Toddlers Flying

Hi Guys,

Its been a few years since I last posted here. I guess the main reason was that we started a family so those flights to Barbados are all but a distant memory (I recall doing a TR then so will follow up up with a TR this time).

Anyway, we shall be travelling to MCO in June in Y and I wondered if anyone had any advice that they could give to us. I have travelled VS many times before (the first time being 20 years ago - one trip about 18 years ago we were upgraded to UC when there was only 8 seats upstairs).
Its all different for us this time round as we shall have our daughter who will be just over 2.5years old and she has not flown before.

Oh BTW its nice to see that its still as friendly here as it was 3 or 4 years ago.

Mark

[HighFlyer]

Welcome back [y]

I am sure mdvipond or FamilyMan or one of our other seasoned parents will be along later with some sage advice. All I can say is to take enough toys/books to keep the little one occupied during the long flight and lots of Calpol [:D]

Thanks,
Sarah

And of course, seat the wee one as near His Grace as possible.

Happy flying and welcome back!

GJ

Sparky,

Pram take it to the gate, if you're taking it. Also hire cars have generally been fine in terms of car seat rental, so we always left ours at home.
Entertainment- 1 new item for every hour. also back up DVD player as the IFE is fine but limited for a 2.5 yr old.
'snap' style cards are great- numbers pictures etc
The Crayola drawing packs, avoid games with too many little bits as they all end up on the floor
Raisins/ a sealable cup (with feeding lid)- you fill up on the plane.
The obvious scribble/ colouring in books
a decent cloth, bib, wet wipes. numerous G&T's for you
You can get zip up document style folders which act as self contained drawing work stations. Great as you can open them out on the fold out tables. T'internet a search
Trunki's for their hand luggage - although if you're traveling with a pram probably no need.
Run as much energy out of them at the airport, plenty of walking around.
Sedatives! Although we've generally avoided. some of our esteemed colleagues however...
Bribery - a strong lever
You'll also spend much time walking up & down the plane.

NB (A spare set of clothes for you in hand luggage, as well as them)

Enjoy,

NH

Welcome back to the fold, sparky.

Everything what 'Enry said really. 'Sedatives' are useful on night flights (and your fellow passengers will thank you in spades), but I wouldn't recommend using them through the day. Phenergen works a treat and usually leads to all concerned having a peaceful night's sleep.

I'd echo NH's advice re. a cheap portable DVD player and few fave films and cartoons. A couple of new toys will help immensely and - for Tizer at least - stickers have always been a big hit.

Most importantly, let Sparky jr. know that her holiday starts as soon as she boards the plane. It's her first flight, so encourage some excitement about it for her (try showing her a few take-offs on youtube). Also make it clear to her that she's a very lucky little girl to be going to Disney and that best behaviour is expected of her throughout - after all, I have it on the best authority that Mickey Mouse doesn't like children who play up on aeroplanes... Enjoy!

Welcome back sparky. Me and the present Mrs Treelo took our grandchildren - then aged 5 and almost 3 - on the MAN-MCO route a couple of years ago and they were unbelievably well behaved. To be honest, I think they were a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing, from the Kids Packs, to their 'special' lunches, to their own individual seatback TV, all the way through to the ice cream while they watched cartoons. As has been suggested above, we took some puzzle books + Mummy's MP3 player filled with some suitable music as well as a few card 'snap' games. They totally loved it.

Oh and BTW, Mummy and Daddy enjoyed their trip, complete with the silence caused by fact that Granny and Grandad were on babysitting duty [:o)]

Welcome back Sparky,

We will be flying this Friday to BGI with a 10mth old and a 3.5 yr old so lots to keep them occupied. DVD player essential with favourite films a must, also a new toy at the airport seems to work a treat. Works for me. Not really bothered what the kids want[:D] Mums job that[:0]

Iain

Many thanks for all of the welcome back comments, just re-enforces how friendly it is here.

We have already taken note of the comments made here. I assume with her buggy we just take it up to the gate and they check it into the hold?
Any more advice will be much appreciated. I am looking forward to being part of this community again and will subscribe in the next few days.

quote:Originally posted by sparky

We have already taken note of the comments made here. I assume with her buggy we just take it up to the gate and they check it into the hold?



Yes the buggy will be placed in the hold at the gate.

Do you have a child's meal ordered for your daughter? if you don't, it's probably worth contacting VS and ordering one.

Thanks for the reply tinkerbelle.
Yes we do have a childs meal ordered, we have also ordered a toddler seat.
I have been advised to call a week or so before we go to check the kiddies meal is onboard.

quote:Originally posted by sparky
Thanks for the reply tinkerbelle.
Yes we do have a childs meal ordered, we have also ordered a toddler seat.
I have been advised to call a week or so before we go to check the kiddies meal is onboard.


You should be able to see if it has been ordered by checking the 'Manage my Booking' on the VS website.

Hi all,

As the father of a 13-month old daughter, can I hijack this thread slightly and add some of my own questions? We've got a 'baby's first flight' coming up to Dublin end of this month but then come May we have our first 'big' flight to New York!

Definitely taken on board the 'new toy' idea - will get something non-electronic and quiet!

However, question about seating. Bulkhead seats for Econ and PE, but what about UC? Does anyone have recommendations on where mum n' dad should try and sit when we'll have by May a 15-month-old kiddie wanting to wriggle about and explore? My gut feeling is as far forward as possible?

Darryl

quote:Originally posted by randalf
However, question about seating. Bulkhead seats for Econ and PE, but what about UC? Does anyone have recommendations on where mum n' dad should try and sit when we'll have by May a 15-month-old kiddie wanting to wriggle about and explore? My gut feeling is as far forward as possible?


Assuming that you're not treating jr. to his/her own seat just yet, on a 747 you're best with the two front suites (12A & K on a LHR config.) For an A346 it's a little tougher, but I'd probably plump for 6A and 7D - the latter has a wardrobe to one side which makes it a little more 'private' and ideal for jr. to catch some Zs whilst you and your beloved share 6A for dinner.

Aye, the little 'un gets to sit with mum n' dad on this trip! Looking at the flight stats between LHR and EWR, it's 99% certain we'll get an A346 so I'll take on board your recommendation for 6A and 7D. I notice that I cannot change seats online for my booking (odd!) so I'll give Virgin a call.

When it comes to baby supplies, are we still restricted in what liquids we can bring onboard? Her comfort 'food' is Cow n' Gate milk which you can get ready-made rather than having to make it up beforehand, but I'm pretty sure the bottles it comes in are > 100ml...

Darryl


quote:Originally posted by mdvipond
Assuming that you're not treating jr. to his/her own seat just yet, on a 747 you're best with the two front suites (12A & K on a LHR config.) For an A346 it's a little tougher, but I'd probably plump for 6A and 7D - the latter has a wardrobe to one side which makes it a little more 'private' and ideal for jr. to catch some Zs whilst you and your beloved share 6A for dinner.

baby food - Be ready to have to eat some of it..to prove its what you say..
So that nice sealed bottle, I'm afraid will need opening.. (unless things have changed recently...)

In terms of 'kiddy's meals' we've always avoided as they tend to be a bit crap- mini NH likes carrots/green things ! and pasta- so have generally plugged for one of the adult meals, as the kiddies stuff is just gluppy beans and very filler filled sausages & associated rubbish- Also dad gets another GLU chocolate pot- its the law!!
A chicken based dinner can be cut up into bite size pieces etc- Really all depends on their eating habits

Randalf - remember a spare set of clothes for you as well as baby- I speak from experience, its not pleasant queuing for ages at Immigration with your crotch covered in sick...

NH

quote:Originally posted by Tinkerbelle
Yes the buggy will be placed in the hold at the gate.


I assume that we then pick the buggy up with the standard luggage at baggage reclaim??
Sorry for all the questions. I used to think myself as a seasoned traveller until I became a parent and then the rules changed!

quote:Originally posted by Tinkerbelle
Yes the buggy will be placed in the hold at the gate.


I assume that we then pick the buggy up with the standard luggage at baggage reclaim??
Sorry for all the questions. I used to think myself as a seasoned traveller until I became a parent and then the rules changed!

Sometimes the buggies are on the baggage reclaim belt and other times they are delivered to the aircraft door - each airport is different. It's been a while though since I've been to MCO so cannot remember what their procedure is. [xx(]

quote:Originally posted by sparky
[quote]
I assume that we then pick the buggy up with the standard luggage at baggage reclaim??


I seem to remember they created a 'pile' of buggies soon after disembarking. But I'm not 100% on this, as may be confusing with somewhere else.
NB. There is a small expedition getting from the gate to the reclaim at MCO, so I'd ask immediately both CC and the Ground Crew outside the door, as you'll not want to trawl off, catch the tram/train thing all the way to reclaim and find out otherwise.
Also I'd double check you have some good ID on the pram - & chk over for damage asap. [B)]
Also as you approach the train thing, you'll go up some steps & they'll be offering to put lugguage items onto a conveyor (These get whisked off to the main luggage reclaim [:0])- make sure its tagged up with flight details or just keep hold of it.

We're off there in May, I'll be noting related issues and hints, for posting on rtn, from this popular kid ladened route.
So should have some upto date info before you go. I'm sure others might well be there before me as well.
NH

Sorry to bring up this topic again, slight variant though.

Having looked into the cost of hiring a car seat we have found its cheaper to buy one out there. So now with baby No 2 on the way (only just found out) we want to bring it back with us. We are aiming at checking in at Downtown disney and then going to the airport later and will need the seat for that. Do we have to re-queue at MCO VS check in or can the baby seat be dropped at a luggage drop off point?

quote:Originally posted by sparky
Sorry to bring up this topic again, slight variant though.

Having looked into the cost of hiring a car seat we have found its cheaper to buy one out there. So now with baby No 2 on the way (only just found out) we want to bring it back with us. We are aiming at checking in at Downtown disney and then going to the airport later and will need the seat for that. Do we have to re-queue at MCO VS check in or can the baby seat be dropped at a luggage drop off point?




Not 100% sure. In theory yes but in practice I would not be surprised if you would have to re-queue. Having said that, people who use Downtown with prams and the like, must be allowed to just drop them off at the aircraft door. So may be it is possible. That is presuming they will treat a car seat in the same way as a pram/buggy.

Rather than spending your hard earned cash on Downtown Disney (unless you have Ag or are VH customer) why not just do online check in? It gets round all your problems easily. If you want to head off to Disney before the flight- just keep the bags in the boot of the car, security patrol the car parks all the time.

Online check in/bag drop at MCO is heavily underused, in my experience and does get round the waiting that is sometimes experienced at Downtown Disney.

Not sure about Treelo's comment about grandparents on babysitting duty on the flight. Grandparents are on different VS flight but will be on meeting duty at MCO and looking forward to spending time with son / dtr-in-law / grand-daughter in FL.
Have also prepared a trailer video that g/dtr has watched and Sparky probably knows word for word by now.