youngfreewild Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 We have a 4 year old and a 22 month old (age when due to fly) , we plan on flying in June to either Sydney or Brisbane. Can't decide whether to book a seat for our youngest? Has anyone had experience travelling with these ages and what would you recommend? How do I go about booking a seat for my youngest, would I have to phone and book this type of ticket. Obviously when I search online she is classed as under 2 so I should select that category, but that does not come with a seat. Would her price be the same as 4 year old if I booked her a seat? Does anyone have experience with the basinet crib things? Are they any good and would a 22 month old fit in one to sleep? Many Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Yes, would pay child price if you wanted a seat. If there are spare seats on the plane, and you booked her as an infant, you would probably be able to secure a seat for free. The basinnets are fine, but my son had a habit of standing up in it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 They may well not prioritize a 22 month old child into a bassinette - it'd likely be too small anyway so I would go ahead and book her a seat - it will cost the same as your 4 yr old. If you dont then you may be faced with having a 22 monther squirming on one or other lap all the way because there will be nowhere for her if all the bassinettes are allocated (quite possible). I have never had any trouble travelling with kids or grandkids - travel light and keep it simple and do what you would normally do. The odd little surprise package works quite well (magnetic doodlers and braiding went down well with my grandkids, my sons enjoyed transformers and dinky toys). If your child is prone to motion sickness then try out any remedy well before you get on the plane - some medications can act in a paradoxical way and hype kids up whereas generally they would send them to sleep. Give them a drink/food on ascent and descent (as you start) so their ears will pop easily. Did I say travel light (!) you dont want to be wrangling the kitchen sink onto the plane when you have kids to manage! I gave kids and grandkids a little backpack with their stuff in and I had a little backpack too with other essentials but very light. The airline will have an activity pack for them but chances are they will be sleeping or watching videos most of the time (child size headphones with a plane adapter jack are handy) Good luck and dont worry about the other passengers, most of them will be sympathetic and if you get one that isnt well - too bad really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katielou Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I would suggest booking a seat for your little one, on the last few times we have travelled there has only been one occasion where I've seen a child with a bassinet. We travelled when my Daughter was 22 months old and weren't even offered one. She sleep most of the way but it was still difficult beacuse we were given middle seats so she slept on my lap for 10 hours (it took about a week for the pins and needles to dissappear). I had to keep asking the people infront to put their chairs upright so they didnt squish us even more! Trying to have meals is really hard as their is nowhere for them to sit other than your knee. When she was awake she just wanted to get down and play. We travelled again a few weeks ago with my LG now being 3 she had her own seat, it was so much easier. There was plenty of room for her to get up and down out of her seat and do as she pleased and we were actually able to sleep and eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicF Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Agree, book a seat. The bassinets are way too small for a 22 month old unless she is exceptionally small for her age. To book a seat you will need to speak to someone in person as the online systems don't seem flexible enough, you can either phone the airlines direct or go through a travel agent. We always used to use Travelbag when wanting to talk to someone to bookiflights from the UK but any travel agent should be able to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loula5 Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 We are booking a seat for our 17 month old (age when we travel) to Australia in September. I asked the airline, and instead of booking him as an infant they said to book as a child and it'll be fine. We'll be using a CARES harness for him on the plane but I expect he'll be on my knee for ascent/descent. **obviously we'll be charged the child price for his seat but as my husband put it: £12ish per hour of travel, vs the cost of my sanity with 10+kg wriggly toddler on my lap ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House Biatch Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 It will be worth the additional cost. Having flown just 4 hours and taking it in turns with the wife, I would never want to do that again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shak Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 The bassinet was useless for us.my 18months old at the time just about fitted in it.everytime theres a turbulence, you have to take your sleeping baby out.so quite annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjg Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 One thing that hasnt been mentioned is that with an infant, they only have 10 kg of luggage in the hold. If you buy a seat, that goes upto the full 20 odd kg. If its a one way immigration, some airlines go upto 40kg for all paying passangers. We purchased a seat for our 18 month old. For all the reasons above, we are glad we did. He is small, but at 60cm x 30cm, the basinettes are tiny, no way he would fit in one comfortably at that age! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leanne jade Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 We have a 4 year old and a 22 month old (age when due to fly) , we plan on flying in June to either Sydney or Brisbane. Can't decide whether to book a seat for our youngest? Has anyone had experience travelling with these ages and what would you recommend? How do I go about booking a seat for my youngest, would I have to phone and book this type of ticket. Obviously when I search online she is classed as under 2 so I should select that category, but that does not come with a seat. Would her price be the same as 4 year old if I booked her a seat? Does anyone have experience with the basinet crib things? Are they any good and would a 22 month old fit in one to sleep? Many Thanks I flew last summer with my 20 month old and 3 yr old on my own and was 27 weeks pregnant. they wouldnt let me even try a bassinet cozs they said he was 2 big but i cudnt see the difference of his legs hanging out a little bit to his lags hanging over me n into the isle. it was abit uncomfortable but not 2 bad so i supose it depends if u can afford 2 pay 4 a seat. Also if some is flying with you you could take it in turns xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieV Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 My advice would be to book them both their own seats. We flew to our with our son when he was 7 months - at that time he fit into the cot comfortably and slept well but I think as soon as they are mobile the cots become too small and they need the space to be able to sit and play with toys. When our son was awake the space was very limited - my husband and I took it in turns with him on our laps and then one of us would stand so he could sit and play. We'll be travelling to Oz again soon and will be booking our son his own seat - he's too tall and heavy now for the cot and I think having space (and his own TV!) will be a big help. He can also lie across us when he needs to sleep so hopefully will be comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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