Flights to Australia, and taking a baby with you!

Flying with a baby can be lots of fun — or maybe it's just the relief from being off the plane for a few minutes...

Now I know I have already written about flights to Australia and taking a baby, but I didn't cover everything — I am learning new things all the time — like how not all bassinets are the same!

Now, I have been doing a bit of research (OK, looking up flights for our next trip, I'll admit!), and discovered that the size and weight restrictions for different airlines and their bassinets (sky cots) are really different (especially when you have a 1 year-old, who is on the verge of weighing too much for some, and not for others!).

Alex snoozing her way Down Under — when she was light enough for an Emirate's sky cot

Singapore Airlines have bassinets suitable for slim but heavy babies it seems (!), as their weight limit is 14kgs (er, my rough calculation for that into pounds is 30lbs), but the bassinets are only 29.9cm wide and 76.9cm long (20cm high). Compare that to Emirates, and their 'sky cots' have a limit of only 11kgs (just over 24lbs) but they are 33cms wide (but only 16.5cm deep!). And if you fly Virgin then, irrespective of weight, no babies over 12 months get a bassinet. So there!

Also, you need to see what baggage is and isn't allowed by airlines, as this is not the same for infants either... Virgin lets you check in a bag of 10kg and take 6kg on board, and with Emirates you can check in a bag of up to 10kg for your baby, and then a 5kg bag as hand-luggage, and Singapore allows 10kg checked baggage too, and its hand-luggage isn't mentioned in kgs, but just says that "Infant's food for consumption in flight and infant's carrying basket" is allowed in addition to 1 bag per passenger...

I haven't trawled through every airline, as I have picked out the ones that I consider are best for travelling with kids on, but if you've had good experience of other airlines with small people, then please let me know — always willing to try something new!

So, now assuming you got all your visa and customs issues sorted (make sure you get a visa for baby, and declare all formula and baby food when you get there on your form), then you're good to fly!

Alex and Daddy leaving tracks in the sand on Mission Beach, Queensland

If you are travelling with a little little person (a baby under 6 months), I would recommend bringing a car-seat/buggy combo as then you know you are all sorted on that front for hire cars and taxis when you get to Australia. We got ourselves a Quinny Zapp set of 'wheels' that our Cabrio Fix car-seat slotted into nicely. Most airlines let you keep your buggy until literally the plane door, and then put it into the hold from there. The Quinny comes with its own travel-bag, and folds up pretty small which is why we liked it (and it's now been chucked around by various baggage handlers, and none the worse for it!).

Also, if you don't already have one, I would recommend a baby carrier or sling (we had a Baby Bjorn) for hands-free manoeuvres at airports, but also while out and about (bushwalking not so easy with a buggy, for example!).  

The woodland views in the Blue Mountains, NSW, aren't a match for the sleepy comfort of the Baby Bjorn...

Now, I have been reading that many airlines allow you to take your own car-seat on board, and strap it to a seat for babies up to 3 years old if you want to go for that option (as opposed to the 'on lap' option for up to 2 year olds, or just the 'own seat' option for 2-3 year olds), but remember this will mean you have a pay for a ticket (child price), which is usually about 60-70% of an adult ticket price. This might well be worth doing if you have a little person who is not a good 'on nap' napper, or is just a bit too big for that sort of thing! You will need to check with your airline for the criteria the car-seat has to meet though, as if it's not the right 'sort' of car-seat they do put it into the hold...

Also, in terms of stop overs, then I still think the option of a few hours of kip and/or a quick dip in the roof top pool at Singapore Airport is a really good idea. Here's the link to the transit hotel, and more importantly — you can check-out the amazing-looking new Terminal 3 at Changi (Singapore Airport) while you are there (probably almost worth the stop in itself — now I sound like an airport geek when really I'm not — honest!).

If you have a baby at the crawling or toddling stage, it's a good idea to think about breaking up the journey once or twice, even if it's just for an hour or so, as am sure you know all about the ability to sit still only for a limited amount of time ;-) If you choose the (handily, the cheaper) Emirates connections to Australia, these have a break (change of plane) in Dubai and then a quick stop in either Singapore Airport (for Brisbane), or Bangkok (Sydney) for example, which can mean a good crawl about a suitable empty departure lounge for 20 minutes or so to burn off a bit of energy before getting back on the plane!

The security guards at Bangkok airport were very scary!

• changes of outfits for baby AND you (you know nappy changes aren't always without casualties!)
• way more nappies/milk/food than you think you will need (in case of delays or spills, etc)
• the way of looking past people when they give you an evil stare (or, as I do, give them a lovely smile — always good for freaking miserable people out!).

Enjoy — and remember, people take babies to Australia every day — so there's a few of us nutters out there ;-)