Rum & Dal

With Deeyan happily sleeping through the night after 10months and with me still on maternity, we decided it was time to take him to visit the family back home in the UK. So having read rave reviews for the services provided by Emirates when flying with babies, I booked flights in no time. As any mother, travelling on a long flight for the first time would do,  I called the airline prior to departure asking about baby foods, formula and bassinet to make the 24hour flight as less stressful as possible.  To my relief, I was told all Emirates flights have microwaves so I could premix baby formula and it would be heated as and when required.  I was informed that the bassinet would be available but I would have to arrive at the airport three hours prior to boarding so that they could check the size of the infant. “OK”, I thought, “Whats the big deal? At least I get a bassinet.”

I booked an evening flight thinking and hoping that Deeyan would sleep through the first leg which is fourteen hours to Dubai. From there on if he is awake for the seven hours to Manchester we would manage between us.

We arrived at the airport in plenty of time, and got a bassinet for both flights, but found that one of us would be sitting elsewhere for the second flight… oh well. Put Deeyan in his sling and wasted three hours walking around the shops during which time, he happily fell asleep on us. We boarded the plane with a sleeping baby but had to wake him to strap him into us as the bassinet wasn’t available until the plane was in the air.  Luckily for us he was too sleepy to care at this point.  After a little cry he went back to sleep on me. Flight got underway and the bassinet came out, I was relieved to have him off me but it took some doing to get him to fall asleep in it as a TV screen right above it was shining straight into his face… USEFUL!  Glad that he was settled, we buckled down for some kip too, to be fresh for part two of the flight.  Luckily for Deeyan he had his favourite blanket with him which happens to be pretty big as it was absolutely freezing on the plane.  Other passengers were wrapping up in the blankets provided and getting up every so often to switch off the vents, only to find they were off already! After the initial freeze we then had two lovely old ladies seated directly behind us who continued to talk out loud in Russian.  I thought they would get over the excitement of travelling together, soon enough. Boy was I wrong.  Anyway, at this point, the captain decides to put on the seat belt signs and announces that he is expecting turbulence. Ignoring this I went back to sleep, only to be awoken by a stewardess, informing me that my baby could not sleep in a bassinet when the seat belt sign was lit.  Getting rather annoyed at this point we took Deeyan out, only to make him cry and wake up the rest of the plane.  It took a while to settle him and get him to sleep again.  Once the seat belt signs were off, we put him back in the bassinet.  HUGE mistake!  Seat belt sign came on and this time I took him out and kept him on my lap for the rest of the flight, approximately ten hours. When the meals were served, we asked that ours be bought out separately as i was holding my baby, but the crew said this was not possible.  Even if he was awake they would not accommodate us as he was is not allowed in the bassinet unless asleep for safety reasons. So we used the bassinet to store my tray and once Rum had eaten I would use his tray holder.  The old ladies continued on their mission to annoy everyone to death with their banter and my buttocks were seriously getting numb.

Second half of the flight was a further nightmare.  There was no microwave, all food that needed heating was put in hot water and a screaming baby isn’t going to understand his food is getting heated.  The staff would take so long to answer calls that I ended up giving Deeyan cold milk and cold food. I turned them away when they did decide to bother ansering my call, even when Deeyan was hollering at full capacity. We were lucky enough to get moved to where there were three seats, so Deeyan had a seat of his own to mess about in when he was awake.  We didn’t bother with the bassinet for this flight and were better off for it. Deeyan was super good, I only had to walk him around the back of the flight to keep him entertained and it was only until the last 10 minutes that he had had enough.  Arrived in Manchester safe and sound, Deeyan slept in the car most of the way home.

The flight back home to Melbourne is all a blur for me. It was horribly hot on the plane.  So much that I stripped Deeyan down to his vest. The staff were there usual helpful selves, answering calls as and when they could.  I didn’t bother premixing baby milk this time, took seperate formula and asked for warm water.  I took foods that he could eat cold and didn’t require heating.  The less I saw of the cabin crew the better.  Deeyan however was pretty distressed on the last fourteen hour stretch.  He couldn’t sleep as it was too hot, stuffy, TV in his face, getting taken in and out of bassinet, etc etc.  At one point he was just screaming and there was nothing we could do for him and not one cabin crew asked if they could do anything for us.  They did come and ask us if he wanted his photo taken.  What baby who is screaming is going to want a photo taken and why they hell would I want a momento of the damned flight?  Not sure who wanted off the plane more, me or Deeyan? All credit to the lady who was sitting with us.  She didnt get