These tips are based on flying with a 9-10 month old baby, the flight was only 4 hours long, however from the hotel to airport and journey back home in the UK we were travelling for 13 hours so it was a long day in both directions.
This is what I packed for him to take on board:-
- Ready made formula
- Dummies
- Teether
- Fidget spinner
- Toy phone
- Wooden car
- Jellycat teddy
- Jellycat rattle
- Pop Tubes
- Beach born comforters
- Beach born blanket
- Usborne touchy-feely book
- Stacking cups
- Spare clothes
- Nappies
- Wipes
- Nappy Sacks
- Wet/dry bag
What I actually used during the flight, both directions; fidget spinner, teether, comforters, blanket, Jellycat Rabbit, milk (lots of milk) and snacks he wasn't interested in proper food and thankfully he slept at least an hour each way.
He didn't seem at all bothered by the flight, enjoyed being able to sit on my lap and get all the attention. Me on the other hand, can't wait until he has to have his own seat.
We travelled with Jet2, not a lot of leg room on those planes which is really challenging with a large baby on your lap, but I will say the air stewards were amazing, very helpful and also let me take my buggy on as cabin baggage. I write this because I was aware my buggy was within the size requirements and weight restrictions but even when I called Jet2 customer service they could NOT confirm if I could take the stroller on board. It would appear as long as its within your allocated hand luggage allowance, the below 10kgs and the correct size, you can take it.
On the holiday I would say we used most things for the baby to keep him entertained. As he is crawling but can't yet walk, if we weren't at the beach or taking him into the water he was either being held or in his buggy so the entertainment was needed, but also being little he slept loads and was happy watching everything going on around him. I also used swaddles for shade (not covering the buggy I might add) and to spread out on the beach for us to sit on.
Any other tips to share with families for flights or what to pack for holidays please let me know and I will put it in a post!