Hello!
I have a couple of tips/ideas that may help you on your long haul flight. My husband and I flew from the UK to the States at Christmas when our dd was just over 3 months old.
One thing I would definately reccommend is getting the airport very early and try to be one of the first to check-in. When you are checking in ask for the Bulk Head Seating. You have a lot more leg room than with just standard seating and you also have fixtures on the wall in front of you for the "Sky Cot". DEFINATELY ask for the sky cot when you get on the plane. Now we flew with American Airlines but I assume all flights (especially long-haul flights) have sky cots. The flight attendant attaches a cot onto the wall in bulk head seating and your little one can nap there. For us it was a life saver coming back to the UK. We flew overnight and as soon as dd went into the sky cot she was sound asleep for the whole flight home. I put a couple of dd's own blankets in the bottom of the cot so she would have a bit of her "home smells" to comfort her. I'd also have your little one in either a little sleep suit or pyjamas...something cozy and a bit warm since planes tend to be a bit chilly.
When you're at your departure gate check-in as soon as you see an attendant on the desk and let them know you're travelling with a small baby. They'll let you onto the plane first and help you if you're travelling with a lot of gear. The airport staff actually came over to get us and helped us onto the plane.
If you are bottle-feeding your baby you can buy pre-sterilised bottles to take onto the plane with you. You just bin them once your baby has finished the bottle. They're very convienent. The flight attendants will also be happy to heat a bottle for you.
Having your baby either breastfeed, bottlefeed or suck on a pacifier (dummy) during take off and landing will help his/her little ears pop during the cabin pressure change. We gave dd a little bottle during the take off and landing and she didn't have any problems.
I think that's about everything I can remember! *lol* Honestly it took us ages to prepare for our long flight so I can just imagine all of the planning you must be doing! The key thing to remember is try to be relaxed as possible during the whole trip. If you're relaxed your baby will be relaxed. It's easier said than done but it's true. DH and I just sort of went with the flow and stayed calm and as a result dd did great through the whole flight/trip.
If I think of any other tips I'll post again. We're going back over to the States in late August for our dd's first birthday so I'm back to planning already!
Have a great trip!
Nicole
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