Advice on Flying Internationally

Hi B.,

We flew to Italy when my son was 5 months old. We flew Lufthansa out, and the bassinet was great. I don't know what I would have done without it. You do have to book it ahead of time because it is only available in the bulkhead seats. He had absolutely no problems on the flight out. He sat in there and played and slept great in there too. We flew United home, and that was a nightmare. They are very strict that the baby has to be strapped in whenever he is in the bassinet, and this did not go well at all. He would scream every time I strapped him in, unless he was sound asleep. So I ended up holding him in my arms when he was awake and putting him in only when he was asleep. It was very uncomfortable because the bassinete took up a lot of space and I was very irritable. I don't know what Virgin rules are, but hopefully they will let your baby play in there without having to be strapped in.

Hi B.,

I have not flown on Virgin, but we flew British Airways with my twins when they were 5 mos. old and they did great. At this age they still sleep a lot so that is an advantage. Ours was also an overnight flight, and they hardly made a sound the whole trip. Make sure you have a bottle for take off and landing to help with their ears. I just packed everything. extra clothes, toys and snacks. They will place you in the first row where that wall is. The sleeper folds down from the wall. You can also bring your carseat and check it at the gate. If there is space on the plane they will let you bring it on, then your daughter can be in her own carseat and you wont need the airplane cot. Once we get to the gate I usually just go to the counter and ask if there is room or not. If not, they will give you a gate tag for the carseat and you will need one for the stroller too if you bring it. If there is room they can change your boarding pass to a row that has an extra seat.

We have traveled internationally several times with our girls since they were born so if you have any other questions feel free to write. And I'm sure it will all be fine. Good Luck and God Bless

Angie

If she's not too anxious around strangers, I bet she will be fine! If you cannot get the cot, I would reccommend getting her her own seat so you can have a spot to build her a little nest. 5 months is so young! I bet entertaining her will be a snap compared to flying with an older baby. Safe travels :)

We fly to the UK on a fairly regular basis and both of my girls took their first trip before they turned 1 year.

Virgin is great with babies and kids! You won't regret flying with them. She should fit just fine in the sky cot. It does mean you have to sit in the bulkhead seats, so see if you can reserve your seats now and ask for the cot. When she is older try for the last row of seats in the middle section, since there is an aisle behind them for stretching little legs and is near the bathrooms. That may seem strange as a perk, but it means an endless stream of people to watch and interact with. Also, being near the rear of the plane there is more interaction with the flight attendants, which is quite entertaining for little ones.

You can expect her to sleep quite a bit on the flight over, but do your best to keep her up as long as possible once you land. The time change is a killer on babies. :o)

Make sure she is nursing, taking a bottle, or sucking on a pacifier for take-off and landing. Even if she is sleeping when you start your descent to land, it is worth waking her a bit to suck. It is no fun to wake up to massive ear pain. Not for her or for you and your fellow passengers that have to listen to the result. :o)

Enjoy your vacation!

I've never done it but my brother lives in the UK with his 3 daughters and always flies Virgin, they're great. He always used the bassinet with infants, call the airline now and see if you can reserve it. Having traveled lots with my own kids, I will say that 5 months should be a great time to travel with her. She should sleep a lot for sure, or just cuddle in your arms. If she's not asleep at takeoff/landing, make sure she has something to suck on to stave off the ear issues, and all should be well. Good luck!