[cofe]

so we're flying to south of france for a wedding in sept when little fat man will be 10-11 months old. any tips etc for this kind of thing?

ta.

[slackline]

Get the TGV instead?

[GCW]

Best tip is to not worry about what other people think of the crying, which will doubtless happen.
Dummy/drink on take off/landing can help with ear discomfort for the little one too.

[nik at work]

It will possibly be absolutely fine, Dylan has flown a lot from very young and had no particular problems.
One thing that we found helped is using infectious yawning. You can't tell a baby to swallow etc to equalise but if you yawn then the little bundle of joy will often copy which can help equalise easing the discomfort.
Have a ready supply of favourite things (be it books, snacks, toys etc) and possibly one or two new things. Dylan is obsessed with diggers/tractors/cars etc so unveiling a new one during the journey is a sure fire way of getting a good 30 minutes of peace and quiet for us.

[cofe]

thanks peeps.

[GCW]

Was there anything in particular you had concerns over?

[cofe]

baggage actually. given how much stuff we need to pile in the car for a weekend in the uk, i'm a bit worried about how much we'll need to fly with for 5 days. and we need to take a travel cot. and hire a car with a seat. merde.

[chicane]

We took our car seat with us for free with easyjet when we went over to Ireland. Saves hiring a seat that you know nothing about just package the seat carefully so it's protected.

[dave]

just remember to always put your oxygen mask on before his.

One of big W's homies was born on same day and his peeps took him to NZ when he was about 11 months, not many flights longer than that and apparently it was ok.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

trying to hire baby seats abroad can be a nightmare, we got the one and only seat from Gard de Nord and that one was busted. See if you can book/borrow a cot from where your staying?

[rich d]

Our oldest girl was 20months when we flew to spain. We borrowed a portable dvd player and had a session of night garden, peppa pig etc. Seeing as she doesn't have a portable player at home she was enthralled - this was supplemented with snacks, toys and every other sort of bribe we could think of. Went really well, but as always with kids could just have been pure spawn.
Good luck.
Rich

[slackline]

If weight is a concern then Eurostar/TGV should really be considered as there are no weight limits.

Very little stress at St Pancras/Lille (possibly more though if you opt to go via Gare du Norde as you'll have to negotiate Le Metro which can be a nightmare with big bags, done before when I went to Nimes once).

We went from Sheffield to Aix en Provence on our recent trip to Verdon and it was a delightfully easy way to travel (shame the Sheffield <-> St Pancras leg cost 50% of the St Pancras <-> Aix en Provence leg despite being approximately 1/4 of the distance!).

Plus its  more "environmentally sound".

[cofe]

it sadly involves using the train service in the UK which is a FUCKING JOKE. If it was just the TGV then I might consider it. France (and most other (third) world countries) put us to shame with their rail system. 

[Jaspersharpe]

So true. We bailed out of a shit resort in Tunisia once and travelled the length of the country by train to Tunis (which is amazing). The trains were proper old skool, built in Czechoslovakia and with massive comfy seats. It cost about £5 for the whole journey in first class and they ran like clockwork. The UK train system is beyond a joke.

[slackline]

Yep, UK trains are indeed shit, but if no one uses them that situation will never change (bit of a chicken and egg problem really).

You could minimise the use of UK trains by perhaps driving to Luton Parkway and then train to St Pancras, although the Sheffield <-> St Pancras line is quite reliable (although not as quick as the TGV).

[cofe]

I've used them enough and served my time. Literally. Someone else can sort our trains out.

As I'm yet to book flights, what websites should I regard for train options then?

[slackline]

Booked the Eurostar/TGV via www.raileurope.co.uk, you have to book domestic travel separately (so they can charge you more for it ).

Booked quite a bit in advance the St Pancras to Aix was £180 p/person (Sheffield to London was £50 p/person, also booked in advance).

Still way more expensive than EasyFart/CuntAir/etc. but easier and relaxing, and as I say, no weight limits.

[cofe]

what kind of journey times are we looking at Pancras to Aix?

[slackline]

8-8.5hrs, with about 20-40minutes at Lille (on the way out the Lille -> Aix train left from the same platform, had to change on the way back though due to having to go through customs and shit).

[SA Chris]

While on the subject, we are taking our wee fatman down to London in September to see family down there. How do people carry kids about from car at this end to car at the other? Not sure if Baby Bjorn or lightweight pushchair are best option.

[magpie]

One thing that we found helped is using infectious yawning. You can't tell a baby to swallow etc to equalise but if you yawn then the little bundle of joy will often copy which can help equalise easing the discomfort.

Giving them a bottle/cup/feeding them during landing and take off can help too, the sucking and swallowing of the milk/juice/water will also pop their ears for them.