Can anyone tell me about flying with a child in lap

[leshunlenese]

my whole family r flying from atlanta to orlando and my son who will be 13 months at the time will be in my lap. i was wondering if anyone had any tips/suggestions for flying with a child. more so one in a lap. Also paying an extra 100 for him a seat is not an option or up for discussion. thank you

 

[maxiesmom]

Realize that your flight is not going to be a relaxing one. You will need to spend all of your time keeping your little one occupied, and keeping them from kicking the seat in front of you. The good thing is that it shouldn't be a long flight. The bad new is that you can sit for a while on the taramac waiting for clearance to take off.

Is the lap baby going to be the only child on this trip? If not, make sure you get your seats in such a set up that someone else will be able to help the other kids with their needs.

Sorry I am not much help.

 

[tjmw2727]

Patience and preparation! Start with www.tsa.gov and read the tips on air travel/ traveling / and traveling with children. There are restrictions as to what you can bring through security as well as exceptions for babies/toddlers. Then check your airlines website for the specifics on traveling with a lap rider.

You will need to have a birth certificate for the baby to prove he/she is young enough to be a lap child and get a verification document to clear security - like a boarding pass but for lap riders.

I would bring an empty sippy cup or bottle and purchase juice after security. Others will disagree but I serve limited milk when flying due to the possiblity of an upset tummy. Milk won't cause it of course but it can be nasty to clean up if the child has had milk

Ear popping/pain - Gerber makes a line of chewy candy and if you approve and he/she is ready it can help with the ears, as can a lolly pop or sippy cup that is difficult to sip from.

Limited space - If at all possible have a family member sit in front of you and the baby. It is likely that there will be seat kicking due to the limited space esp if the seat in front reclined. I always sat with my dd in her carseat in the window seat with me in the middle next to her, then my dh in front of my dd with my older dd next to him.

Comfort/amusement - lovies and a few new toys, board books and simple things. I used to learn a few new finger games for my kids and we would do them for a long time Simple things worked best at that age, pipe cleaners, stickers and colorforms were favorites of my dd's and once my youngest at around 2 played with a roll of scotch tape for an entire 3 hour flight.

Have a great trip!

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Please think of buying a ticket. If you always put your baby in a car seat while driving - why not for an airplane.

It is very irresponsible and goes against all professional/medical advice.

 

[bumbershoot]

i was wondering if anyone had any tips/suggestions for flying with a child.

Like another said, know now that you're not going to be relaxed.

We took DS at 17 months as a lap child, from Seattle to San Diego. My arms were sore for DAYS. I arrived exhausted, circles under my eyes, flustered, sweaty, and miserable.

DS was heavy, big, tall, and squirmy. He slept for about half an hour after nursing, and while it was nice to have him sleeping, I had to hold him in ONE position so as to not wake him. He's normally not that fussy about sleep, but I was NOT going to risk it. Also, I'm short, and to make my lap level I had to be on my tiptoes, so you can only imagine how my calves felt.

Also, during the flight, I realized that if there was severe turbulence, there would be no chance in Hades that I could hold onto my kidlet, and he'd go flying. Where would he hit, who would he hit, how damaged would he be, how damaged would a person that he might hit be? How hideous would it be, if there were severe, no-warning, turbulence, and my kidlet was hurt or killed, because for that trip I felt too broke to pay for his seat and put him in his carseat?


Those are the feelings you need to prepare for.

WILL you have those feelings? You might. You might not. I HATED having those feelings, having NOT thought about it beforehand, hated being surprised by it. I hated being surprised at my exhaustion, at not having thought it all through. I also hated being on that trip, having NO extra money to buy him a seat on the way back (note that our carseat was checked through...it was there, for the land portion of the trip), and dreading that trip back. It was really a negative experience for us.

DS aged out of being a lap baby by the time we had our next flight from home, but I swore I would never do it again.

 

[leshunlenese]

thank you all very much. unfortunately buying a seat is not an option. Luckly he is the only baby and we have 3 other adults who will be very helpful and its only an hour flight from atlanta. i will make the most of it and hope it will be ok

 

[LoveKermit]

thank you all very much. unfortunately buying a seat is not an option. Luckly he is the only baby and we have 3 other adults who will be very helpful and its only an hour flight from atlanta. i will make the most of it and hope it will be ok

You'll manage, and at least it's a short flight. But I guarantee, you will never do it again.

I swore after two flights in two weeks at 7 months that I wouldn't do it again. At 20 months, we had the car seat. My nephew could have been described above. At 17 months he was huge and nuts. Though, he might have eventually fallen asleep.

I like the idea of putting your spare adult in the row ahead of you. Enjoy.

 

[nytimez]

thank you all very much. unfortunately buying a seat is not an option. Luckly he is the only baby and we have 3 other adults who will be very helpful and its only an hour flight from atlanta. i will make the most of it and hope it will be ok

Every baby is different. But for a short flight and with other adults to help, you should be fine. Bring something new or different for the baby to enjoy (just think of your neighbors and make it something quiet).

Safety is a concern, however -- there's a reason flight attendants refer to lap babies as "footballs."

 

[azdizzymom]

my whole family r flying from atlanta to orlando and my son who will be 13 months at the time will be in my lap. i was wondering if anyone had any tips/suggestions for flying with a child. more so one in a lap. Also paying an extra 100 for him a seat is not an option or up for discussion. thank you

I apologize if I offend anyone but:

ISN'T YOUR CHILD'S SAFETY WORTH $100....imagine how you would feel if as others say there is turbulence or worse yet an emergency situation and your child who is on your lap gets severely hurt. I had my boys who are 18 months apart and we ALWAYS paid for the ticket and properly restrained them. Their safety is our top concern. It doesn't matter how short the flight it is...all it takes is a second for something to happen. Just my opinion but please think that it is your child's safety and is it worth the $100---in my opinion heck yes wouldn't even think twice (and I was paying approximately $250/PER CHILD). Yes I could have saved $500 and it was money we really didn't have BUT I WOULD NEVER dream of not getting a seat for my babies...who are now 15 and 13.5 years!

 

[rwdavis2]

I apologize if I offend anyone but:

ISN'T YOUR CHILD'S SAFETY WORTH $100....imagine how you would feel if as others say there is turbulence or worse yet an emergency situation and your child who is on your lap gets severely hurt. I had my boys who are 18 months apart and we ALWAYS paid for the ticket and properly restrained them. Their safety is our top concern. It doesn't matter how short the flight it is...all it takes is a second for something to happen. Just my opinion but please think that it is your child's safety and is it worth the $100---in my opinion heck yes wouldn't even think twice (and I was paying approximately $250/PER CHILD). Yes I could have saved $500 and it was money we really didn't have BUT I WOULD NEVER dream of not getting a seat for my babies...who are now 15 and 13.5 years!

I tend to agree. If an extra $100 is an issue maybe you should not go.
Sorry

 

[Alesia]

Every baby is different. But for a short flight and with other adults to help, you should be fine. Bring something new or different for the baby to enjoy (just think of your neighbors and make it something quiet).

Safety is a concern, however -- there's a reason flight attendants refer to lap babies as "footballs."

I have a friend who was a flight attendant. She always refers to lap babies as "cabin missiles." "Footballs" actually sounds a little bit nicer.

 

[kifuller4]

when I flew with my daughter, both times if the flight wasn't full, they let me bring her car seat and put her in it.
They do make something for your lap that straps the baby to you. I can't remember who sells them or what exactly they are called.
I understand that money is tight and you can't afford the seat. People do it all the time.

 

[CdnKayDee]

I flew with DS at 12 months as a lap baby. I was quite nervous before the flight only because I did not know how he would handle flying. He did very well and had a much longer flight than you. 1 hour will pass by very quickly especially with 3 other adults to help out. We brought some crackers he had never had and bought some new toys to play with. He was quite entranced. I think that you will do fine. Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[uva185]

I won't get involved in the lap child debate, however if $100 would really make or break the trip then I don't think you should be flying / traveling at all. There are lots of unexpected things that can come up during the course of travel that would cost more than $100.

For instance, what will you do if your return flight is canceled due to weather and you are required to spend an extra night in MCO? Can you afford that?

 

[kaytieeldr]

when I flew with my daughter, both times if the flight wasn't full, they let me bring her car seat and put her in it.

That's great, but it should NEVER be expected. Southwest, for example, will not allow any lap child to use a seat unless there are enough empty seats for ALL lap children... unlikely, with the trend to full flights.

I won't get involved in the lap child debate, however if $100 would really make or break the trip then I don't think you should be flying / traveling at all. There are lots of unexpected things that can come up during the course of travel that would cost more than $100.

For instance, what will you do if your return flight is canceled due to weather and you are required to spend an extra night in MCO? Can you afford that?

I know other posters have stated pretty much the same thing, I'm quoting this poster because he's the most convenient and right as usual.

 

[goofy4tink]

Okay people...we all know where this is headed. Here's an interesting opinion for you all...,
while on the Amtrak train, from RI to NYC, there was a pilot for Continental sitting behind me. He was traveling with his wife and their young dd...young being under 1. We had a 'situation' that bonded all of us in the immediate area..so I got to talking to this guy. He was on his way to the airport to replace another pilot who had called in sick. He was in full uniform..on the train. It was actually kind of funny.
However, I digress. We got to talking, so I asked him what he thought about 'lap babies' on airplanes. To my surprise, he said they did it all the time. Turns out his wife is a FA for a different airline, and they fly often, but they keep the baby on one of their laps.
I asked them if they really felt it was safe. They said yes, they had no problem with it and many other pilots and FAs agreed. I asked about sudden changes in 'weather' while in the air. His response was 'Oh, we know what to look for, so we can batten down the hatches before we hit any bad air.'
Now that surprised me no end. There have been plenty of reports of 'white air' that no one has seen coming...where the plane dropped thousands of feet and babies went flying. Besides, how does one 'batten down the hatches' for a baby if there is no way to 'tie' the baby down??

So...there are flying professionals out there that have no issue with lap babies. Me? It's nothing I would do. But I am not going to chastize a parent who chooses to do this. It is allowable. Therefore they can do it.

 

[Michael623]

But I guarantee, you will never do it again

Maybe for you but we did it 5 times on a 3 hour (each way) flight. It wasn't that bad. We just brought plenty of snacks and really weened them out over the course of the flight.

 

[arizonacolbys]

I've flown with my older DD on my lap twice - once last August at 11 months & again this past January at 16 months when I was also about 6 months pregnant. We had direct flights every time & it is about a 2 - 2 1/2 hour flight for us from here.

I was very nervous about how she would do - I was mostly worried about her wanting to get down & run around, but it was such a different situation for her & she was totally fine & happy to stay put on my lap. I hit the dollar section at Target before each trip & got a stash of new board books & little toys & took them out as needed to keep her entertained. I also brought 3 favorite board books & a couple of her favorite toys of the time for comfort & familiarity. On one ride she was entertained with the mini potato chip bag they gave out on our flight for at least a half hour, LOL She also loved playing with my ipod. Just anything they're maybe not normally allowed to have can keep them entertained for quite some time.

I suggest little toys & lots of snacks & a sippy cup for take-off & landing to ease ear-popping. A one hour flight shouldn't be too bad! (Oh, and I've also heard the advice to bring the carseat & if there's an empty seat your child can sit in it, otherwise they will gate check the carseat for you.) Good luck!!

 

[nytimez]

However, I digress. We got to talking, so I asked him what he thought about 'lap babies' on airplanes. To my surprise, he said they did it all the time. Turns out his wife is a FA for a different airline, and they fly often, but they keep the baby on one of their laps.

Don't pilots and flight attendants get free seats for themselves and their families? Why would they even need to keep a baby on their lap?

In any case, I think the risks can be overstated. If it was a real threat to safety, they wouldn't allow it.

 

[Tara]

Okay people...we all know where this is headed. Here's an interesting opinion for you all...,
while on the Amtrak train, from RI to NYC, there was a pilot for Continental sitting behind me. He was traveling with his wife and their young dd...young being under 1. We had a 'situation' that bonded all of us in the immediate area..so I got to talking to this guy. He was on his way to the airport to replace another pilot who had called in sick. He was in full uniform..on the train. It was actually kind of funny.
However, I digress. We got to talking, so I asked him what he thought about 'lap babies' on airplanes. To my surprise, he said they did it all the time. Turns out his wife is a FA for a different airline, and they fly often, but they keep the baby on one of their laps.
I asked them if they really felt it was safe. They said yes, they had no problem with it and many other pilots and FAs agreed. I asked about sudden changes in 'weather' while in the air. His response was 'Oh, we know what to look for, so we can batten down the hatches before we hit any bad air.'
Now that surprised me no end. There have been plenty of reports of 'white air' that no one has seen coming...where the plane dropped thousands of feet and babies went flying. Besides, how does one 'batten down the hatches' for a baby if there is no way to 'tie' the baby down??

So...there are flying professionals out there that have no issue with lap babies. Me? It's nothing I would do. But I am not going to chastize a parent who chooses to do this. It is allowable. Therefore they can do it.

There are doctors who smoke, too, or drink to excess or abuse drugs...being in the industry doesn't mean they are making a smart choice. And you're right - there is no "batten down the hatches.' I think the more appropriate answer they could have given was that the odds are in their favor. But it just takes one time for the odds to swing the other way to spell heartbreak...

To the poster who said if it weren't safe, they wouldn't allow it...this is a constant debate, but the lap baby rule remains in place because requiring tickets for infants would mean more people would drive and therefore more infants would be injured or killed in auto accidents.

Everyone has to do what works for them. I still think it's right and fair to point out (in a kind way) the dangers because not every flying parent is aware. But I agree with you, Diane, that berating anyone is unproductive and unnecessary.