Emirates with Kids from India: Bassinets, Meals & Family Boarding Tips

Booking Emirates with children from India? Here is what you need to know about bassinet seats, kids meals, ICE entertainment, stroller handling at Dubai, and

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Flying Emirates with kids from India: bassinets, ICE kids entertainment, and how to survive a DXB layover with a toddler (2026)

By Priya Nair (Priya Nair covers India's beach destinations — Andaman, Lakshadweep, Goa, Kerala — with a focus on the practical bits: which gateway airport, which ferry connects to which island, the permits, the scuba seasons, the budget math.) · Published · 11 min read

Emirates is one of the most popular long-haul choices for Indian families — especially those transiting through Dubai to Europe, the US, or East Africa. But booking Emirates with an infant or toddler has a few non-obvious steps: bassinet seats are limited and must be requested separately, kids meals need pre-ordering, and DXB with a sleep-deprived two-year-old is a completely different experience than DXB alone.

TL;DR — the short answer

Emirates does have good family infrastructure — bassinet seats, a dedicated kids section on ICE, pre-ordered children's meals, and stroller return at the aircraft door at DXB — but almost none of it happens automatically. You need to request the bassinet seat as soon as you book (availability is limited and it goes fast), pre-order the kids meal during booking or at least 24 hours before departure, and let the check-in agent know you want stroller return at the gate rather than the baggage belt. DXB layovers of under four hours with a toddler are manageable; anything over six hours, look for the dedicated children's play area in Terminal 3. Use FlightGPT to compare Emirates fares against other carriers on your route before committing — a one-stop via Dubai is not always faster than, say, a nonstop Air India flight if one exists.

Bassinet seats on Emirates: how to actually get one

Emirates uses the term 'sky cot' for its infant bassinet, which attaches to the bulkhead wall in the cabin. These seats are in the bulkhead rows — typically row 13 in Economy on a Boeing 777, and equivalent rows on the A380 depending on configuration. The exact row varies by aircraft type, so do not assume.

The hard rule: the sky cot is only available for infants under approximately 6 months old and under roughly 11 kg. Once your baby exceeds the weight limit, you are into a regular seat with a lap infant, and the bulkhead row becomes less critical (though the extra legroom is still useful with a toddler). Verify the current weight limits on emirates.com at the time you book — these have not changed dramatically but it is worth confirming.

To request the sky cot: call Emirates reservations or use the 'Manage My Booking' section on emirates.com after purchasing your ticket. You cannot book a bassinet seat directly at the time of booking through most OTAs — the seat is marked separately as a 'special service request' (SSR). The SSR goes to Emirates, they note it on the booking, and seat assignment in the bulkhead row follows at check-in or sometimes in advance. The earlier you request it — ideally the same day you buy the ticket — the better your chances, because there are only a handful of bassinet positions per cabin class on each flight.

One practical thing that often trips people up: if you book through an OTA (MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Cleartrip), the OTA may not pass through your special service requests to the airline automatically. After booking through any OTA, call Emirates directly on their India reservation line and confirm the SSR is on file. It takes five minutes and saves a lot of airport stress.

Kids meals and what Emirates actually serves

Emirates offers children's meals (typically labelled CHML) for passengers aged 2–11, and baby meals (BBML) for infants on longer flights. These need to be pre-ordered — they are not served automatically. You can add them during booking on emirates.com, through Manage My Booking, or by calling the airline. The cutoff is usually 24 hours before departure, though requesting at booking is safer.

The children's meal is generally a hot option — something like pasta, chicken strips, or a simple rice dish — along with a dessert and juice. It is not gourmet, but it is recognisable to kids who are already fussy about unfamiliar food. If your child has specific dietary requirements (vegetarian, Jain, allergy-specific), pre-order the closest matching special meal and confirm via the airline. Emirates has a reasonably wide range of special meal codes — VJML (vegetarian Jain) and AVML (Asian vegetarian) are commonly used by Indian families.

Baby food on the other hand is a grey area. Emirates does carry some commercial baby food on long-haul flights, but availability is not guaranteed and the range is limited. Most experienced Indian parents bring their own pouches, jarred food, or homemade solid food in the carry-on. At Indian security checkpoints (CISF), declare any baby food if asked — liquid baby food over 100ml is generally allowed through for infants travelling on the same booking, but be prepared to open and show it. More on packing strategy in our carry-on packing guide for family flights.

ICE kids entertainment: what is actually on it

Emirates' ICE (Information, Communication, Entertainment) system is genuinely one of the better in-flight entertainment setups for kids. Each seat has its own screen, and there is a dedicated children's section under the 'Kids' tab that includes age-segmented content — 'Little Ones' (under 5), 'Kids' (5–12), and some crossover teen content. Expect Disney, Pixar, popular animation from the last few years, and a few interactive games. Emirates updates the content library roughly monthly.

The practical caveat: headphone jack sizing. The standard airline headphone jack is 3.5mm, and Emirates provides earbuds, but cheap airline earbuds rarely fit children's ears well. Bring your child's own pair, preferably volume-limited kids headphones (85 dB limit is the usually recommended ceiling for young ears). Most kids headphones are 3.5mm and will plug straight in. Noise-cancelling is overkill for kids but nice-to-have for the adults.

Tablets and own devices work fine on Emirates — USB charging ports and in some aircraft USB-C ports are at each seat. Bring a fully charged tablet loaded with downloaded content as backup — IFE systems sometimes glitch, and having your own device pre-loaded with a few offline Netflix episodes has saved many a flight for parents I know.

Strollers and prams: what happens at DXB

Emirates allows you to take a pushchair or pram as a free addition to your checked baggage allowance — it does not count against your regular weight/piece limit. At the departure airport (say, Mumbai or Delhi), you can take the stroller up to the gate; the check-in agent will tag it as 'gate check' or 'stroller to aircraft door'. It then goes into the hold, and at Dubai you collect it either at the aircraft door (if you request 'return at aircraft door' at check-in) or at the oversized baggage belt.

The 'return at aircraft door' option is significantly more useful for families in transit at DXB. You come off the plane and the stroller is waiting at the jetbridge. Without this, you have to walk — sometimes a very long walk at Terminal 3 — to the oversized belt and then back to departures. Ask for aircraft-door return at check-in every time, and put a note on the tag yourself.

If you are transiting DXB with a toddler who has just been on a 3-hour flight and has another 8 hours ahead, getting the stroller back at the door is the difference between a manageable transit and a nightmare. The DXB Terminal 3 is well equipped — there are prayer rooms, decent food options, kids play zones (near Gates C1–C4 in the international area), and nursing rooms — but it requires stamina to navigate with a young child in arms.

Priority boarding and family check-in: how it works

Emirates offers priority boarding for passengers travelling with infants and young children — they are typically invited to board with the first group, before general Economy boarding. This is standard policy, not an upgrade you pay for. Listen carefully for the announcement; gate agents do not always call it out clearly at busy Indian airports.

At major Indian departure airports (BOM, DEL, BLR, HYD, MAA), Emirates has dedicated check-in counters. Families with strollers and a lot of gear should aim for check-in as early as possible — Emirates typically opens check-in 3 hours before departure for international flights, and 3.5 hours for long-haul. The earlier you get there, the smoother the stroller tagging, bassinet confirmation, and seat assignment process goes. Security queues at these airports can be long, and CISF lanes do not always have dedicated family channels (a few airports do, but it is inconsistent).

One thing that is genuinely useful: Emirates' app lets you track your booking, add special meals, and manage seat selections. Download it before you travel and add your booking reference. It is also useful mid-transit at DXB — the app shows live gate information for your connecting flight.

DXB layover with toddlers: what to actually do

Dubai Airport Terminal 3 is enormous, and Emirates uses it exclusively for its own flights, which means the whole terminal is geared towards their passengers. For families in transit:

Duty-free at DXB is extensive but overpriced compared to online. Skip buying anything bulky — you will carry it through the whole journey with a child and regret it. A snack run at the airport food outlets is fine.

Is Emirates worth the price for family travel from India?

Emirates fares from India are typically in the mid-to-upper range for a full-service carrier — not budget, but not absurdly expensive for what you get. The IFE, baggage allowance (usually 30–35 kg checked for economy on international routes), and the DXB hub's connectivity make it a strong choice for families going to Europe or North America who do not mind a DXB connection. For shorter hops to the Gulf itself, Air India Express or IndiGo's international routes may give better value.

The non-negotiable costs to factor in: seat selection fees if you want specific seats together (Emirates does charge for advance seat selection in economy on many fare buckets), and any extras like extra baggage beyond the standard allowance. Check the fare conditions carefully — especially if booking through an OTA, which may display a cheaper fare that is actually a restricted bucket with lower baggage allowance.

Use FlightGPT to run a comparison across Emirates, Air India, Qatar Airways, and Etihad on your specific dates — the price gap between carriers varies a lot by season and route, and sometimes Air India's nonstop to a European city beats Emirates on both price and travel time for a family that wants to avoid a transit altogether.

Frequently asked questions

Can I request a bassinet on Emirates after booking through MakeMyTrip?

Yes, but you need to do it directly with Emirates rather than through MakeMyTrip. After booking, call Emirates India reservations or use Manage My Booking on emirates.com to add a sky cot as a special service request (SSR). Do this as soon as possible — bassinet positions are limited (typically 2–4 per cabin class on a 777-300ER) and fill up fast on popular India–Dubai–onwards routes.

What is the weight limit for Emirates sky cot (bassinet)?

As of 2026, Emirates' sky cot is designed for infants up to approximately 11 kg and around 6 months of age. The exact limits are on emirates.com under the 'Travelling with infants' section — verify before booking, as these can be revised. Once your baby exceeds the limit, you travel with a lap infant without the bassinet.

Does Emirates charge for taking a pram or stroller?

No — one pushchair or stroller is allowed free of charge as an additional piece, outside your main baggage allowance. You can gate-check it and request return at the aircraft door at DXB (ask at check-in). This is the most practical option if you are transiting and need the stroller in the terminal.

Is there a kids play area at Dubai Airport Terminal 3 for Emirates transit passengers?

Yes, there is a children's play zone near Concourse C in Terminal 3. It is not large, but it has soft-play equipment suitable for toddlers and younger children. For very long layovers (6+ hours), Emirates also offers transit hotel packages that are worth checking if you have an overnight connection.

Should I pre-book kids meals or can I request them at the airport?

Pre-book them — at the time of booking on emirates.com, or at least 24 hours before departure through Manage My Booking. The cutoff for special meal requests is typically 24 hours before departure, and availability at the airport counter is not guaranteed. If you are travelling with a child who has dietary restrictions (vegetarian, Jain, allergy), booking the correct meal code in advance is especially important.

How does Emirates priority boarding work for families?

Emirates boards families with infants and young children in the first group, typically before general Economy boarding. This is standard policy and no additional fee applies. Listen for the boarding announcement — it is sometimes easy to miss at busy Indian airports. Arrive at the gate at least 40 minutes before departure to be in position.