Single Parent, SYD - LHR VS201 UC

Hi Guys,

My fiancée and I are leaving Australia after 6 years here to return the Europe. She flies 1 week today, me 3 weeks later.
She will be travelling in UC with a 15 month old son.
Can anyone give any advice at all on how to make this as easy as poss?
Anyone have any bad experience with other passengers etc when travelling with a toddler?
Unfortunately we have to travel separately due to my work commitments.

Thanks in advance.

I'm not sure if UCS can host a baby in a skycot, but I'm sure with the price you've payed for UC, It'll be okay.

I can recommend that she be at the airport about 3 hours in advance, just to get situated with early boarding and such.

Also, make sure to tell her that if he cries, to try to fix the problem ASAP, because the C/C don't wait around to talk to her.

Happy Flying!

You've not said if this is first time flying with little one or do you want specific UC advise.

You will get a bulk head with a skycot. and with the suite life is substantially easier, allowing options for bedding down.

You don't need to get there ridiculously early, although suggest head down on first call- getting organised onboard is substantially easier than further down the plane.

go prepared- toys/snacks/distraction stuff to help if gets upset.
Don't worry about other passengers- as long as you are doing what you can most rational people understand, babies cry - fact- and always remember you have as much right to be on that flight as them - and you may of actually bought the seat yourself.. The CC will be a great help- but they are not nannies.
Make sure you change into Ninja suits asap- so if any spillage etc your clothes remain intact. A couple of decent cloths would be worth packing, as well as couple of changes of clothes for little one.
If all winey plenty of walking around (you have the bar area also)- the mirrors/ mood lighting always seems to help pacify..

15mths isn't that young, it could be worth having some pre-school TV on a media device etc (don't rely on IFE, limited for this age group)- cheap portable DVD is worth having if you're not Ipadded up..

There are a good few of us who travel with little ones on here, We've been inflicting VS on Mini NH for years, initially dragging her to CPT at 8 weeks old.

Just ask if any other specific advice needed

NH

As above but particularly small new toys he would not have seen before (of the silent kind) spaced out through journey if necessary, are a great distraction. A portable DVD and headphones - even if it just has favourite music on it. Gadgets with buttons, too. But bring familiar food and own blanket. I would collect suitable "distraction" items for months before travel or an event - at 18 months old we could get my daughter through a 2 hour wedding or a 12 hour flight in silence, given the right "equipment". Give the toddler lots of fresh air just before you travel (other travellers would prefer a short period of tiredness-crying as child settles rather than noise throughout flight!) and be as prepared as you can.
But general rule is, I think, that if the little one cries then it is the parent's duty to try to pacify - too many poor parents just think that it is okay to continue to sleep whilst child howls. Reassuring a crying child and distracting them (and at least you can walk around in UC - the bar alone is a wonderful distraction) is not difficult - it just takes an effort. If you tire them out - they have to sleep.
Like many others here, I have travelled (often solo) with my daughter since she was 2
weeks old and have always enjoyed it. I don't think we have ever imposed on others either - though we have met some wonderfully kind and helpful people in our travels,
not just CC. Now she is 11, flying is one of her favourite things to do!

[honey lamb]

Some people have mentioned skycots but please be aware that there is a height/weight restriction on them of 750mm and 11kg.

This link may provide some useful tips

I'd have to say from experience that the skycot in Upper is waaaay too small for a 15 month old. Bags of room to cosy up in the old suite though or, with a bit of luck, you may find an empty suite which I'm sure the crew would happily let you bed junior down in.

....with a bit of luck, you may find an empty suite which I'm sure the crew would happily let you bed junior down in.

Yep, half a chance on the SYD-HGK leg.. But HGK-LHR tends to be busy..
CC moved Mini's soft toys into adjacent seat and seatbelted them up for takeoff much to her amusement!

NH

Sure I read somewhere yesterday that Air Malaysia (or similar carrier) is not going to take babies/toddlers in Business class on some flights, thus (to a degree) guaranteeing peaceful flight for those needing to sleep before getting off the plane and going straight into meetings (and I've done this LHR-SYD in one go and felt really out-of-it in the 9am meeting - I had no choice on flights or meeting times).

Popular view is that other large carriers will follow this lead to varying degrees.

As others have said, it's all about being prepared before the flight, and keeping the little one occupied. When I took our 3yr old twins (y admittedly) we had a ton of stuff for them - sods law of course they slept like angels for once. One good tip, don't just take new/novel toys - wrap them up and gradually give them out like pressies over the course of the flight.

Also, search other threads on this topic - there are "other" ways of ensuring a calm and peaceful flight too....

Thanks for all the answers guys.

Bit of background. He has been flying since 25 days old, his first flight was SYD - LHR to meet the family. He was so young that he slept pretty much the entire trip, he was only a problem in Dubai!
He then did a LHW - Tel-Aviv return at 3 months, then returned to Australia at 4 months. At this age it was really easy, the plane was like baby valium and knocked him sideways!

Wasn't planning on using a cot, he would be too cramped. The beds look more than big enough for both to sleep in.

Have a laptop with about 20 hours of Peppa Pig, Curious George and Dora. Thanks for the tips about new toys, it makes much sense and I wouldn't have thought of it!

I suppose my main concern is other passengers making my partner uncomfortable. She will try her hardest to soothe him, and would never ever let him cry and ignore him.

As you say, your partner will do all she can to placate junior should he become upset. If this - and, perhaps, a quiet word of apology - isn't good enough for any of their fellow passengers, then hard luck. Her first duty is to keep your son happy through what can be a pretty arduous experience (and, bear in mind, happy children are generally quieter children). I'm sure she'll do a sterling job.

If you are being civil and well organised 90% of people will understand, and there should be no need to worry about the flight in this regard. If he has a tantrum or noisy bout, just walk back to bar area and try to calm situation.. You have the major advantage of space such as this, and not confined to a seat pitch.
As for the remaining odd individual who could take humbridge "child in UC, shouldn't be allowed!" remember they are, you've as much right to be there as them and at end of the day you are on public transport, tell 'em to charter a jet if it freaks them out that much..

Just to reiterate as a child hater that as long as your partner is making an effort to calm junior (assuming junior starts crying that is) then vast majority of pax will understand. What I don't like though is when parents don't do any thing or assume it's the cabin crews job to act as nanny but they will be happy to look after junior for a few mins whilst you go to the toilet !

Btw as a child hater I mean I don't particularly like children but am notunsympathetic to the problems parents have with them and I am not one of the 'bam them from UC' crowd either

We have flown three times in UC with two young daughters. Two occasions stick in my mind. On one occasion when our youngest was around 18 months old, she woke from a nap in a terrible mood, crying, upset etc. I sat with her, cuddled her, gave her her favourite bunny and tried to settle her as quickly as I could. I didn't pick up on any other passengers being overly bothered by her mini tantrum, they all seemed sympathetic.

On another occasion, our girls were sat together in a suite and were sharing a nintendo ds. They were having good fun, giggling but by no means being loud, naughty or disruptive, I wouldn't allow that and they know what is expected of them. However a lady in the suite next to them was huffing, puffing and shouting 'shhhhh' at them. I was feeling particularly rotten with a banging headache and feeling nauseous and was sat with a cold flannel on my forehead. Hubby was across the way keeping tabs on the girls. I think the lady probably thought I was neglecting the girls and this didn't help the situation. I was quite upset that this lady felt the girls were being too loud. I spoke to the CC who couldn't understand what the problem was but I definitely got the impression that the lady felt our girls shouldn't have been in the UC cabin. I really do understand that this lady wanted to have a nap but equally our girls were doing nothing wrong.

I would say that if your partner is seen to be doing the 'right thing' she should be fine and I would really hope that our last experience of UC was a one off. Just to add, our last flight was in PE and I felt that a huge pressure had been lifted off my shoulders and we had our most enjoyable flight yet!!!

Hope the flight goes well.

Ali.