oidara Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 We are planning a 6-month trip to Oz next March to have a look around before deciding any further about emigrating. By the time of departure, we will have 3 kids: age 4, age 2 and age 4 months. We're wondering how on earth we're going to manage the flight! We're planning to stop in Singapore both ways and are wondering if it's best to opt for a night flight or a daytime flight. We thought night at first in the hope that the kids might sleep so wouldn't be so bored. But now we're worried about what will happen if they don't and they are making a noise in the night and making our fellow passengers angry! We have done a couple of overnight driving trips in the past few months and the eldest hardly slept a wink as she couldn't get comfortable enough in her car seat. In daytime flights, do they also instigate a "sleep time" where we'd have just the same problem? Any other tips for flying with 3 little ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pintpot Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I don't envy you making that journey with 3, I have to say. Sorry and all that :wink: We have found that the lunchtime departure works best - keep them awake until night and you have a fair chance they'll sleep the latter part of the flight to Singapore. Then the leg from there is pot luck really, but at least shorter. And this way you land in Australia in late evening and can put them (and you) straight to bed, which really helps The 2 year old will probably be the biggest handful, but only you know your kids. My 4 year old is a bit of a handful, but only because he wants to play and interact with you all the time - he's just not interested in watching DVDs or cartoons. And that gets a bit tiring on a 22 hour flight. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bazinga Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I did the journey back solo with a 5yr old and a 1 yr old. It can be done. Personally. NEVER again. I am insisting on a stop over next time. It was just not fair on them. They were great but 5yr old didnt sleep & 1yr old cldnt get comfy in the bassinet. We flew Qantas They do they a quiet time on both legs, normally 2-3hrs in after the drinks/meal. I agree with a lunchtime flight from the UK & recommend a late afternoon one on the way back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevenw8971 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 we did it last year with a 3yr old and a 1yr old, we got 21:00 flights so kids still had some sort of routine, took pj's for them and toys etc, we had a 2hr stop in dubai, kids were great but we were knackered. Pre book a child care seat and get a basket for the wee one. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Tend to disagree with some here. I have always gone one stop night flights - flew a lot with my own kids when they were little (started at 6 months with DS1 and at 12 weeks with DS2) and never had a problem. Admittedly, when we began flying, they didnt mind you sleeping on the floor so the bigger one usually did that but now you cant do that any more. Now travelling with grandkids (and their parents). DGD 1 was a happy little traveller when she was 18 months - being petite she even had a really good kip in the Qantas bassinette. Next week we go with DGD now nearly 4 and her 8 month old sister so that will be interesting and I will tell you next Friday whether it worked or not! I am optimistic, I have always found that the engine noise, cabin darkness and slight motion work well with getting the kids off to sleep especially if you leave as late as possible, have a good run in Bangkok or Singapore then eat and have another kip. My best advice would be to travel as light as you can whilst taking the bare essentials, dont panic and take some travel sick meds just in case (try them before you leave though, some of the travel meds can cause kids to get hyper rather than drowsy!). Take a sling for the baby just in case you have to walk across Asia to get some peace and quiet (ergo baby do a great sling and DGD2 is now very attuned to sleeping while walking on someone's back - it has a little head cover which keeps her head from flopping and she is conditioned to zz off when the hood comes over) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Agree with Quoll with regards the time of the flight. We have done both midday and night flights, and found that the night flight (left Heathrow at 22.05) was far easier. When we did the day flight, both children got so hyped up that neither slept at all on the leg to Singapore, which was awful! The night flight, I had kept them both up during the day so they were absolutely shattered by the time we got on the flight. After the meal they slept for about six hours or so on and off which was great. When we got to Singapore, we stopped for 12 hours in the transit hotel which was fantastic. We had a shower, sleep and food and ran the children round the terminal so that they would nap on the second leg. We visited the butterfly garden too, which they both loved. We did this so as to arrive in Sydney early evening. That way, we got to the hotel, had baths/showers and some food and all went to bed, and then woke the following morning ready to go with no jet-lag. That worked well. We only have two children, but eldest is a total attention freak. She has to be doing things 100% of the time, so she was hardest. Our youngest was pretty easy each time we have flown with her because she was still a baby and breastfed, so no worry with milk etc on the flight. For eldest (flown with her at 2 and 3) I took my laptop and some dvd's for her, lots of little pocket money toys that I had wrapped up for presents when she had been good for an hour or so, aquadraw mats (the little ones), a couple of her favourite books and some little magazines and colouring books. I think that flying with children is a bit like childbirth. Incredibly painful at the time, but soon over and forgotten about quickly! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Yup, I'm with Quoll on this one when travelling with kids. We do a nightflight, last one out of Heathrow to Singapore. Our son was 22 months last time and slept 8.5 hours straight from soon after take off. Then we had 3-4 hours on the ground in Singapore (their teatime timezone wise), grabbed a shower, let son play in the play areas, used the internet (and their computers, of which there are plenty if you use the showers), grabbed a decent meal and got back on an evening flight out of Singapore. Son was wiped out and asleep before we took off. Slept for 4.5 hours. Landed 7am Aus time and son had a big nap around 11am Aus time and then an early night. Was over jet lag soon enough. I always take PJ's, if using them a kiddy sleeping bag and keep to a nighttime routine. Take sachets of Calpol and ear plugs for kids for take off and landing. Also booked proper meals for our son as tbh the kiddy menu was rather goopy and not his thing (why do they go for pasta every time with this?!). He tucked into bacon, sausage and egg for breakfast along with cornflakes! And had beef for dinner :> The BA child seat is like a rocker chair and I don't like these for extended periods of sleeping. Qantas have a drop down bassinet, so like a small cot. Much nicer. They code share so check which one would be the carrier before you book (if you book with them). BA let you choose your seats online right after booking if you have kids, Qantas its a bit more of a chance. Call them both to see what the lastest is on all that now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oidara Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 Thanks everyone for all the great tips and advice! I am thinking now that we might just do a layover in Changi as the cost of hotels in Singapore has gone up unbelievably since we were last there in 2004! Plus they insist on us booking 2 rooms even though our kids are tiny and we cosleep so we just need a double and single bed. :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Francine Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 We flew last year with a 4 year old and 18 month old children and will be going next year with a new addition. We took an early morning flight with just a 2 hour stop at Brunei. I tried to get the kids into Oz time on the plane. It worked well with them having to be up early for the flight. I also requested bulk head seats so we were able to make a bed for our youngest on the floor at our feet - I don't know if we were allowed to but nobody said anything. Taking their pj's and giving my youngest warm milk so it was the same routine as home helped as well as lots of snacks. I have to say the kids were great. They didn't sleep as well as at home but managed about 5/6 hours during the night and none of us ended up with jet lag. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oidara Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 Thanks, Francine. That's encouraging, especially as you went through in one go with no stopover as it now looks like we'd be doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronS Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 This is the one thing I'm dreading about our move. We have 3 kids....ages 9, 4 and 2. Unfortunately we don't have the option for a stop over to really break up the flight. Austin to LA = 5 hours. LA to Sydney = 15 hours! Yikes! We'll probably try to fly to LA early, then board to Sydney in the afternoon when the kids are still a little fresh and happy. Then hopefully they fall to sleep the last hours of the flight. Wish us luck on this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oidara Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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