The first flight with a baby is always the scariest. You have no idea what to expect, and your imagination fills in every worst‑case scenario. Before you’ve ever travelled with a child, the whole idea feels overwhelming. You’re anxious about everything — the crying, the judgement, the logistics, the unknowns.

I used to see parents handing out little “sorry my baby exists” gift bags on flights. Earplugs, lollies, cute notes. At the time I thought it was sweet. Now, as a parent, I realise it’s just one more thing to organise and pay for. So no — I’m not doing that. Sorry if my baby cries, but also… not that sorry. You can put your headphones on. You’ll never see us again after this flight. Meanwhile, I’ll be sweating through my clothes trying to keep a tiny human alive at 30,000 feet.

Our baby was particularly loud. A few days before our trip, we visited our Plunket nurse. He was about five months old. He started screaming — his signature move — and the nurse said she had never heard a baby scream that loudly. She even suggested we get earplugs for ourselves because “constant exposure could affect your mental health.” Exactly what you want to hear before a 16‑hour international flight.

The Airport Chaos

My husband decided to work on the day of our flight because he “didn’t want to let the team down.” Meanwhile, team family was sinking. I was juggling the baby, the packing, the documents, the stress. He casually threw his things into a bag at the last minute like he was going on a solo weekend getaway. I was… not impressed.

We almost missed the flight. We were the last people to check in — something that has never happened to us before. Everything felt slow when we needed it to be fast. They suddenly wanted printed visas (we always had them on our phones), so we had to hunt down a printer. Then came the seat drama. We originally had the first‑row seats with the bassinet, but after a flight change they tried to charge us $100 to get them back. After three weeks of emails and calls, I finally got my seat for free — but not my husband’s.

Honestly, I’m still not convinced those seats are the best. Yes, you get a bassinet, but ours was so high I couldn’t transfer my son into it without waking him. If he’s going to sleep on me anyway, I’d rather have a seat in front to prop up my leg. The bassinet did make excellent storage, though.

Takeoff: The Screaming Begins

As soon as we boarded, our baby started crying. Perfect timing. Thankfully, our neighbours were a couple with a slightly older baby — an adorable little boy who reached out and held my son’s hand. My son instantly calmed down. There’s actually video footage of this moment because our flight was the first on this route, and the airline had a camera crew filming. So yes, my baby might already be famous in Asia.

But the peace didn’t last. As the plane prepared for takeoff, our little dragon unleashed his full scream. The entire plane got to enjoy it. I was stressed, anxious, overwhelmed. The only thing that helped was breastfeeding — which, to be fair, is very handy during takeoff and landing. He refused dummies. When I offered one, he looked at me like, “I know this is fake. Give me the real deal.”

The Unexpected Support System

There was one more couple with a baby in our row, and honestly, it made all the difference. No judgement, no side‑eye, just solidarity. I talked a lot with the mum next to me — she was also an immigrant, and her baby was a few months older, so she had wisdom to share. It felt good to be surrounded by people who understood.

Sleep, Jet Lag, and Survival Mode

If you can, choose flights that align with your baby’s sleep. Our first flight was in the afternoon, so we had to survive that awake period. The second flight was in the middle of the night, and he slept through the entire thing. He also slept through the second half of the first flight. That part was magical.

I barely slept — maybe a few hours — because I was holding him most of the time. On the way back, I didn’t sleep at all. Jet lag hit hard. When we returned home, we arrived in the middle of the night, and my baby refused to sleep until 4–5 a.m. My husband went to work the next day. I was exhausted and ended up getting sick from the lack of sleep.

Looking Back

In some ways, the trip was easier than I expected. I definitely stressed more than I needed to. It wasn’t perfect, but we survived — and honestly, that’s the goal when travelling with a baby.