Can you hold a 2+ toddler on a plane?

[mickeyfan0805]

DW and I are heading on a flight Monday with our dd3 and dd2. We have tickets for both of them, but know that they may feel restless and wish to be held while we are taking off and/or landing. Does anyone know if you can hold a child over 2 when the 'seatbelt light' is on? TIA.

 

[DevilDuckie]

DW and I are heading on a flight Monday with our dd3 and dd2. We have tickets for both of them, but know that they may feel restless and wish to be held while we are taking off and/or landing. Does anyone know if you can hold a child over 2 when the 'seatbelt light' is on? TIA.

No, they will need to be in their seatbelt. Safety trumps restlessness and you will be required to have them properly restrained while the light is on.

 

[kmodory]

I agree that you will have to belt them in. But, I've found it helpful to bring their car seat on the plane. They are used to being buckled in and don't try to escape well into the flight. Not sure if you bring your seat, but might help keep them comfortable and contained. Even if they get upset, they are at least kept in their seat -- although you may be stressed. Good luck.

 

[HelenePA]

I held my son.. he was screaming his head off (sorry to the other people) so I held him about 99% of the time.. there was no making him happy! He learned to unbuckle himself too...I will never take a flight that early again with kids... anyway.. I did hold my son.. the flight attendants said nothing to me.. of course if they did I wouldn't have heard it any way with him screaming... Yeah he was THAT happy.. I was THAT mom..

 

[angeleigh]

Last year I held my ds the whole time. He was 3. I didn't even think about it actually. He had a ticket but it was his first flight and he was upset because my dh was on a different flight. They didn't say anything to me about holding him. Maybe because they thought he was under 2. He was extremely small. When we went just a couple of months ago he sat in his seat.

 

[iheartdisney]

When DD was 2, we flew a few times, and despite her mood, she had to be buckled. (I even asked if I could buckle my 15 mo old DS and hold her, since he was calm, and she was freaking), and was told no, that she had to be buckled for us to back away from the gate. This was on Southwest.
We made it work by having her lay her head in my lap, and I snuck the buckle around her!

 

[Princess-in-Training]

With DD (2.5yo), I rented a CARES restraint:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rent-my-CARES-K...kparms=72:552|39:1|65:12&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14


It worked out really well. I held her hand and I had to remind her a few times that it was like her car seat and that she had to be buckled up for safety.

More importantly, we had LOTS of toys, coloring books, snacks, stickers, puzzles to keep her entertained!

Good luck!!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Obviously experiences have varied, but mine have always been that they MUST be buckled during take off and landing.
Anyway, with the arm rests between the seats able to come up you could very easily "almost hold" your child by putting your arm around them and holding them close. I do think car seats for little ones is a good idea though, especially if you are going to be traveling at a time of day when they will be tired and cranky.

 

[wifey1220]

On south west and airtran I was forced to buckle my 2yr old in his own seat for takeoff and landing. But the rest of the flight I just held him . The flight crew never siad anything.

 

[jessica52877]

My experience is the children have to be buckled before taking off from the gate also. I do find it so much easier having the carseat, they are comfortable and used to it and don't ask to get out, sleep great. At 5 1/2 I still take my son's seat and he LOVES it and has plenty of leg room too!

 

[tjmw2727]

DW and I are heading on a flight Monday with our dd3 and dd2. We have tickets for both of them, but know that they may feel restless and wish to be held while we are taking off and/or landing. Does anyone know if you can hold a child over 2 when the 'seatbelt light' is on? TIA.

No - you should plan on having them in their own seat with the seatbelt on for takeoff and landing for their safety and everyone else on the plane. If they are on your lap they can't be in the belt with you so they are basicly unrestrained in the event of turbulance.

I would just practice now - explain the rules and make it fun and interesting for them but non negotiable. There have been two recent incidents where FA's have had to remove a family because a child was unwilling to sit belted for takeoff. The airlines can face stiff fines unbuckled passengers - even kids. Folks who have been able to hold a ticketed child are the exception rather than the rule.

We used a carseat until about age 3 1/2 because it was familiar for the kids and they knew that they had to stay seated.

I found I could usually distract them with toys/books and novel snacks as well as something to sip on to help the ears pop. Magna doodle, pipe cleaners and a combination of old favorite and new books were some of my dd's favs. My youngest once played with a roll of scotch tape for an entire 4 hour flight - so you never know what will interest them.

TJ

 

[buckler]

I would make the child sit in their seat. In the event of a crash or bad turbulence, it is highly likely you will not be strong enough to hold onto your child and they could be severely injured. You aren't always given advance warning of gentle bumps before severe turbulence. It can be sudden and completely unexpected. Your child should be seated and belted at all times except when going to/from the restroom. Same goes for adults.

If you want an idea of what could happen in a crash or turbulence watch this video from NHTSA of a crash test dummy child being held on the lap of an adult crash test dummy. It's in a car but the same would hold true of an airplane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giYQE1Hskjc

 

[stacy6552]

No, they will need to be in their seatbelt. Safety trumps restlessness and you will be required to have them properly restrained while the light is on.

AMEN!

 

[brymolmom]

My then-ALMOST 2 year old was very irritable and on my lap and the seat next to me was empty. We were getting ready to land and the Flight attendant insisted she sit in a seat. She said that it is a law that 'all ticketed passengers must be in their own seat' - when I explained that dd wasn't ticketed but a lap child - she insinuated that she didn't believe me and went on and on about how much safer the seatbelt is (which I realize, and I likely would have buckled her at the end - but she was very upset and I was calming her until the end). Anyway - I caved to pressure and put her in the seat and held her hands away from the buckle (since they are so easy to unlatch - most kids can do it themselves) - while she screamed for the remainder of the flight.

I'm sure the passengers around me were none-too-pleased with that flight attendant!

So- prepare yourself and try to bring things ANYTHING that will distract your 2 year old. Maybe plan on dispensing M&M's one at a time during takeoff and landing so that they aren't as upset. That's what I would have done if I had realized that she would have ended up in a seat.

 

[DevilDuckie]

I'm sure the passengers around me were none-too-pleased with that flight attendant!

QUOTE]


I'd have been irritated with you for letting her tantrum, not the FA for keeping her as safe as possible. Sorry, but that's how the accountability falls for me. That woman wanted your baby to be safe.

 

[Zeebs]

I'm sure the passengers around me were none-too-pleased with that flight attendant!

QUOTE]


I'd have been irritated with you for letting her tantrum, not the FA for keeping her as safe as possible. Sorry, but that's how the accountability falls for me. That woman wanted your baby to be safe.

Oh yeah and what exactly would you have done, she was calming her down and by the sounds of it would have put her in the seat for landing when she was calmed down. The child was NOT ticketed, and therefore the decision had already been made by the mother that she would be holding her child as a lapchild, whether you agree or not to lap children the decision is up to the mother if that is how they have been brought onto the plane. Tantrums of not wanting to do something is different to a complete inconsolable child from fear, to "blame" a mother for that, in my opinion, is just wrong.

Kirsten

 

[mickeyfan0805]

As the OP I have to say that I am deeply disappointed in how people have taken a simple question and turned it into an opportunity to attack, judge and insult people for making decisions in which they are attempting to balance a number of different dynamics. I have enjoyed time spent on these boards but have been finding more and more that people look for every opportunity they can to attack others on the boards. I would suggest that some of those posting from their soap boxes on this thread, and others, ought to take a little time to consider that perhaps they aren't quite as perfect as they might seem to think.

 

[brymolmom]

I'm sure the passengers around me were none-too-pleased with that flight attendant!

QUOTE]


I'd have been irritated with you for letting her tantrum, not the FA for keeping her as safe as possible. Sorry, but that's how the accountability falls for me. That woman wanted your baby to be safe.

Not quite sure what the issue is here. The main point of your post, IMO, is 'baby' - yes, my dd was a baby - babies get scared and irritable especially with pressure in their ears, etc. - so I was trying to prevent a tantrum. It was the FA who opted to guilt me into allowing the tantrum.

Sorry, I'm guessing that your kids came right out of the womb 'not crying' on demand. Mine took a little longer than that to come around...

 

[Mouse House Mama]

OP- what we've done is put the seatbelt on the child and then wiggle them close to us and put an arm around them. You can still hold onto them so they feel safe and the seatbelt is on. Of course you throw in some super moosh kisses and hugs and you both will be giggling during the whole takeoff and landing.

 

[buckler]

A fussy child on a flight may not be "throwing a tantrum". They could be in real pain. The eustachian tube in a child's ear is narrower than that in an adult's and they are more likely to suffer pressure and discomfort due to the changes in air pressure from flying.