Keep Your Toddler Learning

There is this brilliant suggestion by a Singaporean mother flying 13 hours long haul. She prepared these activities in zip lock bags for two of her toddlers. Her idea of keeping them busy is also encouraging to learn and think... that's why she calls them 'montessori in a bag'.

I like that the simple things she puts in the bag are mostly cheap and easily attainable from your local dollar store. 

Check it out if you are looking for inspiration to keep your little one occupied for your upcoming holiday :)

Compact & Light Option VS Car Seat

A few weeks ago, this product trended on social media. It is a child harness which the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved for the use of flying toddlers from age 1 and older.

For an instructional video, click here.


 

 

As per aviation safety requirement, children from age two years would need to purchase a seat of his/her own for the flight. And that is when in most cases, parents opt for car seat or booster depending on the child's age, weight and height.

So glad I discovered this product as my little one has turned two.  And on her next flight, we hope to be able to prepare and fly with more ease than our previous experiences. While the rolling car seat seems to be a good option, I would most likely favour this child harness as it is non bulky and could be easily removed as and when she wants to lie down across more than one seat. If your child is like mine, gets a bit cleithrophobic or claustrophobic when being strapped in for longer than 30 minutes and starts doing the Houdini stunt, than this child harness might be for you too.

While we may not be able to control our child's urge to escape the shoulder straps, we could easily remove and keep the child harness when the aircraft's seat belt sign is off, allowing him/her to roam or play within the seat. Where as with the car seat, after releasing the child from it, the bulky car seat would remain occupying the aircraft seat, with no storage option on board. And when the car seat is in use, it could be more difficult for your flight neighbours or yourself to exit your row any time during the journey. 

I highly recommend this product especially if you are traveling with two or more toddlers (on your own too); or if you have bought the non bulkhead seats with no extra leg room.

Click here to read more product info from the manufacturer.

Stranger's act of kindness for new mom on an airplane goes viral

Just to share an article about a fellow mother stepping up to relieve another mother from her crying baby and carried the baby throughout the whole flight. There is hope to humanity when there is kindness. Let's offer that kindness & show empathy to other parents with their little ones on our next flight.

Click here to read the story.




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The Rolling Car Seat

Found a lovely blog which led me to another blog sharing about her experience traveling with a toddler using this :

Read about it from Holly Homer's blog.



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Advices by Banana Mana TV

Here are two youtube clips on how to travel with two toddlers by Teeny Teh from Banana Mana TV.

How to Travel with 2 Toddlers - Toddler Travel Tips (Part 1 of 2) 

How to Travel with 2 Toddlers - Toddler Travel Tips (Part 2 of 2) 

 

Hope you find some useful info here today.

 

 

 

 

Goody Bags For Neighbours on Flight

Read an article about parents handing out goody bags to other nearby passengers to apologize in advance in case their baby misbehave during the flight. Brilliant idea.

Click here to see what goody bag has :)

Choosing Flight

There are several considerations when it comes to booking a flight. 



Which airline?

Transit
Most people would usually prefer a direct flight but it would be wiser to opt for a route with at least one transit especially if it is a long haul. Space to walk/crawl and have a change of scenery at transit might do them & you some good. No one knows how your baby would behave throughout the flight, so transit(s) will give you a breather in case you struggle suppressing your baby from bawling. Choose to fly with an airline which has the option to transit in the middle of the trip instead of transiting too early in the journey to the final destination.
E.g. For  LHR-KUL, opt for...
       Emirates for minimum 17 hours flight with a minimum 2 hours transit at Dubai after flying first sector for 7 hours.
       Etihad for minimum 17 hours flight with a minimum 2 hours transit at Abu Dhabi after flying first sector for 6-7 hours.

Services
Free usage of strollers
Terminals with playrooms & baby facilities
Trained crew to watch out for babies before flight or during transit (Etihad, GulfAir, Private Hire)
Lounge Availability - class privilege or paid




 
When?

Try to book a flight with estimated time of departure (ETD) which coincides with you baby sleeping time. Otherwise, you could try adjusting baby sleeping hours to the time zone of your destination a few days before your flight.



Where?

When it comes to the selection of seats, go for the bulkhead seats to benefit from the usage of bassinet. These seats are either on the first row of a cabin class, behind the lavatories (toilets) or the galleys (pantries). Not all bulkhead seats are suitable or convenient for carers to move about when caring for babies.
Click here to read more about seats consideration.
Click here to view seat map with suggestions of good seats on any aircraft type with any airline.




What?

Infant Car Seat
If you are booking a seat for your baby (who is too tall or heavy for the bassinet), you would need to bring on board an FAA-approved infant car seat which must be forward facing & able to be secured with the normal lap seat belt. Almost all airlines require you to bring your infant car seat should you need one. Only one airline, Virgin Atlantic, have the service of infant car seat on board. Ask your airline about the seat measurement as each aircraft differs.

You can find out more about infant car seats for flying with baby from here and here.

Fare for flying with a baby without occupying  is significantly less, just a fraction of the adult fare. You would have the option to use the infant seat belt attached to your adult seat belt during take off and landing.

In-flight meals
If you are flying with a service airline (with your baby and you have one other adult traveling with you) which entitles you to the meal(s) on board, do request for either a *special meal option during booking your ticket or highlight to the crew to serve your (or your accompanying adult's) food before or after the their normal meal service when they serve everyone from the cart. This is just so one of you is available to manage the baby while the other eats. The bassinet and entertainment are enough to trap you in your little space. The food tray on your lap would be in the way and make it so much harder to attend to your baby especially if he/she is fussing.
*special meals are served to passengers some time before the normal meal are wheeled out in a cart.
*seafood, vegetarian, kosher, diabetic and etc.

If Baby Cries

Here are some suggestions to try...

- During take off & landing, use pacifier/soother or nurse your baby. It would help your baby to ease the ear pressure.

- Offer a new toy or two. If you don't have one, ask the cabin crew for a complimentary soft toy which usually comes with the baby pack.

- Walk around with baby in carrier.

- Offer various snacks.

- Show baby the entertainment screen and put the headphones on him/her for a while. 

- Offer ear plugs for on lookers.

It helps to remember that just as baby could annoy the other passengers, it could be vice versa too. In my experience the cabin crew was insensitive enough to irritate my baby. So, give yourself a break if baby act up... for a while. Other parents on board who have had traveled with babies/toddlers would empathize with you.