Long Haul Flight and Travelling around Hong Kong

O

oi0io

Registered User
Hello!

My hubby has a business trip to Hong Kong in September and I am considering whether or not I should tag along with a 5-6 month old baby (by then). We will be travelling from Toronto and it's a good 15 hour flight to Hong Kong.

By that time, he'll probably be teething, cranky and fussy (something I'm not looking forward to). Right now we have a pretty good daily routine. But with the 12 hour time difference, I'm afraid he'll get his days and nights mixed up. I'm also afraid he won't be able to take the hot and humid weather well in HK.

Plus I'm used to travelling around in a car putting the baby in a carseat and then walking around with him in a stroller. I know HK is very crowded, would it be difficult to move around with a stroller? (we have a Uppababy Vista). How is it travelling on the MTR? Are there elevators at all stations? How do you take the taxi with a baby? Just hold the baby? Should I wear the baby in a carrier instead?

Or should I just forget about travelling and just stay home. My only concern about staying home is that I'll have no help at all. My parents will be travelling in September as well and my inlaws are in HK (another reason why I am considering going because they miss their grandson alot).

Would it be better off just to stay back? Or to travel with my hubby? It's such a tough decision!

Any advices? :clown:
 
Travelling with a child, or more than one, is difficult and will continue to be so for a good many years, I think generally you have to decide if you're going to travel or if you're going to let worry about how it might be hold you back all the time. Either is fine depending on who you are but for me personally I would just go (come)!

Having said that, it does depend how long you're planning to come for, I'm not sure I'd bother with 15 hours for less than a week here for example. Can your hubby work in a bit of holiday time while he's here as you'd probably enjoy it more especially as you will be catching up with the in-laws.

I'm not familiar with the pushchair you use but if it isn't fairly light I would probably get a cheap light one for travelling and bring your carrier. When I travel with The Boy I don't schedule heaps of touristy activities, I like to go with the flow so that it's still fun and not too much for both of us. Depending where your hotel is you might not need to get the MTR at all, if it's in Central you can fairly easily go round the malls, get to star ferry or head to the escalator and go see Hollywood Road or eat in SoHo - that would be plenty of activity for me and The Boy! But if you want to use the MTR it is fairly baby friendly if your pushchair isn't too big and you're not in a hurry.

Best of luck with your decision.
 
actually having done the minimum 15 hour flight (for us, it's more like 24 hours door-to-door~ Regina) i would say come, but for 2 weeks.

1) you baby WILL be jetlagged and so will you. however, you COULD arrange for in-laws to come to where you are staying to take care of baby when he wakes during the day so you can sleep a little more.

2) hk is not stroller friendly, especially not the big north american style strollers. BUT there are hundreds of thousands of us that make do here on a daily basis, so there is no way that that would stop me~

3) agree, if you come, forget the touristy stuff. depending on when in september, it might not be as hot and humid as it is right now.
 
My easiest flight with my daughter was when she was 5 months old. It was a night flight and she slept 7 hours and woke at her normal time of 7am and then went back to sleep after 2 hours of play for another 3 hours. EASY!!!!! Its also an easy time as you wont have to worry about taking any baby food / solids on the plane and all you have to worry about is milk feeds.
Getting around is harder than most places but not impossible - i say go for it!!!
 
I travelled back from TO alone with my son when he was 5.5 months old. It was ok. When we got here, the first night was hard, but it got better fast (unlike going to Toronto when it took him half the 3 wk holiday to get used to things).
I would also suggest to come if it`s at least 2 weeks. Otherwise you all will just be too tired to make it worth it.
Since you have your in-laws here, I would imagine you would be visiting with them, and taking it easy a bit? That might make it easy on you. And lovely for them to spend sometime with their grandchild.
Sept will still be hot here, but sounds like you guys are having a pretty hot and humid summer yourselves, so he might just get use to it there first:) And anyway, although HK is hot outside, everywhere inside is quite cool. In fact, I would pack some sweaters and a throw blanket for your baby for when inside.
As far as accessibility, HK is OKAY. Not great, but could be a lot worse. I`m also not sure about your type of stroller but sounds like the kind that the baby seat sits in? If it`s like one of those huge Graco travel systems, you might get a bit frustrated and a bit restricted in your movement. All MTR stations have a handicapped exit, but at some of the older stations this involves an electronic ramp that goes up stairs that no one with strollers uses. In addition, most MTR stations are huge, so even though there may be an elevator, it might not be in the area that you want to exit, though is easy enough to walk around, however less so as a first time visiter. In addition, HK is notorious for combining steps with escalators and ramps. Ridiculous. But I wouldn`t let that stop you. Overall, it`s a fine place to travel around with a baby for a holiday. If you can handle it, a carrier would be best for that and in taxis.
I hope you can make a good decision for yourself and your baby, and if you come to HK, I`m sure you`ll have a great time.
 
Thank you everyone for responding! I was leaning towards staying back but now I'm inching towards going.

Although it's been hot and humid in Toronto lately, I rarely went out because my baby is still young. I just find that it's easier to take care of him at home since he's only awake for an hour or so and then he'll need a nap.

I have a stroller like this http://www.mystrollers.com/assets/Product/Images400/5DBE5FFA5057417989320A9858E9206B.jpg Do you think I should still get an umbrella stroller?

If I go, I'll probably skip the tourisy stuff since it's not my first time going to HK plus my son will be too young to enjoy places like Disneyland and Ocean Park. Most likely I'll be visiting family and friends. It will also be at least a 2 week vacation for my son and I. My hubby will be working for a week and taking a week to vacation.

This is a whole new experience for me travelling with a baby, so excuse my travel virginity here. I have a few more questions for those who are experienced...

When travelling on the plane, would I be holding my son throughout the flight? Or should I bring a car seat along so that he could sit in there. I have a one of these http://www.productwiki.com/upload/images/peg_perego_primo_viaggio_sip_30_30-400-400.jpg

How would I sterilize bottles and nipples at a hotel? Should I get a microwave sterilizer and pack it with me?

Since it's so hot and humid in HK, would I mix formula with room temperature water or cold water? Right now my son drinks his formula warm.

Are there any must bring items or good to have items for me to pack in the luggages?

Any other tips and tricks on travelling around HK? The last time I was there was probably 4 years ago.

Thanks in advance! :smile:
 
I think it's nice that you are coming to see your IL's.

Whether you hold your son the entire time or take a carseat is entirely up to you. If you purchase a seat for your son, you GET a seat for your son. If you don't purchase a seat for your son, you will hold him and probably be assigned the bassinette seat (can be reserved in advance). You can do a search on whatever airline you are flying to see the dimensions of their bassinette seats, but basically they are a plank that comes down from a wall and then you are given a cot to put your baby in. For a five month old, the bassinette is what I would recommend.

Can you let us know where you are planning on staying? That will help us give really useful tips on the best ways to get around when travelling with a stroller and good places to be with your baby.
 
I am not sure where I will be staying in terms of hotel, however after my hubby is done working, we will be moving out of the hotel and will be staying with my inlaws around the Mei Foo area. Most likely we'll probably be staying at a hotel on the Kowloon side since it's easier to meet with my inlaws.

We'll probably be flying with Air Canada since we collect Aeroplan points or which ever airline has direct red eye flight, hopefully it will minimize my baby's jet lag.

Now I'm concerned where my baby will sleep when I get to my inlaws since they don't have a cot and their flat is tiny. The bed in the guest room can barely fit 2 adults comfortably. At least at a hotel we could probably request a king size bed and have our son sleep between us. Or they might even have cots available.
 
A hotel should have cots available, your in-laws may be able to borrow something. We've got a phil and teds travel cot which is super light but not so slick to put together which we use when staying at people's houses or you can always co-sleep if it's just for a few nights with the in-laws.

On the plane, ask for a bassinet seat, I got one when I flew with The Boy at about the same age and didn't really use it as we were in business and the seats were big enough to sleep side by side, if I'd been in economy I probably would have. I also like the Baby B'air flight vest, I feel like I can sleep more easily than with the lap belts that move around and baby can undo sneakily, but some people hate it... each to their own.

There's a thread on here about airlines and car seats it's called something like 'is travelling with children getting harder' - I can't remember exactly what was said but I think basically some of them don't allow them any more as they've added airbags so check first BUT it's my understanding that some airlines have their own baby plane seats... if you buy them a seat.

We stopped sterilizing at 6 months, it's really not necessary if you wash the bottles properly, think of all the other things he's putting in his mouth (!) - take a little pot of washing up liquid and a bottle brush and you're fine. Not sure what's behind the water question, we boil the water first thing and make his bottles for the day and then he has it at room temperature but if that's not warm enough for your bub you can always pop it in some hot water for a bit to warm up.

My tip for travelling is to bring plenty of muzzies and more clothes, nappies and food than you think you're going to need because the day you don't is the day he'll vomit over his jammies seven times.

I also like things like disposable bibs and changing mats for travelling as they're light and reduce the washing you have to do. And a couple of sachets of calpol (tylenol for you guys? ) is handy to have if you have a baby who is teething and grumpy on the plane (I speak from experience).

I prefer to be organised on the plane and have my 'mummy bag' handy with all the feeds and nappies I am likely to need on the flight as standing on the seat to find something in the overhead locker when the lights are off and the other passengers are asleep is fine but not recommended especially if your baby is fall off the seat mobile (again, I speak from experience!)

Other than that it's not like you're coming to deepest, darkest Peru. You can buy most things here or in the airport if you forget something. So plan well, make lists and then try to relax.
 
i have never been to a hotel that DIDN'T have cots available. as for your in-laws house, well that's a different story.
 
Most decent hotels provide not only cots but also sterilizers and baby bathtubs so you should call your hotel in advance for everything they can offer! Once you're at your in-law's place, you can sterilize the bottles by boiling them. You should bring something your baby is familiar with (like his blanket or stuff animal) so that it's easier for him to get used to his new bed. Good luck!
 
You can sterilise at the hotel using sterilisation tablets, container/plastic bag and cold water. They sell the cold water sterilisation kits at Mothercare in HK. That might be useful for the hotel. As for a cot, the YWCA rents out some baby equipment, so you could call and see if they have a pack n play.
 
Thank you everyone for the tips and advices! Very useful indeed! I will contact YWCA and see if they offer any rentals. I will have a better idea where we will be staying and which airline we will be flying once my hubby finalizes the dates.
 
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