Flying with Infant

[went503]

So my wife and I who are DVC members will be flying down in Sept for our first trip with our new Little Girl. She will just turn 10 months when we make our flight down to Disney. Who has flown with and infant and can you give me some pointers advice, steer clear etc. would all be helpful. RIght now im torn between having her as a lap child or purchasing a seat. Any ideas or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

 

[goofy4tink]

I am not a huge advocate of lap babies. I've been seated in front of a lot of lap babies and they just don't seem to be too happy after about 45 mins in the air!!! And the parents seem to be frazzled. I would seriously consider getting a seat for your little one. Then, use the car seat she is used to.
Bring along any snacks she might like. I always recommend a sippy cup or a bottle for take off and landings....that can make for painful ears if they don't have something to suck on and swallow. That helps keep things open in the ear canals.
Bring some books or toys for her. Keeping her entertained is going to be what makes or breaks your flight!!
I'm sure other parents will have other advice for you. I tend to think of flying with kids as pretty much the same thing as any other mode of travel...just higher and sometimes longer. So, whatever you would do for her in the car would be what works best.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

if she is a lap child, someone will have to hold all the time. she will be able to reach tray table and grab at drinks. who ever is holding will not be able to put tray table down to hold elects ie video player or laptop. one piece of advice bring in carryon a complete change of clothes for both adults beside the baby.

 

[Waddler]

I'd recommend purchasing a seat for a 10 month old. A younger infant might be content to sleep, eat and cuddle most of the time, but by September, she'll probably be squirmy and opinionated.

 

[tyzzle]

I have flown to jamaica with a 1y.o. and disney with a 18 mos. old as a lap child and had no issues. I could put my tray down for snacks I just put my drink on hubby or older daughter's tray. On all occasions they slept part of the way. You know your child best though, but I never felt frazzled or bothered

 

[malibuconlee]

At that age my daughter flew as a lap baby. We did have a seat for her once, however we had to change planes and we had a lot of hassle with the car seat. WE even had one flight attendant argue with us about rear vs. forward facing. Went so far as she got out her book and knelt down on the floor in the aisle flipping thru it trying to tell us she could only be put in forward facing.

After that we just flew with her as a lap baby until right before her 2nd birthday.

When she was younger she would just cuddle up with daddy and the two of them would take a nap together. We had more than one person stand up at the end of a flight and say they hadn't realized a baby was in front of them.

I agree with taking an extra change of clothing for the adults too just in case.

Flight attendants were alway happy to give us water to make a bottle with.

My daughter flew a lot between 8 months and 2 1/2 then did't fly again until after her 4th birthday. The flight at 2 1/2 was by far the worst! At 10 months it was easy!

 

[VAfamily1998]

We have always purchased a seat for our babies.

Your baby will be safer during turbulence if she is secured in a car seat. In a crash, most likely, everyone will die anyway, regardless of whether they were in a secure seat or not.

 

[DebbieB]

We have always purchased a seat for our babies.

Your baby will be safer during turbulence if she is secured in a car seat. In a crash, most likely, everyone will die anyway, regardless of whether they were in a secure seat or not.

That's not true. Most accidents do have survivors. Look at the miracle on the Hudson. Look at the accident in Toronto where the plane went off the runway and caught fire, all got out. Look at the one in the cornfield in Iowa, over half survived. A lapbaby could be a projectile in an accident or even severe turbulance.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I would take into consideration the time of day your flight is. Most babies are happiest in the morning; try to avoid your daughter's cranky time if you can.

If you decide to have her fly as a lap baby, remember you need a birth certificate to prove her age, even if she looks under two. They have been know to ask for them even for tiny infants.
My kids were always happier at that age in a lap; even if they did have a seat they spent more time out of it. YMMV

 

[Swimmergirl]

We did the lap baby thing once - and that was enough! Just a little too much squirming and juggling for me. My kids were always happier in their own seat, and I felt they were safer that way. I second the poster who said to bring sippy cups and snacks. The sucking motion should help with any ear issues. And a variety of snacks, plus a small bag full of new, novel toys and trinkets should keep a little one happier longer.

One issue with bringing a carseat is traveling through the airport with it. Those suckers can be heavy! We always brought a stroller, and put the carseat on top of the stroller as we moved through the airport, while the other parent carried our child. They will let you gate check the stroller so it will be with you until you board the plane, and will be ready for you once you step into the jetway after the flight. Best wishes for smooth travels!

 

[jsilvers]

In a crash, most likely, everyone will die anyway, regardless of whether they were in a secure seat or not.

That's not true. Most accidents do have survivors. Look at the miracle on the Hudson. Look at the accident in Toronto where the plane went off the runway and caught fire, all got out. Look at the one in the cornfield in Iowa, over half survived.

To add to that: Studies have found that 90%+ of airline accidents are survivable. For a slightly-dated NTSB report on this subject, see http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/safetystudies/SR0101.pdf. An excerpt:

Because a public perception is that aviation accidents are not survivable, the Safety Board also examined the proportion of occupants who survived in each accident for the period 1983 through 2000. Contrary to public perception, the most likely outcome of an accident is that most people survive. In 528 of the 568 accidents (93.0 percent), more than 80 percent of the occupants survived (figure 3). Accidents that result in complete or near complete loss of life, such as TWA flight 800, account for a small percentage of all accidents. Only 34 of the 568 accidents (5.9 percent) resulted in fewer than 20 percent of the occupants surviving.​

A lapbaby could be a projectile in an accident or even severe turbulance.

Again, to add to that - the National Transportation Safety Board's report on the crash of United 232 in Sioux City, Iowa on July 19, 1989 recounted:

There were four in-lap occupants onboard flight 232. Three of them were under 24 months, and one was 26 months old. During the preparations for the emergency landing, parents were instructed to place their "infants" on the floor and to hold them there when the parent assumed the protective brace position. The four in-lap occupants were held on the floor by adults who occupied seats 11F, 12B, 14J and 22E.

The woman in 14J stated that her son "flew up in the air" upon impact but that she was able to grab him and hold onto him. Details of what happened to the 26-month-old child at 12B during the impact sequence are not known, but he sustained minor injuries. The mother of the 11-month-old girl at 11F said that she had problems placing and keeping her daughter on the floor because she was screaming and trying to stand up. The mother of the 23-month-old at 22E was worried about her son's position. She kept asking the flight attendants for more specific instructions about the brace position and her "special situation with a child on the floor." The mothers of the infants in seats 11F and 22E were unable to hold onto their infants and were unable to find them after the airplane impacted the ground. The infant originally located at 11F was rescued from the fuselage by a passenger who heard her cries and reentered the fuselage. The infant held on the floor in front of seat 22E died of asphyxia secondary to smoke inhalation.​

While the report doesn't make a point of it, note that the 26-month-old child was not eligible to be lap-carried (and most airlines now will ask for a birth certificate to make sure that a lap infant is under 2 years old).

 

[Jimsig]

If you get the infant a seat you can always sit them in your lap and have the seat to fall back on. But if you go the lap route you will probably be stuck if you want to sit them down as there may not be an empty seat next to you. It all falls back to personal opinion, but I would rather have the option of them having their own seat.

 

[went503]

Thank you guys i appreciate all the advice, i think we are going to purchase a seat just so we having it and for piece of mind. I just wish i knew what my LO temperment would be at 10 months. Right now she is a very very happy baby (doesnt sleep at night) but a happy happy baby so hopefully that continues.

 

[eangel12]

Glad to see you are buying a seat! Better safe than sorry!! We bought one for our 21 month old. Hit turbulence on the way back. So thankful he was secure in his seat fast asleep!!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Thank you guys i appreciate all the advice, i think we are going to purchase a seat just so we having it and for piece of mind. I just wish i knew what my LO temperment would be at 10 months. Right now she is a very very happy baby (doesnt sleep at night) but a happy happy baby so hopefully that continues.

One nice thing about purchasing a seat, since there are 3 of you: if you are flying on an aircraft with 3 seats across (most seem to be) then you have the whole row. You'll have more room and not have to worry about a neighbor.

One tricky thing is that you have no way right now of knowing whether or not she will be mobile by then. It adds a whole other level to traveling with a baby.

Have a great trip!

 

[amym2]

Thank you guys i appreciate all the advice, i think we are going to purchase a seat just so we having it and for piece of mind. I just wish i knew what my LO temperment would be at 10 months. Right now she is a very very happy baby (doesnt sleep at night) but a happy happy baby so hopefully that continues.

I think you are making the right decision. We always bought seats for our kids when they were under two, and we treated their carseats on the plane just like we did in a car. Unless the flight is more than a couple of hours, there's no need for the child to get up (except for the obvious diaper change!).

We flew once with a lap baby seated in front of us who spent the entire flight drooling over the back of the seat onto DD's tray. Every time the parents would try to get him to sit down, he would scream. The landing was not pleasant! If they had placed the kid into a car seat when boarding, I bet he would have been fine.

 

[amym2]

Oh and also, we learned that it worked best to have DH take the car seat onto the plane to install it, and then for the rest of us to wait until later in the boarding process to board. That's especially true if your DD is mobile at that point and can run off some energy.

Beyond that, it's all about the snacks. Bring her favorites as well as new snacks. And a sippy cup and any loveys (blanket, etc).

 

[went503]

any suggestions since we are purchasing a seat as to where on the aircraft is best. Front middle back. Im leaning towards the back even as much as the last row so that i have my own little corner with noone behind us and being able to see everyone in front of us. puts us close to bathrooms in case of diaper change. i dont know only downfall is last off which could bad if it was a bad flight.

 

[Jimsig]

any suggestions since we are purchasing a seat as to where on the aircraft is best. Front middle back. Im leaning towards the back even as much as the last row so that i have my own little corner with noone behind us and being able to see everyone in front of us. puts us close to bathrooms in case of diaper change. i dont know only downfall is last off which could bad if it was a bad flight.

It all depends on the aircraft. Check out http://seatguru.com and you can look at seating charts for the airline you are flying and the type of aircraft you will be in. It will give you advise as tto what are good and bad seats on a plane. A lot of time the back row seats do not or have limited recline and are usually located near the bathrooms so people can tend to congregate there. Not sure if they still do, but some aircraft I've flown have had a fold down "bassinet" that allows you to change a baby right in front of you.

In a couple weeks we are flying JetBlue with our 3yo and opted for the "even more" perk they offer. We get expideted security, early boarding, and more space, in terms of leg room. Those seats are located up near the front of the aircraft. We felt it was worth the extra money.

 

[amym2]

any suggestions since we are purchasing a seat as to where on the aircraft is best. Front middle back. Im leaning towards the back even as much as the last row so that i have my own little corner with noone behind us and being able to see everyone in front of us. puts us close to bathrooms in case of diaper change. i dont know only downfall is last off which could bad if it was a bad flight.

I always stay away from the very back because it's pretty noisy if that is where the bathrooms and work areas for the stewards are located.

Also keep in mind that your DD will need to be in the window seat since she'll be in a car seat.