A Must-Know Guide to In-Flight Services for Moms Traveling Alone with Infants

Mom Pi

This time, Mom Pi wants to share her personal experience and tips on flying with babies and young children for everyone’s reference. Let’s just say she’s had her fair share of bumps along the way,
Here’s an example using a flight from Taiwan to Hong Kong: First, let’s briefly explain that tickets for children under 2 years old are infant tickets. The price is roughly 10% of the adult fare plus airport tax (prices vary by airline, so it’s not fixed).

1. If you purchase through a travel agency, they’ll need the baby’s passport details to check availability, and it usually takes about an hour to confirm the day’s fare (if you buy directly from the airline’s official website, the price is displayed right away).
2. You can also buy an infant ticket directly at the airport. Since it’s an extra seat attached to an adult’s, you’re guaranteed a ticket (sometimes the price might even be cheaper than through a travel agency, but again, not always).
P.S. Mom Pi recommends booking your flight in advance if possible, as you can reserve (infant meals) and (diapers). The airline staff told Mom Pi that in-flight (infant meals) and (diapers) are prepared the night before your flight, and they won’t be available on the day if you don’t pre-order~
So, Mom Pi always calls the airline one day before her flight to confirm whether my (infant meal) and (diapers) have been reserved (the process is the same for all airlines).
If you’re flying alone with an infant/child like Mom Pi, you can let the ground staff know at check-in that you’ll need assistance upon arrival. Then, as soon as you land, a staff member will help you through customs, baggage claim, etc. (Of course, you’ll still need to take care of your child yourself, haha). It’s also a good idea to check in a little earlier—you might even get an upgraded seat:
Adult ticket baggage allowance: 20kg
Child ticket baggage allowance: 20kg (for children over 2 years old)
Infant ticket baggage allowance: 10kg (for children under 2 years old). The above is based on flights from Taiwan to Hong Kong—flights from Hong Kong to Taiwan follow the same rules. Many people worry about strollers and water, but Mom Pi assures you not to fret… Strollers can be taken all the way to the boarding gate (no matter how large, Mom Pi has even tried with a double stroller), and you just hand it over to the staff. When you land, you can wait at the gate for your stroller to be returned~
Mom Pi usually arrives at the airport an hour early, which gives her time to stroll around and let the kid play in the Kitty parenting room—it’s beautiful and clean, and even provides branded bottle and hands washing liquids. Very thoughtful~
Next to the Kitty boarding gate, there’s even a slide for kids to play on. Since flights are often delayed, these amenities help entertain the kids and give parents a little break~ By the way, parents traveling with children or infants have a separate priority boarding line, so you won’t have to wait as long to board~ Hong Kong’s airport also has some children’s play facilities near the boarding gate, which is really considerate~ There’s even a kids’ channel playing children’s shows~

Mom Pi failed many times before getting it right, haha… EVA Air’s Kitty pillow and playing cards are so pretty, right? So how can you get them? Even on a one-and-a-half-hour flight, it’s the thought that counts—“It’s not about how long it lasts, but about having had it.” The trick is to inform the flight attendant as soon as you board about your seat and request the pillow and playing cards. Mom Pi once waited too long, asking only after all passengers had boarded, and the flight attendant said they were all gone because they’re limited and not given to everyone. If you want them, just ask right after boarding next time~ Some flights place the playing cards at the front of the cabin for passengers to take themselves, while others require you to ask the flight attendant, so it varies by flight~

Be sure to ask the flight attendant—some flights require you to register for the pillow, and it will be collected before landing, while on other flights, they may let you keep it. It’s better to ask in advance to avoid awkwardness… Since children under 2 don’t get their own seats, they’ll need to be held by an adult for the entire flight~ For younger babies, the flight attendant may offer a baby bassinet after takeoff. It has safety locks and buckles, making it very secure and safe~ This allows the baby to sleep more comfortably, and the adult can finally enjoy a meal without holding the baby the whole time~ Not long after boarding, the flight attendants will also hand out small toys for the kids—the styles vary each time, sometimes including coloring books + crayons, drawing boards, tangrams, toy cars, etc…
You can also ask the flight attendant for a small snack to soothe the child~ Since Jiayingzi is such a foodie, he has zero interest in toys. Luckily, the flight attendants didn’t mind our requests and did their best to meet our needs—we’re really grateful to you all~ Mom Pi always puts on cartoons for the kids to keep them from getting too noisy—there are about a dozen options to choose from, such as Qiaohu and Bolii… Mom Pi also discovered that her seat had a charging port—wonder if she was upgraded?

The food is more varied, prettier, and tastier (this is Mom Pi’s personal experience). Also, children’s meals are served first—usually right after takeoff, likely because they know kids eat more slowly and want to accommodate them~ The in-flight meals vary each time, but they’re really quite good~ If you don’t request a children’s meal, the regular meals are just… meh. As for infant meals, each airline is different—some provide pureed baby food like in the photo below, while others (like EVA Air) give you canned food that you can take off the plane or eat on board. Diapers also vary by airline in terms of brand—be sure to specify the size you need when calling the airline a day in advance~ Oh, and don’t forget to wait for your stroller outside the gate after landing (the photo below is of the hallway, not the gate area, since Mom Pi couldn’t find the right photo and forgot to take one, so this will have to do). Lastly, some airports give small gifts to travelers—you might want to look around when you arrive. This is one Mom Pi got back in Hong Kong, right in the arrivals hall~

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