Feeding a 1 year old in J

[AussiePom]

Mrs AussiePom and our 1 year old will be travelling to the UK in J. Our kid will be on our laps. I understand that the airlines don't provide food for infants if they are on parents laps - or even not at all, regardless of whether they have a seat.

Has anyone got experience taking infants / under 2 on international flights? What did you do about meals?

We're flying on both Qantas and British Airways

 

[daft009]

SQ gave us some baby food pouches for our 10m old (back in 2017) and we took formula/bottles + some pouches too.
This was in PE & J

 

[Katie]

We took our then 18mth old to Europe and back on QF in 2008. They had their own seat for the big flights (we were in Y).
I took baby foods, crackers, etc, on board with me. This was after LAG restrictions. Most airports were fine, but a security person at LHR T5 wanted me to open each bloody jar and eat some in front of him. I argued and said if I did that, the rest of the bottles needed to be consumed, refrigerated, or thrown away. He actually backed down.
In J, I'd plan to bring my own such food, but also expect to be able to share some of my food with my child.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Mrs AussiePom and our 1 year old will be travelling to the UK in J. Our kid will be on our laps. I understand that the airlines don't provide food for infants if they are on parents laps - or even not at all, regardless of whether they have a seat.

Has anyone got experience taking infants / under 2 on international flights? What did you do about meals?

We're flying on both Qantas and British Airways

They should be able to serve you separately if you want so one can nurse the baby while the other eats, or feeds the baby.

If your child is within bassinet dimensions, you may wish to request bassinet seats.

 

[Quickstatus]

Has anyone got experience taking infants / under 2 on international flights? What did you do about meals?

Suggest also see the airline's comment about infants and infants which include seating, bassinets, food

Re bassinets:
When seat belt sign comes on you are required to take baby out and put baby on lap - even when baby has just settled down.
Note the weight limit of 11kg. Many under 2's are too heavy

Re nappies:
Assume you will be delayed. Do you have enough if there is a delay?.
Good rule of thumb is double the usual requirements - example say half day getting to/from airport + 1 day inflight = 2 days. Double = 4 days
Lots of baby wipes
Inflight - ask cabin crew for nappies - if they have some of appropriate size use the airline's first

Please don't give dirty nappy to cabin crew to discard. Ask them where to discard and do it yourself and the CC will love you.

Re infant food:
You provide the food or 1yr old can eat parents food. Usually in J there is scope to order extra adult portions and inflight snacks. Avoid sugary snacks. Bring own food otherwise. Still breastfeeding?

Re change of clothing:
Assume accidents will occur from every bodily orifice

Re Medicines:
Bring panadol and nurofen. Know the dose
Bring thermometer

Re toys
How much room do you have left in carry on?

Re parents anxiety
wine list.....

 

[JohnK]

Our daughter started flying international at 2 months old and from memory all airlines gave us some food for her even though we bought our own food along.

 

[lovestotravel]

Take your own formula/breast milk/snacks etc as they will always be preferred to anything that an airline can provide at that age.

 

[AussiePom]

Thank you for all the advice.

 

[Seat0B]

Suggest also see the airline's comment about infants and infants which include seating, bassinets, food

Re bassinets:
When seat belt sign comes on you are required to take baby out and put baby on lap - even when baby has just settled down.
Note the weight limit of 11kg. Many under 2's are too heavy

Re nappies:
Assume you will be delayed. Do you have enough if there is a delay?.
Good rule of thumb is double the usual requirements - example say half day getting to/from airport + 1 day inflight = 2 days. Double = 4 days
Lots of baby wipes
Inflight - ask cabin crew for nappies - if they have some of appropriate size use the airline's first

Please don't give dirty nappy to cabin crew to discard. Ask them where to discard and do it yourself and the CC will love you.

Re infant food:
You provide the food or 1yr old can eat parents food. Usually in J there is scope to order extra adult portions and inflight snacks. Avoid sugary snacks. Bring own food otherwise. Still breastfeeding?

Re change of clothing:
Assume accidents will occur from every bodily orifice

Re Medicines:
Bring panadol and nurofen. Know the dose
Bring thermometer

Re toys
How much room do you have left in carry on?

Re parents anxiety
wine list.....

such practical advice @Quickstatus

 

[jb747]

Please don't give dirty nappy to cabin crew to discard. Ask them where to discard and do it yourself and the CC will love you.

And no matter what anybody tells you to do, DO NOT FLUSH them. They WILL block the toilets, and not just the one you used. Some years ago a woman managed to block almost the entire aircraft's toilets, as she moved around through the flight dumping nappies.

 

[AussiePom]

And no matter what anybody tells you to do, DO NOT FLUSH them. They WILL block the toilets, and not just the one you used. Some years ago a woman managed to block almost the entire aircraft's toilets, as she moved around through the flight dumping nappies.

Only idiots flush anything other than TP and their own waste down a toilet

 

[Quickstatus]

Some years ago a woman managed to block almost the entire aircraft's toilets

There was a 747 JNB-SYD flight some years back where the Flight had to stop in MEL to let the passengers off to pee because the toilets progressively stopped working. Not sure if the same one but effluent also leaked into cargo hold IIRC?

 

[MelMel]

Not food related but I would suggest having “bags within a bag” put the essentials for one nappy change in a large snap lock bag (nappy, nappy sack, wipes etc) and a complete change of clothes in another snap lock. It’s easier to grab the smaller bags when heading to the toilets than trying to manoeuvre a large nappy bag or backpack

 

[Katie]

To add to @Quickstatus's list - a change of clothes for YOU. My kid had a nappy poo explosion SIN-LHR while on my lap during turbulence.

 

[AussiePom]

To add to @Quickstatus's list - a change of clothes for YOU. My kid had a nappy poo explosion SIN-LHR while on my lap during turbulence.

OMG nightmare