5in). Infants paying 10% of the adult fare who are too large for bassinets are not entitled to a seat and must be nursed.

'must be nursed' is British (Australian) for
 

held in arms or on lap. In Australia you will see signs on public toilets that say 'nursing mothers'. It's not only for baby feeding, but indicates an area for baby and child care.

You will find that mothers are highly respected in Australia.

When we went to the ferry to go to the Sydney Zoo, the ticket seller told me to follow the crocodile. (spelling?) She didn't mean the animal, she mean the line of children following their teachers!

We flew IAH-AMS with our 9mo old earlier this summer and had bulkhead row seats and a bassinet. However, we ended up not using it and she slept in our laps the entire trip. As pointed out earlier, its truly a matter of how active your 8mo old is. As soon as he can sit up or pull himself up on his own, I would go for the 4 seats and raise the armrest.