# Travelling long haul with a toddler



## Bananah (Oct 3, 2013)

Hi,

I'll be flying from UK to NZ within the next 3 months or so. I have a 25month old. I'm trying to decide whether it would be better to have a short stopover or a long one. And if long, then a few hours or a night or two?
My husband and I have made the journey many times as we live in Scotland but I'm a kiwi. I prefer a short stop and to get there as soon as possible. I've not flown more than 2 hours with my daughter though and no doubt she will have itchy feet.
Does anyone have any experiences they can share with respect to stopovers and also if you think it is better to start the journey at night or in the morning...
Any advice appreciated! And yes we will take plenty of things to do on the plane.  (It will be a one way journey!)


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## anski (Aug 17, 2008)

Bananah said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'll be flying from UK to NZ within the next 3 months or so. I have a 25month old. I'm trying to decide whether it would be better to have a short stopover or a long one. And if long, then a few hours or a night or two?
> My husband and I have made the journey many times as we live in Scotland but I'm a kiwi. I prefer a short stop and to get there as soon as possible. I've not flown more than 2 hours with my daughter though and no doubt she will have itchy feet.
> ...


I always feel sorry for parents with very young children, older children amuse themselves with the entertainment channels etc, but 2 year olds are normally very active & hate the idea of being confined to a seat for lengthy periods.

My grandson was given some herbal drops to help with the short trip between AUS & NZ & he would have been a nightmare on a long trip.

Why don't you break the journey for a couple of days (it will give your child & yourselves a chance to get some sleep in a proper bed) If coming via the US why not consider San Francisco from there you can fly direct non stop into Auckland. Or if going via Asia I would recommend Singapore interesting & clean & (Sentosa Island nice to visit) I would not recommend Dubai far too hot!!!

Try & find a flight which has the most direct route without lengthy layovers if flying direct.

Good Luck


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## topcat83 (Apr 16, 2009)

I feel for you already!

When we travelled with my two (aged 4 & 6 at the time), we found that travelling at night made things easier - because they slept for most of the journey. It's amazing where young children will crash out. 

So I'd try and leave London late evening, stop half way for a couple of nights to let her exercise and run, then keep her awake for a good half day (preferably longer) until your second leg. Then hopefully she'll crash out again! Take a comfortable friendly teddy bear for her to use as a pillow too...

Oh - and use the wine at dinner to anaesthetise yourself


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## Bananah (Oct 3, 2013)

anski said:


> I always feel sorry for parents with very young children, older children amuse themselves with the entertainment channels etc, but 2 year olds are normally very active & hate the idea of being confined to a seat for lengthy periods.
> 
> My grandson was given some herbal drops to help with the short trip between AUS & NZ & he would have been a nightmare on a long trip.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your reply,

I think this is a good idea. San Francisco is great, I've been there a couple of times for work, and I've only stopped over in Singapore, would be great to see something new. It's hard enough for adults to sit in a plane for such a long time, let alone children!

Thanks.


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## jenswaters (Jul 8, 2009)

I'm going to be a pain and say just go for it in one go and get it over and done with! Whether you try and break it up, or just go the whole slog, it is STILL tiring and unsettling either way. I decided to just get it over and done with; I had a 3 1/2 year old and a 1 year old. My kids were actually pretty good, and the cabin crew on Air NZ were AMAZING!!!! Best I have ever known. I took pj's for the kids to change into a "nighttime" and read books, cleaned teeth etc,,,all the usual stuff to stick to their usual routine. Fact is, you're on a plane, so hoping for more than 1 (hopefully 2) stints of 5-8 hours sleep is a far stretch, but do-able. You just have to agree to "tag-team" between you for each stint. The most stressful part of the whole journey is getting all the bags checked in with baby paraphernalia!!! The flying itself is a doddle!!
People I have known who did the "break" in between told me they struggled with the change in timezone, then another change in time zone again once you get to NZ. That will likely upset the kids further. It's tough, but the end result is always worth it!


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## Bananah (Oct 3, 2013)

topcat83 said:


> I feel for you already!
> 
> When we travelled with my two (aged 4 & 6 at the time), we found that travelling at night made things easier - because they slept for most of the journey. It's amazing where young children will crash out.
> 
> ...


MMmmm wine! Lol


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## Bananah (Oct 3, 2013)

jenswaters said:


> I'm going to be a pain and say just go for it in one go and get it over and done with! Whether you try and break it up, or just go the whole slog, it is STILL tiring and unsettling either way. I decided to just get it over and done with; I had a 3 1/2 year old and a 1 year old. My kids were actually pretty good, and the cabin crew on Air NZ were AMAZING!!!! Best I have ever known. I took pj's for the kids to change into a "nighttime" and read books, cleaned teeth etc,,,all the usual stuff to stick to their usual routine. Fact is, you're on a plane, so hoping for more than 1 (hopefully 2) stints of 5-8 hours sleep is a far stretch, but do-able. You just have to agree to "tag-team" between you for each stint. The most stressful part of the whole journey is getting all the bags checked in with baby paraphernalia!!! The flying itself is a doddle!!
> People I have known who did the "break" in between told me they struggled with the change in timezone, then another change in time zone again once you get to NZ. That will likely upset the kids further. It's tough, but the end result is always worth it!


Thank you - good tip about PJs and routine!


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## topcat83 (Apr 16, 2009)

We stopped off in Fiji for a few days too. We weren't emigrating that time, but coming over for a holiday that included visits to relatives. We knew that we'd be met at the airport, then expected to start immediately on the round-robin of visits to everyone. Stopping at Fiji gave us a couple of days real holiday in a place where we (and more importantly the kids) could get over the jetlag (there's only one hours time difference)


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