did you start buying your baby/toddler their own airplane seat before 2? (lap child free under 2 years old)

[luvmy2babies]

I took my daughter as a lap baby. She was my "laid back, easy to entertain, just talk to me or have a snack for me and I'm fine" child. Flew cross country with her. I even watched a movie (with one ear bud in). I did have this thing connecting her to my seat belt. I can't remember what it was called (she's 16 now). It was a vest she wore with a tether that attached to my lap belt. It wasn't allowed during take off and landing. It was just connected during the flight in case of turbulence. ETA: looked it up. It's called the Baby B'Air flight vest (thanks Google)

My son on the other hand I knew was a different child. Plus we had lost my husband so I was alone with 2 children (my daughter was 7 the first time we flew). So for both flights with him before he was 2, I brought his car seat. He wasn't a fan (and it was hard carrying it); but at least my hands were free and I wasn't battling keeping him from kicking the seat. I was happier when he was big enough for the CARES harness when he was 2.

 

[rlk]

If you are flying solo with your toddler/baby on your lap, please consider the impact it can have on the people around you.

One of my worst flying experiences has been on an 8-hour flight, sitting in an aisle seat with a lap baby in the middle seat. I had to get up at least twice an hour so either the mom or dad could walk with the baby. They were very apologetic and I kept my annoyance to myself, but it was not a fun flight.

 

[babyruth]

I have always purchased a seat for my kids and used a FAA approved car seat onboard.

 

[TwinkleKS]

Car seat only. Never lap child. Their safety is worth more than a plane ticket.

 

[Hikergirl]

My kids were lap kids when they were under 2

 

[MomOTwins]

Mine were lap babies right up to 24 months. We timed the flight to coincide with nap time, and they would snooze in my lap pretty much the whole time. For those who say a car seat is necessary on the plane, do you use magical express transportation? Because they do not allow car seats on magical express, and the odds of an accident on the highway are MUCH higher than the odds of a plane crash. We held ours in laps on the plane and used Minnie van/uber with car seat on the ground, but I think there is a range of risk levels that parents can be comfortable with.

 

[sponica]

I flew with a 21 month old lap "baby" and regretted it. Of course she was 35 inches tall...so more than half my height.

 

[smiths02]

We only flew once with a child who would qualify as a lap baby. We chose to buy him his own seat and sit him in an FAA approved car seat, even though we were riding with 4 adults and the 12-month old. For us, it wasn't about wiggly or being able to hold him (since we had several people), it was about safety. We were lucky in that the price differential was not huge ($1000 total vs $800 total).

 

[Disneylvr]

When I daughter was under 2 we always brought her car seat on the plane and bought her a seat. It made for a much more pleasant flight for us and for the passengers near us. Most importantly, it was safer for her.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I've rarely seen car seat babies; seems many are lap babies likely due to costs, seating configuration, baby temperaments, etc.

I'm more on the carseat side for safety reasons but there are babies who are absolute terrors for one reason or another in a car seat on a plane and I know some parents have that issue and opt for lap because their child ends up being more comfortable (safety aspect aside as I already mentioned it).

 

[TwinkleKS]

Mine were lap babies right up to 24 months. We timed the flight to coincide with nap time, and they would snooze in my lap pretty much the whole time. For those who say a car seat is necessary on the plane, do you use magical express transportation? Because they do not allow car seats on magical express, and the odds of an accident on the highway are MUCH higher than the odds of a plane crash. We held ours in laps on the plane and used Minnie van/uber with car seat on the ground, but I think there is a range of risk levels that parents can be comfortable with.

As a matter of fact we did not use the Magical Express and / or were on non Disney trips when we were flying with children under the age of two. They remained in their car seats, then when age appropriate transitioned to a FAA approved CARES harness and eventually to their own seats when they had "sized out" of the other options.

The issue isn't the plane crashing. It is turbulence that you can experience during the flight, which could send your squirming lap seated baby flying.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Lap children are projectile objects that have not yet gone bouncing through the airplane. Buy an approved car seat and pay the fare for your child's seat if its not complimentary.

 

[CT Disney]

I would like to speak for the passenger who will end up in the row with you. Even if your friend acts as a buffer between you (and your toddler) and the other passenger, having a 21 month old will add a lot of chaos to your row. I’m sure you may pass the toddler back and forth. Your friend may have to have to help you reach what you need. You’ll probably keep your drinks and snacks on your friend’s tray. I don’t know, it just seems like a lot of extra “activity” for an unsuspecting rowmate to deal with. I’m a teacher of young children, and even I wouldn’t like to have a 21 month old in my row that is barely able to accommodate 3 people comfortably.

 

[MrsDuck]

We flew when our son was 19 months for the first time. We bought him a seat in hopes he would stretch out and sleep (he did). We also wanted to have the ability to NOT hold him - he's a little wild man and I knew wouldn't sit happily on my lap for any length of time. We did bring our car seat on the first leg but it didn't fit in the seat so the flight attendant checked it for us. He did great! Highly recommend buying your little one a seat if you can swing it.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I have been in three airplanes that have had emergency landings where there was a real risk we were going to have an actual crash landing.

I hope I never end up on a flight with you! That is some bad luck (or good, I guess, depending on how you look at it!)

 

[LovesTimone]

I always got her, her own seat... it made the trip much easier, plus it gave me extra room which was really nice...

 

[Starwind]

I hope I never end up on a flight with you! That is some bad luck (or good, I guess, depending on how you look at it!)

A combo of good and bad luck I think

All three were from the same city to the same city. Needless to say after the third one I refuse to fly between those two cities. I figure clearly the universe doesn't want me to and I am not willing to tempt fate.

On the positive side, the crews were AMAZING and kept the passengers well informed.

And those are not the majority of the flights I take -- most are uneventful or at most perhaps a delay due to weather

SW

 

[maranara]

When my daughter was under 2 we flew twice with her (first time at 9 months) and both times we bought her her own seat and brought a car seat. We tried to time the flights with her naps and she slept happily the entire time in her familiar car seat. I can't imagine trying to hold a child for an entire flight. There's barely enough space for one person, and trying to juggle a baby too...I just wouldn't. It's also a safety issue for me - I've been on a couple of flights recently with bad turbulence and I can't imagine trying to hold a baby safely.

 

[erin1715]

We flew with my daughter in May when she was five months old and did not buy her a seat, so I held her for the 2.5 hour flight. The only good thing about holding her at that age was I could easily nurse her, but that was the ONLY good thing. She wasn't comfortable, I wasn't comfortable, and my husband who had to have a middle seat wasn't comfortable either. We are flying again when she'll be 14 months and I bought her a seat and will be purchasing an inexpensive car seat for the flight. Knowing what I know now about the safety of having a car seat on the plane, I should have done that when we flew with her at five months old too.

 

[pxidst119]

I always bought a seat and used a car seat. It just seemed easier and safer. Plus I figured they were used to being buckled into a car seat. They were more comfortable and so were we.
My sister now has a little one and considered having a lap baby but ultimately did buy a seat. She still held her baby a lot of the time but was so thankful to have the seat for a break. She was a handful at 11 months old.