Travel to and in Europe with 13 month old?

[mhen]

Calling all you experienced AFFs out there - can you help with some questions re a trip to Europe I am taking in August with my daughter and 13 month old grand-daughter?

1. Flying TG mixture of F and J with infant booked into own seat.

What is the best way to secure infant in seat, has anyone used the FAA approved CARES product and if so does it attach to premium seats?
​

2. Taxis

Will be in London for a week and then Paris. Any ideas on availability of taxis with car seats in these cities.​

3. Car Seat

Will be hiring a car in Italy for three weeks, should I bring car seat from Australia or hire one with the car? Are our car seats fittings comparable with European cars?​

4. Headphones

Anyone used child's noise cancelling headphones to help them sleep? Gel eyemasks?​

5. Any other tips or tricks to travelling with constantly squirming, noisy but not articulate, lovable but very insistant bundle of joy?

Thanks

 

[jamesatfish]

With regards to the CARES restraint, I've just bought one for my 2.5yr old to use on her next trip in July/August this year. From the looks of it the strap that fastens around the seat should be long enough for most premium seats, but I'm going to take it with me on my next trip (QF, AA and CX F in early June) and test it out. BA state on their website that the CARES restraint isn't suitable for Club World or First but don't elaborate as to why. In any case I'll report back after each flight and let you know how it went (at least in terms of fitment, as I'll be flying without my daughter on that occasion).

As to the car seat in Italy, the Europeans have a fantastic fitment standard called ISOFIX which is a million times better than the seatbelt based systems we use in Australia. Of course the Aussie Govt doesn't agree that a standard used across Europe is good enough for Australia so although most Euro vehicles sold in the last 15 years have ISOFIX points you can't buy suitable seats here. You are better off hiring one with the car itself unless you are also planning on using your Australian seat (if FAA approved) onboard the aircraft.

I can't comment on the taxi situation nor the headphones unfortunately.

 

[mhen]

Thanks jamesatfish
I will be very interested in hearing how your trial of fitting the CARES goes.
Re the car seats: Do you know if European cars also have a fitting for the tether strap to clip on to? I was watching a video of a fitting in the UK of a car seat and it was only anchored by the seat belt, no tether strap was used.

 

[jamesatfish]

All the Euro cars I own with 2 rows of seating have both ISOFIX tethers as well as fixing points for the over-seat strap. I believe my sister's Peugeot (she lives in the UK) has the same.

 

[jamesatfish]

Thanks jamesatfish
I will be very interested in hearing how your trial of fitting the CARES goes.

Just to follow up now that the harness has done a few flights.

No problems so far with QF J and Y on the 737 (though have to be careful not to strap in the tray table of the seat behind when seated in Y), as well as refurbished QF 747 J (so should be OK on the A380 also) and A380 F.

Have some AA and BA flights in J tomorrow so will check those also.

The F seats on the CX 777 looked too wide for the harness attachment but I forgot to actually check the fitment on that flight.

 

[michaelj]

Vellergen is great.

 

[TheScotsman]

...
4. Headphones

Anyone used child's noise cancelling headphones to help them sleep? Gel eyemasks?​

...
Thanks

We bought some special kids ones in SIN (in a reputable-looking headphone shop in a decent shopping centre) for SIN-HKT and SIN-MEL flights for a 2yo.
Thankfully I tested them first (on one ear), they did not work, they seemed only to cancel the top range frequencies and he sound was distorted so badly that my son would have been confused and upset if we tried to make him wear them.

 

[jamesatfish]

Another CARES harness update - AA International J (777) also works great with the CARES harness, though I wasn't hugely impressed with the seat itself. BA Club Europe is also fine (A320 in this case) with the same tray table caveat as QF Y.

On another note, in regards to taxis in Paris you'll struggle to find anything that has a baby/child seat. The concierge who is helping us organise trips around the city this week mentioned that it's even hard to find private transport (ie limo/ town car service) with a proper child seat - when the car we had organised met us at the airport they only had a booster seat (ie for a 5-7 year old) installed for our 2.5yr old daughter.

 

[here2go]

Another CARES harness update - AA International J (777) also works great with the CARES harness, though I wasn't hugely impressed with the seat itself. BA Club Europe is also fine (A320 in this case) with the same tray table caveat as QF Y.

I'm planning a few Y flights on Virgin (and because I live in DRW) JQ, all at OMG hours over the next few months to BNE and NRT via MNL. These will be with my two wonderful children, one being 4 and the other turning two in September. The younger one is much more wriggly than her older brother, so when we fly prior to the mandatory date, we've purchased a seat for her. However, after having her run up and down the aisles on SQ between sleeps in the bassinet giving everybody the royal wave at all hours - a far better alternative than a screaming 15 month old, we've decided we need to do something for her to keep her better restrained.

I was wondering if you still swear by the CARES, and wonder if you've had experiences where cabin staff and other passengers wonder what on earth you are doing with the straps? Other forums I have read suggested that cabin staff in particular aren't aware of the CARES system, to the point of telling pax they will have to use the bog standard lap-belt for Take Off and Landing, and even carrying around FAA rulings and AASB rulings doesn't cut it.

Yours in slightly less red-eyes!