If you plan to fly alone with two small children you'll be well advised to
think about these main issues before you fly:
· Getting around
I used a front-pack for the baby and reins/buggy for the older child, while
I carried all the hand-luggage in a large back-pack on my back. I looked
like a Sherpa! These days it’s even harder than ever to get the airline to
bring your stroller onboard, so if I were you I’d book ‘special
assistance’
at your departure and arrival airports (do this when you book your tickets)
and if that means sitting in a wheelchair with your babies on your knee,
just do it. In my experience ‘special assistance’ at Heathrow has varied
between a wheelchair and the electric car-train that they usually use for
elderly and late passengers (this is really fast and you need to hold on to
your children very firmly…). Special assistance also means you’ll have
someone to help you get your luggage off the carousel, which is hard
especially if your buggy is one of the things you’re waiting for, so you’re
carrying your children at that point.
· Eating on the plane
Your toddler will need you to help with her meal, and your baby will be on
your lap. It’s very hard to eat a meal yourself with a baby on your lap
because you can’t lower the tray properly. If you have booked a bassinette
for the baby things are a whole lot easier as you can put the baby down
somewhere. Also, if you can book the window seats rather than
centre-of-plane seats, the air hostesses sometimes take pity on the poor
soul in the third seat in your row, move him/her somewhere else, and you’ve
got a row to yourself (albeit with armrests that don’t move so you can’t
lie the 2-yr old flat)…
· Changing nappies and going to the bathroom yourself
You may find that your toddler isn’t happy to sit in her seat while you
take the baby to the bathroom (or yourself). This can mean a logistical
challenge as you all try to pile into the largest cubicle you can find on
the plane - there’s usually one right at the back that’s marginally bigger
than the others. My 2-yr old ran up and down the plane and into
business-class in tears after she couldn’t find me when she woke up as I’d
taken that opportunity to take a bathroom break…you get the picture! A
wonderful AirNZ hostess offered to sit with my two for a few minutes when
she had some spare seconds so that I could get a sanity break – a saint.
Original issue reported on code.google.com by kalashni...@gmail.com on 20 Aug 2009 at 3:48
Original issue reported on code.google.com by
kalashni...@gmail.com
on 20 Aug 2009 at 3:48