Long haul flight with toddler/seat selection ideas?

[Anonymous]

We're flying a long haul to Asia with our 22 month old soon. He is tall for his age and I am still toying between bringing the car seat or investing in a CARES harness. However, I really need advice on seat selection. DH is going, too and we've never flown long haul with a toddler before. We'll have 3 seats for the 3 of us. But I need help with seat selections. Any advice is more than welcome. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

They'll no doubt put you near the front of a section with the other kids/babies. Try to get the three on the side to yourselves.

[Anonymous]

check out seatguru.com to get a sense of the plane. We've done 2(window +aisle) +1 across the aisle, and we're done 3 (aisle, middle, middle). I'm not sure it makes a lot of difference, but we tend to switch off responsibility, so we generally go for 2+1.

[Anonymous]

Do NOT get the bulkhead/bassinet seats. They are REALLY uncomfortable, and your child is already way too big for the bassinets. I would probably do the CARES harness, unless your son loves sleeping in his car seat, in which case, bring that. I found my kids were able to almost fully stretch out by lying across their seats and my/DH's laps, although that obviously leaves issues with buckling them in.

And yes, get 3 to one side by yourself if you can. And try not to get the seats all the way in the back, because they tend to not recline.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you all - but please keep it coming. The travel agent selecting 3 "good" seats for us is one thing, but I really could use some practical parent advice of what works or doesn't when actually on the the plane with a squirmy toddler!

[Anonymous]

I've done the overnight flight to/from Europe more times than I care to think of with my daughter.

I actually like the bulkhead because you have more room and I don't think it's uncomfortable at all, however there are some downsides. The bulkhead seats tend to be right by either the restrooms or the kitchen (depending on plane) and both can be very disruptive if you want some quiet.

I tend to prefer (again, depending on the plane) seats toward the rear of the plane but not in the back row. The planes we often flew on had a kitchen in the back but aside from the mealtimes, this area was generally very quiet and also allowed some extra space for walking around. Also the rear of the plane is never as crowded as further up - several times we were able to get 4 seats in the middle for the 3 of us to have some extra space; my daughter was even able to lie down to sleep (only she didn't actually sleep!)

I would probably ask for 3 seats together on the side, or 3/4 seats together in the middle.

One more thing about bulkhead - while there is extra space for a toddler to move around there, some airline personnel won't allow it - they will want the child in their seat. If you have regular seats in the middle/back I think it's less noticeable if you want to let your child sit or play on the floor for a few minutes or stand or whatever.

Be prepared to spend the bulk of the flight walking around the plane though - we flew transatlantic when my daughter was 13 months, 26 months, and nearly 4. The flight at 26 months was the most difficult....

[Anonymous]

The huge disadvantage of bulkhead seats for us was not being able to store within easy reach (at your feet) a carryon (containing all the things you need to amuse/feed/change your kid).

I would bring the car seat if you are going to use it over there, but I wouldn't bring it just for the plane ride probably.

[Anonymous]

We flew transatlantic with our 10 month old on United and had the bulkhead seats, which we loved, and took her car seat with us. There was plenty of space for us to get up and take care of DD without bumping into anyone's seat. We even changed her pee-pee diaper on the floor. They let us keep our bags on the floor in front of us except for take off and landing, so we could grab her toys, food and bottles without having to dig under the seats. Being close to the bathroom was a plus since we could wash our hands throughout the flight. And we were seated with another couple with two kids so they were not giving us the evil eye when DD cried, which was not for long, she was a fabulous flyer .

[Anonymous]

OP, again. Thank you all...please keep it coming as you think of more. We'll be doing the overnight transatlantic, followed by another 8 hours. We're flying Air France through Paris.

[Anonymous]

I'm the poster who recommended not getting the bulkhead seats. I do understand what others like about them, but let me be specific about the drawbacks. The tray tables are contained within the armrests, meaning the armrests don't move up and down (or if they do, it's not very far). This is very bad if you want your child to lie across your lap, or if you or DH is on the larger side (it is uncomfortable to be squished in, so says my large-but-by-no-means-huge DH).

Also, the tv screens are not on the seatback in front of you, but they come up from beside the seats. Again, this is a rather inconvenient way of doing it, particularly if you are trying to have a toddler watching the screen but not attempting to break it.

It's actually not bad being close to the bathrooms, because you'll be spending plenty of diaper-changing time in there (or time going potty if your child is toilet trained). Kids that age seem to love airplane bathrooms.

And like a PP said, your child is at pretty much the most difficult age. I hope for your sake that he is a good sleeper and will be able to sleep on a lot of your flight. Even if he doesn't, look on the bright side - after only a day of travel, you'll be at your destination!