Mum's tips on flying solo with a baby on world's longest flight, from Auckland to Doha

See also: World's longest flight route: Qatar Airways captain's top travel tips

Book a bassinet well in advance

These are available on a first-come first-served basis. Then don't freak out (as I did) when you get on the plane and it's not there. It's attached after take-off.

Check what size the bassinet is too as Gabriel just about fit into his and he was a small baby at three months.

Make sure to ask the airline what their policy is with turbulence. Qatar demanded that Gabriel be taken out every single time the seat belt light went on. Think about that. On a 17-hour flight, this was, on average, every 2-3 hours until I lost it with the hostess who woke me up after I had just fallen asleep to remove him and there was zero turbulence. They left me alone after that.

Virgin provides a net that secures across the top of the bassinet so you don't have to wake/move baby every time. It's a major hassle on a long flight – well worth looking into.

I had a seven-hour stopover in Doha airport and spent some time online to research what facilities they had. I didn't want to spend $NZ350($A332) for an airport hotel room and discovered the Onyx lounge where there was a designated family room – only $55($A52) for three hours.

I stayed an extra hour and no one batted an eyelid. The family room provided comfy leather sofas for sleeping on, a changing room, a kitchen with a microwave for heating bottles and a private room with armchairs for breastfeeding. Amazing.

The place was spotless and super-attentive staff were on hand to grab whatever you needed if you asked, plus there was free food and wine for me. A few sneaky, smelly backpackers (no offence intended, I used to be one) tried to sleep on our couches but the staff drop-kicked them right out. Parents and kids only.

At the other extreme, Terminal 5 in Heathrow had only one baby changing room and it was filthy. Sort it out Heathrow.

See also: World's longest flight: Qatar starts 14,535-kilometre Doha to Auckland route​

Find out which airports provide free buggies

Auckland airport didn't but Doha airport did. I don't know about Heathrow. Then find out if you need to book the buggy in advance (it will be waiting for you when you get off the plane – handy) or if not, where free buggy stations are located in the airport.

Don't leave it until you land to find out because when you get off a 17-hour flight as I did, your head is deranged and your GPS is up your ass.

Knowing where I needed to go to grab a buggy gave me something to focus on until I was able to offload some luggage and obviously, my son (6kg right there). Phew. Then we made a beeline for the Onyx lounge.

Organise your bags like an OCD nut

Know exactly what is where and in which bag. I underestimated how difficult it would be to grab stuff with a baby in the front pack. Everything has to be done with one hand and usually after you've had to bend down to open the bag in question to get whatever you need. That's some serious butt crunching right there. Lunges anyone?

See also: How to survive the world's longest flight

Ask for a spare seat between you and your neighbour

Do this in the airport before you check in. Believe me, you need that extra seat. When you're on your own, that seat is your very own private Idaho. Dump the bottles there. Dump the nappy bag there. Dump your snacks there. Dump rubbish there. Dump yourself. Dump your baby there if you have to.

Travel with snacks

Not for baby. For you. When you're mile-high on your own you need your wits about you. You need the energy to push through on little or no sleep. You need a grasp on your emotions so you don't burst out crying (again) in front of everyone when bubs won't settle. You can't cope on an empty tank. In case of gross, plastic airline food, snacks are fuel. Snacks save you. Snacks are life.

Practice changing nappies in a matchbox

Cleaning your baby's bum in a plane loo is a ninja exercise in agility, patience and coordination. Make sure your nappy bag has all the essentials and isn't too full of other stuff, which will all fall out onto the floor when you're rooting around for the wipes.

Bending down to pick up stuff in a plane loo, with your baby, is akin to an awkward rock n' roll dance in a cocoon. The Twist without the shout. Hand on baby, hand on nappy bag, hand on nappy, hand on wipes, hand on baby, oh hang on a second! No hand on baby = risk of serious injury/death.

Then if you want to also use the loo while you're in there, well, that's next level. Peeing with your wriggly baby on a small, slippery shelf hanging directly over your head while you bend down, one hand needed to hold baby while you unbutton…..etc…you get it.

See also: A350 XWB vs 787 Dreamliner: Which new long-haul carrier is best?

Befriend your neighbour

Other parents in the same boat ideally or single out someone who looks compassionate and kind. Not someone plugged into the virtual world or an angry-looking hormonal teenager. Use your best judgement.

When you need to go to the back of the plane to wash some bottles, or escape to the loo, this friendly recruit will keep an eye on the ball. Not that baby is going to hijack the plane but it's an extra pair of eyes, ears and if necessary, hands. This person will also wake you when you're so unconscious that you're oblivious to the sweet sweet sound of your baby screaming. Useful.

Don't freak out if your nappy count is running low on the plane

Ask your friendly hostess. Qatar Airways had a baby change pack with a few nappies, powder, wipes and even a cute blue elephant teddy. Free nappies!

Finally, space out your major life events

For example, don't move house immediately before flying across the world solo with a baby as I did – not the first time anyway. Your mind and body can't handle the avalanche of anxiety. It doesn't leave you in a zen space. Outer space maybe.

Auckland Airport was busy and loud. Gabriel was crying. I'd just bid my partner farewell for a month and burst into tears as I watched him walk way… the wrong way to the exit, which prompted me to explode into a laugh-out-loud-while-crying-snorting-mess. We were both so delirious after an intense week of packing our lives into boxes to move house that I was shaking with exhaustion, and trepidation about the 36-hour journey to Ireland.

Distressed solo mother alert. I wasn't a pretty sight and I would have been far less emotional if I wasn't so tired.

Stuff.co.nz

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