Flights with 5 month old

Nefertare

Hi

Just wanted to pick the collective brains of all you parents! We're off on holiday to Spain in a few weeks and our daughter will be nearly 5 months old. It's a true MSE holiday - OH's parents have an apartment out there and they are paying for our flights (thank god!) BUT they haven't flown with a baby before nor have we. So my questions are:

1) Do Easyjet allow the carseat as seperate to your luggage weight allowance? I know it's booked as oversize luggage but can't find out if it's part of the 20kg limit.
2)What did you do in terms of formula feeding (she's just moved to bottles as I'm back at work on Monday booooooo) as apparently it helps with take off but I wasn't sure what the rules with taking ready made up bottles in the hand luggage.
3)would you bring your own nappies or are Spanish ones ok?
4)how much stuff will we be lugging to the airport realistically? whats important and what's not????

anyway any tips would be greatly appreciated, especially if they save us money!

Nef.

richardw

http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3022/session/L3NpZC9PRmhfMjlYag%3D%3D/kw/car%20seat/r_id/166/sno/1

Amanda65

I travelled with all three of mine as little ones (a long time ago !) so can't comment on specifics with regard to flight allowances etc. but would reommend feeding your baby on take off and landing, unless they are asleep. We always took our own nappies and washing powder tablets as we knew they weren't allergic to the washing powder and it kept things 'smelling' like home

I also found disposable steriling bags an absolute godsend and found these on a website - not what we used to use but you'll get the idea.

http://www.travellingwithchildren.co.uk/acatalog/Disposable.html

And make the most of it - next years flight with a crawling / walking little girl will be much harder :rotfl::rotfl:

kegg_2

You can get pampers in spain easy enough or you often find cein nappies which are the ones lidle sell are they are fine.
You dont need to take a lot of stuff, use sterlising tablets and an old bowl for bottles.
If you are in an apartment then you only need a few easy wash clothing items and just wash and wear as needed.
A dummy is a good idea for the plane as the stucking helps with the ears poping.

Go and enjoy Spain is realy easy with a baby as it is a very child friendly country.

itsallinthemind

Nefertare wrote: »

Hi

Just wanted to pick the collective brains of all you parents! We're off on holiday to Spain in a few weeks and our daughter will be nearly 5 months old. It's a true MSE holiday - OH's parents have an apartment out there and they are paying for our flights (thank god!) BUT they haven't flown with a baby before nor have we. So my questions are:

1) Do Easyjet allow the carseat as seperate to your luggage weight allowance? I know it's booked as oversize luggage but can't find out if it's part of the 20kg limit.
2)What did you do in terms of formula feeding (she's just moved to bottles as I'm back at work on Monday booooooo) as apparently it helps with take off but I wasn't sure what the rules with taking ready made up bottles in the hand luggage.
3)would you bring your own nappies or are Spanish ones ok?
4)how much stuff will we be lugging to the airport realistically? whats important and what's not????

anyway any tips would be greatly appreciated, especially if they save us money!

Nef.

1. You do not get an allowance for the infant, but a car seat can go in through oversized luggage. Buggy (not pram) goes to the gate no extra charge, pick up from conveyer.
2. Best to take water seperate to powder or buy from boots airside, they do the cartons of sma etc. You will need to taste water/milk and any baby food, security not keen on homemade and prefer jars!
3. Huggies, Pampers, Nanny's etc sold throughout Europe and own European brands are fine anyway!
4. 2 x 20kg suitcases on trolly with OH. Baby in buggy or carrier with you, carrying 2 x hand luggage, use one to pack anything heavy due to taking babies bits in yours and one for stuff you actually need for the flight, using changing bag you plan to use for day-trips. Good thing on flights is to put nappies in nappy sacks and just grab each one as you need on the flight, save knocking people out with the bag as you pass! Whatever you think you will need halve it. Everything is available, but take a few days worth of milk and make up a mini first aid kit for bubba till you have a few days to find your way around. Good idea is to leave 2nd hand luggage empty and then air side buy milk, suntan lotion, baby toiletries etc as then not part of weight allowance. Any toiletries, but particularly children's and suntan lotion are extremely expensive.

onlyroz

Nefertare wrote: »

Hi

Just wanted to pick the collective brains of all you parents! We're off on holiday to Spain in a few weeks and our daughter will be nearly 5 months old. It's a true MSE holiday - OH's parents have an apartment out there and they are paying for our flights (thank god!) BUT they haven't flown with a baby before nor have we. So my questions are:

1) Do Easyjet allow the carseat as seperate to your luggage weight allowance? I know it's booked as oversize luggage but can't find out if it's part of the 20kg limit.
2)What did you do in terms of formula feeding (she's just moved to bottles as I'm back at work on Monday booooooo) as apparently it helps with take off but I wasn't sure what the rules with taking ready made up bottles in the hand luggage.
3)would you bring your own nappies or are Spanish ones ok?
4)how much stuff will we be lugging to the airport realistically? whats important and what's not????

anyway any tips would be greatly appreciated, especially if they save us money!

Nef.

Can't speak about EasyJet specifically but from my experiences with Air Canada:

1) I wouldn't take a car seat - just rent one from the car hire company when you're out there. You should be able to take a buggy right up to the departure gate and they'll sling it in the hold at the last minute. You'll either get it back straight after landing, or it'll be put on the carousel with the suit-cases
2) Depending on the current security measures you might have to taste the milk at security, but you'll be allowed to take enough for the journey. I took a few sterilised bottles and some ready-made cartons (but you'll have to ask for help opening them on the plane because you won't be allowed to take scissors)
3) Take enough nappies for a day or two and then buy some more when you're out there
4) Important stuff: buggy, wipes, a few nappies, 2-3 bottles, sterilising tablets, travel kettle + adapters, formula, baby sleeping bag. The hardest thing will be sterilising the bottles and mixing the formula. You might find it easier to buy the ready-made stuff for the duration of the holiday. You'll need some sort of container to sterilise the bottles in - American hotels always have a box for ice-cubes but Spanish ones might not. I got a travel steriliser from Boots that holds two large avent bottles. You might want to get one of these.

itsallinthemind

onlyroz wrote: »

I wouldn't take a car seat - just rent one from the car hire company when you're out there.

You'll need some sort of container to sterilise the bottles in - American hotels always have a box for ice-cubes but Spanish ones might not. I got a travel steriliser from Boots that holds two large avent bottles. You might want to get one of these.

I personally would, I have flown with easyjet, 3 cases(one full of medication), 2 hand luggage, 2 car seats, twin buggy, disabled and by myself and had no issues popping the car seats into over sized luggage. No point spending out. Just check over car seats, any damage then report it. They then send out a britax car seat within 3 working days by courier. I checked before flying. Wasted money to hire one in my opinion.

Spain sells home plastics cheap, highly unlikely there will be an ice bucket unless an expensive hotel. If you get caught out use freezer bags. 40kg for 2 adults and a baby is very little and it all adds up

You will have to taste all liquid drinks and foods for the baby's consumption and easy jet will not hand the buggy back as other airlines do sometimes, it will be with your luggage.

SugarSpun

1) Do Easyjet allow the carseat as seperate to your luggage weight allowance? I know it's booked as oversize luggage but can't find out if it's part of the 20kg limit.

Try and gate check the carseat with your pushchair if you can, as sometimes the baggage handling can be a bit rougher than you'd like for the carseat. If you're hiring a car you might be able to rent one, but if you can time checking in so the baby's asleep in the carseat in the buggy you should be able to manage to get it all the way through to the gate and get it back at the other end.

2)What did you do in terms of formula feeding (she's just moved to bottles as I'm back at work on Monday booooooo) as apparently it helps with take off but I wasn't sure what the rules with taking ready made up bottles in the hand luggage.

I'm breastfeeding, but I found that feeding on takeoff and landing is best to keep the baby from experiencing too much painful pressure. You can take enough baby food/formula for the flight, so I'd probably take two made-up bottles and the powdered formula in hand luggage - you might be asked to taste the made-up milk so shake it onto your wrist and lick it to keep it sterile.

3)would you bring your own nappies or are Spanish ones ok?

I'd bring enough for the first day/night and then get some local ones, unless your baby has a sensitive little butt and doesn't like change.

4)how much stuff will we be lugging to the airport realistically? whats important and what's not????

My flight bag had two full changes of clothes for the baby and for me (because she poops on herself but only ever pukes on someone else), a book, a toy that makes noise and a teether that doesn't, about seventeen dummies, an approximately equal number of nappies, a blanket, a couple of bibs and a book for me.

I'd take sterilising tablets and a couple of spare bottles, plus a door bouncer if your baby has and likes one. When they're that little they're fairly portable, it seems to be only when they're independently mobile that it gets difficult.

Lastly, if your baby cries and people give you nasty looks, give the looks right back. Don't get flustered because your baby will pick up on your mood and get worse. Nobody likes being in a plane with an unhappy baby, but they don't cry just to be obnoxious and they're having a worse time of it than the person who thinks they know best.

Enjoy!

onlyroz

SugarSpun wrote: »

about seventeen dummies

Why on earth do you need so many? :eek:

snugglepet20

My experinece of flying with babies is that airlines are not particularly accomodating especially the discount ones. You get no luggage allowance for an infant unless you have paid for a seperate seat so be careful as they will charge you for excess. You can take the buggy on free of charge though.

Re nappies you can buy british brands in Spain or Spanish ones which are cheaper, they will not harm your baby (EU regulations and all that jazz!) same with wipes. The formula milk over there is mostly Nestle and perfectly acceptable, my babies had no issues with it but it is pricey at 17 euros a box from the pharmacy. You would have to weigh this up versus the cost of excess luggage as the boxes are probably 2-3 kg each.

Re taking milk on flights I have never been asked to taste it but you are definetly allowed bottles on. Take 2 and just work with washing them through each time you use them whilst you are there. Sterilising can be done in a pan or washing up bowl if necessary and either take tablets or buy them from the pharmacy. Remember you are going to Spain not outer Mongolia and there will be plenty of Spanish babies and shops there! Have a great time.

richardw

Babies cry on planes because of the air pressure changes on take off and landing, they just don't like it.