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chooz

Travelling with baby

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Does anyone of you know that is baby stroller allowed onboard airplane? As hand carried not checked baggage.

Yes, u can bring a baby stroller onboard.the stewardess will giv you a tag to fill so that you will not mistaken your stroller with our ppl's stroller.but the stroller must b kept in front of cabin.just giv your baby stroller to the stewardess before you enter the plane.

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viv, those instand bb porridge...safe for bb ah? cuz think of instant noodle , then instand porridge..scare it contains ajinomoto lei..

i am not sure... but shouldn't have any aji, salt maybe....

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Ok, just to share our first outstation holiday experience, well aside from the monthly visit down to Malacca :P. Before we board the plane, it was nerve wrecking for me cos I was so afraid that Ashley would be cranky but thank god! that she was obedient and playing with us the entire time. Before the plane took off, we let her 'read' some of the pamphlets available and when its time to fly we simply feed her with a bottle of milk. The air pressure didnt bother her much as we thought it would be. There were another baby onboard as well and I pity the mother bcause she was wailing her hearts out and her mother couldn't do anything. And to make things worst, there are people who was tutting and shaking their heads. I mean come on it's not as if she wanted the baby to cry.

Anyway Ashley didn't really kick up a fuss when I strapped her onto me, I think she's fancinated by the whole thing. 45 mins later we reached Langkawi airport. Phew

Meals for her was not an issue cos the buffet spread at Westin was superb! They had fresh fruits and Ashley loves the banana, cereals like coco crunch which I let her snacked on. And we brought along her cereal which we mixed with cut fresh fruits/milk and whenever we were at the restaurant having our brunch buffet, they will give us a pot of hot water to mix the cereal. And when we go out to the beaches I brought along her biscuits and I'll bring 1-2 bananas as well.

On the way back to KL, we were kinda lucky that Ashley slept all the way back and didn't even stirred when the plane landed slightly bumpy.

Remember earlier on I was asking around about airport regulation when it comes to children? sadly I couldn't find the info in the KLIA website, instead I referred to this one instead. A very informative site.

As for the stroller yes you can push it right to the plane and get the cabin crew to keep it for you and yes at the check in counter, they would tag the stroller.

And not sure if anyone here realize but Airasia apparently don't give priority boarding for pregnant women or parents with kids, you have to go for the Xpress Boarding option

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Wow, good job Mummy!

You're smart to let Ashley drink milk during take off, because the swallowing action helps relieve cabin pressure. I heard that some people suck on a candy or chew gum to avoid their ears from popping too.

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Geez, it took me such a long time digging up this thread! :angry: I didn't want to open another topic on this, this parenting forum is messy enough as it is with so many duplicated topics :bruce: It's time to call for some house keeping.

Anyway, that's not the reason why I dig up this thread. I'm reviving this topic because I'm facing a DILEMMA :dash2:

HB and I are planning for a 2 weeks holiday to Paris sometime in June. Now the question is to bring or not to bring Brandon along. By June, he will be 18 months old. We're afraid that he might get uneasy or restless or uncomfortable on such a long flight. And there are so many other things to consider if we were to bring him along. What's he gonna eat for the 2 week? How am I supposed to prepare his food in hotel room? Will it be very inconvenient for us to bring him around in a stroller and do all the shopping and sight seeing?

But then ... it will be really NICE to have a family holiday in a place like Paris, all 3 of us! :wub:

Sigh, I have to decide and make arrangement soon ... I hope to hear more opinions and to seek any advice from any parent who has done a long haul flight/long holiday with a kid that is under 2 years of age.

If you were me, would you bring along Brandon? Pls advice me :sad:

Any input is greatly appreciated!

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Hi Chooz,

14 hours is a long time but it is possible! I'm in childcare so I am constantly aware of children and babies around me. There are always children (babies, toddlers and older ones) when I fly back to Malaysia and I can safely say that NONE cried (at least not long enough for me to notice and I can be very iritable when kids scream in a confined area). Most had no problems sleeping (it's a little bit like being in a car). If he is restless, you can walk around the plane with him - the air stewardesses usually do not mind (not during mealtimes , landing or take off of course). I have been in a car with a toddler for 9 hours and it was hard but not that bad. In fact, I think a car is worse because they have to actually SIT in the car seat the whole time.

If he's bored, you can read books or play with him. Milk during take-off and landing will help.

Regarding food in Paris: baby food can be found at supermarkets and these are often quite healthy (no salt, no preservatives etc.). I don't know what meals they have in France but in The Netherlands, the brand Olivarit is very popular. Some of the meals offered are pasta (with sauce but I tatau what kind), pureed fish/chicken/meat/vegetables with I don't know what;) . I think they cost about 2 euro (possibly less) each (quite a lot. Definitely enough for one meal- possibly two). For breakfast, he can eat some oatmeal and fruits which you can prepare with warm water or milk in the hotel room ( you can also ask your hotel to help. Europeans are quite child friendly). Alternatively, you can choose to rent an apartment instead of staying at a hotel. That way, you can cook all your meals.

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Eating, moving around and so forth in Paris IS NOT an issue. People here are toddler-friendly (they have children too, remember?). :smile:

Plus the hotel reception can always assist you with tips and stuff on where to buy baby food OR help you prepare baby food. There are heaps of things like purees, compotes and yoghurt not to mention fruits, and etc.

My only concern is the long haul flight and how he's going to take it. Although I do know that air stewardess LOVE babies...most at least. :lol:

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Hi all mummies,

Thk you for all the infos. I will be going to BKK in Dec09 & will be going wit my inlaws & hubby ofcos. I think by the time, my bb will be 5mths (due in 1st week jul), still not decide to bring my bb along but would like to bring him along as i know i definately gonna miss him & its gonna spoilt my whole trip mood....so i guess i really have to plan the trip well.

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Meringue & Mabel,

Appreciate all your inputs :)

Sigh, I'm still contemplating on the matter ... cannot make up my mind. Many around told me it's not wise to bring him along as it'd probably spoil my holiday and I'm starting to lean towards their suggestion. So, most probably(ok maybe 60 to 70%) not going to bring Brandon along. He's already quite a lil monster even at home :girl_devil:

No doubt, I've seen many people (especially the caucasians) on board planes with young babies but we can't compare our situation to theirs. Most of the time, they're going back to their home country. They have the comfort of their own home there, things that they are familiar with and they have their whole support systems there. It's very different from the situation where you're with a young toddler in a foreign land. I know this may sound crazy to some but one thing that really bothers me is the idea of washing my baby's feeding utensils and milk bottle in a hotel bathroom... I NEVER bring anything that belongs in the kitchen into a bathroom/toilet. NEVER! I'm a total "hygiene freak" when it comes to these things. So, how am I gonna wash his used bottles if we're staying in a hotel? So that alone is enough to discourage me from bringing Brandon with us.

Moreover, I was thinking what's the hurry in bringing Brandon with us this time round? We go holiday every year and if we want to, we can always go Paris again next year or the year after when Brandon's much older and more independent.

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I'm in a good mood lately ... must share :tongue:

Hubby came home over the weekend and "announced" that he has made up his mind, he is bringing his little boy with us to Paris! :wub: We have come to a new arrangement though, that is to move our trip back a few months from the initial planned June to September instead. By September, Brandon will be a little older and hopefully it will be easier to bring him on a holiday. Believe me, a few months makes a hell lot of difference in a baby/toddler's mental and physical development :lol:

Another reason for the date change is because hubby prefers to go Europe in a cooler season, more "feel" according to him :tongue: His point is, the only time we get to experience an Autumn or Spring is when we're out of our own tropical country. So why visit a country which has 4 seasons in a hot summer, a season which is all year round in our own country? I think he's got a point there :lol:

So, all is set and this time round I'm really looking forward for the trip! No more contemplating, no more difficult decision making, no more torn in between ... Yippee! :cheers:

Meringue & Meiteoh, thank you gals for being supportive!*HUGZ* We'll heed your advices and suggestions when we're there :smile: Just hope that all goes well and we'll have a memorable first family vacation there :biggrin:

Meiteoh, just want to check with you, since you're living in Europe, is September a good time to visit Paris? We have to pick September because it coincides with Brandon's semester break at Julia Gabriel. Personally I would have preferred October since it's cooler then but that would clash with Brandon's classes.

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It depends on where you're going - if it's to Paris, September should be alright coz it's just the start of autumn - not too hot and not too cold. :)

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chooz,

you gotta read up more on ear pressure on baby and go check with your family doc/paed. 2 weeks ago on the way back to KL, i saw a baby boy about 1 year old...he was alright during take off but landing was really torturous for him...he was crying for 45 minutes or so...and kept hitting his head with both his hands...i heart really went out for him...

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ooo you finally decided to bring Brandon along? Enjoy yourselves there!! Paris' really lovely and nice place for a family holiday :)

Remember to bring a lightweight/umbrella stroller instead of the bulky ones, in case you need to fold and carry your stroller around in some places. And stock up on the disposable bibs so that you don't have to wash them, can just pack away and throw. The hotel toilets are generally quite clean though and you can bring a small steriliser/bottle warmer/food warmer (petit terraillon) that way you can still sterilize your baby bottles and feeding accessories.

Like what the rest has said, they have children too so baby food would be available in most of the shops there.

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don't forget to bring an adapter:) the plugs there are 2-pin, not 3-pin. Also, check the voltage. If your sterilizer doesn't fit, you can just ask the hotel to microwave the meal for you (the microwave can also sterilize but you need this plastic thing and I don't know what it's called!). As your child is a toddler, his food and drinks need not be sterilized any longer.

p/s: September's probably better than October. October can be rainy.

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meiteoh : I was hoping for a cooler weather so that I could wear some boots, nice jacket and also to have an excuse to buy those cute little jacket for Brandon, heehee :tongue: These days the weather is so unpredictable :rclxub: Winters don't feel like winters anymore. Last year, I went to Athens, Greece with hubby in December, which is supposed to be Winter but the weather was so warm there. The average temperature was about 20degrees in the day and by night fall, it wasn't any cooler either :angry: I had prepared so many winter clothings, even went to Zara and bought one nice thick jacket with furry collar just for that trip. In the end, that jacket was totally uncalled for :dry: I only wore it for photo taking purpose, what a waste.

smurf : Thanks for the pointer! But actually, Brandon has traveled by air about 3 to 4 times since he was 1 month old. But those were short trip from Singapore to KL only. For all those flights, he didn't show any sign of discomfort at all during take off and landing. But someone told me it might be because he was too young and not "complicated" enough at that time to acknowledge/register the pain, I'm not sure how true that is :unsure: He has not been flying for many months now so I don't know how he will react to the ear pressure now. Am really start to feel worry now :sad: But like you said, we will definitely discuss with our pediatrician before the trip.

mummyally : Yupe, finally made up my mind. Thank goodness, no more deadlock :lol: But honestly, we're taking our chances too. Have never brought such a young child on a long trip before and I'm kinda nervous about the whole thing :unsure: Don't know what to anticipate just pray hard that all goes well...

And ya we definitely need to get a lightweight stroller, our peg perego is a little too bulky. Any good umbrella strollers to recommend? But from what I've seen around, most umbrella strollers can't be reclined and I worry Brandon might not be able to sleep comfortable in it.

While most hotels toilet might look clean on the surface but I have doubts about the way they clean it. Germs and Bacterias are creatures that we can't see with our naked eyes but they are there :girl_devil: ... I better not go on on this otherwise I might freak everyone out :lol: Even with a sterilizer I still don't feel quite comfortable. Ya, I know I sound psycho, sometimes I really wish that I could think like a normal person :sad: but I'm trying hard to convince myself not to be so paranoid :rclxub: Anyway ... so I've thought of a "solution", I plan to wean Brandon off formula when we're in Paris. Just buy him those packeted/bottled fresh milk from supermarket or convenient store. That way I can just thrash the bottle/container away after feeding him, no bottle washing then! What do you think? Feasible?

Meringue : Thanks for reminding me that ;) I think my hubby should know about plug thingy coz he travels to Europe quite often, just that never with a kid before :lol: You're right about sterilizing. When I'm at home, I don't sterilize his feeding utensils anymore. I only sterilize his bottles because I always "hang" them inside the sterilizer after washing so might as well just sterilize them since it's so convenient :tongue:

Really? October can be rainy? So that means our decision to go in September could be a good one after all :smile:

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Urm, winter in Greece is not the same as winter in Paris (north-central France) or Switzerland. Greece is mostly Mediterranean weather...macam Perth in the Southern Hemisphere.

All those winter clothes that you buy in Malaysia is not even suitable for winters here in Switzerland - my cousin bought one of those bulky winter jackets that make her look like Michelin man and she still got sick because it's not right for the weather here which can be windy and very very cold - most days in Switzerland, the temperature is 1° so don't talk about night temperatures la....

Even now, during spring, the temp during the day can be as low as 14°. And yes on the rain! Spring and autumn here are notorious for lots of rain during these two seasons.

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Oooh ... so Autumn in Paris will be different from Autumn in Greece lah? That means will be cooler? Then that's a good news to me! :) I'm hoping for temp about 14 to 15degrees in the day, something like the Winter in Melbourne ;)

I believe Spring and Autumn are the peak season to visit Europe?

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Yup, it'll be cooler but... September COULD be warm la (+-20 degrees). Once, I went to Paris in the first or 2nd week of October and we just wore dresses and flip flops.

BUT that doesn't mean Paris will not be fun. I know Malaysians like the cold (because different mah) but I can tell you that Europe can be bloody awesome in the summer. People are nice, there are so many more things to do, you can sit in a park, drink rosé etc.etc.etc. The mood in the summer is completely different- very carefree... Definitely different from Malaysia:)

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Yeah, it depends on your luck. If you get super sunny days with little breeze, it can be very hot (city mah). T.T

Personally, I like it when it's breezy during summer...plus the flowers in full bloom. Ahhhh, the life! XD

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Meringue,

Ya I kinda have a feeling my chances for a cooler temperature in September is rather slim ... but I supposed +-20degrees is anytime better than our hot weather at 30+ degrees :lol: Think I better bring along some light clothing too :wink:

Ya I think you're kinda right about the summer in Europe. Even if it's hot and sunny, I'm sure it won't be as humid as in Malaysia and hence we won't be sweating that much too. Sweating could really dampen your mood to move around outdoor you know :dry:

meiteoh,

You're right, it really depend on my luck then. At this moment I'm not so concern about the weather but how to make this a fuss free and enjoyable trip with a young kid in tow :lol:

5 more months to September ... gosh, I can't wait!!! :biggrin:

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Thought I'd update this thread coz I just returned from SG via plane with Eva. We've travelled with her when she was a month old and this is her first flight since arriving in SG.

I'm kind of in a ranty mood because while everything was okay from SG to KL (good flight, she didn't fuss, just let her suckle and all was ok for both take-off and landing), the flight back from KL to SG was HORRIBLE! The take-off was okay but when it was time for the descent, she started crying like crazy while I tried to suckle her. And we tried everything from our pinkie, to my boobs and what didn't help was the pilot lingering with the descent for longer than necessary! So at the end of it, instead of getting all flustered because there was nothing we could do to stop her from crying, we just decided to let her cry plus I'd try to distract her, offer her my boob time and time again, hug her and so forth.

The air stewardess came back to ask if everything was okay, if we wanted some water to which my HB said no thank you and that we just want the pilot to land ASAP. Then this lady sitting in front of us decided to tell us what to do to shut her up, something which I totally found annoying and hardly helpful - she went "You should close her ears shut to keep her quiet" and I just shot back "It doesn't work for adults so what makes you think it'd work on babies?" and she kept quiet. Later, she had the cheek to tell her friend that it has been ages since she last dealt with a baby. WTH.

I'm sorry if my daugther's crying annoys her but it's not like I didn't do anything to stop her. In fact, I've done everything short of smothering her! Besides, she's a BABY; honestly, what do people expect? =.=

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meiteoh, After readng ur post, I start worry already, I am about to bring my doter back to KL next month, by the time, she already turn 4 months, she has been travel with me when she is 2 months old, from KK to Miri, that time i offer her my boob, and she was ok that time, sleep through out the time, but that was only 55 mins, I don know what happen when I back to KL which will take 2.5 hrs, and I travel alone.

I have ask the doc, she said only close her ears during take off and descent, I though it will work for every baby...what happen if doesn't work... :rclxub:

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I suspect in my case, she ended up crying coz she has suckled from both boobs earlier and therefore there wasn't much milk when I nursed her again during the descent (she needs to swallow for this to be effective) and on top of that, the pilot took over 15 minutes to descent for landing in SG which was much longer than when we were landing in KL (5 minutes tops).

Why I mention that closing ears doesn't work is because of what I've read about air pressure and flying with babies. You can read more about it here and here.

What bothered me more than her crying was that woman telling me what to do and on top of that, a USELESS piece of advice!

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howa..horrible experience...

me lucky i guess ...just got back from sabah to penang yesterday..2 hr 45 mn

overall everything is fine..he only cries for milk and he poop half way to kk(huhuhu need to change in a small plane lavatory)

we did try to cover his ears using cotton,i thot that help but now i know i'm just lucky.

during the descent he membebel a little bit and almost crying but i hug him and try to play with him

and let him suck his hand..and he's ok..

csufong, i hope you will be ok on your trip.its scary when ur baby cries and u cant stand up to hug him n make him comfortable..

and i'm flying with airasia,its kinda sempit compare to MAS.but we've made it...

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we're planning for a short getaway to either langkawi (by flight) or Pangkor (by road) with our baby.

Is flying alright for baby 3 months plus? Anything in particular that i should arrange for?

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