Virgin's Infant Care Chair ?

[Olex]

We are flying to Orlando with Virgin Atlantic next week, with our 21mth and 4mth old children.

We have reserved a basinette for the 4 mth old, but wanted to know a bit more about the Infant Care Chair that they can provide. We have bought a child fare for our 21mth old and wanted to know what restrictions there are when requesting an Infant Care Chair.
Will the Infant Care Chair fit into seats situated in the bulkhead area which is where the basinettes are ?

I'd appreciate any advice on this matter :o))

Alex, Dorota & Tomasz (21mths) and Alexandra (4mths)

[hamptonlakes]

If you have paid a childs fare then surely the 21month old will be entitlted to a there own seat [?]

[Olex]

That's right ... Tomasz will have his own seat , but they can attach a special child seat to the standard seat which is called an Infant Care Chair.
I was hoping someone could share their experiences of such a seat .. or would he be okay in the regular seat ?

[hamptonlakes]

When we traveled not with Virgin with our little boy he was 26months he sat in a normal seat but i am not to sure about the Infant Care Chair buti am sure someone will have experience of this and will be happy to share this with you.[msnsmile2]

[lisag]

Hi,

We've used a Virgin infant seat in the past for my 20 month old. On the journey out they were brilliant, Adam was able to fall asleep comfortably instead of slumping in the chair plus he didn't keep wanting to get out of the chair as much as he was strapped in. On the return journey they didn't have a infant seat for me, so he had to sit on our knees some of the way, which made me cross as we'd had paid for a seat for him which I felt he was too little to actually sit in. The problem is that Virgin won't actually guarantee anything (and we've also been let down in the past with bassinets too), they can only take requests but won't guarantee.

Good luck and I hope you get the seats as they're definately worth having :D

[Olex]

Thanks for the advice ... we'll definitely ask for the Infant Care Chair ....

Alex

[neilandkay]

We have used the infant chair for our son when he was 15 months.

The are more secure for little ones during the flight. I would recommend getting one - reserve it in advance. They will fit into any seat. If it is not there when you board, ask for it as soon as possible. The flight attendants will have to fit if for you. This is easier to do if you are pre-boarding and the isles are not full of other passengers.

We do try requesting a childs meal for our little one, but have found that they are not really suitable for the little ones. Our son is 3 now and I still don't think he would eat the childs meal. Always take lots of food that you know your little one will like, even though you may have to dispose of excess food before you disembark the plane (no meats, fruits or vegetables are allowed to be bought in to the USA).

Take something for the children to suck/drink during take off and landing (especially the descent) - that will help them even out the pressure in their ears which can be painful.


Have a good trip,

--Kay

[neilandkay]

Oh, and if you have purchased a seat for your child, no matter what age, they should get a virgin backpack. You may have to ask for it at the boarding gate as they often assume that young ones do not have a seat (we had to do this twice). There is not a lot in it, but it is something new that will occupy them for a little while. If they still have the red baseball cap - we find that great for keeping track of our son in a small crowd (such as a playpark).

[Olex]

To 'Lisa Gill' & 'Neil & Kay' ...

Thanks for the advivce .... we have reserved the Infant Care chair so hopefully Tomasz ... and mum and dad will have a peaceful trip [msnsmile2] with not too many tears [msncry]

Alex & Dorota