J with toddlers, seat choice

We're heading off on a family trip to Phuket flying SQ business via SIN.

We have two sons, aged 3 and 5. Any recommendations for seat selection? Pod of 4, or row of 4? Seat map attached with circled avails.

Keen for any input!

thanks

Back of the plane sounds great

Sincerely,

Childless people

Baggage compartment is the most suitable spot. Child free airlines please

Exactly 💯

Without wanting to sound unkind, people ought think twice before travelling in premium cabins with children of any age.

Youngsters have no care for the quiet enjoyment of other pax who've paid premium prices for a seat in hopes of an elevated experience. If they wanted to be surrounded by noisy youngsters they'd have booked Y class seats.

Alas any discussion of this topic ends up in tears… I remember when MH said they'd ban kids from P (years ago) and the media went for their jugular! God knows why?

Nonetheless, good luck with the kids in SQ J… just try not to pay any attention to the death stares of the other pax.

This is a difficult issue. Should parents be disadvanged from J into economy because they have young kids? Should passengers in J be disadvanatged because of young kids (not their own)? For what it's worth, the interest of the majority of pax in J (or P) should outweigh that of the minority. It's the only fair outcome. The airlines will never have that as policy. But those with young kids can and should expect adverse reaction from others if J is the choice they make.

QF10 in business from London to Darwin (early 2022) with a 2 year old who walked on top of the bassinet shouting at the cabin for 16 hours whilst his useless parents had headphones in and did nothing.

So for me, your children don't deserve to be on the plane let alone in a seat that people pay thousands for.

Peaceful enjoyment of a premium cabin is a reasonable expectation, but is in no way precluded by the presence of young children therein. I have experienced greater disturbance from socially inept adults than I have from children, in F, J or Y. I have also flown relatively frequently in premium cabins with my young family as I am confident that they will not disturb others ... perhaps we could extend the courtesy of assuming the same to MelRTW.

In answer to the question, I would go for the 'pod', as that will allow you and (I assume) your partner direct access to both kids from the same aisle. Further away from the bathrooms, but a bit of exercise to reach them isn't a bad thing. The SQ crew will take good care of you all, and you'll have a great time in Phuket - can highly recommend ClubMed for families. Safe travels.

I've flown with my young kids in J several times now and each time on my own dime and couldn't care less how the others in the cabin feel about it, not that I've ever had a problem with anyone. Infact, all I've ever had is smiles, help and understanding from both passengers and staff. As far as I'm concerned I've paid to be in J so get over it and if you can't then get off the plane.
Most of the folks in J are there courtesy of their employer anyway so they should soak up the privilege and be glad they're not in Y or lashed to the wing.

My advice would be mix it up - do one flight as a pod and one flight across a row (if you're doing J return), but one really isn't better than the other. Qatar Q suite is the niftiest I find followed by layouts similar to what Qantas has where 1 parent can deal with 2 kids when seated in a row. You'll need that because there will be times when one parent eats or goes to the toilet while the other manages the kids.

An idea for keeping the kids 'entertained/occupied/behaving' is to bring along a new toy or book for them to discover on the flight.
After they've finished exploring their new item then have an iPad/iPhone/something-a-rather ready with hours of their favorite shows to watch incase the inflight system is no good. For my kids being able to use a iPad/phone is a treat in itself since I don't let them use electronic devices when we're not travelling.
If your kids are anything like mine you can try and wear them out a little before the flight by letting them play in the kids area in the lounge (if there's one) and walk laps of the terminal or play hide and seek behind pillars or chairs. Or wake them up early the day you fly out. Mine fall asleep after two or three hours and stay that way for most of the rest of the flight.

I am with you on this one, I have had more adults that talk to others around them at the top of their voices so many times. Of course I have experienced the occasional child crying in the J cabin, no one wants to experience a crying/screaming child in any part of the plane.

Never an issue for me, my kids were well behaved and trip well planned to ensure they were settled the whole way, the fact that you have a stop on the way helps. We always liked to travel in pairs and swap around during the trip if possible or certainly swap on the return leg. Rude adults are more of a problem than noisy kids, I can put on headphones and essentially ignore the noisy kids, rude and loud adults however, not so much.

Moist importantly, you forgot to mention leaving them at home!

The wing!

While I had no intention for this to kick off a debate, I'm more than happy to hear all sides!

Based on the feedback, I'm going with the pod option in the last row of J. Thank you for the insights.

And as far as kids in J go, I genuinely empathise with the 'leave them at home' crowd. I've experienced other kids in premium cabins and it has been 50/50, good and bad. It really comes down to the parents, if I'm honest. Some barely register when their child is screaming, whereas others are 'on the job' from boarding to disembarkation. My wife and I are definitely the latter, having flown many times with both kids. They are very aware of what is expected of them. They sit quietly and watch Paw Patrol the whole way, and being inside essentially a giant white noise generator certainly helps with keeping them asleep for as long, if not longer, than at home.

Just to clarify, they each have their own seats, so they are certainly paying their way for the privilege (well, I'm paying, but you get the point). Every disruption that has had a large impact on a premium flight for me has been from a drunk middle-aged man making a fool of himself or an entitled older woman making a scene for 14 hours. Perhaps flyers like these should be relegated to the baggage compartment instead of well-behaved children?

At what age is it acceptable though. I distinctly remember the look of disgust from a boomer couple towards me when I took a seat in J in my early 30’s…. Lol