Singapore Airlines - Bassinet Seat

When we made our air reservations on Singapore Airlines, we made sure to request a bassinet for Baby. Baby bassinets can be secured to the wall in front of the bulkhead seats, and since there are only so many bulkhead seats available, there are a limited number of bassinets. According to the SA website, the dimensions are 768L x 298W x 158H, and can support a maximum weight of 14kg (approx. 31 lb). The bassinet comes with a wide zippered "belt" used to secure the child - you're obligated to secure the child with the zippered belt whenever he/she is in the bassinet. The bassinet was brought out to us when we reached cruising altitude and was packed away by the flight attendants before we the final landing procedures.

Having a bassinet was nice, because we could put the sleeping baby in the bassinet and relax, eat our meals peacefully, etc. However, the most annoying thing about the bassinet was that whenever the seatbelt sign was on (for example, during turbulence), we were obligated to take Baby out of the bassinet. Invariably, this would wake him up, and we would have to go through the whole process of lulling him back to sleep again. And there were a few spots of turbulence during our trip, so we had to take him out of the bassinet and put him back in multiple times. (However, using the bassinet as storage during these times was nice.) So some considerations in choosing the bassinet seat:

• If your child is a light sleeper, or if it's difficult to get him/her back to sleep, you might not even want the bassinet because of the possibility of having to take him in and out of the bassinet multiple times.
• Since bassinet seats are in the bulkhead, you won't have any storage at your feet. All diaper bags, toys, etc. will have to be stored in the overhead bins.
• The plus side to the above point, however, is that there's plenty of leg room and plenty of space if you are willing to plop your child on the carpeted floor (the cleanliness of which is questionable) to play or entertain him/herself.
• Yes, you can reserve a bassinet and the bulkhead seat even if you don't plan to use it, but please be considerate of other families who are on the flight who could really make use of the bassinet.
• If your child tosses and turns a lot in his sleep, having a bassinet might not be a good idea - it's very small, and your child might not like to be confined.
• Make your decision about choosing the bassinet seat based on your child's sleep patterns. If your child is unlikely to sleep most of the plane ride due to the time of flight or excitement or whatever, save the bassinet seat for someone else who has an infant who would plausibly sleep most of the way.

Having the bassinet was a nice perk since our son did sleep most of the flight, but given the cons as expressed above, I wouldn't be too heartbroken if I were not able to secure a bassinet seat. If your child sleeps well in a carrier like the Ergo or the Kangaroo carrier, you might be able to strap him/her in the Ergo for most of the flight and leave your hands free and arms unencumbered. However, note that since child carriers are not approved child restraint devices, you will have to figure out someway to buckle your child in while using the carrier, or take your child out of the carrier and buckle him in whenever the seatbelt sign is on.

One tip - we didn't want the cabin lights to wake up our son, so I made sure to bring some clips (clothespins will do) in order to pin the blanket to the bassinet. By pinning the blanket, I was able to make sure Baby had enough air circulation, but his head was shaded so that the cabin lights wouldn't disturb him.

Flying with an infant on Singapore Airlines

When booking our airfare, I was fortunate enough to find that the lowest airfare from San Francisco to Hong Kong on my desired travel dates was on the highly-praised Singapore Airlines. I had heard stories about the high level of service on Singapore Airlines, the above-average food (even in economy class!), and the baby-friendliness of the flight attendants. I had flown Singapore Airlines on this particular route many years ago when I was a young child, but I was too young to really appreciate how nice Singapore Airlines was in comparison to other airlines. (Then again, when I was young and traveling, most airlines - even the US-based airlines, had great service since this was before the whole decline of air travel.)

The flight was also perfect because it was a redeye flight. My hope was that because of his own sleep schedule, he would sleep through most of the plane ride. For the most part, this held true, and my husband and I were able to enjoy some of the on-board entertainment and were able to enjoy some of our meals in peace. We were very lucky parents, indeed.

About a half hour before we were scheduled to board, Singapore Airlines (hereafter SA) staff members circled the gate to make sure everyone was appropriately accommodated. They noticed that we had a child and a stroller. They asked if we were ready to relinquish the stroller, which we were, and they tagged and bagged it, and took it to be gate-checked themselves. (For those interested, they do have the large plastic bags for strollers at the gate - you just have to ask for one. They don't have them at the primary check-in area before the security area.) So we didn't have to deal with a child, carry-on luggage, and with folding up a stroller at the end of the jetway ourselves. This made our whole boarding experience much nicer. They also informed us that there was priority boarding for families with young children and directed us to sit in the section near the boarding doors so we could be whisked away into the plane promptly. Having priority boarding again was a nice change from Southwest Airlines.

After we had boarded the plane and had settled in, we were handed the typical "spoils" - a menu, headphones, an amenities kit with toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, etc. Our son was given a toy - a stuffed dude in a plastic bag. Our son enjoyed nomming on the plastic bag. We were then offered a pre-flight beverage - we were given the choice of water, orange juice, white wine, or beer. I'm sure we could have requested another beverage, but we chose the beer - a fitting nightcap at 1am, don't you think?

Since we had not purchased a separate seat for our son, we were given a special seatbelt for him that would attach to my own seatbelt. It was a bit useless, in my opinion, since it was a bit loose and it could also be difficult to confine a squirmy kid with this strap of fabric. However, it works fine if you have a sleeping child in your arms! I was able to nurse my son while he was strapped in with the seatbelt. Once we were in the air, however, and the seatbelt sign was on, we were able to put him in the bassinet. For a review of the bassinet on Singapore Airlines, see my post here.

When you make your air reservations, you can also request baby food. During dinner, a flight attendant brought us a small tray with three jars of baby food and a plastic spoon to show us what the tray was. Since our son was sleeping at the time, she told us to just call a flight attendant at any time to bring us the tray of baby food. The brand of baby food was Heinz, and it was made in Australia. (Since we were traveling to Hong Kong, I had some concerns that the baby food would be made in China or something. This turned out not to be the case.)

At any time, you can also ask the flight attendant to heat up a bottle for your child. However, you might want to specify how you want the bottle warmed and how warm you would like it - after all, not all flight attendants have children or now how to warm up a bottle! They initially asked if we wanted it microwaved, and we politely declined and asked for it to be warmed in hot water. However, they made the bottle of milk way too hot. So next time, I'll have to be specific and ask for the bottle to be warmed in hot water and only to a temperature slightly above room temperature or whatever.

When (not if! It's a 15 hour flight, after all.) you need to change your child's diaper, there is a changing table in the bathroom. But it's an airplane bathroom, therefore it's very cramped. We ended up changing our child in the bassinet (and the couple next to us did the same). There was a lot more space, and it was much more convenient for us.

The flight attendants were incredibly gracious and helpful. Their friendliness made traveling with a baby so much easier. If you're traveling alone with your child, they'll go out of their way to help you (though, do understand that they have many other passengers to take care of, so keep your requests for help reasonable). They're willing to hold your child if you have to go to the bathroom, etc.

Overall, I would highly recommend Singapore Airlines, whether or not you're traveling with a child. The food was indeed good for airplane food (they offered a Western option and an Asian option for each meal. I always chose the Asian option, which was consistently nice. They also offer snacks throughout the plane trip, such as a baked cha siu bao or chips or crackers.), the flight attendants were nice (and man, the uniforms for the female flight attendants were really nice - my son flirted with many of them), and the overall level of service was so much better, especially in comparison to domestic flights on US-based airlines.

Gate-checking car seats and strollers

On the few times that we've flown with Baby, he still fit his Graco Snugride car seat. Since we were renting a car and driving at our destination, we took the car seat along. We have three strollers at home, and the stroller we chose to bring with us was the Snap n Go stroller - it folds easily, has a metal frame that isn't likely to get crushed or damaged easily, and is easy to use with the Graco Snugride.

At the airport, we simply took the carseat and the stroller all the way to the gate with us. (You'll have to take the baby out of the carseat, put the car seat and stroller through the x-ray machine, and carry your child with you through the scanner machine thing.) At the gate, we told the employee that we were gate checking the stroller and the car seat, and they printed up Gate-Check tags for us. Upon boarding the plane, we simply left the car seat and the stroller at the end of the runway, and then picked them back up at the same place when we arrived at our final destination. All in all, it was quite convenient.

I highly recommend gate-checking any car seat you might bring - there's a greater likelihood that it'll make it on to the same plane as you do, and you don't want to arrive at your final destination without your car seat if you have somewhere to go immediately. If you've gone through the trouble of lugging your car seat along, I don't think you'll be very happy if you have to use a loaner car seat from the airline or from the car rental company.

Now, I've seen big glorified red bags out there that claim to protect your gate-check items. Sure, they might work, but rather than spend the money, we simply asked for a couple of the airline's complimentary large plastic bags when we checked in at the ticket counter. These plastic bags were large enough to hold a car seat or a stroller, and they were sturdy enough to survive a round trip flight.

Note: these comments are based on my experiences flying with Southwest Airlines so far. Policies and procedures with other airlines may vary.

Southwest Airlines

I used to hate Southwest Airlines. Okay, maybe hate is a little too strong. But I wasn't a fan of their boarding procedures - I always felt like the passengers were cattle, being rounded up into a small pen. But I must admit, now that airlines are charging fees for everything (even for using the bathroom!!!), Southwest is looking better and better. Not only are the first two checked bags free, but if you wish, you can check in two baby items (such as a pack n play) in place of one of those free checked bags. (See the policy here.) This is great for parents, since babies require lots of gear.

Now some may grumble at Southwest's boarding policy for families with small children - if you have small children, you don't get priority and don't get to board first. Apparently there was too much complaint from Southwest's frequent fliers. So the policy is that families with children under 4 board between boarding groups A and B. If you're assigned boarding group A, then of course you board the plane during your assigned time. If you're in boarding group B or lower, then you would board between groups A and B. Because I'm the anal-retentive paranoid person that I am, I'm always afraid that if I board between groups A and B I won't be able to get a seat next to the window for privacy during nursing. So I always make sure to set my alarm for 24 hours before flight time so I can be assigned the first boarding group.

Something to remember: if you're not purchasing a seat for your baby and he'll be a lap child, remember to bring a copy of his birth certificate. I know it may be obvious that the child is under 2 years of age, but the check-in people may request to see a birth certificate anyway. I've read horror stories about parents who have had to buy a last-minute seat for their baby because they didn't bring the birth certificate. You can find more information about Southwest's baby on board policy here.

I never had to make use of the changing table on board the plane, but the flight attendants informed me that the lavatory at the front of the plane has a changing table. And I also asked them if they had any recommendations on the best place to sit with the baby. Responses varied, ranging from "near the front bathroom" to "in the middle near the engine" so the vibration might lull the baby to sleep. So I haven't heard any consensus on the best place to sit if you have a baby with you on board. If you have any advice otherwise, please comment!

But seriously, if RyanAir implements that rubbish about charging for toilet use, that would make them a seriously baby-unfriendly airline.