December 2008

The thought of flying with my little daughter has always terrified me to death. What the heck do you do with a baby/toddler during an 18-hour (overseas) flight? Do you just get drunk while  your 2-year-old runs in the aisles and climbs all over everyone until he burns himself out? The more I researched on how to fly with small kids the more calm I started to feel. There are actually a lot of tools you just have to be prepared to use them.

CZ: Kdyz jsem si v nedavne minulosti jenom pomyslela na letani s mou 2 letou dcerou, zacli se mi uzkosti potit ruce a chtelo se mi zvracet. “Co clovek vubec dela s batoletem behem 18-ti hodinoveho letu?”, pomyslela jsem si. “Proste se opije a necha milou ratolest behat mezi ulickami az mu dojde energie?”. Cim dele jsem toto tema ale studovala, tim sebejisteji jsem se zacala citit; vzdyt to nic neni!  Doufam, ze vam tyto cestovni rady alespon trosku ulehci na mysli, jako se to stalo mne.

Things to think about prior to your trip:

• Airline regulations currently allow children under the age of 2 to fly free as “lap children” (i.e. not required to have their own seat). International flights charge a 10% fee for lap children. Try to book a bulkhead (front) seat where there is more room and hopefully also a bassinet present (they are not available on every flight). You cannot use bassinets during take offs, landings and turbulence. This is NOT the safest way to travel, however. Many airlines offer half-price tickets for children under 2 so you should consider that option as well. [click to continue…]