Sorry, one more point, Andre my money is just as good as yours. As long as the airline permits it, their really isn' much you can do about it.

In terms of our trip, our son barely made a peep. I would say at the end of our flight, the other passengars found him to be much less of a problem than the two female passengars who spent the entire flight talking loudly and drinking. Should they be told to sit in coach, as well?

Definitely get a seat for her, and put her in a car seat. Make sure it meets airline standards. Better yet, buy one which converts readily to a stroller.
When my daughter traveled with me to Asia at that age, though, she kept slipping off the car seat. The belt had to be adjusted several times.

Hi all and thanks so much for your comments (even the negative ones). Well, I called BA for some help and the woman told me that my daughter would be fine in the carseat provded by the airline. I was also told there are a few empty seats in business class (flying in from the middle east).
When my daughter was 9 months old we did the same trip to london and Becky was an angel. There were other children in the same flight and Becky kept looking at them everytime they cried wondering what was happening hehe. I am hoping she will be good this time too. We are taking a night flight so hopefully she will be sleeping most of the journey.

IMO, this isn't a question of babies squirming or crying or disturbing the other passengers. It's about making sure she's safe. Would you let her ride around in a car unbelted? She deserves to be secured in a proper child seat.

Didn't you post a while back and mention you were pregnant - about 6 months? Are you sure you're going to have enough of a lap left?? (sorry - I couldn't resist)
We've traveled wqith our kids extensively and the bassinet is great when they are little and can't really move around - but once they get a bit older it kind of hard to keep them in the bassinet...go for the comfort!

Ok, Mom, *shrug* -- hope it goes as well for you as you seem to expect. But if you believe a 15 month old responds to confinement the same way a 9 month old does, you've got an interesting future as a parent ahead of you. Whatever else may be true about safety, night vs. day travel, temperament, etc., I learned only one thing for sure as a parent: whatever you think you've got figured out about your kid today will change 90 degrees tomorrow and another 90 degrees next week.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. I guess it takes youth, optimism, flexibility, and the dreaded "Spunk" to travel 6 months pregnant with a toddler in tow.

mommy: I concur with most of the rest of the posters that you need to make sure, whether it is by having a separate seat or having a carseat or whatever, that your daughter is able to be secured during the flight in case of turbulence.
However, some valid points have been made regarding the disposition of 15-month-olds. Our daughter, when she was 16 months old, flew DC to Zurich with us, and we have the pictures to prove it! It was 8.5 hours of walking up and down the aisles and standing in the very back of the airline with her bounding up and down and playing games. Thank goodness there was little or no turbulence, because she might as well have been on a soccer field. She wasn't loud or cranky or disruptive, but she certainly didn't sleep one wink (except as the plane was landing, of course), and she never stopped moving all night long. This was in marked contrast to our flight with her when she was 8 months old to Paris, when she peacefully slept through most of the trip. They do get a bit restive when they learn to walk, and there's something about that year between one and two that defies sleeping on an airplane.
Personally, traveling with a child that age I wouldn't even consider flying business class - what's the point? The kid is probably not going to sleep well, you run the risk of irritating passengers who have paid a lot of money for some peace and quiet, and YOU're not going to get to take advantage of the perks that business class offers anyway. Just a thought - I'm not at ALL anti-baby when it comes to flying; I've flown with my own since they were infants, and that's 16 years worth of flying.
Good luck!

Hi,
If you can't afford to buy a seat for your toddler, buy the Baby B'Air vest (can be found at Zany Brainy stores or www.onestepahead.com). It's a quilted vest with a strap that you hook through your seat belt. That way if you hit turbulence, the child will be tethered to you instead just sitting helpless in your lap. Cost about $30 and is good for children up to 2 years old.

In March we flew from the US to London with my 21 month old son. At first I was going to have him sit in my lap, but at the last minute, bought him a seat. Let me tell you he was much more comfortable in his own seat than being on my lap for 6+ hours. One thing I wish I had done was brought along his car seat...it's difficult for toddlers to get comfortable sitting in airline seats.

One other godsend...a Maclaren stroller. I have the Daytripper model and it was perfect for travel. Lightweight 10 lbs/6 kgs, easy to fold, folds compactly, great rain cover, long handles, EASY to steer the stroller even with one hand, you can recline the seat, and had no problems using it on different types of terrain (street, grass, gravel, cobblestones). Maclaren is more expensive than your average umbrella stroller, but definitely worth it. They are cheaper to buy in the UK than the US...may save $30-50 dollars. Good Luck!