flying with a toddler

i would like to imagine that i could provide some expert advice about how to have a successful (i.e. relatively tantrum-free) flight with a toddler. but the truth of the matter is that the only way to really ensure an easier time of it is to fork out the cash (or air miles) and wrangle seats in business class.

our flights to and from singapore were hell and heaven, respectively. we were in cattle class from sydney sitting in the middle row bassinet seats, sharing the row with a couple from spain (or germany or south america, i couldn't quite make out) who were politely tolerant, but only just. i was trying to get us the bassinet seats on the sides (i.e. window seats) but they had been booked up already. (why is it that we can NEVER get our favourite seats even when we log onto the internet seat booking service at the very minute it is open?)

the bean was fidgety and antsy every half hour, except when she was asleep*. thankfully she snoozed twice. she even screamed several times and frequently pleaded with her daddy or me to bring her "out! out! out!"

and when she wasn't being a fidget-ma-gidget she would be staring at the chap seated next to me, pointing at his reading materials, at him, at his shoes, and even trying to touch him. it was inevitable that he was prodded a little at times because we didn't have much elbow room...even in the wider seats of the a380 plane!

during one particularly irksome episode, she slid down my lap onto the floor and i let her sit there for a bit as she was temporarily distracted by shoes and books and toys. anyhow, suffice to say that my cheeks were inflamed at each of the bean's outbursts.

so i was not looking forward to the return trip, which i would be doing alone with the bean. (dh had to fly back earlier for work.) what compounded matters were that it wouldn't be a direct flight - we had to transit in kl - and that the flights were at night. hmmm...no rest for me! (i never sleep well on planes anyway.)

luckily dh managed to get us onto day flights, and used his points to try to get us upgraded. the upgrade came through the day before we flew and i was literally hooting for joy, dancing a jig, when i received the call with the good news.

it was a pain lugging the bean through 2 airports (changi and klia), in a borrowed cotton ringsling which is not good for long periods with a heavy toddler**, but it was so amazing to be able to relax in an airline lounge and enjoy a semi-civilised breakfast. the mas lounge (in klia) scores points over sia for its kids play area. that kept the bean pretty happy for half an hour.

then when we finally got on the final leg of the journey home, i found that the crucial differences between business and cattle class are service and space. because there were fewer passengers to look after, the stewardess in the business class cabin could keep coming over to make sure that the bean and i were well catered for. i had ordered a child meal beforehand, having learnt my lesson from our flight from sydney***, and besides the meal itself (mostly sugary confections - a lot of empty calories, and there wasn't a single french fry i requested in sight), the bean was given a hershey bar and a small tub of apple jelly. she was also provided with her own set of headphones (which weren't used).

instead, i amused her on the flight with a new storybook (a previous day's purchase i had to make knowing that she, i.e. we needed new entertainment), which we read twice, and with some new toys. (mas gave her a funny-looking police car soft toy that vibrated when you pull on the attached string.) we also sang songs - action songs were big hits. e.g. one potato; dingle-dangle scarecrow; incey wincey; hickory dickory; row row row your boat...

we were placed in the centre row bassinet seats in business, but because there was only one other passenger at the other end of the row, i cheerfully used the middle seat for our barang barang. when the bean finally fell asleep in my seat, i just happily transferred myself to the middle seat and got comfy with vanity fair magazine. ahhh...a sleeping child and a trashy mag - luxury.

i said it before and i will say it again: business class - the only way to survive the toddler years.

* the first time, she fell asleep whilst bfg in a toilet cubicle. i had to pop her off and carefully cradle her back to the seat, making sure that her head or feet didn't hit anyone along the way. i had a mental picture of the bean's feet hitting the heads of seated passengers like they were xylophone keys.

** i really regretted forgetting to pack one of the becos or a meitai. a 2-shoulder carry was what i desperately needed. and i was only too happy and relieved to offload the bean to her daddy when he came to pick us up at the airport.

*** we suffered on the sq flight partly because the bean didn't have a proper meal of her own. sia didn't even give us a baby meal!

our rare slinging moments

it's been a long time since i put the bean in a sling. i believe our previous experience was at the zoo nearly 2.5 months ago, when she refused to go into her stroller OR walk on her own. and that was with a beco.

but yesterday i had an opportunity to sling her again when we had cleaners come into the house. the bean is almost petrified of the korean couple - especially the man - and wanted to be held for at least the first 15 mins. they were here. so i popped her up into our trusty storch onto my back and she was quite happy, especially when i passed her knick knacks to play with back there. in fact she deposited a laundry ball down the back of my shirt.

my wrap stash

...as of dec 2006. i won't pretend that this is definitive. one of the makes i'm missing is a storchenwiege, which is supposedly a wrap workhorse and great for heavy toddlers. hmmm, we'll see.

top to bottom:
- barabarn druvor (rebozo length, 2.7m)
- didymos iris (3.2m)
- bebina rainbow (4m)
- ellaroo maia (4.2m) --- currently on loan to my sister, who had better not get any pulls on it OR coat it with cat hairs!
- bb-slen lychee (4.9m) --- but will be chopped to maybe 4.2m to replace maia

experiments

here's a green sarong (maybe 2m long at best?) with dd in a hip carry, rebozo tie. extremely tight and uncomfy. sarong was too stiff (new, not washed) and perhaps a tad short. the knot, which i had pushed behind, was enormous.








in thebabywearer.com forums, this short 2.7m wrap - barabarn (from sweden) - is pretty hot stuff. i'd put dd in a short cross carry, but it was again very tight (it was prewash), with the knot behind riding up to the middle of my shoulders. i guess i am just not as petite as i thought i was! :lol:
the colourway of this wrap is "druvor", aka "grape". quite rich and plummy. i didn't think i would like it as i am not generally a purple person, but it's a nice change for my wardrobe.
post-wash, the bb measured 2.65m. so there was some shrinkage in length. but it became much softer and smoother. i had washed in cold, with a non-brightening detergent (pureen h-a-d) with a vinegar rinse.

sachi pocket on dh

during a 45 minute walk dd finally fell asleep.
interestingly dh didn't comment on the pinkness of the fabric's print!

daddy in on the action

i couldn't resist...here's dh wearing dd in the nestling mt when on vac last week. i think she liked it, but dh said she still felt heavy and the mt in the humidity made him very sweaty.

turning topsy turvy

as dd has gotten really heavy (weighing in at over 21lbs now, or 9.7kg to be exact) for arm-carrying, our ringsling and the too-stretchy babynest pouches, i decided to get another, sturdier 2-shouldered carrier, the mei tai.

so, without further ado, here's our beautiful Nestling mei tai in the gorgeous Topsy-turvy Covington fabric (it reverses to a nice plaid pattern), modelled by dd and grandma!

in a front carry with dd refusing to smile


a better view of the fabric print. i just love the whimsical carnival animals.

rants and raves

Rave
I found a great sling online, which I have used since Leah was 4 months old. This is a joined 2 pouch system that allows me to slot DD in without too much of a struggle from her. (DH thinks I look like that chap from Total Recall, the mutant with the extra person growing out of his chest.)

I was using a ringsling before, but then DD started to kick and scream when I tried to put her in it. At that stage she was still not able to hold her head well and I could only put her in either the cradle position or the breastfeeding hold. However, as mentioned, she didn't like the sling much for that. Hence the purchase of a MyBabyNest carrier. I didn't need to adjust the yards of cloth with a wriggly baby as well. A lifesaver. She does seem to like being in it. No complaints from her so far.

That said, now that Leah can hold her head properly, I have tried her in the ringsling again, this time in a modified snuggle hold (with her feet sticking out). And she's not objected. In fact, she managed to fall asleep once in it.

Rant
There's one thing that gets my goat in Malaysia and Singapore: seeing families out and about with the maid carrying the baby in a carrier. Anything wrong with this cosy fam scenario?

Hel-lo, baby carriers are meant to help parents with bonding!!! It's like these daddies and mommies think it's cool that it's the help who does the 'menial' task of carrying their children.

I have also been to one baby support group where one mommy brought along her maid. When it came time to do the nappy changing, her maid did it. The mom's main complaint --- and she wanted the rest of us to give our advice --- was how to cope with a baby that wants to feed incessantly and cries all the time, because "the maid has housework to do too." (I was agog, but didn't say what was on my mind: How about YOU take over and carry the baby when it cries then.) When they left, the maid put on a sarong sling and carried the baby.
I have no time for these part-time parents!