Flying with an infant

[waltskids]

We flew with DS 4 times as a lap baby (at 3 months, 7 months, 9 months, and 12 months). We bought him a seat this past trip (at 20 months old) even though we didn't need to since we knew he would not sit on our lap. It was the best decision we ever made. He sat in the carseat the whole time and even slept! While I didn't mind the trips as a lap baby when he was a younger baby, we should have definitely bought him a seat at 9 months and 12 months since he was very squirmy on those flights (he wanted to crawl or walk). You know your child best and how they will react. Have fun on your trip!

 

[Willow25]

We took our 4 month old last December from Australia to Florida all as a lap baby. Of course on the flight from Oz to LA we had the fold down bassinet which was fantastic. On the internal flights she was on our laps which worked out okay. We think the flights are extremely uncomfortable anyway so it did not make much of a difference. We also had turbulence and I felt better having her in my arms than not. Only you can make that decision, don't worry about what others think.

 

[ammeador2]

I am gonna get flamed for this, but we will be holding our son, he will be 12 months on the flight. I am NOT taking the car seat cause seriously, they would ask us to vacate the aircraft. Our son HATES the car. He has a tolerance of about 10-15 minutes. Then, he screams his full head off.

Do what YOU feel comfertable with.

I won't flame you! We are doing the same thing. I bought a seat for DD who is 3 but not for DS who is under 2. The first time DD flew she was 1 and we held her then too. I feel that it is whatever you are comfortable with and how long your flight is. Our airline doesn't even require us to put DD in her car seat so both of ours will be gate checked.

 

[pl'smama]

Thank you everyone for your information and opinions. I guess I have some serious thinking and researching to do on this one. I have lots of time, thankfully.

Thanks again, Suz

 

[figment74]

Hi everyone, I just have a question about flying with an infant. Do you have to purchase a seat for a child of about 8 to ten months old? If so, can you take a regular child booster seat or infant carrier on the plane?

If you don't have to purchase the seat, then do you hold them the whole time? Can you use a sling to hold them?

This would be a flight out of Toronto.

Thank you, Suz

DW and I have flown several times with our 10 month old. We used a Bobby as a lap seat when she was only 5 months old. Now we are flying again in Oct (12mo). My DD is a little on the small side (premie) at 18lb. So we feel that flying with her on the lap should be ok. FYI, sure that this has been mentioned already, make sure that you have a copy of the Birth Cert. with you. We fly SWA, and they require it for children under the age of 3, I think.

 

[stazmatic]

We flew last year with our 13mo old daughter, the youngest of 5. Being we are a large family it was actually cheaper to purchase 8 seats than 7 (my mother was with us.) I was so glad our daughter had her own seat. At that age she was used to her car seat and was completely fine the whole way there. The return flight was a different story since my dh thought it would be okay to let her walk around for a little while. Then we couldn't get her back in the seat.
In December we will be flying again with our infant who will be 5 months. I am also unsure whether or not to buy a seat. The flights will almost definitely be full, so I am not gambling on an empty seat. I have heard a lot of bad stories and am worried, even though I know the chance of accidents is much lower than by car.

 

[tlbwriter]

I have heard a lot of bad stories and am worried, even though I know the chance of accidents is much lower than by car.

Turbulence is much, much more common than a crash, and lap babies have hurled out of their parents' arms on turbulent flights. Of course, more often than not, you're not going to have any problems. Some of us prefer to err on the side of safety, and some of us prefer to take our chances.

 

[hmgray95]

We have taken both of our children on multiple flights as infants (my daughter travelled back and forth from Malaysia to US from age 3 months to 9 months, and on several flights within Asia and the Pacific Rim during that same time). There was only one time that we purchased a seat for her....all of the other times we held her on our laps. We went to Disney in May with our then 3 month old son, and held him as well. We have never found turbulence to be an issue....but of course, it is a possibility. Bottom line....do what you are comfortable with. For us, carting the car seat around the airport was always very difficult, particularly because we had multiple flights to catch, and we always felt that if an emergency occurred while in air, we were better off having the infant in our hands rather than struggling to get them out of a car seat.

 

[rrobin3051]

I too would recomend a carseat if you money is not an issue. I will however say the last 3 times i have flown I did not buy a ticket and was able to bring the carseat and USE it. I know i may have gotten lucky. If you fly southwest you can preboard and before the flight the person at the desk can let you know if it is full. if it is not then you can use your seat. In fact i know i might get flamed but Hubby sits in one seat in the aisle and I sit by the window ..and who in thier right mind would choose the middle next to a baby. So I have never had a problem using the seat. You decide and make the choice that is right for your family.

 

[heazer]

I agree to do what you're comfortable with. It is a chore though to hold the child, especially if the flight is long. I would encourage you though to call the airline directly and ask if they have an infant seat fare. In my experience they've always been half-price seats, compared to what you pay for your seat.

 

[pl'smama]

I agree to do what you're comfortable with. It is a chore though to hold the child, especially if the flight is long. I would encourage you though to call the airline directly and ask if they have an infant seat fare. In my experience they've always been half-price seats, compared to what you pay for your seat.

I will do this, but I fear that here in Canada we have to pay full price for an infant. But I will be finding out way before hand, for sure.

Thanks everyone, Suz

 

[barbarah]

Just for information. I tried to purchase a seat for an infant with British Airways last week. I was told that you had to keep the infant in the car seat at all times except take off and landings and turbulence too. Also the car seat had to be on the approved list of BA's.

If the infant has to sit still in a car seat for 9 hours and does not have the chance to move around like the other children of 2 years and 1 month what is the point. It's not for safety because you have to take them out of the car seat when there is turbulence and put them on your lap.

As this was the case I opted not to get an additional seat even though I did not mind paying as we are taking 3 other children so will just put the arms of seats up and they can share seats when no turbulence or take off and land. Our grandchild will be 19 months, but to be honest he is 10 months now and would not sit in his car seat for 2 hours never mind 9 as he is very active. For a baby I can see the point, but if they are crawling forget it.

B A by the way were very helpful and arranged bulkhead seats.

 

[HGD24]

Just for information. I tried to purchase a seat for an infant with British Airways last week. I was told that you had to keep the infant in the car seat at all times except take off and landings and turbulence too. Also the car seat had to be on the approved list of BA's.

If the infant has to sit still in a car seat for 9 hours and does not have the chance to move around like the other children of 2 years and 1 month what is the point. It's not for safety because you have to take them out of the car seat when there is turbulence and put them on your lap.

This seems like a strange regulation. I would think that they would have to be in it during take-off, landing and turbulence, not the other way around.

It's not HEALTHY to leave an infant in a carseat, swing, stroller, etc for more than an hour or so at a time. It creates too much pressure on their bottoms and just like adults, infants can get blood clots too.

 

[nikkers]

We fly several times a year with my 2 children, DS (4) and DD (2). They each flew for the first time at about 8 weeks. I would like to share my one and only experience flying with my son as a lap baby. He was about 12 months. I did not enjoy the experience at all! The flight was full, and we were in a middle seat. It was very hard to entertain him on my lap for the 1 1/2 hour flight. It was hard to reach items for him. He was able to reach the seat in front of us. He didn't cry and wasn't loud, just active. 12 months is just a hard age to sit still. As a frequent traveler I would highly recommend buying a seat for your child. It is so much easier when they are in a carseat. It is much more comfortable and safe for both of you.
I just thought I would share my experience.

 

[Nicoleclaw]

I don't even want to tell you about our last flight with ds (14 mo) without a seat....I would have paid $1000 for a seat for him if I had any idea it would be that bad! Besides the fact we could not choose our seats because we had a lap infant, when we got the the airport, the only seats left together were the seats where infants CANNOT sit!! So we had BIL, SIL, and 2 kids (one infant) together, me 4 or 5 rows back across the aisle from dd (4!), MIL 4 rows back on other side, DH 4 rows back from her on other side! It was horrible. Some kind people switched seats so DD and I could sit together. I had to pass stuff back to MIL to pass to DH when he had DS. Once he couldnt handle him squirming around and screaming, then I had to hold him....and OF COURSE the plane was about to land and took back off! That does not sit well with a fearful flyer like myself. Then DS managed to unbuckle my seatbelt with his foot and I could not buckle it, so I had to make the teenage boy next to me hold him so I could rebuckle while we had our 2nd landing! I say buy the seat, there is really nowhere for the kid to walk around anyway on an airplane, and really it is not safe. I did alot of research after the fact and clear air turbulence is the kind when flight attendants and people standing up tend to get hurt because it is out of nowhere and more severe than normal stuff. It would be very difficult to hold on to the kid during this, and they should not be playing on the ground during the flight. If they are going to be screaming and squirming in your arms for so many hours, may as well let them scream in the carseat and giv eyour arms a break.... sounds horrible I know.... I know flying is safer than driving, but there still are serious risks. Do some research while you have time. We did buy a seat for our DD years ago when she was under 2, when the flight had infant rates. It was totally worth it for us. Do what you are comfortable with and have a great trip!

 

[tlbwriter]

This seems like a strange regulation. I would think that they would have to be in it during take-off, landing and turbulence, not the other way around.

Since this was British Airways, I wonder if they require infants to be in the cot provided by the airline during those times.

It's not HEALTHY to leave an infant in a carseat, swing, stroller, etc for more than an hour or so at a time. It creates too much pressure on their bottoms and just like adults, infants can get blood clots too.

Then take them out for brief periods on long flights. Just like adults, they can get up and move a bit, and then get buckled safely back into their seats.

 

[HGD24]

...If the infant has to sit still in a car seat for 9 hours and does not have the chance to move around like the other children of 2 years and 1 month what is the point. It's not for safety because you have to take them out of the car seat when there is turbulence and put them on your lap....

...Then take them out for brief periods on long flights. Just like adults, they can get up and move a bit, and then get buckled safely back into their seats.

Obviously, you should take them out occasionally, but the above poster made it sound as if they could not do that at all on BA.

 

[marbella_chris]

no, a child is not in the cotbed for take off, they are strapped against the parent for take off and landing

 

[NotUrsula]

BA is subject to UK regulations, and the UK still prefers belly-belts, which are actually illegal for use on US-based carriers. Laws differ on this issue throughout the world. (No place is really right or wrong; they all use different priorities to determine their choice. In the US they use the whole drive vs. fly logic, and also the human-airbag argument. In the UK they use the argument that turbulence is more common than sudden deceleration, and apparently do not buy the human-airbag argument, thus they prefer belly belts.)

If you absolutely want to be able to use a carseat on board an aircraft at any time of your flight, book on a US-based carrier and pay for a separate seat for the baby. US law guarantees the right to use a carseat in a paid-for berth, afaik it is the only country that does.

 

[barbarah]

Since this was British Airways, I wonder if they require infants to be in the cot provided by the airline during those times.

No they told me that if we used a skycot then they would have to come out of that for take off and landing and turbulence too. At 18 months he would not fit into one of those skycots in my opinion. Trying to keep him in one of them would be hell for us and other passengers. Fine for babies.

Then take them out for brief periods on long flights. Just like adults, they can get up and move a bit, and then get buckled safely back into their seats.

Problem is if you have to have a bulky car seat in their seat how can you move them around. Much as I hated the idea I thought it better for the child to not have a seat and then share his 2 brothers (5 and 4) seat with the arm rests up as at least then he would have some space and could wriggle around and climb on parents and grandparents when he wanted too.

Cost is not an issue as the difference was only £120 return and I would have been happy to pay that if he could sit in seat without car seat when not taking off or landing or turbulence.