travelling with a baby

this is my contribution to anyone seeking advice on air plane travel with a baby. since i'm off to visit robyn and phillip next week i'll be taking to the air again with percy. now seems an appropriate moment to consolidate what i learnt on the way over here and see if i can apply it to up coming flights.
sarah, this might go some way to answering your questions as well.

unfortunately one needs to pack a lot for babies. to take on the plane i mean. it's mostly nappies, wipes and changes of clothes. importantly- remember to factor in the time before and after the actual flight. if you are travelling a long way to/from the airport this time, plus time for check-in, passport control, customs, duty shopping (if you intend to do this), parking, waiting for connections, waiting for buses or trains or taxis at either end must all be added up. it can make a six hour flight actually take 12 hours before you are safely at your destination and can call up reinforcements, forgotten-item-shopping trips, baths or the like.
so, once you've got your hours sorted out what then? well, you know those smaller wheeled suitcases that you see people taking as carry on luggage and you wonder what the hell is in it that they will need so desparately over the next 8 hours? get one. paul and i used to manage with a small backpack either each for the longer trips or one together for the shorter ones. after a bottle of water, a book, maybe some earplugs and/or eye masks, head ache tablets, a pack of tissues and your toothbrush and paste, what do you need? one day i'll ask the pretty people what they carry in their carry-on, in the meantime i suppose i'll stay perplexed.
anyways, my advice is get one of those suitcases and fill it with nappies, wipes, changes of clothes and maybe some favourite toys or comforters. you're not allowed to carry water anymore so don't waste the space. when you're seated ask the cabin crew for a bottle of water- the biggest one they've got. and keep asking until you get it and when it's empty for another one.

how many nappies? i read one site recommended one per hour of flight. this seemed excessive to me, and we did not use this many. however we took at least 30 disposable nappies on our flight from sydney to dubai. given the 8 hour delay in singapore the total travel time was something near 30 hours. we did not use all the nappies.
how many wipes? we took i think, 5 packs of 30 (is that how many in a pack?- i've fogotten) anyways, again it was too much but they did prove useful in wiping our hands and faces too. i figure if it's good enough for percy's butt, then it's alright for my face.
how many changes of clothes? hmmm... more than you think. you'll recall percy was in her third change of clothes before we even boarded our first plane. again, could have been our bad nappy application method.
toys? distractions? i'd say this depends on the age of the baby. we took three toys (small, soft, ratty things) for percy and used none of them. she just wasn't at a toy stage at ten weeks of age. i dare say this would be very different for older babies. at sixteen weeks now i'm sure i'd use a toy to distract her and help pass the time.
slings? car seats? strollers? prams? we don't own a stroller or a pram so i can't comment on their usefulness. our car seat was a rental which we gave back the day we left so we did not use it at the airport or on board. if you have a car seat that is an independant unit, ie. not requiring a piece to be permanently affixed to the vehicle it might be a good idea to take it depending on your destination and whether it can be used there, ie. is compatible with local products. on the whole i'd say leave it at home. we have both a hug-a-bug sling and a baby bjorn sling. percy travelled in the hug-a-bug on my chest on all flights. of course she is required to be seated on my lap and belted in during take-off and landing. very annoying if she is sleeping soundly. i understand airlines have their rules. however percy is far safer in a hug-a-bug where she is restrained al'round than a loose seat belt that will just see her snap in half. the cabin crew on tyrolean didn't see it this way. the sling was, in my opinion, the easiest way to get about the airports and to from destinations at either end. of course if you can't sling your baby then the lightest weight stroller you can manage would be my second choice.

facilities on the plane. limited! if you can fly with the south east asian carriers- malaysia, thai or emirates. these guys seem to have a better service mentality and enjoy babies. europeans suck. haven't flown with americans yet (will do on the way home), neither with BA or qantas. the europeans will cop a serve when i get around the the third flight installment (if ever!)
so, change tables are present in at least one toilet. paul and i did changes together as it was much easier. one of us would go into the cubicle and lay percy on a disposable change mat with a cloth under her head. the other would stand in the doorway, jamming it open with a foot, and pass the requisite items to the operator. yes, it was pretty mechanical so operator is an apt discription. we also completely ignored requests to get past us or anything else. we were selfish and kept percy as priority one. stuff 'em.
the asian carriers supply a little welcome kit consisting of some half-arsed wipes (definately no pun intended) two nappies and a toy. it's not worth bothering. say thank you and then stuff it under your chair. at least they try, no-one else does.
larger aircraft will supply bassinets that plug into the wall infront of you if you have a bulk head seat. be sure to specify these seats and the bassinet when booking. smaller craft will leave you with bub in your arms.

sorry, percy needs me, i'll make this a to be continued....