10+ hr flight to Hawaii with a 10 month old
 

i've never flown longer than 4 hrs and thought that was long. now we are flying to Hawaii thru Atlanta. It's roughly 10 hrs from atlanta (after a 2 hr flight getting there). My daughter will be just under 10 months, any suggestions on my flight w/her? i've read feed while we take off and i'll do just that but any other airport/plane suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks!! can't wait for our trip in july

Buy her a seat - I know it is expensive, but your comfort and her safety are important. Gone are the days when planes were not full and you could book aisle and window seat and there was a good chance middle would be empty for infant.

Bring enough stuff on board to cover a trip at least twice as long as expected - food, toys, clothing changes, diapers. Bring change of clothing for you - babies have a way of getting spit-ups and leaks at the worst times.

feed while we take off AND landing - this is when the pressure changes, and she can feel her ears ache, she needs to swallow something (anything!) to even out the pressure

thanks!! I called to see about getting her a tix and the prices are over 1000 now..so i'll just wait and see if they go down any. i also keep checking my seats, if no one sits beside us they will allow me to bring her car seat on and use that seat for free..right now I have hope :)

Not sure what airline you are flying but "hope" should be fleeting.

Some airlines will not let you bring the carseat on if you did not pay for the seat. (And to be honest why should they?) EVERYONE wants the "empty seat" next to them and your decision doesn't move you to the front of the line)

I would assume that you will be holding her for 10 hours (YIKES!) Sorry, but the truth is that seat maps are poor indicators of "empty" seats and with the reduction in flights to Hawaii due to some shutdowns last year flights seem to be even fuller! The fact that the fare is that high now tells me they are selling those seats!

I would plan on not getting an empty seat and having to hold the baby for 10 hours.

If my sister were sitting next to you, she would be in heaven to hold your baby for half the time!!!

regards - tom

I would prefer to not be the person next to you if you have to hold her for 10 hours! If you can't afford a seat for her, maybe it would be better to postpone the vacation till you can...

is your daughter already too tall for the bassinet ? did you already ask for the seat row where they hang the bassinet during the longhaul flight ?

We flew from Italy to Frankfurt to Tokyo to Sydney with our 6 months old daughter, total of 34 hours one way including layovers and we did not have any problem. She was quite and slept most of the time. On the way back we flew Sydney-Hong Kong-Frankfurt-Italy. On the intercont flights we had the bassinet so we had to hold her only on the short Italy-Frankfurt-Italy flights.

Yes let her drink some liquids during take off but especially when starting to descend for landing. This helps to reduce the pressure on ears.

I forgot...: bassinets, when available, are free !!

If your child has any ear problems,you might ask a doctor to recomend the airplugs for taking off and landing.It really hurts if your estationery tube(sp) doesn't clear.I feel like crying myself.You might tinkabout buying a ticket for part of the flight if possible

I agree, get a seat or postpone trip.

Dear dmay, try it while at home. Hold your ten month old for two hours in a chair the size of an airplane coach seat, give yourself and the baby a break as if you were in the Atlanta airport and than hold her for another ten hours while sitting in the same chair without much leg room etc., try feeding her while in that same chair and then make your decision. I could never handle that, even when I was in my 20's. I doubt if a ten month old would fit into a bassinet even if you could get one and at almost ten months I doubt if she would be willing to spend much time in it. A young baby probably, but I can't imagine a wiggly ten month old in a bassinet for much time even if she would fit into it. Anyway, best wishes to you.

LoveItaly

Our daughter was a bit shorter than average at that age.
Now if she would fit into it although she is 10 months old it would be just maybe for a few hours in case she is going to sleep. A little help for the mom is still better than nothing. I would try and ask the airline.....
I do not see any reason to postpone the trip until she is 2 years old with her own seat.

Fabio, you try what Loveitaly says...

the OP posted a few times last month, and seems to have disappeared since.

I flew on KLM in June, and they brought in a baby bed for their passenger with a baby. It attaches to a wall, allowing you to tend to the baby, in it's own bed, right in front of you. I was very impressed! The plane was an Airbus. Just something to consider for the future...or maybe our airlines have something they can offer?

Hello Fabio, our daughter was a shorty when she was born. Fat and short, lol. She was just 15 inches long (shortest baby born in the hospital in over 5 years) and at 10 months she was still short for her age. But by 10 months she had actually started to take some steps on her own, not the typical little one at that age back when she was that age. She was a wiggly little pumpkin too. We did not take any long flights until she was older. A $1,000.00 is a lot for a seat for a baby but if it was me I would probably be willing to pay that amount or more while flying over California, lol. A two hour flight plus time at the airport in Atlanta and than a ten hour flight to Hawaii is a long time. But we are all different and all little ones are different of course.

Hi momliz, yes, I just noticed the OP has not been back on this thread.

thank you all for your responses. We are going ahead with our trip..I took her on a 2hr flight (not nearly 10hrs) and things went very well. She loves being held, i have been working on her falling asleep in my arms..i went to book a ticket for her and it was well over $2600, so we feel very comfortable holding her..it will be well worth our trip. I really do appreciate everyones response to this..thank you! i'll let you all know how it goes :)

Was the ticket that you were quoted a price for a first-class ticket? The reason I ask is that economy class tickets from many East coast cities this summer have been hovering in the $800-1000 range. Anyway, I would like to add my vote to those who suggest buying your daughter a seat. I will never ever forget the time that we hit severe turbulence on a European flight coming from NYC, and a child literally bounced out of its mother's arms and was severely bruised. ( Thank god that's all that happened to him!) Can't you reconsider ( either getting a seat or postponing your trip?)