Traveling with a Baby...Part 2

So, Miss S and I are home, safe and sound. Traveling with a one year old was much easier than I had hoped.
Our flight to Germany was a night flight. She slept most of the way. The only down side was the full flight meant that we were stuck in the middle of the plane with people all around us, so baby girl stretched out across my mom and I and slept while the two adults tried not to move and disturb her. She was passed out before take off and was great for the landing.
A note to TransAt though, when you say I can keep my stroller, please let me keep it. I had to hand it over when we got on the plane, thinking that I'd get it back when we exited. Nope. I had to go get it from baggage claim, and it wasn't even being monitored, it was just thrown on the ground in a pile with other "oversized" baggage. Annoying.

Getting around the Frankfurt airport is a PITA. The elevators are sporadic and the terminals are not all connected. For instance. To get from the terminal 2 to the train (to get to Dusseldorf), you have to go down stairs, up stairs, up another set of stairs, on a sky train, down stairs (a few times) and I think upstairs once more. Repeat to return. Doing this with 2 suitcases, 2 carry ons, a stroller and a baby is NUTS. Luckily we met a few helpful people that gave us a hand getting on/off the escalators and stairs, as well as on and off the train.

Our trip was great under the circumstances. The time change did a number on us for  the first few nights. By the time she was on a good sleep schedule...we were leaving the next day. She wasn't bad though, tired, but not really cranky. We went for a lot of walks, so the stroller got good use.

The flight back was a bit trickier. It was a mid-afternoon flight, which meant that she was awake for a lot of it. She was fine for take off, fell asleep soon after, like before we had reached our flying altitude. This time though we were at the front and were given a bassinet. She wouldn't sleep in the bassinet though, and we ended up sending it back after she tried to use it as a jungle gym. Eating on this flight was trickier. The tray came out of the arm rest, which was a TIGHT squeeze...and meant that she wanted it out...and in...and out...and in...fun for mommy.
It was also a LONG walk to the one washroom with a change table. Like to the back of the plane and half way up the opposite side. IF it had just been my mom and I at the front, I would have been able to cut across, but an elderly woman in a wheelchair was sitting with us, so for every bum change, we walked all the way around.

One thing I will say about Air Transat on the Canadian side is...they rock. Our stroller was taken at the gate, but when we exited the plane at Pearson, they had a complimentary rental stroller waiting for us, and our stroller was waiting at the Air Transat booth at baggage claim. That was awesome, especially since, after 11 hours in the Ergo or in arms, Miss S wanted to kick her feet and look around.

We are home now. Miss S slept in her own bed, better than she did all week, and had a fabulous nap. She's a little home body, just like her momma. At least now I don't have to be afraid of flying and traveling with her, she's a champ.