Flying to London with my 23mth old!

hiya don't think your mad at all. I have flown to Ireland with my little boy 3 times when he was about 10weeks 4months and just over 2. The last 2 times it was just me and him because like you my dh has no interest in going even though he is irish to. It is not nearly as bad as you think it is going to be. Be prepared for you stroller not to be at any of the airports even though they will telll you it will if you are getting connections then I would request assitance from the airline and they will bring you straight through all the lines and if there is a long way then they will bring you on one of those throlly things. The flight we just did in July was with air nz and it was via hong kong we only had an hour or so in each airport as it was the same airplane but it worked well because I think it is the hanging around the airport that is the killer. i also learnt not to bring too much with me as handlugage. the first time i went on my own i practicly brought the kitchen sink so this time I just had a backpack (handy to keep hands free) with nappys change of clothes for himself and snacks for him. then he had a little small backpack with some toys and books to keep him occupide also air nz has playhouse disney so that helped aswell. I also let him wonder up and down the aisle (was with him) when it didn't interfere with dinner etc. He practly slept the whole of one flight every time and then he had a little pherenagan which I know alot of people don't agree with but it just took the edge off for him. I would also request a bulk head seat as you will have more leg room and if you see any spare seats don't be afraid to ask the air hostess to move the person next to you so you can have two seats. they will ususally do that anyway. hope that helps if you have any questions let me know

We flew all the way to johannesburg with my DS when he was 14 months old. I packed him a little backpack with toys in-a wooden puzzle, one of those travel size fisher price magnetic sketchers, a few little cars, a couple pf small books. I also packed in some food to keep him busy. We gave him phenergan....I know some people are dea against this but honestly I think it's kinder to sedate them so they get a good rest & don't end up overtired & hysterical. On the way to Jhb he slept for 10 hours in the bassinet. On the way back we didn't have a bassinet which was much harder & despite giving him phenergan he still hardly slept. We just had to try keep him busy. I was really nervous about flying with such a wee child but in the end it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it might be. Good luck!

Kiwisj-dont know about Singapore air but the comfort seat with Air NZ is only available on selected routes.When we flew back to Ireland at xmas via San Francisco it was only available on flights to LA,San Fran and Vancouver and only available when you check in.?We bought the extra seat and it made a huge difference.In regards to bassinette you can request them but they wont be guaranteed,we thought we had one booked for the way back but on check in told it wasn't available,hubby kicked up quite a fuss and after making a call they told us we could have one.I0 months should ok.I remember seeing a little girl in one who was so big she could only sit in it,not lie down.

Thanks!

We're flying with Singapore Air, they are sposed to be great with babies (they were fab when I was pregnant) but NOONE will give me a straight answer about how they allocate the bassinets. It depends who you talk to Very Singaporean lah. Most of my friends here seem to think we'll get it no problems, so will just have to cross my fingers and remember to ask about this "comfort seat."

That is so sh*tty that your brother's baby missed out. If C misses out because a much younger baby needs the bassinet then I will be gutted (for my sake) but I would SO understand!

Hi everyone, thanks for all your great ideas - keep em coming!
That extra cheap seat sounds really good...it seems that my wee one will be too big for the bassinet by then! I did consider trying to get a bulkhead and making a wee comfy bed for her on the floor space there...???
Loobee, what a fantastic idea!
I think that 'plane travel with toddlers/babies" should definitely become a permanent thread.

I cant help with the flying part but we drove to Normandy (Domfront), France from Reading, Berks when DS was 10mths old and would thoroughly recommend driving.

We took the ferry from Portsmouth, it was a fast one so only took about 3hrs (Britanny Ferries). We had a sat nav preloaded with France maps and it was really easy. In saying that my DH and Dad did all the driving, since its all on the other side of the road from UK / NZ I would have been useless!!!! They said it was pretty easy to adapt.

We stayed in a cottage run by an English couple and it was an amazing holiday, the area was fantastic and getting a cottage is the way to go with the little one, it included a travel cot / high chair. Had a big pool and a spa. PM me if you want the details, the people who run the cottage are wonderful and being that they speak English they could point us to all the must do / see things in the area.

You can get a prescription from your doctor for phenergan. You don't need a prescription if the child is over 2. i would go to your doctor though as they wil recommend dossage.