mommytravel

My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy from Southeast USA with our child who will be 20 months old at the time of the trip. Our flight will depart close to bedtime. Should we purchase two seats in Business class and request a bassinet or purchase three seats in coach and allow her to have her own seat??? I am not sure which route will be best for her and our comfort. Business class give more room and floor space to play but coach will give her a seat. We cannot afford to purchase another seat in Business. Also, if we fly Business class should we check our own car seat or rent a car seat from the car rental company? Any advice would be appreciated.

emcash

Hi mommytravel. i would advise that you bring your own car seat b/c you never know what kind of seat you're going to get at the rental place, and you may not know how to install it (in the US you have to do it yourself, not sure about Italy).

also,I would suggest, IMO , that you get her her own seat in coach with you guys. I wasn't aware that you could request a bassinet on a flight- do they even have them? even if they did, a 20 m.o. might not want to sit in one for a multi hour flight.

Just my opinion- hope you have a great flight.

ShelliDawn

I'm not a parent, so have limited experience in these matters, but the bassinets I've seen in airplanes are only good for infants. A 20 month old would be way too big/heavy. Also, the bassinets were also only useful if you had a bulkhead seat since they hooked onto wall in front of the seats. I don't fly business class, and am not sure how a bassinet would work there.

wky123

We have taken our daughter to Europe/Asia multiple times since she was an infant. I agree the bassinet probably is too small for a 20 months old. Even if your child can fit in. It is only good for sleeping. Also bear in mind that the definition of "bassinet" varies from airline to airline. One time United gave me a bassinet that's more like a gym bag to be put on the ground. Of course, my seven month old refused to go in and I had to hold her the whole time for the 14 hr flight.

Depends on how you plan to travel, it may be a good idea to have your own car seat. One time I booked a car seat from the car rental company, only to find out at pick up it was not available. We ended up spending a couple of hrs looking for a car seat in Florence. Your child may also find it easier to sleep on a car seat on board, if you decide to buy her a seat. But it may be a hassle if your plan involves multiple transfers between airport/train station and towns by public transportation.

Just my personal opinions. Hope this help and have a good trip.

emcash

One other suggestion for both plane and car. The "sit n stroll" is a great piece of equipment when you are flying and need a car seat at your destination. It's a car seat that turns into a stroller. As a stroller, it's great for getting around airport and short walks. I wouldn't use it as your real stroller for Italy-- get a cheap umbrella for that. But for the airport/plane and carseat , I'd suggest this:

http://www.sitnstroll.com
You can do a google search and find some better prices-- i think ours was $199 and free shipping.